No comments about Testament.

1 comments about The Adventures of Phokey the Sea Otter.

1. Who wants to be a seal? Phokey does! This feisty sea otter led scientists a merry chase up and down the coast of California. If your children enjoy nature as mine do and like to root for the underdog (under-otter?), they will read or ask to hear this true adventure tale over and over. Both my childlren & I like the educational "Fun Facts" about otters at the end of the story and the beautiful illustrations and photos. The real sounds of otters and seal life enhance the telling if you are lucky enough to have the tape as well

No comments about Shakira: Mujer Llena de Gracia (Recorded Books Audiolibros).

5 comments about Bad as I Wanna Be.

1. In my opinion, in his prime, Dennis Rodman was a better athlete than Michael Jordan in his prime. The event that convinced me of this was a playoff game many years ago when the Bulls were playing a team where Shaquille O'Neal was the opposing center. Luc Longley, the starting Bulls center was in foul trouble and on the bench. The backup Bulls center was getting completely overwhelmed by O'Neal and the Bulls went to Rodman in an attempt to stop him. Rodman is 6'7" and around 240 pounds and O'Neal is 7'1" and well over 300 pounds. And yet, the first time that O'Neal tried to bull Rodman out of the way, he just came to a halt and this was repeated. It amazed me that this relatively little man could so forcefully stand up to the most powerful man in the NBA.
   Dennis Rodman was a difficult person, yet he was very well liked, even admired by many people. He was outrageous, at times unstable, flippant, yet there is something very endearing about his approach to life. Much of what I admired about him on the court is that he was a very unselfish player who took an absolute beating in his battles for rebounds. He was also a very smart player, when his fellow players gave an honest appraisal; they were generally universal in extolling his depth of understanding of the game of basketball.
   This book continues that Rodman tradition, standing up for himself, making no excuses and not having a great deal of concern over what people think of him. He often uses segments of bolded text to make his points, as if we need to be shouted at in order to understand his statements. At times the book is disjointed, Rodman moves from point to point in a sequence of inconsistent phrases where it is often difficult to understand the connections between the statements.
   A rebel to the core, this book is Dennis Rodman's statement of "you can put it somewhere" to the world that criticizes him. It is entertaining to read, a glimpse into the mind of a man whose basketball and general intelligence is under appreciated due to his desire to stand out as a wild man with an attitude. If he had been born 100 years earlier, he, by his own admission, would have likely been lynched.



2. I lived in Chicago during the Bulls heyday during the 2nd run of their championships, and everyone I knew had this book, or knew someone who did. I didn't have a copy, but I read it during a break, and found it to be very tiresome and really boring. Even though it's not meant to be Tolstoy, Dickens, or even a dime novel, it's really a waste of time. The book now is completely dated, and Rodman is just a nobody again. All I remember from the book was a rant against David Robinson which started, in typical 90's fashion, "the problem with David Robinson is...". Rodman went off on how Robinson didn't have what it takes to win an NBA championship (Rodman was wrong. Robinson did eventually win a few). Rodman was one of the greatest rebounders of all time, but that's really the only thing he was ever good at. He was your typical celebrity. Obnoxious, rude, outrageous, "outspoken", filled with drugs, marrying stupid women (Carmen Electra in his case), and generally moronic behaviour. The media loved people like that in the 1990's. Rodman just loved to party and behave like an idiot. In other words, typical celebrity behaviour. He did a few bad movies, wrestled in WCW (now defunct), and went on Fear Factor, but he was never a great actor, star, or writer. Just a good athlete that like being a celebrity (hence all the ridiculous clothes, dye jobs, tattoos, etc., etc.).



3. i start loving the NBA because of dennis!! i saw him ones in tv in europe!! and i start to watch the NBA !! i was reaqding the book the first time 1997 in german!! i gave it to a friend and never got it back!! i love the story about his life and all the questin he ask people and what he have done before he was a superstar!!!
   i just can say thanks dennis !! if u are in basketball u must read this book!!



4. As a longtime basketball fan, I was at first anxious to see what I would find in a tell all novel of one of the best rebounders and all around defensive players of the game. What I found was horrible talk about women and other players. Rodman's racist comments against white people are enough to scoff at no matter what color a persons skin is. His comments of "black" players being better than whites is just a terrible shameful label to put upon all of those who play the game. Would have loved to hear what Larry Bird, John Stockton, and Jerry West had to say when they heard that one!
   
   Rodman does talk in depth of the family he lived with for some of his life and I commend him for that. The only downfall to this is the fact he didn't seem to learn from them anything about class or manners. If you are looking for a book about a "worm" then you've come to the right place. If your looking for a book about the wonderful game of basketball as told by one of it's greatest players, I suggest that you look elsewhere.



5. Dennis Rodman was a fascinating bad boy who wasn't afraid of mouthing off about anyone. His book is full of a very few good stories and plenty of complaints about fellow players, basketball management, coaches, everyone. He's bitter and angry, not full of interesting anecdotes. Most of this has ceased to be relevant as his heyday of shock value has passed. For someone not intimately involved in the mid to late 1990's basketball scene, none of the information retains relevancy as time passes. This might be good as a history book for a true fan, but if you lived through the Rodman heyday, you probably picked up his memoir back then.
   
   So much is done for pure shock value, and it gets tiresome.

5 comments about Big George: Autobiography Of An Angel.

1. This small book tells a sweet, sad tale, but that is it. The length leaves little room for indepth character development or story line. If you are looking for a quick read, without much depth, this may be OK. The book was highly recommended to me by a friend, but I was disappointed.



2. I was given this book by my hospice counselor at some point after my daughter died, almost three years ago. She wasn't a premie in the nursery- she died the same day that she was born. We knew that she was going to die while I was still pregnant. Although the situation was different from that in the story- it still touched me so deeply that I read it twice within 2 days(and bawled both times). It helped me to see beyond my own view point- where I was with my pain and anger because of losing her. I was able to look at the bigger picture- not that I will ever be "glad" that she died, but it helped me to focus on the fact that she had a purpose- she profoundly affected me, my husband, our other daughter and all of those who were around her. I know that in her brief time here on earth she made a difference, and I think it was after reading this book that my attitude and view shifted to see that more. It helped me to remember that her legacy should be one of love and making a difference in others lives while we're here, not being angry for my losses and things that aren't fair(not that I don't even still have my moments). I love this story and will keep my copy to read from time to time whenever I need it- forever! I suggest it for those who have lost and are looking for a different perspective.



3. In the book they say the baby is "Forty-four grams, pound and a half". Well, just so you all know, 44 grams is not even 2 ounces! Approximately 595 grams equal a pound and a half. What a silly mistake...



4. I was given this book by a friend I met in support group. The hospital had given it to her when her 1-yr-old died. I found the book to be very comforting, and it brought tears to my eyes. It is a very religious book, and although I am not a regular attender of church, it made me certain that my son, who died as a preemie after only 27 days, was also an angel. I plan to buy several copies to give to other mothers I meet in support groups. It is a very short book and can be read in less than a couple hours, but has a powerful message to those who are grieving.



5. Praise be, praise be. This book shows you God's face, his hands, his especially prominent left thumb. Praise be, hallelujah. Oh yes. A beautiful work that will make even the ayatollah into Christian. Praise be.

No comments about Playboy On the Move, v3 (Playboy on the Move).

5 comments about Among Schoolchildren (Monaural).

1. Chris Zajac really angered me. If her methods weren't working, why didn't she try new ones? I don't find her very intelligent. Why did she wait so long to talk to Robert's mother or file a report about his pysically abusing himself? She wasn't angered enough or frustrated enough to do so since a look subdued him and because he wasn't hurting anybody else, only himself.
   
   She'd rather keep Clarence from getting the appropriate help for him in order to make herself feel like she's helping him. She gets off on helping. The quiet kids who don't demand her attention in a negative way are neglected. Thanks to Al, the principal, not her, Clarence got the help he needed. Al was the one who called for the evalulation of Clarence, although not with the intention to help Clarence, but to protect the school if the kid were to commit a crime with the consequence of the authorities coming to ask for records.
   
   Surprisingly she saw that the Science Fair is unfair. Why doesn't she consider helping the kids during school? They seem to like working on projects and even doing the research. Also surprising is that she hasn't figured out that the homework battle she will never win. If the parents aren't going to help with science fair they are not going to help with homework. I never did homework until 7th grade. I got C's and D's. My mother meant well by believing that school was school and home was home. (Now I have a Ph.D. in Second Language Acquistion and Teaching. I teach 5th grade.)
   
   Chris Zajac defines an dversarial relationship with her students. As I read over and over again how she put her face so close o the kids' who weren't doing their work or who were misbehaving, I expected a kid to spit at her or bite her. That's what she made me feel like doing.
   
   Good teachers dont have to be work- and worry-a-holics who bring their work and troubles home. They need to be creative enough to solve the children's problems.
   
   To defend the saintly Chris a little, she should have more support from the administration. There need to be proceedures for the problems in her class. Collegues need to observe each other's classes. The administration has to provide the teachers the methods and resources to be more creative problem solvers in the classroom.



2. Although most people have attended school for years or still do so now, not very many people understand what it is like to be a teacher. Among Schoolchildren is the story of a teacher, Mrs. Christine Zajac, and her fifth grade class. It clearly and accurately displays what the school year is like for a teacher. It tells us of Mrs. Zajac's thoughts and the joys and challenges that she encounters while teaching. The amount of effort she puts into teaching is amazing. Even when she is not at school she is thinking about "her children." One example of her dedication is when Mrs. Zajac is grading social studies tests late into the night. She evaluates each child after grading his or her test and plans what she needs to do next. She loves all of the children despite their faults. Mrs. Zajac picks out the good in each student. She even sees the soft side of a troublemaker, Clarence, when she reads the admirable writing he does in class.
   Although Among Schoolchildren is nonfiction, much of the book, especially the parts that take place in the classroom, reads more like a novel. This book follows Mrs. Zajac and her class for a year, and also includes background information that makes the book more interesting and understandable. In between the sections about teaching, there are descriptions of what the community is like and stories about Mrs. Zajac's childhood and life outside of school. The author, Tracy Kidder (House, The Soul of a New Machine), has once again written an outstanding book. Among Schoolchildren won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award in 1989. The award, according to the Robert F. Kennedy memorial website, "celebrates the book which most faithfully and forcefully reflects Robert Kennedy's purposes, his concern for the poor and the powerless...[and] his conviction that a decent society must assure all young people a fair chance."
   Among Schoolchildren includes some similar themes and values as To Kill a Mockingbird. Characters in both books demonstrate courage. In To Kill a Mockingbird, a lawyer, Atticus Finch, defines courage as "when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what. You rarely win, but sometimes you do." Atticus demonstrates courage when he takes on the case where a black man is accused of raping a white woman and will be tried before a white jury in the 1930s. Atticus knows he has almost no chance of getting the black man acquitted, but he chooses to defend the man anyway. In Among Schoolchildren, Mrs. Zajac also demonstrates courage. She teaches in a poor school district where many of the children live in rough conditions. She knows that many of them will not take advantage of the education she is trying to give them and that there is not a lot of parental support for the children. Many of them probably will not be successful later in life, but even knowing this, she educates the children to the best of her ability, hoping that some of them will retain the values and basic knowledge she has taught them.
   This book is a great read for anyone in high school and older, especially someone who is thinking about becoming a teacher. Among Schoolchildren shows the importance of education and how difficult it is to teach some kids. This book also reveals how hard life is for some children and how little support they have from home. Most of these poor children don't show a lot of interest in school or don't want to work hard, but Mrs. Zajac does her best to instill curiosity in them and make learning fun.



3. I am using this book with my community college students who plan to be teachers. I have taught in public schools at the elementary, middle, and college level and I wish someone had suggested that I read this book long ago. Tracy Kidder really gets inside Mrs. Zajac's thoughts and feelings about the challenges elementary school teachers face every day in their classrooms. This gives a very realistic view of the profession for people who plan to become teachers!



4. This book has been an incredible relief for me to read. In the midst of my master's training in education (for a career change), I have been bogged down in the textbook version of a classroom--which is hard to translate into a real classroom. This book made me more aware--and consequently, less scared--of the plight of the teacher. Kidder puts you right into the life of Chris Zajac, and allows you to see how a "good" teacher deals with the realities of teaching.
   
   With so much focus on "improving" education through standardized testing, it is enlightening to observe the inner workings of a teacher working in the real world, confronting the real issues of humanity that are uniquely bequested to teachers.
   
   A great book that gives you real respect for the profession.



5. Tracy Kidder captures the angst and the anger of the classroom in his book, "Among Schoolchildren," about the teaching-life of Mrs. Chris Zajac. Certainly those who criticize the public schools must read this book before they give up on schools and opt for vouchers for all.
   
   Mrs. Zajac has all the necessary qualities of a good teacher:
   1. She's empathetic, almost to a fault. I know she gives too many second chances to kids who try to disrupt her class, but she also got through to them all, even the ones who had to be removed.
   2. She's hard-working. She always brings home both the paper grading and the worry. It's hard to leave teacher feelings at the school door. Most teachers take them home as does Mrs. Zajac. Many of her great ideas develop while she broods at home over some kid's plight.
   3. She has a big heart, enough to mourn for kids who have their own hardships at home, enough to get angry at these same kids when they need it.
   
   Tracy Kidder's book captures all of it. Highly recommended to college education majors and to veteran teachers who need a jump start to recall why they got into teaching in the first place.

No comments about Let Me Entertain You (Hollywood Classics).

No comments about Martin Luther: Library Edition.

No comments about The Diary of Samuel Pepys.