Critique

The book I read was called Crocodile Hunter. I would probably rate this book a four star book. The reason I would rate this book at such a high rating is because this book was very hard to put down because there was never any boring parts. The author kept the story very interesting through out the whole story. Some of the words in the story were really big words and from time to time I had to look up some of the words. Right from the start the story got right to the point and that made it a lot better than some of the other books that I had read. One thing I thought that made this story stand out from the all the rest of them I have read because the setting in the story took place in two different kinds of worlds. Some of the activities that took place in the story were also very interesting. At the beginning Sakira is living in South Africa and in the middle of the story he is one Broadway singing with a group of very talentiewd singers. The story taught me a good lesson that Sakira did not ever forget his roots and what was happening back at his home town, where ware and politics were taking place. I would not really recommend this book to someone under the age of 11 or twelve because of some of the big words.

Crocodile Burning, by Michael Williams, is one of the most intense books that I have ever read. About a young man, Seraki, from a small, present day, troubled South African village and his small show, the book takes an unexpected turn when the musical is invited to Broadway in New York City. With Seraki's brother in jail, Seraki needs to earn money to get him out. When the cast find out that they are not getting paid properly by the evil producer, trouble starts brewing. Read the book to find out what happens! I would definitely recommend this book because the characters are excitingly unpredictable, and because the settings are interesting when changed. I really liked this book because the characters are so unpredictable. An example of this is that Mosake, the show's manager, seems to be a very nice person in the beginning of the book when the musical is stationed in the small village in South Africa. Then, when the show moves to Broadway, we see the evil man that Mosake really is. In the book, there is also a very unexpected change in settings. The small musical that is started in Seraki's poor South African town goes to New York City and is a huge star on Broadway. These are just two of the reasons why you will enjoy this novel. Even though the characters and the changes in settings are very exciting, some people might not recommend this book because it seems a little bit unrealistic. For example, someone might think that it is almost impossible for a musical, from a small South African town, would become a success on Broadway. I believe that this is not a good enough reason not to take my recommendation because thought the plot may e unrealistic, the story is told in a very believable way. You will not regret reading this South African novel!

Overall this was a fairly good book. The story at first is kind of slow, then picks up, but there is really never a climax. There was a lot of historical information in this book that I found very interesting. It really made me realize how tough conditions were in South Africa at the time that this book takes place.

This is the first volume in a collection of books on design criticism. The articles are pulled from sources like the Journal of the AIGA, Print, and EYE magazine. The topics range the "ugly aesthetic" to the state of design education. The articles are all decent none really stick out as undeserving of a place in this collection. Paul (IBM logo) Rand Contributes an interesting essay on what purpose logos really serve and Paula Scher talks about the way she runs her classes at SVA. The essays all provide some food for thought(even it the thought is " I'd like to smack this guy.")Buy it and keep it with you It's a good thing to have around while your waiting for a bus, a haircut, or a class to begin.

If you're a designer or visual communicator, this book is a must have for research, history, and critical insight. Throughful, provocative, and daring, Looking Closer gauges the role of design across social and cultural divides. Its articles are collected from magazines such as Graphis, Eye, Communication Arts, and the AIGA Journal. Furthermore, the book is cheaper than getting a subscription to those magazines!

A collection of essays from various magazines, designers and typographers provides the student with an unmissable reference guide. Excellent as it is not only an enjoyable, interesting read, but also fantastic for essay writing as it condenses a library of books into one small paperback. No student should be without this book!

...but a tiring survey of previous typologies that must be read before you get to Jung's version.

Jung's theories are absolutely amazing. Anyone who is interested in psychology should read this book!

A deep look at the mechanisms of the "psychic functions". Surely instructive for layman with its analysis of human behaviour in everyday life. This work best explores the Jung's concept of the unconscious and proves that his concept is far from being a mystical one as some critics wrote. It also gives a historical perspective of the thoughts of some great thinkers (Schiller, William James and some others )on the problem of psychological types.

William Faulkner wraps up the epic saga of the Snopes family by telling the story of the monstrous Mink, a convicted amoral murderer and victim of counsin Flem's conniving ways. Several other characters from various other stories come and go, allowing Faulkner to wrap up another Jefferson tale or two. As is the case with all of Faulkner's tales, the story has a deeper significance to the human condition. Highly recommended.

Surprisingly enough, I found The Mansion to be the best novel in Faulkner's impressive Snopes trilogy. Flem Snopes, the devious and underhanded antihero of The Hamlet and The Town is on a crash course with Mink Snopes, the unbalanced family member whom Flem allowed to be imprisoned for murder nearly four decades earlier. The paths of these two characters converge with fascinating inevitability, as Gavin Stevens and Linda Snopes finally arrive at a crossroads in their own relationship. The Mansion is a satisfying conclusion to a story that spans over forty years in the history of Jefferson, Mississippi; the Snopes trilogy is a must-read for Faulkner fans.

This book (The Mansion) was my first experience with William Faulkner. I plan to read more. Despite his tendency towards long sentences that are impossible to parse, Faulkner has created an extremely compelling story chronicling 40 years in the history of a family and a town in the deep South. Having been raised in the South (although certainly long after the setting of these events), I found many of the characters, and certainly some of the attitudes towards the rest of the world, eerily familiar.

This epic of the rise and fall of the Snopes family illustrates the tremendous impact a single family can have on a community, especially when that family is driven by naked ambition. In the course of his narrative Faulkner also reveals how the inhabitants of a small town in the South viewed such events as World Wars I and II, the New Deal, and the beginnings of the Civil Rights movement.

Although this book is the last of a trilogy, I found it to stand on its own very well. In fact, the first chapter stands on its own and is worth reading all by itself - in my view it's a near-perfectly constructed short story.

This book explores many of the most widely-know and popular monolouges for Shakespeare for female characters and a few select monolouges for male characters. The best part about this book is that the monolouges not often comprised of smaller speeches, cut up and pasted. Most of these monolouges are classic, tried and true and really useful for Shakespearen auditions and readings. An adequate amount of plot explanation and scene information is provided, as are explanations for the Elizabethan terminology. Nothing is left unsaid as far as preparation, meaning and suggestions on how a scene should be done. But the lack of variety and the absence of many well-known and good monolouges made me give this book only four stars. I would only recommend this to an actress just starting out in Shakespeare, who dosen't know a lot of Shakespeare plays and would be unable to go direct to the source for a monolouge, or have a certain play in mind. This gives a nice sampling of plays and characters to start out with. But for actresses who know and have experience with Shakespeare, it would probably be even more useful to go to the actual play to find your monolouge.

This book is very helpful in the memorization of the Monologues. It has full footnotes and even guidelines on how to act out the lines. If it weren't for this book I highly doubt I would have gotten as many Shakespearean parts as I have.

Here is an excellent resource for finding Shakespearean monolouges. Earley and Keil have made superb selections and provided the actor with helpful annotation, glossaries and summaries. Of course reading and performing these pieces effectively ultimately requires the actor to read the entire work in order to build a proper context, this volume proves most helpful.

This is a book accessible to any Shakespeare reader - not just the theater or academic professional. The writing is direct & dynamic, Pennington discusses each scene & character individually, and his footnoted personal comments add even more to one's understanding. I particularly enjoyed his footnote about advice he received from an 11 year old regarding how to play Claudius and the Ghost. Something you will find here and rarely elsewhere: more than a passing mention of Rosencrantz & Guildenstern's roles, although I take exception to Pennington's view of them as essentionally innocent characters. I'd rate this 5 stars if he had written a better analysis of the character of Horatio. Pennington balances his odd defense of R&G by down-playing Horatio's integrity. His analysis of the Play Within the Play Scene comes to an astonishing & wise conclusion about the real victim. I've seen it nowhere else; no - I won't tell you here; read the book. Educators: this is an A+ supplement to a class study of Hamlet whether at the high school or college level.

Michael Pennington, a Royal Shakespeare Company actor who has played Hamlet many times himself, writes this brilliant book to help both the actor attempting to play a role, and the confused reader who is starting out on their first play. It goes through the play scene by scene and makes frequent references both to other criticisms of Hamlet and other works of Shakespeare. Unlike many works of criticisms on Hamlet, this book does not focus only on the protagonist, but on all characters. Making frequent reference to past performances of Hamlet and the methods used, Pennington illuminates the script through discussing performance techniques. One instance where this is most helpful is the discussion of the ghost. One of the most difficult scenes to stage for any director, Hamlet: A User's Guide discusses the meanings that different stagings bring to the play. Hamlet: A User's Guide is an excellent companion when reading Hamlet and a good way to shed light on the motivations of some of the main characters.

This is a delightful book that brings you into Hamlet as an actor. To see the play this way is to see it as a series of technical problems in the way of bringing off something elusive and difficult-that is, a fine and moving performance. Now Art, like Science, uses technique, but (like Science!) uses technique in the service of wonder. Bringing a great play to life should be a labor of love for the actors; in a great story it can bring them alive as well.

I am not an actor, and had not, before reading this book, been terribly interested in the craft. I am a playgoer, though, and had long appreciated that stage acting requires an impressive array of physical and mental skills, and to do Shakespeare well is perhaps as tasking as anything, given the requirements of diction and action, and the expectations of the audience, many of whom have seen the play many times, and tend to be hypercritical of performances of the sacred texts.

Pennington has much experience in classical theater, and knows Hamlet particularly well. After a refreshingly plain-spoken introduction he launches into a blow-by-blow for the five days of the play, trying to make the sequences of action and the lapses of time cohere into an intelligible and consistent narrative (a bit of challenge, actually). The running commentary here speculates on character and motivation, with rich asides on the way they did it at the Globe, or how it played in the West End recently, and alludes to other of the Bard's plays and characters without breaking stride. All of this is fun, but is also a necessary preparation. This is a story, after all, and every scene, every speech, every gesture, must contribute to the telling of it. But first, the action must make sense to the actors, or else gesture becomes grimace, and what should fizz goes flat. Reading this book will, I think, cure one of the notion that acting is simply about learning your part. Be that as it may, reading this is also a delightful way to prepare to watch the play.

Next, the author takes us through each character, giving us strong opinions, options, and a sense of the possibilities. In one sense, after four hundred years no one is going to have a strikingly original pose for Ophelia, or Hamlet, or Claudius. But the fact is, each generation begins anew, and as the actor forms a past and a personality for his character, he is doing it in a new world; he can't help but be original.

The conclusion, of the state of the Play and of the Theatre in general, widens the scope, but keeps the intimate sense of a conversation. Professionals will enjoy this book and profit from it I would think, but any playgoer will find his sense of this play-and all plays-enriched by Pennington's reflections.

very diappionted in the book.

I can honestly say "it's like being there" because I was.As a member of 1st Force Recon '70-'71 I filed opperations reports after each mission and to see them printed as a book has blown me away. It was an honor to serve with these men and in our unit, now it's part of USMC history. Cpl. M.A.Hobbs (I'm in the book) 1st. Force Recon, DaNang '70-'71

This book is very accurte. It tells the storys of the Recon Marines. I was a rifleman in the Marines and alaways wondered what the recon was like, this told me. This is a very good book and I would read it if I hadn't already.

It's a great book for first year business students and all those who want to learn something about basic principles of macroeconomics and the influence it has on everyday business activities

In comparison with other macroeconomic texts around it should get 5 stars. It starts with a historical perspective of the crisis in economics at the time of Keynes, setting the picture for why anyone bothered to invent macroeconomics in the first place. It then rapidly proceeds to introduce the major schools of macroeconomics and to develop the relevant ideas and models. It is an ideal introduction for the interested or serious student and manages to be exciting as well as fairly comprehensive. If you're taking an introductory macroeconomics course, get this book instead of your text. If you're coming from outside the economics profession and have a mind of your own, this ones for you.

This is a classic Macro text used for many Intro to Macro-Econ.

I used a similiar text (many editions before) when I took my first econ class in college over 10 yrs ago.

This is a great book, easy to understand and fluid reading.

Thumbs Up!!!

It is mentioned in the book that horn could be slang for erect penis and that the "cuckold isn't horny enough". Also quoted was Othello, "A horned man's a monster and a beast".

Perhaps some light could be shed on the "horn" reference.

I have often heard the joke in Russia about a man having "horns". Ofcourse, I didn't understand what my acquaintances were talking about so I asked what "horns" means? Well, after a good chuckle, they told me that "horns" are what a man gets when his wife cheats on him. Then they would take their two index fingers, invert their hands and turn them upright on their head to show me exactly what they were talking about. To them this was all quite halarious. It was a reference totally new to me though, lol.

The reference is quite active in Russia where young men, often married are forced to join the army for two year by universal conscription. I've heard it dozens of times.

So it would seem that the reference "horns" has lost that nuiance in the English language but, still maintains the original Shakespearian nuiance in Russian. Actually, perhaps the term "horns" is still used in the same way in British English!?

Just my two cents. Hope I didn't bore you (haha, no pun intended) too much.

Gauguin1@aol.com

I loved this book! I'd definitely recommend it for any college student studying Shakespeare; it'll give you a break from all that dull, monotonous criticism. Even though it's a "humor" book, it does have some intriguing info on what double meanings are found in Shakespeare's plays. You might even find some useful information for research papers (the book even includes a chapter entitled "Racism in Shakespeare"). Great for linguists, Shakespeare fans, and students alike!

Those who were forced to study Bill Shakespeare at school will love Michael Macrone, who shows that Bill was as rough as guts and should be called the Immoral Bard,not the Immortal Bard. As well as spreading blood and gore all over the floor, with enough stabbings and hackings to make Sam Peckinpah green with envy, Bill is politically incorrect,being racist, sexist, "anti-Semitic" (though they didn't have that category then)and bawdy enough to make a sailor blush. Bill gets away with it because many of his archaisms are unknown to modern readers. Macrone spells it out, and tracks down his bawdy, blasphemous side which the Bardolatrists choose to ignore. Macrone could also have explored the fact that Shakespeare is a rotten historian,but maybe he does a sufficient demolition number as it is. There is one word of caution;though Bill was down in the gutter with the worst of them,while there he had a glimpse of another side stars. He could write on two levels,for the sophisticate or the yobbo.He could wallow in the gutter, but also lift his mind to the stars. But overall a useful corrective to Bardolatry

685 pages divided by 31 chapters and 6 big parts. The big parts are: Linux basics (entering commands, using text editors, etc, everything on the command line), Configuring your system (from the command line), The X window system (with an overview of multimedia tools), Connecting to the ISP (and using email, FTP, browsers, telnet and IRC), system administration (basic programming and shell programming, boot managers, users, network connections, daemons, FS, kernel,...) and appendices.

This book pretends to teach how to do things not why you need to do this or that. So this is a practical book and, because linux is evolving fast, it is outdated.

Another problem of the book is that there are many authors, each responsable for a chapter or so, and there is no good coordination between them. This brings some repeated things and a feeling of no constant evolution in complexity or evolution on the presentation himself.

This book has repeatedly saved me when I needed information that the man pages are too arcane to provide. I used the book for practical suggestions on how to use the grep utility to search for multiple terms. And, it was the only UNIX book I could find that gave practical and meaningful suggestions about how to configure the modem via the command line.

Get this book, it will save you a lot of time!

This book is one of the rare guides which is organize not by what the author knows but what are the typical problems you (the reader) have to solve. I would call it "How to.." book. Almost every time when I need to mount the disk, add the device I found exact instructions how to do it and it worked.

I am not very experienced Linux user (< 2 years) and I found this book just right for me.