1 comments about Maria Montessori: Her Life and Work.

1. This is the book that opened Montessori's theories and achievements to me in a way her own writing never managed to. The Standings are not unbiased, having worked with Dr. Montessori --- but they do an excellent job of weaving Montessori's life story with her teaching discoveries and methods. If someone is interested in learning about the Montessori method, and can only read one book, this is the one. There is another biography by Rita Kramer that looks good, but I haven't gotten to it yet. Good luck!

5 comments about Initiation.

1. I've read quite a few books about philosophy, Atlantis, reincarnation, Edgar Cayce, etc., and this is one of the best so far. There are so many fascinating insights in this book.
   
   Apparently because the author had been initiated into the Egyptian mysteries thousands of years ago she was somehow able to go back and remember those times. She reveals the answers to many great questions and mysteries.
   
   The author had the ability to take a very internal experience and express it in such as way that others can relate to it. She ties in those memories from Egypt with her then current life on earth and shows how all of our past lives are interconnected.
   
   It reveals many amazing things about Moses who she says was the last initiate and explains the significance of the biblical Exodus. She also explains how Moses parted the Red Sea and drowned the pharaoh and his army.
   
   Apparently there were Atlantean devices inside the pyramids in Egypt at one time in the distant past and the Ark Of The Covenenant was one such device. The Ark as well as Moses' staff were made of a 'sort of bronze'. This was probably the reddish colored Atlantean metal 'orichalcum'. How interesting that the Atlaneteans were the red race.
   
   It talks about how Atlantis was accidentaly destroyed by the black magicians and sorcerers when they abused terrible forces of nature. This to me sounded like a thermo nuclear explosion.
   
   It explains the significance of certain geometrical shapes such as the triangle and pyramid. Who would doubt that the ancient Egyptians knew a lot about this ? This is undoubtedly where Plato heard about his famous geometric solids since Plato and I believe Jesus Christ also went through this initiation process.
   
   The true origins of the zodiac are also explained.
   
   There are many other amazing ideas in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in philosophy. I wish I could find a similar book about someone who can remember Atlantis in this much detail.
   
   Jeff Marzano
   
   Meditation Music of Ancient Egypt
   
   The Atlantis Dialogue: Plato's Original Story of the Lost City, Continent, Empire, Civilization
   
   The Secret Teachings of All Ages (Reader's Edition)
   
   Same Soul, Many Bodies: Discover the Healing Power of Future Lives through Progression Therapy
   
   Edgar Cayce's Egypt: Psychic Revelations on the Most Fascinating Civilization Ever Known
   
   Edgar Cayce's Atlantis and Lemuria: The Lost Civilizations in the Light of Modern Discoveries
   
   The Mystery of the Crystal Skulls: Unlocking the Secrets of the Past, Present, and Future



2. I was very pleased with the service i received. The book arrived quickly and in the excellent condition advertised. Highly recommend this seller.



3. This book is very deep and no nonsense. This book has so much information on spiritual teachings from the ancient Egytians, it could be used as a textbook. Not a light read!



4. I enjoyed reading this book very much, a nice break from a lot of the dry esoteric books that I tend to read. If you accept reincarnation, then you should not have a problem with this book. It has been a while since I read this book, but what sticks in my mind are Elisabeth's Egyptian initiation experiences. The events ring true for me as regards what I have also heard regarding the ancient mysteries schools. Herein is the path of the razor's edge I.e. Tests and trials inclusive of death for divulging esoteric secrets. Elisabeth's reincarnation experiences include her making contact with a long lost love from Ancient Egypt. Her experiences going through war also made an impact on me. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that a recent girlfriend of mine also read this book; she equally enjoyed reading this book. I personally dislike fiction when it comes to esotericism; this includes a lot of the new age stuff. Elisabeth's book, I believe, does not come under this banner. There is something very authentic about this book. You can see by the many other reviews that this book touches people, leaving an impact.
   
   For those who enjoy reading spiritual books, I would also more highly recommend reading `Autobiography of a Yogi'.
   
   Since originally posting this review I have read another of Elisabeth Haich's books [ASIN: 0943358035 Sexual Energy and Yoga]. I have posted a review for this book and given this 5 stars.



5. INITIATION by Elisabeth Haich. The inner core of this reportedly autobiographical novel revolves around the psychic reliving of previous incarnations by the author, and their applications and relevance to her contemporary life in pre-and post-World War II Germany as a woman, wife, mother and, eventually, spiritual teacher. The central incarnation is that of an ancient Egyptian princess who was granted initiation in the Sacred School. The lessons included exercises in meditation, concentration, body and sense control and telepathy. The exercises were primarily designed to stimulate and strengthen the biopsychic centers in preparation for the infusion of elevated energy vibration.
   
   Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece
   Awakening Osiris: The Egyptian Book of the Dead
   The Egyptian Book of the Dead: The Book of Going Forth by Day
   THE SECRET BOOKS OF THE EGYPTIAN GNOSTICS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE GNOSTIC COPTIC MANUSCRIPTS DISCOVERED AT CHENOBOSKION

5 comments about One Day, All Children...: The Unlikely Triumph Of Teach For America And What I Learned Along The Way.

1. This is the story of a dedicated, serious young woman who has done a lot to put education front and center. She gets a lot of credit and deserves it. We can also look at things this way: why is Teach for America necessary? This is the peace corps in America, is it not? How did this come to pass? The fact is that TFA's applicants wouldn't otherwise dream of being teachers. They don't want to be teachers. Had they wanted that, they would never have gone to good schools and great universities. The peace corps model is followed because the premise is that teaching in Africa or in America is a summer job, a fling, an internship, or a kind of junior league volunteer job for bored affluent boys and girls who are terrified of being identified with their aloof, pampered , suburban parents. Two years in Compton gives a Yale grad street cred, which can be used in job interviews. Girls can use it to persuade employers that they "care." It may or may not be helpful to have the kids hanging around American public schools. It's hard to say whether their presence is useful or not. No doubt "studies show" that TFA is the best thing that ever happened. What I can say is that one of the biggest problems in our schools is the revolving door of people coming and going. Almost every Principal in LAUSD has his or her transfer in with the hope of getting as far away from the inner-city as possible. Those who don't enjoy the combat pay. TFA only adds to this perception and to this reality.



2. 
   Several years have passed since Wendy Kopp wrote this account of how she established what has since become one of the most effective change agent organizations throughout public school education in the U.S., Teach For America. As I read her book, I was reminded of the song "Come Fly with Me" and the invitation extended by Cahn and Van Heusen's lyrics:
   
   "Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly
   Pack up, let's fly away!"
   
   That is essentially the same invitation that Wendy Kopp has been extending to college graduates since 1990 and an invitation they, in turn, have then extended to public school students throughout the United States. Those recruited, trained, and assigned by Teach for America - making a two-year commitment to classroom teaching -- continue to help children entrusted to their care to dream what may at first seem "an impossible dream" to them, then pursue it. For many children, especially those growing up within low-income, high-crime communities, education can be their "passport" to a higher standard of living and better quality of life.
   
   As Kopp explains in this book, after graduating from Princeton, she (age 21) raised $2.5 million of start-up funding for Teach For America, hired a skeleton staff, and launched a grass-roots recruitment campaign. During its first year in 1990, 500 men and women began teaching in six low-income communities across the country. Since then, Teach For America's network has grown to 17,000 individuals and has become the nation's largest provider of teachers for low-income communities. This year, Teach For America serves 26 urban and rural regions and impacts three million students. To date, it has served more than 5,000 communities, has more than 12,000 core members, more than 425,000 alumni, and has impacted nearly 3 million students since its inception almost 20 years ago.
   
   Kopp traces the process from her original vision (i.e. "a national teacher corps of top recent college graduates who would commit two years to teach in urban and rural schools") to what Teach For America has become. She acknowledges all of the sources of support she received along the way and is especially appreciative of those who challenged her ideas, not because they disagreed with any of those ideas but because they wanted to help her sharpen and clarify her thinking. Here is a composite excerpt from Kopp's narrative near the end of this book that indicates some of the lessons she learned along the way.
   
   "What I have learned in building Teach For America and from our corps members and alumni suggests that it will take three things to raise achievement levels in low-income schools. First, it will take committing ourselves to the vision that one day, all children in our nation will have the opportunity to attain an excellent education...Second, we must recognize that accomplishing our mission will take more of just about everything - including more time and, ultimately, more resources...There's an understandable discomfort with the idea that it will take more money to make schools in low-income areas work. We've all seen and read about too many examples of wasted resou8rces in schools. In some cases merely reallocating the resources already spent in low-income areas can make a difference. And I learned through my experience with Teach for America that money isn't everything, that tough financial situations force high-quality, innovative thinking. But I've also learned that although resources are not the solution to everything, they are necessary to carry out the big plans...The third aspect of realizing our vision is the recognition that it will take a long-term, institution-building approach...when people think about what makes great organizations work, they see it's not a unique strategy. It's that the organizations have built the systems to achieve results, respond to change, and continually improve...Building effective school systems will not be easy. It will take superior leadership and a lot of hard work. It will require a critical look at all the forces - from how school boards govern to how states regulate - that could prevent school district leadership from taking any an institution-building approach. The good news is that there's no mystery about what it will take. The solutions are within our reach."
   
   One man's opinion, what Wendy Kopp expressed then (in 2001) is even truer today. She concludes her book with "a personal invitation to all college seniors and recent graduates who are reading this book" to consider becoming part of this movement. For more information about Teach For America, she asks them as well as those who wish to support its programs to visit this Web site: http://www.teachforamerica.org.



3. ONE DAY, ALL CHILDREN is the story of how Wendy Kopp started Teach For America. For those unfamiliar with the program, Teach For America is an organization that recruits college graduates and young adults to work for two years at inner city and rural schools where there are teaching shortages. Corps members are sent through an extremely extensive three week training program during the summer before heading off to their various assignments in the fall. Teach For America has come under criticism by the professional educational teaching programs because corps members aren't forced to go through a teacher education program before being hired. Personally, I think the program is a great idea that is meeting the needs of our nation's underprivileged children; instead of throwing money at the savage inequality of education, Teach For America is attempting to fix the problem.
   
   ONE DAY, ALL CHILDREN explains how Kopp came up with the idea, how she got the organization started, the trials and tribulations of the organization during the first year, growing pains that happened years later, etc. Those who are familiar with Teach For America might find the book interesting as well as anyone looking for a somewhat inspiring story of a person who creating a national life changing educational agency from scratch. Those who are involved in education might enjoy reading the book, too, though professional teacher educators might balk at the idea of sleeping with an enemy that they seem to hate. For everyone else, the book has some interesting moments, but most of those come near the beginning so you might want to spend your time reading something else.



4. "One Day, All Children" is a captivating story of how Wendy Kopp, the founder of Teach for America, and how she followed her dreams to DO SOMETHING about the harsh realities and failures of many of our public schools. Mind you, the book TELLS ALL, from fundraising nightmares to team member turmoil; this is not simply a book on idealistic pedagogy. The story is guaranteed to frustrate you and inspire you. That a fresh college grad, assisted by other fresh young people, established Teach for America is incredible. This is worthwhile reading for Teach for America applicants, new teachers, education students, and social justice-minded people.



5. In less than 200 pages, Ms. Kopp details every step she took in establishing Teach for America, the national teaching corps for recent college graduates. Chapters 1-9 are a primer for fundraising techniques, non-profit organizational set-up and strong management skills. But, Chapter 10, the most interesting by far, is a lengthy description on what makes good educators. You may be inspired enough to join in the efforts in ensuring excellent education for all children in this great nation of ours.

5 comments about To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher.

1. This book gave me hope for those mired in the public school system. It brought to mind another teacher book with heart, The Tales of the Dolly Llama, by Guy Kuttner. These books are inspirational and provide the appropriate tonic for those tired out by the system.



2. I was very pleased with my book. It was in the exact shape as the site described it and it arrived right on time! Thanks Amazon



3. I thought this book was good. It gave me some good ideas to use in the classroom. I think teachers should always be looking for new ways to teach.



4. I really appreciated this book. Ayers is very passionate about a teacher's responsibility to help their students become complete human beings. Reading this book, and Grant Wiggins Understanding by Design, in a graduate class renewed my passion for teaching, which is really a passion for learning. Education should be about the big questions of life, not just the details and basic skills that are tested and required by the state and federal government.
   
   Ayers is committed to developing whole and complete human beings, not automatons.
   
   My only issue is with his emphasis on social justice as the focus of education. While I agree that a concern for social justice will emerge in people who think for themselves, it seems as if his recommendations force this concern on kids a little too heavyhandedly. If we are to be independent, complete people, then naturally what concerns us will not always be the same. Nevertheless, his emphasis is better than many who want us to just teach kids to read words and add and subtract, but don't really care if they can think for themselves.
   
   On a side note, while I am disgusted by Mr. Ayers' past and his continued lack of repentence, I don't believe that it invalidates his philosophy of education.



5. Ayers approach to teaching is holistic and densely worded. He is a true veteran of the academic trenches having taught for almost 40 years at every level from K to college. He shows the utmost respect and concern for his students. Inextricable from his profession and unshakable in his conviction about what is greatness in teaching.

5 comments about THE MAN WHO LOVED ONLY NUMBERS: THE STORY OF PAUL ERDOS AND THE SEARCH FOR MATHEMATICAL TRUTH.

1. This is a very interesting and enjoyable book about Paul Erdos, an eccentric math genius.
   
   Speaking as a former college "Mathlete" (Kappa Mu Epsilon), I used to (and still do) have an abiding love for mathematical 'truths', and this book gives readers a brief introduction to some of the many ways that a sense of wonder & curiosity, focused on the universe through the prism of mathematics, can fire one's soul on many levels, both intellectual and spiritual.
   
   As for myself - after a promising start, I peaked early back in undergrad school, and eventually left the field after finishing a minor degree, and moved on to other studies. However, my sense of wonder has remained ... and it was this book that helped me to recall some of my old joys, and to relive some of the might-have beens, had I been able to stay with it.
   
   In any case, the book is a fine read. However, I have some nits that I've ranked them from most to least annoying:
   
   1) MISSING PROOFS: The author, during his tale, mentions in passing many interesting mathematical problems and theorems that both Paul Erdos, and other mathematicians, helped to solve ... but in the vast majority of instances, the author anti-climactically fails to include the details of those proofs for the benefit of interested & proficient readers. IMHO, proofs of less than, say, 5 pages, could and should have been included in an appendix, and the author could have referred readers to appropriate AMS publications for those proofs that are longer and more involved. Instead, the author leaves the reader with nadda in all but a few trivial instances. It always irks me off when an author (or editor) dumbs down a book because they think readers can't keep up. Very annoying, and very anti-climactic. I mean come on - what's the point of spending pages and pages telling about the quest for a solution, only to finish lamely that yes, they solved it ... but omit all the details. Feh.
   
   2) FOCUS: The author did a commendable job assembling and integrating a large array of verbal and historical accounts into a fairly coherent whole ... but he also has a mildly irritating tendency to meander around, in his focus, somewhat like a runaway horse cart. First forwards in time, then backwards, then sideways across various topics, then in the middle of nowhere we're talking about Fibonacci, Gödel, Gauss, then back to the present, and then to his childhood again, etc. In other words, the flow of the book is a bit uneven and fractured in places, and IMHO it could have benefited from some additional polishing and a bit of re-organization. I kept wanting to grab the reins and drag the book back on course. It's a fine ride, but it's a bit more rickety and bouncy then it could have been with some better editing.
   
   3) ENDMATTER: The author/editor neglected to tie the "Acknowledgements and Source Notes" section in the rear of the book (p. 269- p.278) into the main text with some helpful endnotes or annotations ... thus rendering the section mostly useless to first time readers. Without notations to clue a reader in that that information is present in the back, then readers are left to finish the book unaware of it's existence until they reach the end ... by which time the information is of little or no value.
   
   Highly enjoyable. Subtract a star if you're a math geek who prefers to see actual proofs, rather than simply taking solutions for granted, sans details.



2. Paul Erdos is presented as a sweet math genius. He loved children & Math, but never had life of his own. He lifed only to futher study of Math.



3. I absolutely loved this book. A coworker of mine found this book depressing, but I thought it was a very uplifting story about a truly unique human being. I don't know where the title came from, as it is inappropriate, but everything else about the book was wonderful. Given the petty squabbles between scientists in many disciplines, it was very nice to read a story about collaboration such as that promoted by Erdos.



4. I'm bad in math. Horrible to be correct. But this book is so easy to understand and even entertainning to read. Like some other reviewer said that it has all the things going on besides Erdos's life. This book may not have lots of detail about his accomplishment, which even for some that it has, not really offer a complete or clear explaination about them, but somehow it makes me want to know more and looking for anything deeper and more thorouoghly. Therefore, despite some flaws that it has, I love it. Such an entertaining when you consider it's something about math.



5. Paul Erdös ("Air-dish") really did love numbers, and lived for mathematics. He was well known in maths circles, a legend, but known little outside. The book by Paul Hoffman introduces the work of this prolific numbers man to a new audience. It is at the same time a full of glimpses of the man, and tributes from those working mathematicians that he worked with. For there is no doubt that Erdös was an eccentric of the first magnitude, but Hoffman gives a picture of a well-loved man, who moved and inspired individual and groups of his colleagues worldwide.
   
   Erdös made an enormous contribution in basic number theory, and Hoffman introduces readers to many of the ancient and modern problems of mathematics. Is it possible, for example, to predict the distribution of prime numbers? The relationship of prime numbers with each other is a well-known area of investigation in number theory, and ideas such as perfect numbers (where the sum of the factors equals the number itself - for example the number 6) and friendly numbers are well explored. Friendly numbers are where the sum of the factors of one number equals a second number, and the sum of the factors of that number equal the first number; the lowest friendly numbers are 220 and 284.
   
   What has made Erdös so special is his relationship with so many of the world mathematics community; he co-authored papers with 485 individuals, and in some cases was a joint author with the same individual of 15 or more papers. His output was immense, even though he was working in basic number theory, an area where much work is done by young men. Yet he continued to make significant contributions almost right up until his death in 1996.
   
   Erdös's brain was "always open" for mathematics. He even made group maths possible, or even `invented' it,, often with several different groups in the same room, with the aged Hungarian as the lynch pin, flitting between groups engaged on different subjects. The affectionate guide by Hoffman to his life and achievements is infectious, for those with an interest in mathematics. And so was Erdös, who wanted to prove theorems, and to prove them elegantly, but was very actively engaged in encouraging and nurturing others in his obsession. Erdös had no passions in life, maths was his life.
   
   Individuals who had written a paper with the Hungarian are said to have an Erdös numbers of 1, and to have achieved this distinction is a great accolade. Even Einstein only achieved an Erdös number of 2, having written a paper with a person who had written a paper with Erdös.
   
   Hoffman gives a good view of the man, a glimpse of how he worked, but comparatively little about his achievements, probably because non-mathematicians would not understand it. What he does show is that without Erdös, the world is a poorer place, both mathematically, and because of his unique ways.
   
   Peter Morgan, Bath, UK [...].

5 comments about The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work (Campbell, Joseph, Works.).

1. This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities. This is a great book written about a very engaging storyteller. Joseph Campbell describes the monomyth in his book The Hero With a Thousand Faces as embodying all the necessary elements of the hero's journey in the many myths in human history. Campbell discovered through extensive research that humankind shares a universal monomyth in its various religions and legends especially pertaining to the creation of the world and humankind. Campbell borrowed the term monomyth from James Joyce's book Finnegan's Wake. Campbell's intuitive insight in human myth proves that for thousands of years these myths display a certain standard structure, which he summarizes beautifully in his book.
   
   A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a
   region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there
   encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back
   from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons
   on his fellow man (Campbell 30).
   
   There are at least four major stages that a monomyth has however, in his book, Campbell goes on to describe seventeen stages that some monomyth's posses. The four stages making up the cycle of a monomyth are "passage: separation-initiation-return:" In the passage stage the hero is summoned to journey or embark on an adventure by some kind of event that takes place or from a message, he receives. The hero may embark on this passage willingly or reluctantly. During the separation stage, the hero meets with a mentor or wise man who gives the hero either an amulet or some words of wisdom to be of help to the hero on the adventure. It is during this stage that the hero will go through his first transformation, also known as "crossing the first threshold," as he crosses over to another world or dimension leaving behind the old world. In the initiation stage, the hero goes through several trials or tests. The hero often receives help in these ordeals along the way by allies or from a supernatural force. As the hero completes these ordeals successfully, he proves himself more worthy to continue the adventure. Most importantly, during this stage the hero must pass through a major ordeal that will expand his consciousness, and thereby change his character forever. Often, this ordeal entails the death of an ally or enemy. Once the hero successful accomplishes his ordeal he is rewarded with a gift, it could be intrinsic like the "holy grail, or it can be new found knowledge to better the world with. The last stage the hero travels is that of the return whence he came. Often the hero will undergo further trials on his return before he is permitted to cross the threshold back to the world he left. During his return journey, the hero will use his newfound wisdom or gift to make a safe return home. Once home the gift is used to cure some ill in the hero's home or to impart new wisdom to his neighbors.
   
   Campbell points to the significance of the monomyth in the fact that it describes the cycle that Moses, Jesus, and Buddha had gone through according to their religious adherents. This is not to mention the hundreds of other monomyths told throughout human history. The monomyth proves that humankind shares a common creation DNA in a sense. The monomyth is the perfect vehicle for one to study the Humanities by.
   
   Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy.



2. I read this as one who was unfamiliar with Joseph Campbell and his remarkable insights into myths and their role in our lives.
   
   The claim is made in the book that at some time in the 1980s, seven or eight of the top ten grossing films of all time were in some way based on material originating in Campbell's books. That makes Campbell a man whose thoughts are worth learning about.
   
   The book is in general fairly easy reading, since much of it is transcribed from conversations involving Campbell. Quotable quotes abound: "myths have to do with how you live your life", "the young male is a compulsively violent piece of biology", "when people say they're looking for the meaning of life, what they're really looking for is a deep experience of it", "the best thing I can say is follow your bliss".
   
   If you want to be inspired by a life lived thoughtfully and well, you should find this book rewarding.



3. This book was well designed. The introduction by Phil Counsineau alone is worth the price. Instead of hidden away in some appendix, the Chronology of Joseph Campbell is up front before reading the details. The book is written mostly in a question and answer format.
   
   Next striking thing is the pictures that accompany the text makes you feel that some one knew that Joseph was going to be some one of interest and sent a professional photographer to follow his life. He has pictures with and/or (Buffalo Bill Cody, Black Elk, James Joyce, Jiddu Krishnamurti, Thomas Mann, Karlfried Graf Dürkheim, Carl Jung, Linda Ronstadt...) of all kinds of people that you would think came from different eras, most impressive is his portrait University of Paris.
   
   One thing you will notice of Joseph Campbell is that he has a way of looking at life that most people do not until it pointed out. Some times he will seem to be just telling you the most mundane information and all of a sudden ties it to a point that was overlooked.
   Reading this book on his life will give you a better insight as to his works.



4. Those are the only words I can think of to describe this fabulous book! Not only do you get a picture of Campbell the man in a way you can't elsewhere, except maybe in the diaries of his Asian trips, but you also get a wonderful insight into the mythology that was his life's work. It's like being able to look through both sides of a lens at once!

   There are lovely pictures of Campbell, his friends and family that are literally breathtaking--they are part of that lens.

   The book itself is made up of a series of conversations and panel discussions involving Campbell and a number of his friends and colleagues--including his wife, choreographer Jean Erdman and artists like George Lucas, Robert Bly and Richard Adams. It is structured so that it follows Campbell's life story in the shape of his Hero Journey, as laid out in Hero with a Thousand Faces.

   The cover announces this as the Centennial Edition, which alerted me to the fact that Campbell would have been 100 this upcoming March. What a wonderful way to celebrate the life of a man whose joy (bliss) has inspired so many, and to take more inspiration from his ideas.




5. For those who once bemoaned there being no autobiography by (or biography of) Joseph Campbell this book fills a void. For those who have watched The Power of Myth videos, and read several Joseph Campbell books, this collection of high-power dialogues with Campbell is no disappointment. No intimate details are given of Campbell's life, however, When asked for autobiographical details during one session, Campbell responds (more or less): "That's biography, and I don't do biography". Campbell relays several anecdotes of his friends Robinson and Zimmer, and gives honorable mention to the Bollingen Press and Sarah Lawrence College for crucial assistance in his career development. Particularly of interest are the frequent remarks concerning, and discussions with, his wife (and former student) Jean Erdman. While many of Campbell's remarks are near-verbatim replies heard in The Power of Myth videos, some are unreleased gems: There are two kinds of people in this world - those who know their myth is a fact (the orthodox religious) and those who know their myth is a lie (the atheists)- both KNOW that their myth is most certainly NOT a metaphor.
   
   Good book.

5 comments about Learning to Bow: Inside the Heart of Japan.

1. "I came to Japan at the invitation of the Japanese Ministry of Education . . ." indeed! Feiler has a very high opinion of himself. And isn't it a bit inappropriate for a teacher to kiss the hand of a junior high girl, let alone a junior high girl of another culture? I've been reading a lot of Japanese non-fiction and travel essays since a recent visit to Japan and so far this book ranks low in terms of enjoyment, educational value and insight because of its pretentious tone.



2. As I made my way through Feiler's account, I was primarily amused by his humorous initial encounters with Japanese culture: the often awkward questions frequently posited him by his friends, coworkers, and students; the stark dissimilarities between the Japanese and the American-style classroom; the extent to which Feiler's foreign appearance and personality caused him to stand out amid an otherwise fairly uniform populace. In nearly every chapter, I found myself laughing out loud. As the book progressed, however, I became disturbed by the author's general exclusion of personal reflections on his experiences. For example, it remains ambiguous whether the author is interested in trying "nanpa"--a procedure in which strangers "pick up" on women in bars, discos, or similar environments, mostly popular among young Japanese men--out of a genuine desire to procure a Japanese girlfriend, or merely in demonstration of a detached cultural curiosity. He interjects almost no explicit discussions of his feelings or emotional reactions toward the many shocking, challenging, and even tragic events that he encounters throughout the narrative. As someone interested in going to Japan to teach English, and curious about the types of experiences had by Americans who have done so in the past, this particular quality of Feiler's narrative was a bit disappointing.
   
   By the end of the book, however, I came to the realization that the very inclusion of certain information in Feiler's memoir speaks volumes on the nature of the clash between Western and Japanese culture. The details that Feiler includes on the overbearingly autocratic leadership style of his school principle, the structure of a seventh-grade fieldtrip to Disneyland Tokyo, and the reaction of Japanese students toward his unorthodoxly American pedagogical style all attest to the impression that Feiler was deeply moved and challenged by his interactions with Eastern culture. And the laughter and tears that several of his anecdotes drew forth compel me to conclude that these passages were not written without emotional affectation.
   
   In my preparation to move overseas to teach and live among an unfamiliar society, I found this book deeply enlightening and encouraging. As previous experiences abroad have taught me, being a foreigner in a new country can be a direly lonely and often stressful experience. Feiler has given us an insightful and meaningful account of what Americans moving to Japan ought to expect from the culture clash, as well as detailed many interesting aspects of Japanese society that outsiders interested in the country might not otherwise consider. I highly recommend it.



3. Many of the previous reviews have pointed out Mr Feller's haughty condescension but what really makes his book a drag is how breathtakingly boring it is. Naked with other men in a hot spring bath? Good gracious me! As another reviewer pointed out, anybody who comes to Japan will experience virtually everything in this book in the first week; what that other reviewer failed to mention is that nobody else will decide to write a tedious book about it all. Filled with shallow 'insights' and yawn-inducing 'adventures', Feller's book is a soporific account of a dull year as lived by a dull individual who managed, somehow, to con a publisher into releasing this dull book. The fact that it's still in print boggles the mind.
   
   If you're interested in a good read on Japan look for either of Alan Booth's books (Looking For The Lost & The Roads To Sata), John Morley's Pictures From The Water Trade, Will Ferguson's Hokkaido Highway Blues, or anything by Lafcadio Hearn. All of those authors deliver. Mr Feller's book might be useful for chronic insomniacs but everybody else should steer well clear.



4. This book by Bruce Feiler is not just about the Japanese educational system but about the Japanese themselves. While it does touch on how students and teachers work together, teen suicide and cram school, it also deals with the problems of racism, the way the Japanese balance their lives and their duties to society, and even a few chapters on Japanese dating and marriage. It is full of humor, insight and clear thinking. Mr. Feiler clearly but a lot of thought into his visit and is just as clear in explaining to us what he feels is the important and major issues that Japan has to deal with - not just then but now and in the future. A must for any library on Asia or Japan.



5. Bruce Feiler shares his experience as a new teacher in Japan and how he accommodates himself to the culture of Japan and its school system. The book includes many humorous episodes as well as studies in how to adapt to new surroundings and to people who have different behaviors from those of our own. The reader will develop a greater appreciation for the way in which the Japanese education system works at the levels described in the book and in how one must develop a thick skin and a great sense of humor in order to be accepted when traveling or working overseas. The characters in this book are real and are brought to life on paper quite effectively. This is a story of shock, adaptation, and, ultimately, but with a lot of hard work - success.

5 comments about The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci.

1. Not being interested in Christian missionary work in China, I had resisted reading this book for years. That was a terrible mistake and another example of how you can't judge a book by its cover or title. The Memory Palace of Matteo Ricci is not so much a book about Matteo Ricci or missionaries as it is a look at the two continents of Europe and Asia in the late 1500's to 1610 (when Matteo Ricci died). It covers subjects such as crusades, plagues, theology, the arts, travel, China leading up to the fall of the Ming (1644), corruption, punishments, dress, the role of Buddhism in Chinese society, slavery, sodomy, food and so much more.
   
   Yes, it is a book for historians or those interested in historical times, especially the Inquisition and Christianity's outreach to foreign shores, but its breadth of topics is so unusual, and its treatment of these subjects through the eyes of one man who left his native Italy to travel to Rome, Portugal, Goa, and eventually China so detailed, that the rewards of reading this book were wholly unexpected and thus a wonderful surprise--like opening a tin to discover a jewel box.



2. This book had some wonderful nuggets about Ricci and China, but there were so many tangents and mind-numbing details that it was challenging to read. The main issue is that the book is thematic in nature rather than chronological. On one page Spence is talking in detail about China in 1582 and the next he's talking in detail about Portugal in 1567. He flips back and forth across the decades and the continents enough that it's very difficult to get a picture of Ricci's life. A lot of Spence's content seems pulled from history books on Europe, having little or nothing to do with either Ricci or China. If you want a random, panoramic view of life in the late 1500's this book is for you. If you're looking for a comprehensive, orderly look at Ricci or China or his memory system you may be disappointed. It's worth the read, but with appropriate expectations.



3. You can find a summary below with floors for chapters, http://olivierinshanghai.free.fr/npds/chinois/ricci.pdf



4. I wrote my BA of Humanities thesis on Matteo Ricci and found Spence's book valuable for its information but mildly frustrating. "Memory Palace" is an excellence source for facts about Ricci's life for those who are not fluent in multiple languages or do not have access to the research material that Spence does. I turned to Spence for his commentary on Ricci's various writings that I did not have access to and for various tidbits of facts. Furthermore, Spence does a good job of illustrating the world that Ricci lived and worked in. For example, I was enlightened on the relationship of the Jesuits to the Portuguese King and how the Portuguese port of Macao in China operated. It was good background information to supplement the primary text I was using.

   However, the frustrating part of this book is its organization. While it's an interesting idea to organize it according to the first four Chinese characters in his mnemonic system (or "memory palace"), it makes for a near meaningless train of thought; I ended up skimming the lengthy chapter on "water." I'm still disappointed by the end because Spence offers no real conclusion or summary, just an enigmatic statement. I had previously read Spence's "Death of Woman Wang" and I realize that it is Spence's style to amass historical information with unorthodox organization (I think it's his selling point). It's creative, but not very useful. Fortunately, the book has an excellent index, so it's fairly easy to re-find significant passages.

   For those that want to read an actual narrative of Ricci's mission, I highly recommend the English translation of Trigault's transcription of Ricci's mission journals; this was the primary text for my paper. I found it very interesting and suprisingly high in entertainment value, considering its origin.

   Trigault, Nicolas S. J. "China in the Sixteenth Century:
   The Journals of Mathew Ricci: 1583-1610."
   trans. Lous J. Gallagher, S.J. (New York: Random House, Inc. 1953).

   Also recommended for his examination of the religious issues involved with Ricci and the other Jesuits preaching Christianity in China is Jaques Gernet's "China and the Christian Impact." To sum up, it answers this question and more, "What happens when you try to insert the Christian God into the ancient writings of a sophisticated society?"

   Gernet, Jaques, "China and the Christian Impact." (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990).




5. Having been hipped to the existence of the phenomenon of memory palaces by the books of Thomas Harris, (I'd forgotten all about them after reading one of Tom Wujec's earlier books) I was looking forward to finding a how-to book on the subject. The Memory Palaces Of Matteo Ricci, however, is, again not it. I already felt burned by Francis Yates' "Art Of Memory", which is more about Hermeticism than the purported subject.
   
   Interesting though it may be, the book is mainly about Ricci's life and times as a Jesuit missionary in China, something I would have gotten from any biography about the man, which in fact this is. There is some cursory mention made of the principles of using loci for the purpose of memory, but that's it. Not even Ricci's own method is analyzed or discussed in great detail.

5 comments about Teacher (Touchstone Books).

1. In generally straightforward prose, Sylvia Ashton-Warner describes the success of her "organic" teaching method for five-year-old Maoris, a native people of New Zealand. The idea is as brilliant as it is simple: young children will best remember words that are nearest their hearts.
   
   For young Maoris at the time of Ashton-Warner's writing, these words were not always positive, as many of her students were from troubled backgrounds. Words such as "fear" and "kill" were as popular among them as "kiss" and "love." Ms. Ashton-Warner's infant reading texts were hand-crafted by her for each student's particular needs and interests. After developing an "organic" vocabulary, the Maoris were better able to tackle traditional English elementary texts.
   
   I found a sixth edition of this book in my late father's library. It was required reading for my father's Masters in Education program at Hunter College in New York City during the late 1960s and early 1970s. "Teacher" was first published in 1963.
   
   Contemporary readers, especially Americans, may find the style somewhat dated. Towards the end of the book, Ms. Ashton-Warner changes from a conversational format to a diary-like, almost stream-of-consciousness style which is rather confusing. She also uses New Zealand terms such as "pa" and "haka" whose meanings have to be determined with some difficulty from context.
   
   All that said, the message of "Teacher" is as vibrant today as it was when this work was first published. It is as relevant to building cross-cultural bridges as it is to enhancing learning among students of all backgrounds. My father drew upon it in getting reluctant older students to write and read about things that they were truly interested in. "Teacher" provides an important caveat to today's world of standardized testing and rigid pedagogical criteria.



2. Fantastic Book! Makes a revolutionary concept seem simple and obvious. As an education student, I plan to take from this book for the rest of my life.



3. This text was recommended reading and as a teacher myself, I find it confounding that it was not required reading during my teaching education. She certainly was ahead of her time, but Sylvia Ashton-Warner might still be distancing herself from those standard based minds determined to put children into the molds we have decided are necessary for their own good. How do we get children to see the power of language so that writing and reading have personal meaning that piques a lifelong journey into the love of learning--this book has some incredible seeds that a willing and curious mind might take, study, and find itself using to change the world, and at the very least the landscape of education as we see it today. Read this book if you want children to come alive to learning.



4. I am a teacher of 18 years who had to read this book in 1977 as part of my college teacher training and would like to share this book with all teachers. It is as relevant for me today with our scripted phonics and literature-rich reading programs as it was then. Sylia Ashton-Warner does more than portray a method and philosophy to teach reading to New Zealand's Maori children--she paints a vivid, dramatic picture of any classroom. The reader can see the combination of her daily, organized lesson plan superimposed with the actual unpredictable, spontaneous, and social nature of children. Sylvia writes in such a perceptive, humorous way that our sympathy goes out to the Maori children who are expected to learn reading, but are expertly led, not forced.
   One of her main points was that the contemporary "Dick and Jane" method of teaching reading was too imposing, stagnant, and foreign to inspire success and a love of learning for her Maori students. She created a new system to do the job of bridging the old, illiterate civilization of the Maoris to contemporary New Zealand. Her method became famous. It is fairly simple and has been used since in a multitude of kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms. Children were allowed to give Ms. Ashton-Warner, their teacher, a new word every day. The word was traced, written, practiced, shared, and reviewed the next day. If the word was important enough to the child, it was remembered and therefore called an "organic" word since it came from an important part of the individual child. Children had word cards and every day would locate their own personal word cards amidst the class' collection.
   As Ms. Ashton-Warner used this method over time, she was able to categorize important words, and thereby came across universal truths regarding words that made reading easier for her students. The two widest categories she called "sex" and "fear" words, and if a word was easily learned then it fit into one of these categories. Although I personally don't like her use of the word "sex," she explains her conception of it as referring to the human needs of love, acceptance, and survival.
   As students became proficient with this first introduction to words, they were "graduated" to more advanced classes in reading and writing, using their own personal word banks, until at last the traditional school books could be used successfully. In addition, Ms. Ashton-Warner wrote and illustrated her own version of basal readers for Maoris, using their own interests and lingo, as another part of transitioning them from their own culture to the literate and modern New Zealand. It is tragic that most of her original works are gone.
   In actuality, the book "Teacher" is much more than a description of a pedagogical method. It is a work of art, describing the talent needed to teach. It is a work in psychology, showing one how to cope with the enormous diversity and constant problems of the real classroom. It is a work of teaching methodology, inspiring a teacher to value and inspire the inner thoughts and feelings of a child, and to take those raw materials and create real learning experiences for that child.
   I actually read this book once a year. It has become a part of me that allows me to take each day as it comes, to see special inspired moments in a child's day as being a huge, poignant step in their education.



5. Hard for me to write a short review of this book since I've written a book about Ashton-Warner's contributions to teaching young children.

   The point is, Ashton-Warner was a careful observer of the young Maori children she taught. She knew that what she had been trained to do in a college teacher-training program wasn't working, so she really looked to see what the children cared about, and invented ways to teach them based upon their deep interests and respecting their culture, different from her own. She, a left-handed artist, was different from the mainstream, and wanted to be appreciated...and she carried this and other knowledge from her personal life into her teaching. Ashton-Warner wasn't a woman of perfection, but she made a contribution that lasts...This book has changed the lives of many, many teachers -- I know because they have told me.

5 comments about Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness.

1. read this book about 10 years ago and wanted to read it again... it's a wonderful book it's an easy read and very enjoyable...



2. I read a professional review on this story from several decades ago, back when this book was originally published, that, while certainly much celebrating the story, suggested that it was almost stereotypical! I beg to disagree. What admittedly could have easily become a flat commentary on folks of differing races in a typical Alaskan setting actually touched my heart and even had me at times understanding the mindset of those we would have considered to be racist. This is an honest sample of what life was like in the Alaskan frontier and what those who lived there felt and thought as well as a beautiful pastoral.
   
   Annie Hobbes is a young teacher from Oregon who falls in love with the romantic idea of teaching in the adventurous and beautiful Alaskan wilderness. Her fun romp turns serious as the ideas with which she was raised are challenged by the citizens of the little town Chicken who demonstrate negativity toward the local Native Americans. This girl, who begins the story as less than a tenderfoot, eventually earns the respect of the same people that want to run her out of town for her ideals.
   
   And yet, fortunately, Annie is never portrayed as a perfect Saint. She is quirky and likeable and, heck, I could sometimes see why everyone was annoyed by her--thus is the magic of the writing.
   
   This story also appealed to me on the level of teacher to teacher. I read this book at the end of my first year of teaching when I was all drained out--this reinspired me to do everything for my students.
   
   The characters are wonderful as well as the plot. The gorgeous descriptions are quick as not to slow down the necessary fast pacing. This is both a story of prejudice and a delightful and fun Alaskan adventure.
   
   I don't know how much of this is actual fact, but goodness me, the author did very well!



3. THIS IS THE MOST BORING BOOK AND ANYONE WHO SAYS IT IS GOOD IS OLD AND PERSONALLY IT IS THE MOST BORING BOOK!



4. This is a delightful story about a young woman teaching in the Alaskan interior. Since I love books about life in Alaska, I found this book to be a very enjoyable read. If you loved this book, you might also enjoy a new release by author Cheryl Schuermann.
   
   
   When the Water Runs: Growing Up with Alaska



5. This book is a keeper. I really enjoyed this story and each
   time I have recommanded it they have come away loving this
   story also.