From the very first page of The Nomination, you will find yourself asking questions. Slowly, Williams weaves a tale that will ultimately provide the answers you are seeking. The book opens with an election celebration party. As a result of the election, new political opportunities emerge for several African American politicians.

Through this enjoyable novel, Williams addresses a myriad of serious political issues, especially those relating to African Americans. He also explores such issues as crime, substance abuse, and family values. Ultimately, this is a story about choices and sacrifices that will have you wondering whether political success is worth it's price tag. I was impressed by how well the author was able to demonstrate how the character's personal lives were influenced by their career choices or the career choices of family members. I also appreciated the fact that although this book had it's share of scandal and characters that seemingly did not have a moral bone in their body, the author also included a primary character that acted on his beliefs and values. This provided a wonderful balance among the male characters in the book. The only thing I disliked about the book was the fact that there were so many weak female characters. In spite of this, I felt I could understand, relate to and feel for all the characters in some way.

Williams has written a sharp political mystery that is indeed a page turner. It is pleasant to read a political novel featuring a cast of African American characters. Even though this was a work of fiction, I felt as if I got an inside look at what African American political life is like. Read this book with caution, because once you pick it up you will not want to put it down until you have read the last page.

-Reviewed by Stacey Seay

In The Nomination, author Frederick Williams pens a gripping tale that weaves drama, intrigue, love, and politics into a wonderfully entertaining mystery.

Mr. Williams' vivid character portrayals and descriptions of our Nation's capitol demonstrate his mastery of the artform as well as his extensive knowledge of Capitol Hill and the Washington, D.C. area.

Readers will find this book thoroughly enjoyable. I highly recommend it!

This book was a page turner ! What a look at the hidden agendas inside political life. Kept me going right through with all the twists...An author to watch. A very good read..

While the book isn't a true story, the characters are based on real people Primo Levi met during the holocaust. It surprises, inspires and humbles the reader to know that humanity can exist in the midst of such horrible chaos.

I liked the fact that there is not happily ever after, that the characters must fight to produce their own future. But, it is good to know that along their journey, they met many who would help them.

Primo Levi is a wonderful writer. He stays true to character, winds the subplots into the main plot without jerky interruptions and allows the characters to be real, not stereotypes.

Primo Levi, from what I know was a very gifted and sensitive man. Levi never forgave himself for surviving the holocaust, he felt guilty because his own life was spared, eventually he committed suicide. A very little known fact of World War II, was the work of the Jewish Resistance. Millions of European Jews perished in the holocaust, some managed to get away, a few managed to hide, and there also were the Jewish Partisans; those who fought. If not now .. when? is an absolutely beautiful story of those souls who fought the oppression. This is not a graphic book of the suffering of the holocaust; this is a great novel about a group of people who in spite of all the suffering keep moving forward. They do hold it together, they make friends, love, sing, and cry, celebrate and mourn. This is not a war glory story, it is a people story, and how they changed and adapted, how they kept going. Yes, the overused expression of "triumph of the human spirit" so appropriately describes the theme of the book, but not always; Levi was realistic enough to see to that. I was profoundly touched by this book and thoroughly enjoyed it as a non-Jew. However, I never saw this book as a journey to Palestine, as suggested by some. These were people rising up to fight injustice and to stay alive, they largely moved aimlessly. To interpret this book as a part of the Zionist ovement would in my opinion be wrong. This is translated book, it is excellent in English, and it must have been even better in Italian. I wish I could read it in its original language.

This fictional account of Jewish partisans fighting their way through war ravaged eastern Europe is incredibly moving. The characters are so realistically human in their reactions to the chaotic conditions that they encounter. The book explores a chapter of WWII history that is not very well known and does so from the perspectives of ordinary people caught up in the swirling events and joined together by a desire to survive as well as by a common hatred of the Nazis. There is an incredible life affirming wedding scene in the midst of countless grim episodes that demonstrates the human capacity of endurance. The translation is excellent and the narrative is crisp and fast moving. One of the best literary works dealing with the European war.Unforgettable!.

I thought this was a terrific introduction to the neotropics. The chapter on aquatic life was weak, and the author lowered himself to some unfortunate puns (he should have skipped the topic completely). The early chapters were the best.

I've had to choose between 3 and 4 stars, but I'll stick to 4 stars.
It's really a good introduction to the natural history of the Neotropics. Yet, I've got the feeling that Mr. Kricher wants to tell us about too many things in too few space, thus leaving much things for further explanation. Of course, it's a heavy task to pack such a diversity in so small a book. The general introduction is thorough, but in the group description some groups remain heavily underexposed.
He shouldn't be playing on words this much only to let every pun be followed by a hypocritical "no pun intendeed". There's nothing against making puns, though.
The colour pictures do not add much to the book. I think he'd better have fewer and larger pictures than this stamp collection that give a somewhat disorderly impression.
Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading it, making me wish to return to the neotropical rainforests.

Kricher's prose is easily read and digested with fascinating details of the workings in a tropical forest. A delightful read for both the student wishing to understand tropical ecology and the traveler who wishes to get a better feel for the environment in South America. Highly recommened.

I'm almost a third year medical student. We used this text in our physical diagnosis class during our first year. It provided a great introduction; however, I find it lacking in non-auscultating maneuvers. Specifically, there are limited diagrams or charts, so you are left only with a word descriptions on how to do certain procedures. Trust me, as I have begun to examine patients, you need more than words to perform an exam correctly and adequately help your patients. Also, pathological conditions or abnormalities are often interspersed with descriptions of maneuvers--very distracting. I find it hard to take the knowledge in this book and utilize it in the hospital proper.

I am a first year med student who used the Swartz book for my physical diagnosis course (the class recommended Bates, but I found the material to be too basic; one would NOT be able to refer to that book once they passed introductory level). Swartz has great pictures of pathologic diseases, and also includes pictures to guide you through the actual physical (those pictures are taken from the CD that shows you step-by-step how to do a physical). One of the main things I found refreshing was that he tells you when some procedures are unnecessary because they just don't yield much information. Swartz tells you what to do, what to look for, how to accomplish both, and then he SHOWS you with the CD. I personally loved this book, and I will refer to it (and the CD) to freshen up on the techniques that I have learned. My teacher even said that she still refers to Swartz! Definitely a great buy.

This book is an exceptional text for students of Physical Diagnosis as well as practitioners because of its thorough discussion of the patient-doctor interaction. Dr. Swartz's humanisism shines through each chapter as he reviews the appropriate methods for asking questions and carrying out the physical exam while maintaining the dignity and modesty of the patient at all times. The pictures are beautiful -- full color photographs of pathology and helpful diagrams that are useful for medical students. Chapters on Nutrition and Cultual Diversity are admirable and reflect the sensitivity of the author to these important but underappreciated topics. The CD is an unbelievable add-on! It is the most outstanding addition to any book I have ever seen -- with a thorough demonstration of the full physical exam, the CD is a stand-alone gem! No medical student should be educated without Dr. Swartz's lessons beautifully assembled on this CD. I watched it every time before I saw a patient for the first few weeks of seeing patients and I felt very prepared. Thank you, Dr. Swartz.

The second collection from Mark Waid's run on JLA continues to improve upon the mess Grant Morrison made of the series. As in "JLA: Tower of Babel", these stories focus on both the individual and the team. Waid brings a human interest to the JLA, whereas Grant Morrison just brought action and chaos. Through Waid, we get to know the characters (Superman, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Plastic Man and Martian Manhunter) both inside and out. No more are the massive team-ups from Morrison's run. These stories are tight and stream-lined. They're more about friendship than saving the world.

Half of this book follows the aftermath of Tower of Babel
(wherein Batman 'betrays' the rest of the League) and the other half deals with one component of that 'betrayal'; the necessity of harboring a 'secret identity'.
After expelling Batman via a 4-3 vote, the JLA finds itself split like Repubs and Democrats; mistrust and petty sniping abound. Finally Supes and Bats have a heart-to-heart that is one of the best stories featuring these two together that has ever been done. If Frank Miller's "Return of the Dark Knight" was about the abject difference between these two, JLA #50 points out the similarities. From there we go to another storyline, where the membership is split up again, although in a totally different way. I won't give away details, suffice it to say it's an Alan Moore-esque study into the inner stress having a "secret identity" can create. It's gets a little complicated and overwrought, but hell, the entire JLA series from ish #1 to The Obsidian Age has been complicated and overwrought, so what the hey. A necessary companion piece to Tower of Babel.

I liked the story line of this book. We all wonder what if you met your alter ego? It catches the flavor of what happens when there is a break up or split. It is worth the price

I am over 65 and have found the "Roth IRA Book, An Investor's Guide" by Dr. Gobind Daryanani to be an excellent information source. There are a number of factors to be considered in evaluating the the conversion of a Traditional IRA to a Roth IRA. Dr.Daryanani's book is an excellent supplement to IRS Publication 590 (Individual Retirement Arrangements) since it explains and clarifies many potential problem areas. His book is well organized and written in clear understandable language. The book, together with reference to Pub. 590, provided the information I needed to feel comfortable in my IRA planning and execution.

This book takes some pretty complicated number crunching and makes sense our of it. It walks you step-by-step throught the calcualtions to determine what kind of benefit a ROTH IRA would provide to you. After reading you should easily be able to tell if the ROTH IRA is the best choice for you. Additionally, if you have other funds eligible for rollover into a ROTH IRA, the book helps you determine the optimum rollover amount. I thought is was very well written.

I've been reading a lot about the Roth and this is the most complete treatment I've seen. This is easy to follow and complete. I'm happy to have read it and have already saved money.

When I saw the page I recognized the cover of the book, but I could not believe what people were actually writing about it.

First I want to say that I am an undergraduate biotechnology student. I have a very strong background in biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, tissue culture techniques, and immunology; but I have not had any classes dealing with anatomy or physiology since Bio 101 way back when. I have read and am quite comfortable with Alberts Molecular Biology of the Cell and Stryers Biochemistry, and even a handful of primary journal articles, so I do know how to read a textbook.

Now with that out of the way, let me say that this book is completely incomprehensible. It is so full of anatomy and Latin derived words (which it does a poor job at explaining BTW) that I can only assume that it was meant for medical students, and to have physiology an a prerequisite for it, but it doesn't even have an introduction describing the recommended background or whom it is supposed to be for. In fact, most of the book is devoted to the physiology of sensation and movement, not neurobiology. Now if you have the background for it and thats what you are looking for then it is a very thorough text that goes into a lot of depth.

If you are looking to understand the biochemistry or molecular aspects of neurobiology, find another book!

As an undergraduate Psychobiology student, this text served me well in my Neuroscience course. In all honesty I never went. I just read this book. I got excellent marks in the class. As a serious slacker and bibliophile, I recommend this textbook for any like-minded student.

As an undergraduate Neuroscience major I found this textbook to be highly informative and well-written. It was used to a Freshman-level course, and was easy to understand, yet thorough and interesting. The graphics are well done, and the format is better than most textbooks I'm used to. Anyone, even with minimal science experience could dive right in and learn a great deal. It may not be advanced enough, however, for grad or medical students. As a reference it does okay, but there are more-advanced texts which would probably do better. All-in-all it is an excellent book. In-fact, I liked it so much that I didn't sell it back at the end of the semester and keep it on my bookshelf for future reference (and future classes!)

Recently, I came across an old, sorely beaten paperback copy of William Peter Blatty's THE NINTH CONFIGURATION that I read as a young man and, liking it so much, passed around for all my friends to enjoy. Wondering if the story and the writing would hold up after all this time, I made a grab for my reading glasses and shoved off. Yes, the prose is dated somewhat and certainly overwrought, and again we find ourselves burdened with another shellshocked, soul-shredded Vietnam warrior-hero type. Yes, the antiquated reasoning behind Blatty's metaphysics seems nearly as laughable now as any of the outrageous dialogue, and the Hollywood ending is just too cute. Yet, none of this spells death sentence here. This is a small book with a big heart, and, in the end, this story works because it is funny. Blatty has us laughing out loud in the face of stark madness and tragedy by page two and never lets up. NINTH CONFIGURATION is fun and interesting and for me that's enough.

This is a well written and tightly crafted novel. The dialogue, while often full of angst, is witty and clever. The premise of the book is certainly unusual. A secret facility houses militairy officers, all brave men, who have, for reasons unknown, become mentally disturbed. Housed without hope, a militairy psychiatrist enters their lives in a most unexpected way. Yet, it appears that he has his own issues with which to contend. Issues that lie at the heart of his seeming understanding of their problems. Things are not always what they seem. Be prepare for a shocking surprise. This book is definitely a thriller in every sense of the word.

A team of misfits from military are collected for a special
project, study of what drove them into insanity. This story is
terrific look at human pysche, belief system, and will. This
is also the novel from which the movie with Stacey Keech, arrived. EXCELLENT action, plot, characters. Thought-provoking
and maybe even life-changing.

This is the first I purchased on the subject of Japanese interiors, which I crave. Yagi and Williams cover the essentials of what you need to know, provide excellent photographic examples of their topics, and intructions on do it yourself projects. I rate it a 4 because I wanted the book to have more!

This book has created a new hunger in me to find and devour every book I can get my hands on dealing with Japanese architecture. I can now see where Frank Lloyd Wright got a lot of his inspiration from. This is the first book I have read on the subject so far, and it seems to cover a bit of everything with lots of nice photos. If your looking for a book on organizing and storing stuff like only the Japanese can do, then get "Small Spaces: Stylish Ideas for Making More of Less in the Home" by Azby Brown

I and many friends have enjoyed this book-not only because it has excellent photos of examples on how to give your home or apt a touch of Japanese tranquility/simplicity but also because it gives you exact details on how to build or create the area. Even if you're not interested in making changes in your home it's the kind of book that can transpose you to a more tranquil space via the excellent photos and drawings

this is a comedy only in the sense that the play ends well - ie, noone dies, most everyone is happy. else, there's little humor in this comedy, save for the knave, lucio. like others here have pointed out, this is actually a pretty serious play that takes a pretty hard look at human weakness, particularly lust. there are some fine, impassioned speeches by claudio and his sister, who pleads for his life. worth a read. but don't expect any laughs.

One of Shakespeare's lesser read and lesser performed plays, Measure for Measure profoundly explores the themes of justice and mercy. This exploration compensates for the defects of the play: the unbelievable resolution, the Duke's refusal to interfere early on (which causes pain to the characters), the inconsistency in the application of morality (Isabella considers it wrong for the betrothed Claudio and Juliet to have sex but justifies--and even helps to arrange--it between Angelo and Mariana), and the unexpected suddenness of the Duke's proposal to Isabella. The play seriously weighs the concerns of justice and mercy, and although it ultimately favors mercy, it recognizes the complexity of the issue. How can one practice mercy and yet restrain vice? How can one "hate the sin" yet "love the sinner?" Mercy seems to be the necessary choice over justice because man is too fallen to bear the brunt of justice. "Judge not lest ye be judged. For with what measure you mete," said Christ, "it shall be measured unto you." If you hold a high standard for others (as does Angelo for Claudio) and yet fall short of it yourself, you will be judged by the same standard. Since we seem destined to fall short of righteousness, it is best to practice forgiveness, so that we too may be judged lightly. And yet there is a concern that such practice of forgiveness will lead to a laxity that permits vice to flourish (which is the reason the Duke leaves Angelo in charge in the first place). Though mercy and forgiveness are favored, the arguments in favor of justice are not simply dismissed.

Quote: "Condemn the fault, and not the actor of it?
Why, every fault's condemned ere it be done.
Mine were the very cipher of a function,
To fine the faults whose fine stands in record,
And let go by the actor." (II.ii.38-42)

Measure for Measure is seldom read, and not often performed in the United States. Why? Although many of Shakespeare's plays deal bluntly with sexual issues, Measure for Measure does so in an unusually ugly and disgusting way for Shakespeare. This play is probably best suited for adults, as a result.

I see Measure for Measure as closest to The Merchant of Venice in its themes. Of the two plays, I prefer Measure for Measure for its unremitting look at the arbitrariness of laws, public hypocrisy and private venality, support for virtue, and encouragement of tempering public justice with common sense and mercy.

The play opens with Duke Vincentio turning over his authority to his deputy, Angelo. But while the duke says he is leaving for Poland, he in fact remains in Vienna posing as a friar. Angelo begins meting out justice according to the letter of the law. His first act is to condemn Claudio to death for impregnating Juliet. The two are willing to marry, but Angelo is not interested in finding a solution. In despair, Claudio gets word to his sister, the beautiful Isabella, that he is to be executed and prays that she will beg for mercy. Despite knowing that Isabella is a virgin novice who is about to take her vows, Angelo cruelly offers to release Claudio of Isabella will make herself sexually available to Angelo. The Duke works his influence behind the scenes to help create justice.

Although this play is a "comedy" in Shakespearean terms, the tension throughout is much more like a tragedy. In fact, there are powerful scenes where Shakespeare draws on foolish servants of the law to make his points clear. These serve a similar role of lessening the darkness to that of the gravediggers in Hamlet.

One of the things I like best about Measure for Measure is that the resolution is kept hidden better than in most of the comedies. As a result, the heavy and rising tension is only relieved right at the end. The relief you will feel at the end of act five will be very great, if you are like me.

After you read this play, I suggest that you compare Isabella and Portia. Why did Shakespeare choose two such strong women to be placed at the center of establishing justice? Could it have anything to do with wanting to establish the rightness of the heart? If you think so, reflect that both Isabella and Portia are tough in demanding that what is right be done. After you finish thinking about those two characters, you may also enjoy comparing King Lear and Claudio. What was their fault? What was their salvation? Why? What point is Shakespeare making? Finally, think about Angelo. Is he the norm or the exception in society? What makes someone act like Angelo does here? What is a person naturally going to do in his situation?

Look for fairness in all that you say and do!