Away

This is terror. This is horror. This one seizes you by the throat and scares the hell out of you. And it is funny. Really, there are moments when I literally laughed my rear-end off. And it is sad. It tears your heart out and then makes you mad as hell! Absolutely brilliant!

What should one eat for breakfast? Ask Ruby, wise for her seven years. But three year old Max doesn't want to eat healthy - bring on the ice cream! Anyone who has dealt with headstrong toddlers can relate to Ruby's woes. While Rosemary Wells never shows the parents of these delightful bunny siblings, their sweet, indulgent Grandma appears as Max's partner in crime. The Max and Ruby books are such a hit in our house that my 3.5-year-old daughter renamed her younger sister "Max"- and she answers to it! While we saw this particular story first on TV's Nick Jr., both my girls request the book version over and over. I also recommend the new book Ruby's Tea for Two.

In my search to learn as much as I can about the people who create the Andean music that stirs my soul, I am highly impressed with Thomas Turino's research. For a musician like myself, who seeks to perform Andean music with a deep understanding of the culture, this book is a precious jewel. Turino's respect of the people and his detailed descriptions of the process of composition and performance are immensely helpful. I feel like I am sitting in the earthen-floored house together with him and the musicians of Tarkas de Putina as they softly play their instruments in the dim light of a flame, composing fiesta music by wordless consensus all through the night fueled by coca and alcohol.

Furthermore he reports with an equally intimate and scholarly first-person account on changes that migration (between rural Aymara-speaking Conimo on the Northern shore of Lake Titicaca and urban Lima) cause to the music and the culture.

My husband is in the military and is gone frequently. I read this book to my daughter every night that he is gone. It helps her to realize that he is coming home in the end. It is also a way that she can be reminded of him (she was 2 when I started to read it to her.) I recommend this book to all mothers who have to cope with "Daddy being away." One other thing, I changed the word father to daddy because that is what my daughter calls her daddy.

I read Ned Mouse with a boy I tutor who normally hates to read. We both loved it. The writing is clear and easy to read with out being simplistic. My student loved the constant jokes and puns. It's refreshing to find a book with enough plot for an older child at an easier reading level. This is definately an author I'll look for again.

Never Far Away: The Auschwitz Chronicles Of Anna Heilman gathers and presents the memories of Anna Heilman, who fought for survival in Auschwitz during the Holocaust. Anna's life in Warsaw became one of loss and a fight to live as she recalls her life before, during and after the war. A striking, gripping memoir of life in the camp and a very strongly recommended addition to academic and community library Holocaust Studies and 20th Century European History Studies readling lists and reference collections.

Aprendí que realmente no estamos lejos de nadie, pues viajamos en el corazón de las personas que amamos. Además los dibujos del libro ayudan a inspirarnos, por ejemplo, el dibujo del colibrí es hermosísimo.

In this book, founder of Time Dollars and time banking, Edgar Cahn describes what he calls Co-Production. The book comprises three parts. Part one charts the founding of Time Dollars and the discovery that it was more than just an alternative or complimentary currency. Part two looks at Co-Production in the light of both the market economy and the non-market economy. Part three looks at how Co-Production is working in a number of different situations in the real world.

To some extent, this book is the history of the first twenty years of Time Dollars. But it is more than that - much more. People don't like feeling useless; we all need to feel valued - this is one way in which the market economy is so obviously failing a large proportion of the world's population, even in the so-called civilised world. Co-Production recognises parity between the parties in any transaction and values the consumer as well as the producer, the receiver as well as the giver. It recognises the need for participation; not for the passive consumer. Co-Production values both the giver and receiver; it values people and their contribution to society and it bridges class and racial divides. It's about getting people to take responsibility and get involved. It's about building self-esteem. Cahn likens the non-market economy to a computer operating system describing present attempts to 'fix' it with 'programs' from the market economy and demonstrates how this is so clearly failing. He examines the strengths and weaknesses of both the market and the non-market economies. Conventional money has a number of downsides for society as a whole, each of which Time Dollars is able to counter. Money rewards our competitive, acquisitive side; Time Dollars rewards our co-operative, altruistic side. Co-Production is about valuing people as they are not how the market economy would like them to be. Cahn argues for a redefinition of work to include non-market activities such as child rearing, community building, care for the elderly.

This book is a must for anyone who is serious about exploring practical, workable alternatives to the market economy. It is a clever combination of economic and political theory and practical examples of how Time Dollars is working to improve the lot of many thousand of people - the elderly, school children, immigrants that the system has previously treated as "throw-away" people. A political lecture? Perhaps. A crusade? Yes, probably. A must for anyone concerned with social justice? Certainly!

Having spent most of my life in inner city academic medical institutions, I thought I knew much about the healthcare of the underprivileged. Having never worked in a truly public hospital, however, it wasn't until I read Opdyke's very readable book comparing a traditional academic, private hospital (New York Hospital) with a public one (Bellvue) that I could understand the real difference between the two. The book is well-written and easily read. There are sufficient facts to support her premises. It is a mark the book's worth, that I only lament that the author condensed some time periods that could have been even more detailed. Still, this is a must read for anyone commited to healthcare, but who has never had the experience of working in a public hospital. It raises many important issues that must be solved if universal healthcare is ever to become a reality in this country. Five stars!

I bought this book at a bookstore in a little town in Montana while traveling through the state. It was in the "regional selections" category, but it really was so much more than that. This story is a moving (true) story of a young woman in Montana who marries a rancher in the period when the West was still being settled. Widowed at an early age and left to fend for herself and her young children, grit and a sense of purpose keep her going. It was a true joy to follow the life of this heroic woman through difficult circumstances. This book is a gem and I would highly recommend it, as I intend to read it again and again through life. Perhaps women will enjoy it more than men, and mothers will likely appreciate it the most.