5 comments about Zig: The Autobiography of Zig Ziglar.

1. This was the first book I've read by Zig Ziglar. This very charming book details his childhood in America's rural South in the midst of the Depression, his early adult years, and adulthood. I'll write about the book in reverse chronological order.
   
   I especially enjoyed the part about his early adulthood, where he writes honestly about the uncertainty he went through. His adulthood part was interesting as well, although he tended to compress the 40+ years a little too much. After chronicling his childhood so meticulously, the later parts of the book seem a bit lacking in detail.
   
   His writing about his early childhood was very entertaining, a little sentimental, and excessively moralizing. Zig had a lot of mentors and learned valuable lessons, but he tends to stretch them too thin and draw almost too many morals to them. That he learned a lot about character and whatnot is unsurprising (he is a motivational speaker, after all), but it gets somewhat boring, a contrast to his humorous and vivacious "See You at the Top!
   
   For this, I give Zig an "excellent rating", which corresponds to 4 out of 5 stars in my humble book.



2. Zig is a very humble man. He tells the story of his life in stages that are inspirational in that the mundane things in life are all part of the whole that we experience. The early years in his life are full of mishaps in his opinion, yet lead to a logical place that may not have existed otherwise.
   
   His story of his older daughter's (Suzan's) illness and death, and the reaction of some of his mentors and partners in understanding, is one of the most touching renditons I have ever read and it is beatifully preserved by his younger daughter (Julie - you kind of feel the hominess of the family in the reading of this book) who edits his writing.
   
   Also, "The Wall of Gratitude", and how each person on it influenced him is another unselfish display of how he has become who he is. It is as if these mentors of his should have their pictures hung in many more dens/offices throughout the country because of their influence to him that he has passed to so many others.
   
   I met Zig and felt his sincerety in his conversation with me that I hope to duplicate in all I do - that's how good the meeting was! I can see why God called him to do what he does. In his autobiography he states all of the facts (and faults) of his personal life unashamedly. I do not think I could have shared some of the things he shared; too personal, but, his humility is seemingly endless.
   
   I first saw Zig in a sports motivational video in high school in the seventies. I got a lot of motivation out of it. It has stuck with me for all of these years: yet I was amused and amazed me to read about the experiences he had around that time and to the time at the end of this book.
   
   Obviously this review has come three years after the last one, yet it should show how timeless this story is, and, like Zig's salvation, it truly is "better late than never."



3. I was exposed to Zig's philosophy some years ago and have read See You at the Top more than once. His "Check up from the Neck up" and the need to prevent "Hardening of the Attitudes" and "Stinkin Thinkin" are well ingrained. This was an interesting read and learning about his background and history was very well laid out and informative.



4. Zig's life was a great testament to what he teaches. He walks the walk. His life is in balance, and even through tragedy, still reached out to make a difference for all lives he touched through his motivational seminars. His character is outstanding, and his level of integrity speaks for itself.

   This book shows the good, the bad, and the ugly. Life has not always been rosy for Zig, but he is living proof that you can overcome anything. As he always says: "you can have anything you want if you just help enough people get what they want".

   This book shows that Zig has faults just like the rest of us, and he makes that really clear in this book. He is humble and in some cases ashamed of some of his past behavior. No sugar coating in this one. The fact that he is such a strong christian is also satisfying to those of us who are believers. He makes it very clear who gets the credit for all of the blessings in his life.

   This book is a great read, and will be hard to put down if you are a fan. True to form, it's humorous with only a hint sorrow in some parts. He really is an amazing person.




5. If you ever need an inspirational help of great success in life then I would recommend Zig Ziglar. Ziglar is author of best-seller, 'I'll See You At The Top' and many other motivational books, has helped thousands improve their lives to achieve that success in every aspect of living. As you read his auto-biography you'll learn about his remarkable story how he beat the odds and applied it to the teachings of Jesus Christ. You will learn to take the next step in your plan and keep God's plan at the center of your plans just as Zig did. His approach is a down-home, wholesome manner with the business savvy of a wise, honest salesman. Most of what he learn of being successful and the importance of networking with honest and wise mentors. The first part of the book tells of his early life and the family that shaped his destiny. In his early adult years he was hard-working and used his knowledge to make money and there were times he made financial mistakes as a result of foolish decisions. This was a time God wasn't a part of his life where his life had no meaning or purpose. The last part of the book, is about his change in life when he reflected back on the moral values in his early childhood and his mother. He then gave his life to Christ. He then found his purpose as a public speaker. From then on instead of his self-centered ambition he gave it all to God. And Zig has been successful ever since. Like Norman Vincent Peale, Zig applied biblical principles to the goals he has with the plans God manifest in the center of his life. Zig's secret is never quit, have faith in God and a whole lotta love. He's a mentor you can trust with a solution. Wish there were more like Zig.

5 comments about Last Moon Dancing: A Memoir of Love And Real Life in Africa.

1. I highly recommend Last Moon Dancing, a memoir of a Peace Corps Volunteer's experience in Africa, by Monique Maria Schmidt. Schmidt's plan was to teach, sacrifice and contribute to an African village. She soon realizes, however, that she has brought more to Africa than planned. Woven into her journey are the memories of her own childhood on a farm in a Mennonite community in South Dakota. Schmidt humorously tries to make sense of it all and soon realizes she is surrounded by love. Schmidt's writing style is engaging and ranges from poetic & profound to blunt & to the point.



2. I thoroughly enjoyed reading "Last Moon Dancing." The author's candid descriptions about her experiences in an African village while serving in the Peace Corps keep this book interesting and fresh. I enjoyed the "Dear Angela" letters the most. My favorite letter was "Dear Angela, If you want to know what kind of day I've had, smell me." Schmidt's ability to find humor in the day-to-day stress of her African experience makes one marvel at the strength and tenacity of the human spirit. A definite Must-Read!!



3. Once I started reading Last Moon Dancing I could not put it down. I felt all emotions from desperate to amused but the most dominate thing I felt was pride. I am proud that young people have the courage and ambition to commite themselves to the aid and education of those with less. It is an awe inspiring story and one that is so fantastic it couldn't be anything but admired



4. I just finished reading this book and was touched by Monique Schmidt's brutal honesty and self-evaluation. Schmidt bares her innermost thoughts to the reader. I found myself laughing out loud and, at times, crying. A very touching book about life, love and her Peace Corps experiences!



5. I loved Monique Schmidt's memoir. Her honest,straight-forward account of her years in the Peace Corps in Africa is brutal, beautiful and witty. Woven through her African experience are connections to her childhood and early adulthood, but not always in the usual prose format. There may be a poem or an anecdote. Some of the revelations will anger the reader; some will shock, but throughout, you know Schmidt's telling it exactly as she sees and experiences life.

No comments about Michigan State College: John Hannah and the Creation of a World University, 1926-1969 (Vol. 2: MSU Sesquicentennial Series).

5 comments about Kinsey: Sex The Measure Of All Things.

1. As a Bloomington resident and a long-time admirer of Kinsey's work, I decided it was time to learn more about the man beyond what the Liam Neeson film taught me. What I found in Gathorne-Hardy's bio was a solid portrait of a man who opened the world's eyes to sexuality. The book is well-researched and interesting, but at times it can get bogged down with a bit too much analysis of Kinsey's motives and correspondence, especially as it pertains to his own sexuality.
   
   Still, the book is an easy read and well sourced, and it certainly provides an informative biography of Kinsey while acknowledging some of the man's flaws.



2. I chose to read this book because I wanted a balanced account of Kinsey's life and science, unfortunately, this book does not satisfy the requirement. Where the Jones book turns Kinsey into a demon, Gathorne-Hardy seems to want to turn him into a god. Gathorne-Hardy has a well researched account of Kinsey's life and activities, however he constantly tries to justify Kinsey's methods and continually comments on how no one has been able to do better sex research since, a patently untrue and scientifically unsupported statement. It would be difficult to cover both the biographical research on Kinsey and do an indepth study of current sex research, and I don't believe that Gathorne-Hardy even tried to do much research into current sex literature, that is why it is irritating when he tries to justify most of Kinsey's ideas. Overall, if you want a book that details the activities of Kinsey's life, this is an acceptable book, but if you are interested in his science, it is woefully lacking.



3. This book is so professionally researched, well documented and written with flowing, easy to follow prose, that it almost over-shadows the subject matter which is, of course, the fascinating life and work of Alfred C. Kinsey, and culminating with his most absorbing research work of all: the sexual habits of primarily, the American public.
   
   But don't worry, the study of sex prevails as the intriguing winner of our primary attention for it is spelled out clearly, sometimes more than one is ready for but can't turn away from and do not honestly want to. And a word of warning to the sexually squeamish- this IS sex, all about sex and sexual habits, many of which, one might not have ever thought of, but necessary for an exacting, broad-spectrum all inclusive study of the human animal.
   
   J. Gathorne-Hardy is British and that shows up in his grammar, so don't think the book is full of typos, that's the way they spell on the other side of the Pond and it lends some flavor to the American subject matter. As can be seen in his detailed research, he is a well qualified researcher, and this work is now considered by many as the de facto authority on all things Kinsey. And fortunately so because there are a tremendous amount of books about Kinsey in print, but rest assured and good as many may be, none can hold a candle to this work.
   
   Kinsey's research was as clinically studied as any highly disciplined research should be, but it is no secret that Kinsey and his fellow researchers did a tremendous amount of, ahem, shall we say, "hands-on", direct involvement work which raised scholarly eyebrows, but as Gathorne-Hardy points out, it was done with the most scientific detachment possible. Yes, well, it certainly made for some scandalous reactions for which Kinsey was acutely trying to avoid, but had an uncanny ability to dismiss and side-step.
   
   For those who have been interested in Kinsey's life and work, but were put-off by the voluminous original works, will certainly appreciate this study, because it not only summarizes Kinsey's work in great detail, it also edits down the laborious writing style of Kinsey, without loosing any important details and most importantly, it includes Kinsey's personal life from early childhood and on to his later research work- something that is missing and/or not accurately portrayed in too many other studies. It also covers many of the people who worked with Kinsey and who graciously lent their personal observations to the author for much of the critical data found here-in.
   
   This book is truly, an outstanding accomplishment and honors the deeply important work of Kinsey and his research team, notorious as many saw it, but whose dogged dedication to the subject of sex studies opened-up a more mature approach for the average citizen's awareness of what most now conclude, is step "A" in knowing oneself and the biological world we live in. I highly commend Jonathon Gathorne-Hardy for this monument to that awareness.



4. In this scholarly, well-documented biography of nearly 500 pages, Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy tells you probably all you ever wanted to know about Alfred Kinsey; and he does it in a most reader-friendly fashion. From Kinsey's early life, growing up in the confines of a narrow Methodist family, to his marriage and tenure at Indiana University, to his studies of the gall wasp and his studies of the sexual behavior of males and females that changed forever the way we look at sex-- it's all here. Since Gathorne-Hardy has written the most recent biography of Kinsey (1999) he had the benefit of the research of previous biographers. He thus attempts to set the record straight concerning the 1997 Kinsey biography by James H. Jones, ALFRED KINSEY - A PUBLIC/PRIVATE LIFE. He maintains -- and goes to considerable lengths to prove it-- that Jones ceased to be an "objective researcher" but rather attacked Kinsey's private sexual behavior. He, in Gathorne-Hardy's words, "belongs to what one might call the Kenneth Starr school of biography." Enough said.
   
   Kinsey, an extremely complicated individual, was an atheist (he rebelled vigorously against the strict religion of his father), a brilliant professor and scientist, mesmerizing lecturer, intolerant of what he considered shoddy work of other scientists, a loving husband and father, a "benevolent despot", a bisexual, a compassionate and humane person. (For years he corresponded with both prisoners and their families and often gave and/or lent them money.)
   
   Gathorne-Hardy maintains-- and offers considerable proof-- that while some of Kinsey's conclusions may have been erroneous, that no one since him has done the client interview, the heart of Kinsey's research, better than he and his staff did. For instance, he used a face-to-face interview with an elaborately coded chart he devised and did not ask the first question about sex until 20 minutes into the history. Interviewers never said, "have you ever" but rather "when did you first?" He abhorred random sampling and attempted whenever possible to take the histories of 100% of the members of a group so as to decrease the chances of error. Just as he went everywhere looking for new varieties of gall wasps, he and his group interviewed everyone they could: prostitutes, prisoners, castrates, the Yale Divinity School, amputees, rapists, lobotomy patients, professors, colleagues, students.
   
   Although Mr. Kinsey was denounced by many church leaders including Billy Graham-- after all Kinsey did most of his sex research in the 1940's-- he was revered and praised by many, and was a life line to many persons troubled about their sexuality. He received thousands of letters throughout his career from people hungry for advice and answers and attempted to respond to them all himself. He was incensed and saddened by most of the prisoners he interiewed serving sentences for "sex" crimes, since he believed that they should never have been in prison in the first place. After all, they were just doing what many other people were doing, or as he put it, everyone's sin is no one's sin. His statistics on the incidences of homosexuality in the general population, though often challenged, have never been successfully refuted even though his numbers may have been slightly exaggerated.
   
   Finally, while for the most part, Gathorne-Hardy tells the reader nothing without documentation, occasionally he makes a statement he cannot prove. For example, on page 32, he writes that Kinsey had difficulty expressing intimate personal feelings in public, but that "as often with people who have difficulty here, Kinsey loved small children nd was extremely good with them." I'm not convinced that is an accurate statement and Mr. Gathorne-Hardy makes no attempt to offer up proof. Since this book was first published in England, the author offers explanations and illuminations to his British reader about some of the "Americanisms" here. He, for example, explains the semester system in American universities, defines our corn crop as "maize," tells the reader what "tea room" means and comments often on the "ghastly" weather, meaning of course our 100 degree-in-the-shade summers. They would be a far cry indeed from England's dark, damp Decembers.
   
   You may love Kinsey or you may hate him; but when you finish this biography, you'll feel that you've got at least a glimpse as to what the man was all about and what he accomplished-- no small feat for any biographer.



5. I just saw the new movie, "Kinsey," this evening and now am especially intrigued to read more about him. If the movie is telling of the book, this will be a good read. Thanks!

No comments about Stand for the Best: What I Learned after Leaving My Job as CEO of H&R Block to Become a Teacher and Founder of an Inner-City Charter School.

2 comments about The Red Pencil: Convictions from Experience in Education.

1. I couldn't help but feel compelled to write a review after I read the previous review. If you like Dewey or Adler, you will really enjoy this book. Sizer draws from both Dewey and Adler's ideas and points out all the problems with education today. Sizer has years of experience in various areas of education which does nothing more than to give his words even more value. The book is written in first person, so you actually get to live through some of his experiences which brings him to his idea of reformed education. Sizer's coalition of essential schools are interesting and provide one of the best models for education up until this point. If you want to find more information about this model before reading the book, look up Coalition of Essential Schools. They are charter schools located throughout the U.S. that are using this model. This is a must read for anyone who wants to read about contemporary education and understand where we have come from. This book isn't that negative as the previous reader mentioned. It is no more negative than Dewey's "Experience and Education."



2. I first encountered Ted Sizer's views on education in his course on The American School at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in the Fall of 1963. The idea that most surprised me was his desire to model Harvard's role in American education after that taken by Dewey and his disciples who had trained a high number of America's superintendents during an earlier era. He told us that those of us in the M.A. in Teaching program had been selected in part because we would go on to leadership in various schools and school systems, and could effect change. We would carry the "message" of Harvard regarding our respective disciplines and about the running of the schools as a whole. This struck me then, and still does, as an essentially egotistical concept of his role in education. It was more about power than about educational vision. His role as a reformer trying to dominate and change the schools of the country has continued throughout the years.
   In his writings, he usually focuses on the negative. There is something so basically flawed about the schools it must be weeded out. Yet, it is hard to pin down exactly what is wrong. Sometimes, along with Robert Coles and others, he seems to opine that there are so many youths who are alienated by the system. When I taught in Dedham High School in Massachusetts years ago, one teen declared that he was "an outlaw." He wanted to get a mobile home and a motorcycle and ride rootlessly around the country "like a rolling stone." Sometimes Sizer writes as though he wants to change the system in order not to lose youths like this one. Other times, he is concerned with the cynicism of the better students, who have learned to play the system to their advantage. They have learned to manipulate the system in order to "succeed," but a true ideal of excellence is missing from their value system, or even a true love of learning.
   He is bothered by the bureaucracy, but it's not that there is just too much paperwork or too much micromanagement, or a lack of disciplinary follow through and guts in punishing the guilty. Rather, I often sense from reading Sizer's writings that the bureaucracy is a mindset he abhors. It is a mindset of mediocrity and of trying to manage or enclose an educational process that is more exciting and open-ended than is realized.
   In short, he seems to feel for the past forty-plus years that education is not living up to what it could and should be. Yet, he never clearly articulates what it could and should be. Rather, he is inviting us, and all potential fellow reformers, to catch his vision that there is a dynamic and an excellence beyond what we now have, even if the parameters of that dynamic and that excellence cannot be fully enunciated. He's kind of an educated Rodney King.."if we could all just get together, then what a beautiful world it could be." But it ain't a beautiful world although there is beauty in it. A more healthy and robust philosophy is needed to adjust to the wickedness that is out there.
   He does not call for implementation of a more moral world view as did Pestalozzi. He does not promote the adaptation of the individual to democracy as does Dewey. He does not promote radical freedom of the individual like the Summerhill crowd. He does not advocate integration like Martin Luther King, Jr. He does not challenge us to intensify the scientific application of psychology to learning as does Herbart. Nor, does he advocate the arts as a path to wholeness in the educational life of a growing human being like Rudolf Steiner. Since I studied with him in 1963, I do not see articulated positive goals, but only the sense that if one is smart enough and progressive enough then he or she will see how to reform and improve this or that school or school system, because the given is that they all need reform. His "new vision" really is no vision, but only the promise that if you work with him your schools will get better in all kinds of ways. They will be revitalized. In fact, if I were to give a rubric for his ideas, I would say they come under the heading of "revitalizing the schools." However, the rub is that the notion is vague and even mystical. It ultimately depends upon trusting him and those who agree with him. He has good points to make yet lacks overriding substance in terms of goals or purpose.
   Lastly, it is worth noting that Sizer is not "above the fray." Though certain of his points might be considered acceptable to conservative or liberal theories of education, he is in the liberal camp. Why can't Johnny read? Answer: The schools are boring, have mediocrity as their standard, have untalented administrators and teachers, lack funding,
   are mired in local values and premises that are invalid and provincial, and have arcane rules that inhibit rather than enhance educational practice. Almost every aspect of pedagogy, administration, testing, discipline, parent-school relations, curriculum, guidance, and legal structure is wrong. Why can't Johnny tell right from wrong? Answer: Pretty much the same as the answer for why Johnny can't read.
   Ted Sizer sees very little that is good about education as it has evolved in America. His slant is leftward. His sense that the individual can only be fixed by reforming the whole is ill-conceived and based on many philosophical mis-assumptions.
   His sense that the traditional classroom is a place of failed expectations and rampant denial is excessively negative. His hope for America based on his envisioned educational reforms is futile.

1 comments about Visionaries: The 20th Century's 100 Most Inspirational Leaders.

1. VISIONARIES: THE 20TH CENTURY'S 100 MOST IMPORTANT INSPIRATIONAL LEADERS provides high school and college-level students with a series of essays which considers the lasting influence of 20th century visionaries who helped change the world. Many struggled for years in obscurity, operating behind the scenes of common leadership: others have been largely recognized. From writers, scientists and educators to world leaders and spiritual figures, essays analyze the lives, teachings and works of these ecological, spiritual visionaries. Both school and general-interest collections will find it an inspiring volume as appropriate for classroom assignment as for leisure reading.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch

2 comments about God's Beloved: A Spiritual Biography of Henri Nouwen.

1. This biography of Henri Nouwen, who died in 1996, personalizes the Dutch priest, who was one of the most popular spiritual writers of his time. We learn early in the story that he was an outgoing, charismatic man who wrote about prayer and spirituality as well as issues such as solitude and the divide between rich and poor, always expressing his ideas in terms of personal experience. We see Nouwen growing up in Holland and moving to the U.S., where he entered a doctoral program in psychology, which he finished, despite growing discomfort with certain theories but more with questions about his suitability for this arena. We witness his special devotion to the liturgy, which first surfaced when he was eight and constructed a miniature chapel in the family attic where he delivered sermons to family and friends and carefully reenacted the Eucharist. Finally we see him find a true home living among those with mental difficulties at l'Arche Toronto
   
   Henri Nouwen is portrayed as a richly spiritual, extremely human individual whose life teaches us a great deal about living the gospel in modern times.



2. Michael O'Laughlin enjoyed a close professional assocation and personal relationship for two decades with popular Dutch priest and spiritual writer Henri J. M. Nouwen. His biography reveals an insider's perspective and emerges as a true "labor of love." Strong suits of this treatment include chapters on Henri and the Eucharist, the centrality of Jesus in Henri's spirituality and Henri and prayer. The biographical data in the opening chapter and the section that follows that assesses Henri's psychology in light of Myers-Briggs categories are enlightening and balanced. Overall, this work strikes me as one of the most outstanding secondary sources available that treats the Nouwen legacy. As one who knew Henri over the course of three decades, I can honestly say that I learned more about him from this book than any other biography, including Michael Ford's excellent recent treatment. Helpful footnotes complement the text. It's affordable, highly readable, and enthusiastically recommended. -- Reverend Gerald S. Twomey, Ph.D.
   Editor, CREATIVE MINISTER: THE LEGACY OF HENRI J.M. NOUWEN (forthcoming, 2006).

1 comments about Leonhard Euler.

1. This book is an excellent presentation of the story of Euler's life. It includes some bits of humor (like seeing the streets in Basel named respectively Leonhardstrasse and Eulerstrasse as jointly honoring the man although neither street is actually named for the great mathematician). Unlike "Euler the Master of us All," the book is organized around the chronology of his life rather than the concepts he studied, and it includes new details of his life. It also has some wonderful illustrations.

5 comments about Teaching Genius: Dorothy DeLay and the Making of a Musician.

1. Teaching Genius is is an amazing opportunity for musicians, teachers and parents of aspiring musicians to get a glimpse of the world of developing a serious violinist. Dorothy Delay played some part in the development of most well known violin soloists living today. She had to have something amazing and the author of this biography does an amazing job of bringing you into Ms. Delay's world. I know that my teaching style was profoundly affected just by reading this book. I feel that Dorothy Delay's ability to motivate and inspire her students still continues through the hands of a new generation of teachers who have been able to get to know her.



2. This is, I think, the rare book about psychology of teaching violin. A teacher like Mrs. Dorothy De Lay is one among the millions. We could saw it from the former students of her whom accomplished the most prestigius positions in classical music. How I wished there is teacher like her here in Indonesia. How I wished that a lot ! Violin teachers should buy this book.. very insightful.



3. Some have criticized this book for giving an overly-fawning portrayal of Dorothy DeLay. However, this book contains an excellent chapter devoted solely to DeLay's critics, and it doesn't shoot the critics down; it discusses the criticisms in a fair way.
   
   Dorothy DeLay died in 2002 but her legacy lives on. This is the woman responsible for teaching Perlman, Sarah Chang, Midori, Salerno-Sonnenberg, Nigel Kennedy, Cho-Liang Lin, Mark Kaplan, Shlomo Mintz, Gil Shaham, Simon Fischer, and too many more to mention.
   
   I never played for her, but did watch a lesson she taught once. Admittedly, it was rife with many of the things of which her critics complain: She arrived about three hours late (Getting "DeLayed"), and once the lesson began she was constantly answering the knock at the studio door, the phone ringing, etc.
   
   However, knowing that many people sought to play for her at least once, so they could then put her name on their resume, she didn't always take these occasions seriously, especially given the hundreds and hundreds of violinists she heard in her life.
   
   Those special musical geniuses that DeLay *did* take a special interest in, though, she took a long way. While some violin teachers like to focus only on developing technique through scales and exercises, DeLay never failed to emphasize the musical, expressive, artistic side of the violinist's development. Whereas her contemporary Ivan Galamian would say "I don't teach music," meaning he only taught technique, musical interpretation notwithstanding, Dorothy DeLay would constantly ask her students things like "Where do you think this phrase is going?" and "What do you think is the most important note in this phrase?" and "What do you think Beethoven might have been thinking when he composed this passage?" So many music teachers today, of all instruments, neglect this area of development as they view performance as an olympic sport of technique. Yes, the profession is extremely competitive, but in such competition, when there are 1000 violinists that can hit the notes, the ones that stand out are the ones with a superior *artistic* finish.
   
   This book is an excellent survey of the inner world of Dorothy DeLay's studio; her philosophy, her former students, and much more. She was the single most influential violin teacher of the 20th century.



4. It's very interesing to know the inner workings of Juliard and business part of the classical world. It is sad but true that after so much hard work, the student may end up with no job (if you have no clout/connections)!
   But have to agree that the book has a "fawning" tone abt it. Also, the almost "out of this world" (lack of a better word) praises it heaps on some of Delay's star students makes parts of it difficult to read.
   But taking apart all these, it is still a pretty good read.



5. Being a violinist, I found it utterly foolish to not read a book about one of the best teachers of the instrument in the 20th Century. The first day I purchased it I read almost 200 pages, literally unable to put it down.
   The relationships Ms. Delay had with her students were not only educational ones, but personal friendships. How unreal that despite the graduation of many students, they still went back to her for lessons after landing their professional solo careers! Many times a violinist is too hard-headed and full of himself to get advice from another person, but such is not the case with the students of Ms. Delay.
   I felt, as I read the book, that I could not only relate to some of the technical issues the students had, but that I was actually receiving a private lesson from Delay without ever touching my violin.
   I definitely intend on reading this book again, and again, and again, with highlighter in hand. I have a completely different outlook on how I not only listen to the phrasing of music but in creating my own phrasing as well.
   The world has lost a teacher, but more importantly a wonderful woman, which many could call a friend and mother-figure.
   This was a fabulous book and I recommend it to every musician, no matter what instrument you play.