This guide provides excellent pre-retirement planning suggestions. Has traps, obstacles and helpers outlined for quick review and advice. Has a number of "tools" in the form of worksheets to assist in planning for both before and after retirement events. Presents a number of post-retirement ideas with several suggestions of how to manage and/or increase your income in retirement. Authors are somewhat short on information for the mid 50's retiree concerning how to access 401k and IRA funds without penalty between 55 and 59 1/2. No info on what forms are needed and where they are available, or what needs to be filed and where. Has one slight reference in the appendix on how to accomplish withdrawals without penalty. Having read a number of retirement planning books available on the bookshelf, I found this volume excels in providing useful information not found in similar guide books.

Although this book deals with many aspects of retirement and retirement planning, what distinguishes it from the dozens of similar books I have read is a truly outstanding calculator for determining how much money will be available then and how much needs to be saved or invested to eliminate any shortfall. It includes pensions, social security, and savings and investments. It factors in life expectancy, income sources that will automatically increase with inflation and those that won't, savings and investment growth rates, withdrawl rates that must increase with inflation(which--unbelievably--some calculators don't consider). It allows for early retirement (that is, it doesn't factor in social security until it's available). Similarly, it allows for staggered commencement of retirement income sources (for example, a pension that starts at age 65 while you may start social security at age 62). I've not found another calculator that does ALL of these things! I couldn't recommend it more highly.

This guide really lays out, step by step, how to think and act to plan your retirement. I found this a surprisingly quick read, comprehensive, easy to understand and specific -- from spending, lifestyle, insurance, investing issues. The book makes a great gift for friends or parents because too many of us are not paying attention to the easy "Action Items" that each chapter ends with. Highly recommended!

A review of "Literature for Today's Young Adults" Nilson/Donelson 6/6/01

Because I am not an avid reader, I needed a good guide to the different genres and adolescent novels that are available to and for young adults. I found the Nilson/Donelson text to be a great source of knowledge for me. It was very informative as to what each different novel offered to young adults and the controversy surrounding it. The authors were very descriptive with the information of each novel and author. The text was also helpful in providing me with ideas to use in my classroom of young adults as far as discussion of the issues that each novel dealt with. For a novice like myself is was very helpful! I would recommend this text for any teacher of Young Adult Literature. Especially for the first year teacher!

Having graduated from high school in 1979, I found my insights into teen literature to be prehistoric at best. As a "utility classroom teacher," I have to keep up with a variety of subjects. This book is a great help to anyone who needs to get a grasp of Young Adult literature, an important topic.
In an age when teens face, more than ever, the difficult issues the world places at their door, (drug and alcohol usage, sexuality, health and family conflict)any teacher entering the reading classroom should be familiar with literature that is current, educational and helpful. This volume provides insight into current authors and trends in Young Adult literature, as well as reviewing "old standards" and interviewing authors. It is an extremely helpful book for anyone who must not only educate but also provide guidance.

Literature for Today's Young Adults, by Aleen Pace Nilsen and Kenneth L. Donelson, Sixth Edition. I purchased this book for a class in adolescent literature, and have found to be the book very good and very thorough. The book includes many chapters about modern adolescent literature and their various controversies. Besides being an interesting book, I found it very thorough because it includes varied points of view, and includes many articles written by the authors themselves who write novels for young adults.

The principles may seem obvious (e.g., read to your children, listen to them, rely on community resources, etc.), but the authors do an excellent job showing how our modern culture distracts us from the tried and true--and what we've lost as a result.

In addition to interviews with parents of the 60 UMBC Meyerhoff Scholars, the authors' interviews with grandparents showed how important it is to have a family that values learning and excellence. Whether you come from a rich family with multiple degrees, or are poor and the first high school graduate in your family, a key to academic success is being around those who value it.

As a white male and new father, I was inspired by the book and reminded that good parenting is color blind. I also agree with the authors that if Black males are to achieve academic success, they must be exposed to the many examples that abound already, but are often overlooked by our society.

Not only is this book full of valuable information , it is also an easy read. If you are a parent, but especially if you are the parent of an African American male, this book gives clear guidance as to what steps are necessary to promote academic success. Along with guidance on what to do, the book also provides help in identifying strategies to avoid certain obstacles particular to African American males.

This is an excellent book for Tennessee waterfall enthusiasts. Mr. Plumb must have done a lot of in-depth research as his detailed directions to the trailheads and waterfalls are quite accurate, and his descriptions of the waterfalls themselves are vividly fitting. Amy and I have been to over 100 waterfalls in Tennessee and this book pointed out several waterfalls that we had never heard of. This book is a great tool to have while exploring the splendors of Tennessee!

This book was very helpful in giving me hiking directions to various waterfalls listed in the book. He also has pictures and ratings of most of the falls in his guide.
I must have seen about 19 different waterfalls when I visited Tennessee last June and it was one of the best vacations I ever had!

This is deifinitely one of the best gay erotic books of the past few years. My copy is almost worn out!

Unlike other novellas, this one is fiction but, compared to other similar compilations, isn't so much different, thereby asking how fine the line between fact and fiction really is. Whatever, the book's name pretty much says it all, and the enclosed accounts of man-to-man sex are nothing but scorching! Rich in in graphic descriptions and a masterful form of foreplay before the actual getting-on, the stories are among the best of their kind, and virtually no one will be disappointed and not turned on (if anyone is, then they need to go to another website for pictures). Absolutely great fiction, and reading the stories over and over isn't a waste. Sometime words and the imagination they create are better than the real thing!

Joseph Metcalf said it right with his review! You'll wear out your copy. Even if they aren't 'young and hung', any gay men who read this book will be 'ready for action'! The stories here with jocks, coaches, or college boys are the hottest, but they're all good! If this one gets you going, I also suggest Cocksure by Bob Vickery and the "My First Time" series of erotic books.

Dead Water Zone is a short read, with a very original plot and contains unique characters. I personally love Oppel's work, but others work of his is much better, such as the Silverwing Trilogy. This book's plot is very bizarre, and I found it easy to follow it. But, I can see some of my friend [and other people] getting lost in it's uncannyness. If your a teen, and want a good short read, this is the book you want.

I'm 14 and I have to read for school you have to get a certin amount of points to gaduate. I hate reading but after I read this book I love reading. So I recomend you get this book or Journy to the center of the Earth

I have read and re-read this little gem without tiring of a word. The story is ironic and charming and the characters are easy to enjoy. A quick read as well. This is Edward Eager for grownups.

Carty is giving a review about the Canadian party system in the past as well as he tries to give a glimpse into the future of Canadian parties. He describes and analyses the collapse of the three old party systems and tries to answer the question how long the fourth party system will be stable. This is a book, which is even for those people interesting who never had done anything in political science. Easy to read and easy to understand.

I am now in 6th grade and I am on book 5. I started with wordly wise 3 in fourth grade. Although I have spent many hours frustrated by the homework assignments given to me with this book, I have learned many complex and interesting words. This book is great for teachers/parents who want to push their kids a little further than just copying spelling words 3 times each every week.

Next year, I'll scream if I see wordly wise following me to middle school, but I guess its for my own good.

My friend and I have started cutting hair on our spare time, to make a little extra money. This great book was very informative and it contained many easy to follow step by step instructions. Not only does it offer basic cutting tips, but it offers great styling tips as well. Yes, it's for beginners, but we found it helpful and we're applying what we learned from this book on a daily basis, in our new part-time job as stylists. If you already know how to cut hair, then you'll probaly have no use for this book, but if your a rookie, you'll really find it helpful.

I thought this book was well written and provided good step by step instruciton to anyone who is new to cutting hair. It shows you how to properly cut different hair types and in different styles. I found it to be useful.

I thought this was a great guide for beginners such as myself. the book offers many different tips on how to cut short hair, long hair, kinky hair, curly hair, and uneven hair. It also offers great tips on different sytles. I found this book to be a good source of information for beginners.