I am so glad I ordered this book. Was looking on Amazon.com for books about feisty older women and beside the book I love about when I am an old woman I shall wear purple I came across this book and grabbed it.

And I am so glad I did. The book is packed with wonderful empowering information on every facit of ones life if they are a woman over age fifty and not wanting to attend pity parties but wanting to grab life by the whatever and trek on for the second half of our lives.

Chapter Two Changing Identity was what I wanted and needed. Part Two of the book is excellent because it addresses how to choose wise helpers and the issue of paid work. Part Three has a great piece on being creative with ones life and just having fun. Oh and sex...

Because I live a simple lifestyle called Voluntary Simplicity I appreciated and gleaned valuable information in Part Four about housing oneself be it solo or with others. And the section on economizing offered me some ideas I didn't even know of and I have been simple living since the early 80's.

There is a nice section on Bereavement and being Politically Outrageous (I so agree) and the benefits and bonuses of aging, which is something I am learning about and appreciating.

If you library doesn't have a copy buy them one, and buy a copy for your home library since it is a book that you will (I guarantee) read and re read often and always learn something new from.

Two of my favorite women were the late actresses Ruth Gordon and Roz Russell who stared in a favorite movie of mine "Auntie Mame". Both women would have loved this book because its a book with attitude. Attitude is something older women either are afraid of or embrace. And the author is a woman I would like as a friend because she is upfront and dares talk about things that some think older women shouldn't talk about.

The book is full of really useful information and about a variety of subjects from sex, money and housing to family and life in general and how to take more risks and get more out of life. Chapter 10 Having Fun is a good example. The author says "The truth is that you can have a lot of fun being a thorn in the flesh of those who do not do right by you or others. You have a sense of humor that can sustain you through tough times" and she goes on to show how you can combine fun with social action. She also knows how to use the fine art of sarcasm which is almost a lost art.

Also like her sections on affordable housing and how to be creative with housing. And how to be creative when it comes to travel and lodging. It was so great to read where she to is a user of hostels when traveling. Hostels are a common sight in Europe and in some areas here in the West.

And I agree with her that there are so many ways to make some extra money that simply requires a frontier spirit. Like picking up recyclable bottles and cans when we are out doing errands or on a walk. I wear a small backpack when I am out walking so that I can pick up pop cans that people toss away and not only do I help keep the roadside clean I make a few extra dollars a week doing so.

Like the people in my local simple living group the author shows how using beauty colleges or chain hair cut outlets can save money. And dollar stores can get you many of the same items for a dollar that you pay more for at a drug or grocery store. Or on page 221 where she says that instead of paying money you cant afford or don't want to spend talking to someone on the phone whose voice you really do not need to hear, use email or send a written letter via the post office. And its more personal and you can write what you want and no more.

Her suggestions about shopping around for the best druggist where you can get the best prices on needed prescriptions is an excellent one. And asking your physician for samples of the drugs you take that the drug makers give him/her can save money.

The chapters on Outrageous Friendships and Companionships is awesome and something those who really do not want to be alone could learn a lot from. It is information those with a variety of friends already know.

I also liked Chapter Six and her section on Be Politically Outrageous. and the section on the Benefits and Bonuses Of Aging. I am in my fifties and cannot tell you how much useful information this author has shared that I am so grateful for learning about. And I was well informed before I read the book.

"Becoming (Other)Wise: Enhancing Critical Reading Perspectives" is that rare book on teaching--a work that manages to combine a discussion of pedagogy seamlessly with sensible, practical methodology that the teacher of English can take right into the classroom.

I am a student of Erick Gordon (one of the co-authors of Becoming (Other)wise) at the New York City Lab School. I just wanted to say that the curriculum of the Mockingbird Monologues, based on To Kill a Mockingbird and written by eighth graders is ingenius. The Mockingbird Monologues are a culmination of a year's worth of work which began with reading the book, Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes and then later, reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey. While reading these two books, we focused on the idea of empathy- really understanding where a character was coming from- by doing various writing exercises. We also looked at culture now, including advertising and how everything effects everyone by what it is saying and how it is written. We read To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee which welcomed the grade into the official Mockingbird Monologues project. Since then, we have kept an extensive portfolio with twenty or so entries which helped us get into the voice of our randomly assigned character. The portfolio includes work which we have done in English, history, math and music classes, showing how literature can be incorporated into many aspects of life and our education. In history, we read and listened to oral histories from the South after the Civil War and then wrote oral histories in the voice of our individual character as one of our portfolio entries, to get into the voice of our character prior to writing our monologue in the voice of the character. Once everyone had a first draft of their monologue written, we all had a chance to read our piece aloud to our class to get feedback to improve upon our writing. After more individual revising, final drafts were handed in and we got to work forming thirty monologues into a play. The sequencing of our play shadows the style used by Anna Deavere Smith in the play of monologues, Fires in the Mirror, about the Crown Heights riots in August of 1991. Our monologues are in an order based upon how they fit in leading up to and following the trial of a black man for raping a white girl. Some monologues give background about Maycomb, the fictional Alabama town where the book is set, some monologues show the racial tensions in the South and other monologues face the inequalities that make life interesting. The Mockingbird Monologues showcase the techniques that we have learned throughout the year to become a character and then capture an audience as that character.

If you choose to interpret this idea into your curriculum, you will see immediate results. Your students will begin to feel empathy for characters and peers, build skills to write for a specific audience and will forever remember you as an amazing teacher.

As a soon to be teacher, I am a member of a Children's Book of the Month Club and this book, along with the book on pronouns, was sent to me by mistake. I have never heard of these books before. I thought they were wonderful. They even taught me about prepositions. I am going to collect all the books in the series because I think this is a great tool to have in the classroom. I don't have any children yet, but I know this is also a great book to have at home. Thank you Ruth Heller for coming up with these great books.

Ruth Heller's book, Behind the Mask offers teachers a way to review one of the basic parts of speech, pronouns, with middle schoolers in a way that is painless and often amusing. Students who don't like to study grammar will often refer to parts of her delightful poems in answer to questions. She addresses more than one type of pronoun: for example the two and three word pronouns. She also addresses the problems of confusing pronouns used at the end of sentences with adverbs. All in all, her books are delightful for upper as well as lower grade students to read. If you teach grammar, this is one of the must have books for your classroom!

This is the kind of book you can use every day, not just for your own children, but for your friends, for other family members, for yourself! Grounded with scriptural references, this is a very user friendly, time-appropriate book.

I was in a Sunday School class that used this book. I have been looking for it ever since, so I could buy myself a copy.

This is a terrific series and the latest installment didn't disappoint. Sunny is a very likeable heroine and her adventures make for good reading.

However, there are so many errors in this book -- spelling, grammar, punctuation -- that it gets to be distracting about halfway through. I hope the author and her publisher find a new editor before the next installment comes out.

People don't often write puzzle/closed-room mysteries any more, but Birmingham ventures into that style with the opening murder -- if the person standing with a gun next to the dead body isn't the killer, who is?

As a former Atlanta resident, I recognized the setting and noticed that the author was true to life.

This is an enjoyable, surprising read.

From the first page, this story captured my heart. I read it years ago and have never seen it since. Being a mother, I felt for the heroine, who is in destitute and in labor. When the hero helps her, then marries her, I felt a sigh of relief. The heroine's life hasn't been easy and she's afraid to reach out. When she reveals her past, the hero decides that HE is the one for her and her baby, despite the heroine's murky beginnings. I felt a tear in my eye as the author weaved a gentle, healing tale of love. I'm buying it and adding it to my collection.

A wonderful story that will warm your heart. A young mother finds herself in labor during a terrible blizzard and is rescued by an intelligent, handsome, and charismatic doctor who happens to specialize in babies in trouble. He rescues the mother, delivers her premature baby under stormy conditions and marries the deserted and destitute mother to provide the baby with all the advantages a doctor can give it. But his heart is captured by the young mother and he waits for her to find her way to him. A charming and heartwarming story of family love and support, and of a man's dedication and honor.

This is an absolutely delightful story. One of the authors best. This book is truly appropriate for all ages. Really little ones will love the pictures and older children will warm to the story. Any adult will enjoy reading this to the kids over and over.

My daughter brought this book home from her school library - We read it together. Christmas time I always purchase a "favorite" book for her & her brother - this one will fits the bill nicely!!

I think every doctor and clinician should have this book as a reference. It is also useful for family members and patients. It is the best one that I have found that gives clear information regarding the benefits of clozapine, risperdole, and olanzapine as well as guidelines for changing from the older medications that have more risk of tardive dyskinesia. If you only buy one book on up-to-date treatment of schizophrenia, this is the one! There are chapters with advice for patients as well. I gave a copy to a friend who needed this information, so am ordering another!

Breakthroughs In Antipsychotic Medications provides an important, in-depth survey of the antipsychotic medications which have succeeded in helping many, surveying the pros and cons of their side-effects and applications and including insights on the symptoms and treatments of various mental conditions.

Of all the stories my father read to me as a child, this was my favorite. Its endearing story of self-discovery is timeless, and not to mention quite humorous for a six year old boy. It reminds me of a time far less complicated and will thus always hold a special place of affection for me. This was the Catcher in the Rye of my Elementary years. I would highly recommend this to anyone with children looking for quite simply a flat out good story to read them that they will enjoy.

The Breman Town Musicians is a simple story that involves setting goals and team work. It has two things that children love, music and animals. What a combination!

As a 17 year childcare veteran, I highly recommmend this book. Kids today can use all the inspiration they can get. A great way to learn is to read. I read this book to my daughter when she was a child. Now I am getting a new copy for my grand daughter.

Bridges to Cuba is a collection of art, poetry, personal essays, and fiction written by Cubans on both sides of the straits of Florida.

A magnificent attempt to bring together all who are Cuban by birth, to share the complexities of what it has been like to be separated these many years. The submissions in this book capture magnificently the diversity of experiences, thoughts, emotions and conflicts caused by the separation of Cubans from each other, and for many, from the land of their birth. Having been born in Cuba and having lived in the U.S. for the last forty years, the contributions in this book spoke personally to me in a way that nothing I have ever read before has done. But the beauty of this book and the gift Behar has given, is to present the challenges and emotional depth of separation that all us feel in our lives. Each contribution gives us a different perspective, a unique view of the subject, and a deeper understanding of what it is like to be separated from that and those which we love.

Ruth, thank you.

I had the pleasure of being a student of Ms. Behar and she is a wonderful woman. It's no surprise that her book is as informative and exciting as the class. I only wish I had asked her to sign it...