This is a wonderful read. It was full of history, set just after the Civil War, that took you to that time & place. I have read this book twice & recommended it to my friends who have also enjoyed it. I didn't want it to end. The story of a young school teacher who sets off West to make a new life for herself, just after the Civil War. It is the story of the people she meets, the families of her students & a also the romance/love she comes to know.

It was an excellent book. I am a freshman in high school and I absolutely loved it. It had a love story mixed in with historical fiction. I would recommend this book to anyone who will sit down to enjoy a good book.

Of the many books written on the subject of self directed work groups, this is one of the better efforts. In the course of providing the information necessary to implement self directed teams, this book helps point out the pitfalls your organization may face and provides potential solutions. When consulting with organizations on their process improvement efforts, reorganization and teamwork often become issues. This book is one of several that have helped me to assist my clients in addressing those issues. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me - adamleft@webspan.net.

The four authors that compiled research for this book did a fantastic job. They had four different minds that created a synergy that is very helpful for those organizations that are ready to take the next step from empowerment to virtual teams or high performance teams. For those organizations that have not started empowerment, this book is not one to read. Here is a synopsis of the most important issues in the book: 1) Knowledge is power (p.18); 2)the job of the manager is different and difficult - to find the best people you can, motivate them to do the job, and allow to do it their own way; 3)for companies to succeed in the future, the employees need to be challenged; 4) if we conduct business as usual, we soon won't have business to conduct (p24); chapter 4 discusses the changing role of the leader - from autocratic to participateive to high-involvement leadership. There is one part that appears as if the writers were never in a very strong union environment. They discuss unions as if they will willingly accept this change. I do not agree with their concepts on this issue. I believe that unions will fight against this concept due to the reason for unions being alive and well today. A great note from the authors is on page 216 - "Many team leaders are so conditioned to think only about what the team needs that they neglect their own development". This is a great comment from those of us who lead managers. We need to ensure that our managers continue to learn... In the summary on p. 264, the comment, 'Virtual teams, and the people who lead them, are the wave of the future', is a statement that should be repeated over and over. We all need to continue to reach for that continual "virtual" team. The powerful comment on p. 269 is to answer the question, "If you can't say why you actually make your company a better place, you are out." We need to continually ask ourselves how we can improve our company or get out of the way of those who can. This is an excellent boo! k for those who need to take the next step in managment.

Silkie's mother had spurned Wade Ashford's affections and now he was going to make her daughter pay for it. After Silkie's mother died, Wade sworn to ruin her daughter so no decent man would want her. But a young sea captain was in love with Silkie and stood up to this ruthless and violent man, vowing to make her his wife.

Valor and Lace, edited by Mauriel Phillips Joslyn, is an anthology of eleven short histories of women that lived during the War Between the States and contributed to the side of the South during that conflict. Each of the anthologies is readable and most are well researched. As with any book containing material from several authors, there are some chapters that are better researched and written than others. However, in general the book is concise and presents various aspects of the Southern woman's life during the War. The title and subtitle (The Roles of Confederate Women 1861-1865) are somewhat misleading. The book does not present a comprehensive history of women in general during the war but rather presents the reader with eleven specific cases of extraordinary women who felt the need to commit themselves to the cause for which they believed, be it the Southern cause for independence or the moral cause to care for the wounded, regardless of their political affiliation. While it would be erroneous for the reader to assume this is a true picture of every Southern woman, it is an appropriate portrayal of certain aspects of life both at home and on or near the battlefield and the role that some women played during the Civil War. This reveiwer recommends the book to any student of the War as well as to those readers interested in the social roles of women during that period of American history.

I have read Ms Dams 3 Hilda J books now and I just don't get it.
Murder in Red, White & Blue was interesting UNTIL the solution.
Never, never have I had to try so hard to figure out the ending.

OK, I deserved it! After suffering through the first Hilda Johansson mystery, I should have learned my lesson. This main character is so wooden, so unlovable, so contrary...and the plot is so thin and undeveloped...it's not a rewarding read! Stick with the author's Dorothy Martin series...that's where she apparently puts her best efforts!

It's September 1901. The country is reeling from the news that President McKinley has been shot. But of even more concern to maid Hilda Johansson is the fact that the assassin had passed through South Bend, Indiana within the last few weeks. Had he met with any of her friends? But when two bodies are found, one covered with an American flag, things really heat up in town. Is this the work of anarchists out to destroy America? Or are immigrants being unfairly blamed? Add to that the secret the workers at the Studebaker plant are hiding, and Hilda has her hands full.

This book is a fascinating mixture of fact and fiction. I was drawn into the time and place completely while reading. I enjoyed the Hilda character, an independent woman struggling to live in her time and social place. The story itself was very good. With several different things going on at once, it was hard to know for sure what was happening and who to believe. And, while I did guess the solution, I completely overlooked the clues that pointed to the ending. My only complaint is that the author's note really belongs at the back of the book.

This was my introduction to the Hilda Johansson character. I'm hooked on this fun mix of fact and mystery and will be looking for the others in the series.

I applaud the idea of bringing myths to young people. I deplore this choice.

There are dozens of myths that would be more understandable and certainly more interesting than Electra lusting over her father. The Steigs probably feel they put one over on us; they told some mildly dirty stories and got attention from people who feel children need to be introduced to the classics. As another reviewer observed, the obvious omission of Hercules gives a clue as to their priorties.

Bleah.

If you want your kids to learn the myths, go get D'Aulaires.

I loved this book! The stories are told with a wry humor and a singsong prose that begs to be read aloud- but like the originals these myths are full of homicide, suicide, rape, incest, and other things most of us would be hesitant to include in a bedtime story. Those things are not dwelt on, but they are not expurgated, either. Unless the kids you read to are unusually mature and literate, this book is not for them. It is for you adults to enjoy, and it's plenty enjoyable!

unless you want to be dead or inanimate. This book is delightfully wry in its retellings, and William Steig's illustrations strike the perfect (irreverent) note. It's not really a kids' book, mostly because few kids will appreciate the dry humor, but I think there are plenty of 10 and ups who will understand what is going on (and if they don't, no big deal). True, I won't be able to get away with reading it to my (K-6)school library classes, but there are plenty of kids in the 10 plus age range for whom it's appropriate. If they can read it and they want to read it, let them! Of greater importance: don't miss it yourself!

This book absolutely disgusted me. It basically contains the romances of three women in the same family. In the first story a young girl marries a man who is not only much older than her, but was her guardian since she was twelve. Thisamn also hasa child with a slave and that son has his own offspring and leaves him at the old judge's house. Eventually the young girl, Vinnie, has a daughter who falls in love with the guy she grows up with--her own nephew. They have a kid born of adultry...It's just full of very unsettling situations.