If you have not yet read anything about the life of Diego Rivera, don't start with this book. While Rivera's re-imagining of his life is riveting, it is merely one more tall tale. Rivera is known for many talents, however, sticking to the truth is not one of them.

If you already have a solid background in the artists life, then by all means read this book to get a sharper insight into his mental inner-workings!

This book is a mixture of fact and fantasy, the real real and imagined world as conjured by the mind of Diego Rivera as told to Gladys March. The invention of facts, the fabrication of the bits of truth to create a colorful story are the result of a newspaper interview that flourished into a series of interviews over many years. Beginning in 1944 and continuing until his death in 1957 Gladys March spent several months each year collecting over 2000 pages of notes that eventually formed the basis of this book. As another customer reviewer stated this is not the place to start when you reading about the life of Rivera since the lines between fact and fiction are blurred at best. A more accurate picture can be found in "dreaming With His Eyes Open" by Patrick Marnham. If you have a foundation in the life and times of one of the great Mexican artists than this book reflects a colorful and imaginative mind. The brillance of his art aside Diego reveals himself and makes no excuses for the parts of his pesonality that are less than desireable. He talks about his experiment in cannanbilsm, witchcraft, his blaphemous treatment of religion and the church, the communist party, his relationships with world leaders, artists and women, his advetures in Europe, the United States and Mexico, his troubles and ills , including his bout with cancer of the penis and in general the things that made his life as large as his physical presence. A very entertaining book that is easy to read because each small chapter deals with an extensive period of his life. All in all this is a good book to compliment other books on Rivera to get an even more accurate but distorted view of his brilliance. Included are several pictures and paintings from throughout his life. The man , the myth and the artist are here for you to decipher the truth and paint your own picture.

Nineteen photographs included in the 48 pages are clear & interesting. Large type and presentation aimed at 4th to 7th grade level readers. Not of general appeal as information about each class of carrier too limited & generalized. ERROR. Page 32 it states that Kitty Hawk class removed from service in 1996, however, #35 million just spent on rennovating the USS Kitty Hawk & it is definitely in service, stationed in Japan & last week depoyed to Baltic area.

This book will satisfy most carrier aviation buffs if only for the picutres that fill its pages. Overall, it doesn't go into great detail or too much about the belowdecks supporting uints that allow flight operations to exist. What it does offer is a retrospective of carrier operations from before World War II, a decent amount on World War II operations, and then the Cold War carriers that continue serving on until today. There is some information on the British and French carriers, but it is very limited.

Overall, this book is introductory, and best serves as illustrating a challenging world in a coffee-table book format.

If anyone who loves aircrafts carriers gets the chance to buy this book, go for it! It's worth every penny. Great photos and text make this book a treasure to any naval enthusiasts library.

As an avid Mandie reader, I have found that this thing that you call a "Mandie Cookbook" is simply awful. I was flabbergasted at how inaccurate its portrayl of Mandie was, for, it is made quite clear in the 33+ Mandie books in print that Mandie never cooks. She doesn't know how to turn on a stove, and I doubt she would know what in the world a sieve is. In fact, it seems that any physical labor on her part is against the moral values that she was weened upon. Secondly, the recipes did not correlate at all to the plots of the Mandie books. I suggest that more recipes like "Ghost Bandit Goulash", "Dead Dad Dumplings", "Mysterious Bell Vegetable Medley". So, to all those reading this that have been considering buying the Mandie Cookbook, think again! You will not be getting authentic Mandie recipes, but rip-offs that the book company puts together to con gullible young readers. Thank you.

Mandie Books are a great influence on children they are exciting but they include christianity and pureness.

I got this book at my school library (the only softball book available) and I thought it was pretty well written- but just not enough. It goes through detailed descriptions of drills that are all really good but after awhile the book just loses flavor. Look elsewhere.

This is a good book if you want the basics. It has everything in it: conditioning in preseason, defensive and offensive drills, and sports medicine. The drills are very basic but important. After using some of the defensive strategies in this book, other coaches have asked me for this book. This book is great for youth softball. However, when your players are more advanced they will need more than what this book has.

A reasonable history of the UAPD prior to 1985. Author chose to ignore the Agency Shop agreements with the State of California and other Public jurisdictions as the primary reasons for UAPD's continued existence. Doctors working for those entities must pay agency fees or dues in order to work.

More recently, author did not delve into findings of US Dept of Labor that UAPD was not a Union for purposes of collective bargaining in private sector. In fact, UAPD severed its private sector bargaining units in order to avoid scrutiny of procedures for electing its officers. Findings of DOL suggest violations of NLRA, Taft-Hartley and Landrum-Griffin.

Author also did not choose to include decertification of UAPD as bargaining agent for doctors employed by Contra Costa County in 1995.

The one interesting innovation of UAPD, the UAPD IPA, was remarked upon only in casual passing and not provided any in-depth treatment.

Generally, book seems to be a subject author tired of during research and only published because the amount of time spent in research would otherwise have been wasted.

When Doctors Join Unions, Grace Budrys, Cornell University Press, 177 pages, c. 1997, describes the inexorable forces driving doctors into classical unions as opposed to more traditional medical associations and societies.

Insightfully, Budrys shows that traditional private practice doctors, independent contractors, are joining with their salaried colleagues to sign up with unions even though only the salaried doctors are entitled to classical collective bargaining at this time. The motivation for both groups of doctors is similar. In private practice for-profit HMOs and managed care programs often delay or deny diagnostic studies and treatments prescribed by treating doctors. The doctors, untrained in negotiations, then find they have to challenge their own administrations to provide care. In government programs at the state, county, and federal levels, including Medicare and Medicaid, doctors find that burgeoning rules and regulations also prevent them from doing what patients need. This obstructionism unifies doctors, cuts across financial and remuneration incentives, and drives them toward unionization, especially towards the Union of American Physicians and Dentists (UAPD), affiliated with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the largest union in the AFL-CIO. Budrys states that the UAPD is "a harbinger signaling the emergence of new forms of collective representation" and concludes her book with these words about the UAPD: "I find it hard to imagine another organization that is in a better position to do so."

I enjoy this book. It presents things clearly. It illustrates with pictures, and gives many synonyms. I like it because it is 2-in-1. It translates words from English-to-French, or French-English. I highly recommend this book for a French beginner.

Those familiar with Glen Baxter's work - _Boy's Own_-style cartoons with breathtakingly incongruous elements and captions - can probably guess what to expect here: a mock-earnest mystery, illustrated throughout in fine Baxter form, with much to offer the reader.

That said, it lacks the impact of his single-frame cartoons, and for some reason the entire thing is set in his favourite font which, while certainly atmospheric, isn't exactly readable (especially since it's ALL IN CAPS).

Baxter fans should definitely get this. Others should try _The Impending Gleam_ first.

This is average Mitchell - her work suffered a downwards spiral in the middle 1950s, fortunately picking up again in 1957 and 1958, with two of her classic works, THE 23RD MAN and SPOTTED HEMLOCK.

This reworking of Dorothy Sayers' MURDER MUST ADVERTISE begins with a poverty-stricken author answering a telephone call - "Faintley speaking..." comes the caller, and hence the book's title. The author then carries out the telephone's mysterious instructions to bring a parcel to a shady shopkeeper - and stumbles on a network of crime. The telephone caller, Miss Faintley, is found stabbed to death by the detective Mrs Bradley's secretary and one of Miss Faintley's pupils (for Miss Faintley was a teacher). So far, so good. It then proceeds to go rapidly downhill. The rest of the book is fairly drab, filled with unnecessary excursions to France, descriptions of schools and ships - most of which have only a slight bearing on the plot. The criminal is only encountered once before being arrested, and the book is principally a shaggy dog story without much substance.

This is Mitchell's 50th book - a memorable jubilee, especially as she was to write 16 more books - many of which are at least as good as Christie and Sayers - especially Sayers (badly-written and snobbish). Mitchell has always been a more distinctive, more original writer, than any of her contemporaries. At her best she ranks with John Dickson Carr, and many of the best writers (Edmund Crispin, Nicholas Blake, H. R. F. Keating, P. D. James) hailed her as one of the greatest crime writers of all time.

This one deals with the discovery of a dead body in a hole, and the dead body of a girl dressed as a dinosaur at a garden party - both have been bludgeoned to death with a shovel. Mrs. Bradley (demoted for the 50th novel) is called in to investigate, and investigate she does. There are only two suspects, but the reader's mind is kept wondering which of them actually did it. The murderer isn't revealed until the very end (in Mitchell's work of the 1960s and 1970s a use of minimalism led to the murderers being known early on), and, despite only 2 suspects, it is a surprise. The plot is good, and the use of the children and the setting very much recalls The Rising Of The Moon, but also her earlier (little-known) masterpiece, The Devil At Saxon Wall (a book which ought to be on every bookshelf and in every bookstore).

If your knowledge of English is rudimentary, this book might help with some terms (of course, you wouldn't be browsing Amazon reviews if that were the case).
The book is a sad waste of time for busy people looking for a short overview in order to pass the civics test. It does not cover US history, which is necessary for the interview...
This book, alas, is another example of an author's failure to do an honest job.

This book is disingenuously titled. I bought it when I received my citizenship interview in order to better prepare me, and was disappointed with the book, which instead of preparing me for the test spent a great portion of its content on things that I had already done -- such as how to fill out form N-400. The book assumes that you have a very limited understanding of the English language, which is not necessarily true of many applicants for this test. Also it needlessly reprints many US Citizenship forms which are easily available on the INS web site. Its only value is in a brief review of the US constitution and questions you are likely to be asked in an interview -- and these questions (and correct answers, as well as an interactive test) are all also available on the INS web site..

This book, although basic covered everything you will need to know about American History & civics for the INS test. I passed the test with no problems after studying from this book and the information on the INS website. I also studied Mary Masi's book "How to Prepare for the US Citizenship test" which was really a waste of time. Masi's book was much more basic, lacked information and was written for those who have very limited English comprehension skills. If you only buy one book to get yourself through the test I recommend Alesi's book.