gives season by season tips on things that need to be done to keep your house in good condition. If you follow the prentitive maintenance suggested, you'll have fewer household emergencies down the line.

The advice in this book is matched up to the advice on shows like THIS OLD HOUSE,and HOME TIME. It covers chainsaw repair, repairing roofs, cutting and storing firewood, and repairing a fence. This book is worth 5 times the money and if you are a new homeowner this is like the bible.I give The Home Repair Almanac, 5 stars.

The advice in this book is great, and very easy to follow. As a new owner of a "fixer-upper," so far I've saved at LEAST $1,500 by doing repairs myself with the help of this book. I was amazed at how simple some of these repairs were, things that I was certain would require professional help, like installing locks, repairing walls, patching up my driveway. I never thought I could do all of these things alone, but they're very easy. It's also got great tips for year-round yardwork.

This book, rich with wonderful old photos, gives a concise history of the last 100 years of the financial culture that has come to be known as Wall Street. A good blend of text, photos, and charts make this book interesting to the non-financial reader.

The author divided the book into decades and each chapter outlined the changes that occurred over those years.

At the beginning of the last century, Wall Street was known for its lack of financial regulation regarding trades. Scandals and outright swindles abounded. Four years after the Crash of 1929, FDR's administration passed nationwide banking and securities laws to make sure that this kind of disaster did not happen again.

Unfortunately, the real and distasteful inner workings of Wall Street were revealed in the Senate hearings. An SEC commissioner called investment bankers "financial termites". This knowledge scared investors away for the next 20 years.

In the early 50s, investing became popular with middle class investors for the first time in a generation, and mutual funds were developed after being gone for 30 years.

The 60s brought the birth of the modern mergers and acquisitions business in the U.S, and the days of small brokerage firms were coming to an end.

The 70s brought extensive reforms concerning commissions while the 80s were the years of junk bonds, insider trading scandals, and the savings and loan crisis.

The author called the 80s the decade of greed and the 90s the decade of boom. The Internet has brought about a totally new way of trading stocks and has made up-to-the-minute financial news available to everyone.

The changes in the last 100 years on Wall Street have been phenomenal, mirroring the technological changes in our society.

Charles R. Geisst's enjoyable book chronicles Wall Street in the twentieth century. He effectively captures the feel of the various boom and bust periods. The clear, informative text is supplemented with incredible black and white photographs of each period's key events and people, making it very evocative and intriguing. We at ... recommend this book to anyone - not only someone in business - who wants to learn about Wall Street's history. It would make a great gift for anyone who works in the financial industry or for a young person who is interested in how money works.

I enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading the headlines. Very educational and informative.

Many time teachers don't see success in the class room but somewhere deep down know they are making a difference. It's when the years past and we forget the difference that we have made in lives of many.

Be challenged to teach out of your comfort zone. Allow your sweet spirit to be given to kids who fall asleep in class because the gun shots at four am woke them up and are afraid to go back to sleep.

Be reminded to learn from your students and allow students to teach you.

Wherever you are, make your class room a safe place to share, learn and grow.

One more thing; don't rely on records from the previous year tell you what kind of class you'll have in the fall, set high yet real expectations for your students. Your students will act as you you expect them too.

The book "36 Children" is intersting to compare to Jonathan Kozol's more famous book "Death at an early age", written at about the same time, in the 1960s. I would say that Kozol had a better experience than Kohl, and he was a better teacher. But Kohl's book is valuable because it is brutally honest about the selfish motivations of the average teacher, as well as the difficulties, stereotypes and misunderstandings that get in the way of good teaching.

Another difference between Kohl and Kozol is that Kozol had one class of children to teach, while Kohl was teaching children who were 1 or 2 years older and split into separate classes. It makes me wonder if it is easier to teach kids in a single class rather then divide them up into periods so that the teachers keep changing.

Other books to recommend in this genre are "Savage Inequalities" by Jonathan Kozol, "Children of crisis" by Robert Coles, and "Ghetto schooling" by Jean Anyon.

I was kind of disappointed after reading this book...First of all I dont know why this book was connected with the South Bronx...the stuff in the book could've happened an any urban community/ghetto...and his writing style made it hard for me to get into a reading groove. it was a pretty quick read, 1 or 2 sittings, but I found myself getting bored so many times. Sometimes Rodriguez spent so much time describing the area that you never really get a chance to connect with the character. The best stories, I think, were Shortstop and the Lotto...Overall its a good read if you aren't easily distracted

The sordid lives of children growing up too fast in a wasteland.
There is no regeneration or hope of escape available to these kids hardened by the necessity of defending themselves in the ghetto. No parents guide and comfort these children as they introduce each other to sex without love, violence and drugs. In these short stories of growing up in the South Bronx Rodriguez pinpoints the casualties of the worst ghettos. And he does it with a style and voice that transport the reader into these children's lives. After this sojourn the reader will emerge shocked, angry and with a new sympathy for the so-called "at-risk" youth of urban life.

This is a delightful look at the history of York, Pennsylvania, laid out in 1741 by one of the Penn Family's surveyors. The book first looks at the native Americans who put down several villages in this area bordered by the Susquehanna River on the east. In 1749 when the county of York was formed the town of York became the county seat. Author Georg R. Sheets tells the story of the first Europeans arriving in the 1700s and gives special attention to the nine-month period in 1777-78 when Congress met here and hammered out the Articles of Confederation while Washington and his troops were at Valley Forge. York County's role as a breadbasket and arsenal for Democracy is explored through the late 1970s when a resurgence of the Pennsylvania Dutch (actually Pennsylvania German) heritage of the region took place. The town's most famous landmarks are described and among other places the reader is taken to the Central Market House where farmers have been selling their best wares for many generations. The role of York industry is also described with peppermint patties, barbells, automobiles, Harley-Davidson motorcycles, air conditioners and potato chips taking center stage. Dozens of photographs and illustrations enrich the book, some in full color. For a primer on the history of York County, Pennsylvania and a special look at the nation's early days this book is a good read. ...

This book is one of a series of books on historic American communities and because it covers Pennsylvania, all the key elements of the struggle for Independence, strife of the Civil War and much more are covered here. Most interesting are the aspects of the so-called "Pennsylvania Dutch" folklife which runs through this book like a unifying thread. This author knows what he's talking about. Also see, "Made in York: A Survey of the Agricultural and Industrial Heritage of York County, PA.," and the must-read, "The Grand Review: The Civil War Continues to Shape America." I also like the book, "Pennsylvania Heritage: Diversity in Art, Dance, Food, Music and Customs" with history by Sheets and lavish color photographs by Blair Seitz.

The author spent the majority of the book relaying the historical background of races comparing non-white and white perspectives. In reading the book, I did find and begin to understand the assumptions (culture) of the white race and how it is perceived by other cultures. In this perspective the book had value. I was disappointed in that the author did not provide any depth or examples from a teacher's perspective of how best to adjust the white cultural perceptions to the multiracial classroom beyond being aware of the differences. This book is directed towards cultural awareness rather than a teacher's resource tool. Not necessarily recommended for those looking for the "tools."

If you've ever beeen called racist by your students, but you think you're not, than this is a must read for you. Howard takes the reader on a journey of self discovery, helping the reader to understand the subtle and overt elements of racial discrimination that are present in today's schools. While "tools" or quick fixes are not presented, the book efficiently and concretely addresses the underlying assumptions that form the basis of US society and education systems that promote discrimination and maintain the status quo. The author uses his personal and historical experiences to illustrate the nature of white privilege, the assumption of rightness and normalacy. By examining these topics, teachers are able to examine their daily activities, decisions and speech to identify and eliminate the promotion of such values. This book helps us move past "I see all my children the same, I don't care if they are white, black, brown, or purple." To truly accepting that we see each other differently, that we should acknowledge and celebrate the differences, that we can learn from one another and that through acceptance we find our similarities.

In that over 90% of teachers in this country are White, Howard's book meets a definite need in the educational community. Seamlessly combining his own experiences with the most current race/ethnicity theory, the author helps Whites understand that we have an ethnicity, also, and how that influences our ability to teach. Step by step, he illustrates what Whites can expect as we begin to discover our own cultural identity. While this experience is often an uncomfortable one, he shows that it is possible to acknowledge our responsibility for oppression of other groups without basing our identity solely on guilt. He deals candidly with the issue of White privilege, but notes that one can be anti-racist without being anti-White, for the "'enemy' is dominance itself, not White people." The greatest strength of this book may be that it provides a way for us to move forward in hope as we seek new ways of living together. While he does not provide specific classroom resources in this book, he refers to his work with the REACH Center for Multicultural Education in making such materials available.

I finished reading this book only a few weeks ago for a college class I'm in. It certainly wasn't the kind of book I'd pick up just on my own, but I wouldn't say I didn't like it.

The story is set primarily in Boston and somewhat in New York during the 1880's. At the request of his cousin Olive Chancellor, southern lawyer Basil Ransom comes to visit. He accompanies her to a meeting where the young Verena Tarrant speaks wonderfully on women's rights. Olive is so impressed with Verena, she starts what's debatably a lesbian relationship with her, but Ransom is taken with Verena as well and so a struggle begins between the two for Verena's affections.

I think Henry James does an excellent job of giving complete descriptions of each character and you really get a sense of who they are. Olive comes across as rigid and passionate, Verena as young, full of life and curious and Basil as sexist and determined. Basil uses all his ability to wrench Verena from Olive. As I mentioned, the relationship between Verena and Olive is debatable. There are no sex scenes in this novel, but the implication is there. Additionally, I've learned in the class for which I read this novel that many women during this time period engaged in very intense romantic relationships which may or may not be described as sexual.

There are of course other characters such as Verena's parents and other women's rights activists, but the whole focus of the novel is on this struggle for Verena. It wouldn't be completely unfair to say that in some ways nothing much happens in this novel. It's truly a character driven story. There aren't really antagonists and protagonists in the story, but more just people whom all have faults and are just trying to make the right decisions. Although my description of Basil above may sound like a bad guy and although he's unapologetically sexist, he perhaps is no worse than Olive who sometimes seems to be using Verena, a young woman whose thoughts and feelings are maleable. At its heart, the novel is still a love story. Overall, I'd say this is probably worth reading if you like novels about this time period, about love or if you like this author. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'd read another novel by James, but I don't regret reading this.

The astonishing thing about this book -- and a lot of Henry James's writing -- is his insight into the problems of women. This book deals with the problem of independence and freedom. Most of us, let's admit it, love the idea of being swept off our feet by some competent, assertive male. It's a real turn-on. If you don't believe it, check out how many successful professional women secretly read historical romances by the boxload. The problem comes the next morning when he starts to take control, bit by bit, of your entire life. In this book you have Olive, who is not, I think, a lesbian but someone who is very lonely and doesn't trust men and Verena, who likes men just fine, but is, for the moment anyway, under the spell of Olive and her feminist ideology. Are these our only options? Verena Makes her choice, but James notes that the tears she sheds may not, unhappily, be her last.

James after 1898 was too subtle, too often employing apposition to add layers like coats of paint to each observation. Works like The Ambassadors (1903) rely on the reader's powers of synthesis, which can be in turns exhilarating or frustrating. The Bostonians (1885) is an extremely straightforward, dramatic, cruel, hilarious, political, compassionate love story and one of the best novels by anyone. Olive Chancellor is tragic: with so much love behind her cold, horrified stares. Basil Ransom is magnetic, but an educated idiot savant whose passion and will are nothing other than natural talent. Verena Tarrant has nothing but natural talent--she is an organism that throbs with passion like a finely tuned Geiger counter. Whether the private turmoil of sex and marriage finally draw her from the political sisterhood, and what happens to queer women like Olive, are high-stakes, human questions that James presents with sheer drama and almost unbelievable insight.

In this flat, uninteresting novel, R.G. Belsky has
created a scenario based on the 'Son of Sam' killings
that manages to be less interesting and compelling than
accounts of the actual case.

Most of the book's problems stem from the lack of focus
the author exhibits, as he's unable to give the main
character any semblance of believability. All of the
dialogue is so awkward and cliched that it seems the
author never once attempted to read any of it aloud.

This book is a rather sad waste of time, although I
can't say it was a waste of money, as I spent only three
dollars (canadian) for a hardcover copy.

"Loverboy" is a well-written and crafty story of a serial killer and the star reporter he includes in his killing spree. The character of Lucy Shannon is a lot different than most of your usual "heroines," in that she is on the skids from three bad marriages, a drinking problem, and a big career dive. While there are times, you want to smack her for her sarcastic view of life and her equally cynical comments, you have to admire her for her tenacity and her determination to resurrect her life and her career. Belsky pulls some effective twists in this thriller, making the reader wonder is this a new Loverboy copycat or is it the original returned for whatever reason. The identity of the Loverboy killer is surprising, and even though the ending is reminiscent of the "Halloween" movies, it's still pretty effective.
All in all, though, this is a very enjoyable book.

Loverboy was a real surprise to me. The cover of the book, as bought on heathrow, indicates a run of the mill serial killer police procedural. Instead we meet a not-so-youn-anymore reporter Lucy, who for the second time in her career is closely involved with a serial killer. Only this time she is not the innocent 24 year old anymore and has gone through quite some personal experiences. Her mental and physical stability is really tested in this fast paced novel.

The author succeeds in developing the Lucy character in a very nice and appealling way. I am still considering whether I like her or not... He writes in a very tight and compact style wich demonstrates that he must have been a good news editor. Combine this with a very original and surprising plot and you have one of the better thrillers of the year.

Amazon's book recommendations suggested I read this and I am not so sure I can replicate the logic that those who shared my previous preferences liked this book. Okay, that sounded very convoluted, but that may describe some of my frustrations with Maxim's story. I was curious about the venue of Martha's Vineyard and toward the end I did find myself anxiously turning pages. Maybe that was to bring it to a merciful ending. Still I have reservations about a very positive review. For example, I did suggest it to someone in the pharmaceutical industry, but with some trepidation. It seems to be an action/adventure, but the action was stilted and I think the adventure would have been just as forced if the hero had spoken dialogue as apposed to... Well I don't want to give that away in case you do choose to read this book. The bottom line is that I am always looking for additional authors whose books I will enjoy, but I don't think Mr Maxim is one.

As someone who has read and enjoyed "Mosaic" and "Time Out of Mind", I delved into "Shadow Box" with great anticipation. Alas for my expectations! Maxim seems to have been having a difficult time writing this novel. Most jarring of all are the "jumping tenses," by which I mean literally within the same sentence the verbs will change from present to past to future tense. Maybe this is some literary tool that's supposed to make the tale more suspenseful; I found it annoying. Also, some of the plot devices has the hero seemingly unusually thick-headed (I'm thinking, 'for Pete's sake, man, it's called a contact lense!') just so his heroine can be brilliant and explain the whole thing to him later.

That being said, the relationships between the characters are extremely convincing and well-developed, the motivations behind the bad guys' actions are mysterious and revealed masterfully, and I also especially enjoyed the character of Moon (he should have his own book!). Maxim's worst is still better than the majority of books written in his chosen genre.

Maxim writes well and I enjoyed this book. Although this novel is a "thriller" by definition, the parts of Maxim's writing that I enjoy most are not the action parts of a book. It is the character deveopment, the location descriptions, and the love story that I really like. The author does an excellent job with those things in this novel. Just the right length too; not stretched out nor too thin. You will enjoy Maxim's other books if you like this one. I did and do.

To write a review of this book is actually to exercise the very constructivist principles which the Enlightenment bestowed on the humanities. Most of what passes for criticism these days is so de-constructivist that one wonders exactly what qualitative judgement is being passed, and exactly on what subject. These are writings by academics, and so what? They remind me of the early-Christian monks in Ireland, transcribing the surviving wisdom of the ancients and periodically fleeing from barbarian hordes farther and farther West. Well, this is as far West as we can go, folks. It's time to turn and face the barbarians. Unless you're one of those bored citizens who're looking forward to them, like the ones in Cavafy's "Waiting for the Barbarians."

As a history major, and someone who is fed up with post-modernist nonesense at the university, this book was a must-read for me.

I only have two concerns with this otherwise solid title.

1) The text is too academic -- how about a short, readable book for the masses? I propose a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) format that would enable students and others to confront unargued post-modern dogma.

2) I would have loved an examination of the historical roots of post-modernism and other forms of irrationalism. For those who are interested, Wendy Kaminer's book 'Sleeping with Extra-Terrestrials' is a good examination of American irrationalism.

Finally, if anyone else reading this review is a student (or teacher) at a university who is concerned with the stifling of free inquiry in education, please e-mail me and initiate a discussion. Thank you.

To the critics of this book's style rather than content: This is a collection of conference proceedings. This means that the articles are basically transcribed lectures. The slightly awkward style of writing stems from the origins of the articles as speech, not text.

As for the content: superb.