I am an 18 year survivor of Osteoganic Sarcoma and I found this book to be one of the best and informative books I've ever read. I read things that I didn't even know about my disease or the long term late effects due to the chemotherapy I received. I will admit, at times it was TOO much information, but it was all factual and there were things that I read that I had to come to term with. I have an appointment at a Late Effects Clinic in a few weeks, and I am eager to get on with the rest of my life. A big Thank You to the authors who took so much time doing research and putting their own blood, sweat and tears into such an awesome project!!! Sincerely, Diane Trautman Smith

This book is what every survivor, their parent(s) and thier doctor needs! It is comprehensive and well laid out...I love how I can easily find information on areas of concern I have regarding my son's survival. It has come in handy during follow up appointments to ensure my son is receiving the proper long term care. There is a compact card in the back of the book where all information about the child's treatment can be recorded so the child will have easy to access, concise information regarding their surgeries, chemotherapy drugs, radiation amount and type, etc. I know this will be an indispensible tool for my son as he grows up. I applaud the authors for writing a much-needed book. This book is a MUST-HAVE for EVERY childhood cancer survivor!

Once again Nancy Keene provides information for patients and families that is just not available in this detail anywhere else. Her disease specific description of late effects and life after chemotherapy enables the reader to receive benefits that will effect for the rest of their lives. Information such as monitoring potential life threatening effects from treatment are just invaluable for the future of children surviving cancer and continuing into adulthood. I would urge any patient/parent/family member coming off active chemotherapy to pick up this book. Trust me you will have many, many book-marked pages. Our child just concluded his treatment and this book has not been very far from my side.

This is a trully wonderful book. It is full of mystery and romance. Nancy gose to a place were she can hear a gypsy play a violin.But while she is listening she sees someone snatch a purse. She gets the purse back but is unable to retrive any of the contents. The onwer of the purse gives Nancy an invitation to a mystery!Nancy has one clue, a note that reads: "The source of light will heal all ills , but a curse will follow him who takes it from the gypsise." it is up to Nancy to find the wommens gypys son-in-law who seemed to of dissapeared! But near the end the reall clue comes from a Album. Nancy is thretend many times, almost has a bad car accident by an enamy and is possined by a... I wont give it away! But Nancy wont give Up! She is determended to bring a small familly happiness. Enjoy reading!

This was my favorite book I have ever read. When you start reading somewhere around the second page it gets very suspenseful. It is so full of suspense that you can't put it down until you finish it. Nancy does not get a lot of help from her 2 cousins, Bess and George, that usually help her on solving cases. There are 3 villains in this book. They are Nitaka, Anton and Mr. Wassel. Mr. Wassel is a purse snatcher, Nitaka steals things and Anton helps Nitaka most of the time. I really liked this book a lot.

I thought the book was very suspenseful and was very well written. I am doing a book jacket for a class project on it. It ill be interesting to see my review on the cover of my prospective of the book. I want to read the rest of the series of the books.

A lot of practice. There are ten tests on CD Rom. Tests are very close to the real exam.In terms of practice it is the best book on the market. Be careful, do not forget to buy book with cassets and CD Rom. CD Rom has the tests all in the same computer format as the real test. Cassets have listening material for Listening Comprehansion part of the book. So you will need both CD Rom and cassets.
However, essay section in Cambridge Preparation for Toefl Test is certainly better.
In addition, for grammar section you may wish to buy Cliff's Toefl. Cliff's Toefl has better grammar review especially for those who are afraid of grammar in the test. After Cliff's Toefl you will more confident not only in Toefl grammar but also in English grammar as a whole. Cliff's Toefl also has 6 full lenght practice tests.
Therefore, if you want to save money just buy only CD Rom of Delat without book and cassetts for practicing and buy Cliff's Toefl for Grammar and Essay sections.

If you have enought time (at least 8 weeks), the book provides complete practice for preparing. Remind you to buy the cassettes. CD-ROM doesn't include the listening practice of the book. The ten tests in CD-ROM are truly helpful.

This book is really a key for the TOEFL test.It's easy to understand and has lots of examples on each subject.But if you buy the Book and Cd-Rom Edition, do not forget to buy the audio cassette edition with it.Because you'll need them for the listening parts.
I think it must be tried.
Thanks...

If you thought DES was a thing of the past - guess again. DES is alive and well. All you have to do is look into the faces staring up from the pages of this book and listen to the personal stories of the people exposed to this drug to know you are in the presence of a powerful force. No, I'm not referring to DES, although its impact is profound. I am referring to the miraculous ability of the human spirit to survive and transcend experiences most can only imagine. I know. I'm one of the survivors.

While you will not find my story contained within the pages of this book, I am there. I am a DES daughter, a cancer survivor. I am also a psychotherapist specializing in health psychology. Through my work, I hear a lot of stories, but few compare to those associated with the widespread medical mistake of DES.

Despite the scope of the problems created by this drug, those of us who live with the aftermath are in danger of being forgotten, or at least overlooked. Upon seeing a new physician recently, he said, "I was told in medical school that we wouldn't be seeing any more people exposed to DES." I informed him that I certainly hoped he wouldn't see any new cases of DES exposure, but there were plenty of us still walking around to tell the tale of DES and of our experiences with it. This book does precisely that - tell the tale.

Many thanks to Margaret Lee Braun and Nancy Stuart for a well-written and graphically poignant book. It is tasteful, respectful, and a much needed reminder that we are still here.

HI folks - thought those of you who have not read "DES Stories" would enjoy these little excerpts re how I felt and others felt when they read it, and a bit of why Margaret wrote it. Please tell me what YOU think:

My response:
Reading this brought back to mind my experience reading your book. The first friend who gave it to me, a male, left it on my doorstep on November 6th last year, my 39th birthday, as a surprise little gift.

I remember being hugely excited as I unwrapped its package and I remember thinking that it was 21 years before on that same date when I found out I had cancer for the first time, on my 18th birthday.
(A nurse from the clinic at Balboa Hospital had come by and left her card with my roommate, reminding her that I must see the doctor again and why - she had left 2 previous messages the week before that I did not return, because it was my first day on the job at the Bank where I was then on that date, a full-fledged employee, instead of an intern. And I had not called back because I was busy preparing for that day and thought it was about more volunteer work, anyway.)

Anyway, what a gift. The first thing I usually do when I get home is run to the bathroom... I remember reading practically the entire book right there on the porcelain goddess.
(I had part of my bladder resected when the cancer spread the 1st go-round. It's fine now - all that delicious balloon stretching that I adored so much (yea, right!) had done a good job...I still drink a LOT of fluids.)

I know one woman who had cervical, vaginal and ovarian cancer and along with the clear cell adenocarcinoma they found choriocarcinoma when she had ovarian cancer. She had her cervix, uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, lymph nodes and spleen completely removed. She has had 1/3rd of her bladder removed and reconstructed, 19 inches of her intestine and part of her omentum removed and my vagina reconstructed two times. She had 7 surgeries, external and internal radiation therapy and 4 separate mutli-round sessions of chemotherapy - all encompassing eight years of her life (18yrs old-almost 21 and 30yrs-37).
Today, she still has two tumors in her lumbar vertebrae - one the diameter of a quarter and the other a dime.
BUT - she is healthier than most anyone she knows! (Can you guess who "She" is?)

I remember the tears rolling down my face and rejoicing at the same time, that now the world would know it's true, it's still true and it still will be true and true anew for many yet to come, unfortunately. But now, it was in writing and not just in medical journals or my own doctor's handwriting. There were documented "others" and I was not alone. I, and my DES sisters were validated. And, if any MD dared mention to me that it was a long time ago and nothing of consequence today, I would have something in hand to proudly show him or her before I quietly walked out of their office forever.

The feeling of AWE that sticks with me today continues to amaze me. I brought it to a family picnic around Thanksgiving time last year to give to my mother who was visiting from out of town, and my oldest brother picked it up and read the whole thing right there. My mother picked it up and began reading it very shortly thereafter and even asked me questions! My boyfriend read the entire book the night I gave it to him to read.

What continues to strike me is how this book appears to magnetize the reader, pulls them in and keeps them there all the way through. I've never come across that before or seen someone else experience that either.

Why is that? I believe it's because the book is so subtle. From the colors on the cover to the pictures on the pages, the message within speaks loudly, yet softly of a quiet strength, of endurance. The details are not of morbid skeleton bones found in a closet or of gross deformities or fantastic miracles. Depicting man, woman, child - they successfully link all humankind. Which, combined in this wonderful book, induce the quiet force, revealing the present triumphs of real-life people. "DES Stories" chronicles each individual's rising to the purpose, of finding the answers with mastery of oneself and of circumstance.

It is a peaceful, very special honor to have something in common with these very brave human beings. They are prevailers. We are prevailers! For we are NOT victims, which is what the word 'survivor' connotes to me. We have overcome and become stronger and yes, better.
Love, Suzette

A beautiful book for anyone you know touched by DES-women, men, family, friends, lawyers, and physicians. DES exposed people deserve acknowledgement and information about the drug they were exposed to before they were born. DES Stories does this while also bearing witness to the massive disruption of people's lives, which chemical exposure and drug breakthrough can cause. Get this book to feel empowered. It helps speak the truth.

As a professional speaker and writer to parents I applaud and highly recommend this book! Written as a dialogue between parent and child, we hear the innocence of a child and the wisdom of the parent. For each naive question the parent gently shares an applicable scripture in today's language. When I speak on nurturing a child's spiritual development I ALWAYS recommend "Does God Know How to Tie Shoes?" to my audience. Not only can it help parents relate to their child but it can help us adults relate to our loving Heavenly Father. Books that are easy to read were often difficult to write and it's a gift to communicate truth in simple ways. ... I know from experience the research and labor that went into its writing. This knowledge gives me an even greater appreciation for the profound simplicity of "Does God Know How to Tie Shoes?"

As a professional speaker and writer to parents I applaud and highly recommend this book! Written as a dialogue between parent and child, we hear the innocence of a child and the wisdom of the parent. For each naive question the parent gently shares an applicable scripture in today's language. When I speak on nurturing a child's spiritual development I ALWAYS recommend "Does God Know How to Tie Shoes?" to my audience. Not only can it help parents relate to their child but it can help us adults relate to our loving Heavenly Father. Books that are easy to read were often difficult to write and it's a gift to communicate truth in simple ways. My book, Parenting Power in the Early Years, is an easy read and I know from experience the research and labor that went into its writing. This knowledge gives me an even greater appreciation for the profound simplicity of "Does God Know How to Tie Shoes?"

As a professional speaker and writer to parents I applaud and highly recommend this book! Written as a dialogue between parent and child, we hear the innocence of a child and the wisdom of the parent. For each naive question the parent gently shares an applicable scripture in today's language. When I speak on nurturing a child's spiritual development I ALWAYS recommend "Does God Know How to Tie Shoes?" to my audience. Not only can it help parents relate to their child but it can help us adults relate to our loving Heavenly Father. Books that are easy to read were often difficult to write and it's a gift to communicate truth in simple ways. My book, Parenting Power in the Early Years, is an easy read and I know from experience the research and labor that went into its writing. This knowledge gives me an even greater appreciation for the profound simplicity of "Does God Know How to Tie Shoes?"

This book is one of the best,differant because it is rare to really have the inside scoop...by people who know and love him dearly.This is a must ,funny,touching,straight to to point.Loved it !!!!!

This is a great book. It is, as the author herself explains, not really a biography, but more of a sketch of different episodes in Cary Grant's life. Not suprisingly, Grant - a poor boy from Bristol who, through his talent and intelligence, created the ultimate screen persona - was a very complex person. Sadly, many of his biographers do not do him justice and instead use useless gossip to sell more books.

This book, however, is an exception, as it uses Cary's own words, and those of his close friends to paint a picture of the true Cary Grant: a brilliant actor, a troubled and scared little boy, but all in all a wonderful and generous person! If you are a Cary Grant fan (or even if you aren't so much), read this book - you won't be disappointed at its depiction of Cary Grant. As you read it, you'll feel as though you really were spending an evening with Cary himself!

Out of all the Cary Grant books there are, this one is the best i have ever read. His wife and daughter agreed with this book so you know that everything in it is true. As for people talking about his sexuality....if you read this book you can tell he is definately not a homosexual. I loved Cary Grant from the movies i saw him in and after this book i love him even more because after reading this you feel you really know him. And to know him is to love him.

Sierra Lavotini is back and the story is even better than ever. Someone is targeting the dancers at the Tiffany Gentlemen's Club in Panama City. At first the police think that Sierra's nemesis, Marla, is trying to stop the competition by killing Venus Lovemotion and Frosty Licks. Sierra is not convinced that even though she hates Marla's guts she does not think that she is responsible and will do her best to find out.

This book is even more fun and the author provides more information about Sierra mainly why she moved from Philadelphia to work at Panama City. In DRAG STRIP we met one of Sierra's four brothers and here we meet another brother. He helps Sierra work the case by pretending to be Little Moose Lavotini, a well-known mobster. As far as Sierra knows she has no relation to Moose Lavotini but she uses this 'familial' connection to help her control her boss, Vincent Gambuzzo, and to put fear at the person she believes to be the killer. She provides a unique touch to her investigation and at the same time helps her police boyfriend, Detective John Nailor. The book is filled with many laugh out loud moments and provides a nice twist at the end of this book. STRIP POKER is going to be a lot of fun.

Nancy Bartholomew has done it again. In this third book of the Sierra Lavotini series, the action and intrigue is non-stop.

Sierra, who claims to have "family" ties, is the classy, headlining exotic dancer at The Tiffany. When a pair of visiting stippers get gunned down and her co-worker, Marla the Bomber, is arrested as the primary suspect, Sierra must spring into action to get to the bottom of the crime.

All of the regulars are back, including the crazy, yet irreplaceable, scene-stealing Raydean. Sierra's love interest with top cop John Nailor also heats up in this book, so watch out for the sparks. Bartholomew does a fantastic job of meshing all of these diverse characters together into one intersting mystery. The dialogue and scenarios are quite funny, and this humor peppers the already excellent, cohesive writing.

This is a very entertaining book, and is sure to make you laugh out loud several times, let alone, flipping the pages in a rapid motion. FILM STRIP is another excellent effort.

...Since I'm writing this review, you know I believe Nancy Bartholomew's FILM STRIP works. It is another fun novel about those adult entertainers at the Tiffany in Panama City, Florida. Venus Lovemotion and Frosty Licks are two big name porn stars brought in to boost the gentlemen's club's profits. Both end up dead, and we know who finds herself struggling to solve the murder. Yes, Sierra Lavotini is on the case, and this case is loaded with fun. There is even a little fun for Sierra to share with her detective friend John Nailor. FILM STRIP is a fun read and sassy read, if you are looking for a fun and sassy read. Even Fluffy has a good time.

Very good book! Having been diagnosed with Cervical cancer, I found it encouraging to know that there are many cancer survivors out there.

After my diagnosis with breast cancer five years ago at age 28,this book was part of my salvation. Reading stories of otherssurvival helped me to realize that cancer is beatable. I now recommend this book to other cancer patients.

"Malignant", to hear this word when you or someone you love is diagnosed brings feelings of despair, fear and abandonment. The "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series gives you bits of humanity and makes you feel hopeful, trusting and accepting. The stories, poems and essays are put together to give to us encouragement. I myself am a 5 year survivor of stage 2 breast cancer and find the pages filled with new beginnings.

One of the best christian books I've ever read. It is very realalistic. It deals with issues teens deal with today.

The "Raise the Flag" series is one of the best series of Christian books that I have read. The first in the series, "Don't Count on Homecoming Queen" centers around Tobey L'Orange, a popular junior at King High. The first part of the book talks about how the girls met--At a "See You at the Pole" meeting. The six girls--Tobey, Norie, Cheyenne, Brianna, Marissa, and Shannon--quickly become good friends, the main thing that they have in common is their faith. The girls soon begin to meet regularly to talk and to pray together.
Then Tobey uncovers comething sinister going on at King High. She begins to suspect a popular coach of wrongdoing. When she decides to stand up for the girl and for what she believes in, Tobey is surprised to meet oppression, from teachers, students, and even her boyfriend!
The book is solid, and very well researched. The characters are in depth, and the book's main idea becomes quite clear. The book does, however, address sexual abuse, and I would not recommend it to younger readers.

I am constantly browsing the bookshelfs at my local Christian bookstore for good books for teenagers. I work with the youth group at my church and am literally shocked by the garbage they read! I want to be able to provide them with alternatives. This series of books by Nancy Rue is wonderful! It's the first really well-written series that does not focus on romance exclusively... it takes hard-hitting issues from teenagers' real lives and weaves a wonderful story. This book deals with the traumatic topic of sexual abuse and may not be for younger teens. Parents may want to read the books themselves, first, and then dicuss them with their children. I couldn't put this book down and I ended up going out to buy the whole series (six in all!)

I was tempted to disregard the authors when they admitted they had not survived the tempests of the adolescent girl and were opining that "[w]e see the challenges of adolescence as an opportunity." Right, I thought. Wait until your daughter gets to be my kid's age and see if you'll keep saying it's just a great opportunity.

So with this bad attitude, I perservered. And after reading the book, I grudgingly agreed they had a point: you don't have to approach this phase as something to "get through," but as a period of self-reflection and growth for the mother as well as the daughter. They do a good job of explaining how to separate those issues and how what our mothers did influence us, whether by good example or bad. As the authors note, "[m]othering is not instinctual but an act of invention...[b]ecoming aware of who we are when we mother our adolexcent daughters is a step each of us must take, and will require that we look at how the ways we were mothered affect us now."

The research was very well explained--everything to why it seems that our daughters are stressed out over things that seem so trivial to us to the effects of lenghthened educational requirements. The authors deal specifically with issues that may cause special problems for teen girls: sexual identity, substance abuse, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and abusive relationships. It would have been nice if they had addressed self-injury more, as it has become more epidemic among teenage girls, and only receives a one-sentence mention.

Overall, however, this is an excellent overview of the issues facing mothers of adolescent daughters, and deserves to be both read and reread.

This is an extraordinary book filled with support, encouragment,and insight for the mother of an adolescent girl. "Girl in the Mirror" picks up where "Embracing Persephone" by Rutter leaves off. As a psychologist specializing in adolescent girls, and mother of a 15 year daughter, I found the book invaluable and will read it over and over again for guidance. There is so much personal pain for mothers to let go of their daughters and move on with their lives. I have been searching for a book that would comfort and guide ME during my perimenapause in relation to the deep pain of some of the emotional letting go that must take place between mother and daughter during the teen years. These authors call it liberation not separation, they show through empirical and anecdotal information how mothers don't need to pull away, they need to be there and let their daughters pull away and come back when they need to. "Girl in the Mirror" steps out of the sterotypical advise about adolescent angst and moves the reader through some of the internal angst a mother feels letting her daughter become liberated. The research is in depth, and the anecdotal examples are rich with variety. Addressing mid life and adolescence is key for mothers to understand themselves, and appreciate they still have a strong solid place in their daughters lives. Snyderman and Streep honor the special bond between mothers and daughters. All mothers will benifit from this book. The pain of separation is the same, whether you have a son or daughter. Mother's need guidance and support to stay in the lives of their adolescent children, even when they tell us to go away. Snyderman and Streep put it this way: "Shepherding our daughters through adolescence requires that we give them love, support, safe haven, and when the time is right, permission to leave us behind; it also requires that we give ourselves permission, in turn, to move on to another stage of life." They let us reach this challenge as a journey and help us see it does not happen over night, they shephard the reader through this challenging journey and help us find the jewels amoung some of the pain, leaving us with hope. I highly reccomend this book to all mothers of all adolescents.

This book is surely worth buying !I was extremely impressed by the contents of the book.Iwill surely refer to this book a lot when my daughter who is only 8 now gets older.I am tempted to call this book a "bible" for women with daughters !