D-A Books

I bought 3 books for the NBPTS. Each has been helpful. But if I could only buy one book, then I would probably buy this one. Accomplished Teaching is full of ideas and guiding points. It is also written with the mentor in mind. So while I am trying to figure out an entry I often read the mentor portion to give me further insight into what I might b missing.

Also I like having all of the forms on a CD for easy printing.

I highly recommend this book for National Board Candidates and National Board Support Providers. I have been supporting National Board Candidates for many years and have found the tips highly helpful in creating a strong portfolio entry.
I wished I had this book when I was working on my National Boards.

As the author of two books regarding National Board Certification, I read with interest this author's work on accomplished teaching. I found the content not only helpful, but well-researched and highly applicable to any instructor seeking to pursue excellence in classroom teaching.

Many such books are often pedantic tomes that offer little research, and even less practical usefulness. Not so this one. The author(s) have done their homework. Their bibliography is a 'who's who' of noted researchers in this field, and I cannot imagine any teacher--even one not pursing NBPTS certification--not picking up a wealth of helpful vitae from reading this book.

This work should be required reading in every university education program. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Dr. J.L. Parks, author "So, You Want to Become a National Board Certified Teacher?"

I got started on my portfolio rather late (I do work best under pressure) and was stunned to pass in my first round (EA Science). This book clearly helped. It is full of powerful guides and lots of tools to use in preparing lessons as well as preparing the entries. I used the NBPTS Workbook by Mack-Kirschner first to get started then used this one while I drafted out my portfolio. I returned to the Workbook as I was refining my entries. Both were important. I did not find the CD particularly useful, as it mostly provided un-editable copies of the forms in the book. I used the first edition, which was published in 2004.
Lorraine Theroux (the real name) contact me through scienceforall.com if you wish

As a Candidate Support Provider, I have found "Accomplished Teaching" to be the most comprehensive and user-friendly book available to National Board Certification candidates. "Accomplished Teaching" takes the NBPTS standards and portfolio instructions and breaks them into meaningful and manageable chunks for teachers. Completing the National Board Certification process is a rigorous process and teachers need a resource like "Accomplished Teaching " to guide them. This book should be required reading for anyone going through the board certification process. In fact, it should be required reading for any teacher interested in improving their teaching practice!

Not knowing much about this period, I was quite interested to find out more on this era.

This book gives us an over view of what is known of the time. I was stunned to find how little is known of this time. What we do know is that the period went though some dramatic changes? However how we don't know. There are unfortunately few written sources of the period and the archaeologist have little at present to help us.

An Age of Tyrants: Britain and the Britons A.D. 400-600
Christopher A. Snyder
The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1998
ISBN 0-271-01780-5

This is a wonderful book to bring to life a cohesive mosaic of the two centuries that followed the removal of Britain from the Roman Empire to the arrival of the papal mission under Augustine in 597.

Published within the past few years, this book bring together many of the latest elements in the trail of King Arthur available to the modern scholar. His book is filled with the most credible theories based on academic consensus, drawing from the most recent translations and comparisons of ancient sources.

What is most singulary worthy of this book is the lack of judgement on the topic of Arthur and Merlin. After laying out the entirety of the context within which Arthur and Merlin may have lived, these two characters are dealt with only in a brief three page appendix. Snyder describes the historical basis for the two characters then ends his brief discussion without trying to postulate who they actually might have been. "What the historian can contribute, however, is a better understanding of the period and place in which Arthur and Merlin may have lived for those who wish to pin down these legendary figures to time and space."

Indeed! This is precisely what he has done. Anyone interested in playing Pendragon or reading Arthurian literatute will appreciate how he frames the era in terms of these "tyrants" -- self-made men who usurped traditional authority to re-establish order and deal with the chaos of the dissolution of the Roman empire.

As a scholar what I like is that the author has made a thorough documentation of where he gathered all of his information. This book itself is short, at 260 pages of text including appendices. Yet it then has 124 pages of rich and curious notes and a lengthy bibliography from which he cited his information.

Christopher Snyder is Associate Professor of History and Chair Department of History and Politics at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia.

Christopher Snyder says the inhabitants of what is known today as England, Scotland, and Wales would not have called themselves Britons before the arrival of the Romans. In pre-Roman days they would have been known by names associated with their tribal affiliations. Many of the individuals might have referred to themselves as 'Combrogi' or 'Cymry' the latter a Welsh term referring to friendship and/or love of place. The Romans named the "big" island across the "English" channel Brittania. About 400 years after they arrived, the Romans formally withdrew from Britain and left behind a changed place (and probably a few ex-Romans) -- including the name by which the inhabitants knew themselves.

For a long while scholars referred to the period following the departure of "official" Rome and the final "conquest" of Britain by Angles, Saxons, and Jutes the 'dark ages'. More recently, scholars have referred to this era, which stretches from about 400-600 A.D. 'sub-Roman Britain'. Christopher Snyder says he would prefer to call it the Brittonic Age, although his book title names it AN AGE OF TYRANTS.

Snyder's book is divided into three parts. First, he explores the written record -- the writings of Britains Patrick (5th Century) and Gildas (6th Century) and other non-Britonic witnesses. He discusses Latin terms from the extant written material, such as the word "tyrant" which was construed differently by different people in different places speaking different languages. Snyder suggests the "tyrants" described by St. Jerome or the Honorable Bede may not have been as badly behaved as the negative connotation of theit term suggests. In fact, Snyder says the tyrants distant churchmen described may have been more akin to the "tigern" or Celtic lord.

In the second part of his book, Synder discusses the archeological record of the Brittonic Age--which has been overlooked and undervalued as it falls between the rich material record of the Roman (Cirencester, Bath) and Anglo-Saxon (Sutton Hoo) periods. I found this section of the book illuminating as Snyder has systmatically inventoried and synthesized the evidence from a many "digs" into a coherent whole.

In the third section of his book, Snyder uses the material from parts 1 and 2 to describe life in the Brittonic Age in various kinds of settlements (towns, villas, forts, etc.) and the social structure of the people including aspects of government, religion, military, and economic. He says the Britains were a Romanized-Christian people who did not revert back to the tribal behavior that existed before the coming of the Romans.

Snyder is a professor at Marymount University and for all I know he is a member of a religious order, but having graduated from Georgetown University myself, I know that religious affiliation does not mean one cannot be objective. However, Snyder's conclusion that pagan ways disappeared in the Brittonic Age as the population became Christianized may not be exactly accurate.

Based on a reading of the material in Snyder's book and other material, I suspect Celtic ways and the Christian ways merged into an entirely new religion. According to Snyder, Pope Gregory suggested at one point that as the clergy converted pagans they should adapt "pagan temples and rituals to Christian usage in nonviolent ways." I think that is exactly what happened, and I think that explains in part why The Blessed Virgin Mary became so important in Great Britain--which Snyder, a professor at MARYmount might have noted.

It is very refreshing to read a book about this period of British history that is not obsessed with the Arthurian legend, interesting though that is. Mr Snyder uses the little written evidence there is from the 410-600AD period to try and form a picture of the conditions at the time. The second part of the book discusses the archaeological evidence in depth and the final part constructs a coherent picture of what life must have been like in post Roman Britain using the evidence of the first two sections. Arthur and Merlin are mentioned in an appendix and at a few points within the text but only to point out that the historical evidence cannot say one way or the other whether these personalities existed.

Mr Snyder has settled on the title "An Age of Tyrants" to describe the era as being preferrable to "Sub-Roman Britain". I'm not sure if this title is adequate but it is superior to the somewhat demeaning "Sub-Roman" description. This period was clearly not as savage as has previously been thought.

My only minor criticism is that I would have preferred to see more illustrations of the archaeological sites and artefacts but overall I found this an extremely interesting book that was difficult to put down.

I must admit, like so many others, I was originally drawn to the post-Roman period by the "historical King Arthur." But the period is a rich and diverse one, worthy of study in its own right--not only as "Arthur's Britain." In this incredible volume, Chris Snyder--probably the greatest expert on post-Roman Britain alive today, in my opinion--paints a picture of Britain that is anything but a "sub-Roman" "Dark Age." If you ever raised an eyebrow when your history textbook skipped from the Romans in 400 CE to the Anglo-Saxons in 800 CE, then you should read this book. If I had begun with a volume like this when I began my foray into post-Roman Britain, my how farther along I'd be now!

This book is easy to read and very informative. It gives you an insiders view of the hardships of getting caught "in the system." He is a true expert on the shortcomings of how, as a society, we handle challengin youth. He has not only studied the topic in a traditional academic way, but lived through the challenging experiences himself. Despite the subject matter being heavy, Dr. Kipnis interweaves hope throughout the narative. He makes many suggestions for changes within the system, in how we teach and work with boys, and overall suggestions to have compassion for these kids. As far as readablity and an overall exploration of how innocent boys can become angry young men, you can't get much better than this.

I first checked this book out at the library somewhat reluctantly. It looked like a text book, in other words, necessary information but rather dull and difficult to read through. I couldn't have been more wrong! It was absolutely excellent information from someone who grew up as one of the boys from "the wrong side of the tracks." I am aspiring to be a Juvenile Probation Officer and this book was just so informative. It is a must read for anyone working with or raising young men.

I teach remedial English and reading at a middle school with a high poverty rate, a 40% latino population, and a big gang problem. All of my students are Latino, most are boys, and most are constantly in trouble at school, if not with the law. This book doesn't have all the answers, but it went a long way towards helping me understand where my troubled boys are coming from and why they act the way they do.

This book is a moving interweaving of autobiographical anecdotes, patiently accumulated facts (did you know that more is spent in the US on prisons than on college educations? See malepsych.com for more such data), and concrete suggestions for understanding our national epidemic of angry youth and doing something constructive about it.

Don't let the impotence of current national solutions and quick-fixes ("just say no"; "bring your child to work day"; etc. ad nauseum) convince you that the problem of angry young men is insoluble. It's not. In fact, the suggestions offered by the author throughout the book are relevant, doable, sensible, and verifiable. Grouping the outside forces that make for violence into six Pathways to Prison, Dr. Kipnis goes on to explain what they look and feel like from inside the young rager--and it is that part we sorely lack in our sorry stabs at "explaining" youth violence from the outside, its perpetrators objects to be warehoused for a profit as slave labor.

Most of the violent males I've counseled have already done jail or prison time--and yet even with them, listening carefully, confronting them firmly and respectfully with the consequences of their behavior, educating them about basics like managing addictions and painful emotions, and showing them that strong males can be gentle, patient, and nonviolently assertive gave our counseling center (Cornerstone) close to a 90% success rate (meaning: 90% men who completed the full program never reviolated their probation). I wish I'd had this book available then, for them and for me. So much more can be done with young men before they ever get to this point!

Dr. Kipnis is President of the Fatherhood Coalition, a nonprofit that among other things encourages fathers to be an active, available part of their childrens' lives. I can tell you that of the hundreds of violent men I've worked with, not one--not one!--had had an adequate, let alone loving, relationship with his father. Given our country of unavailable dads (and moms, of course), do you begin to see why more young men are imprisoned in the US than were locked up in pro-aparteid Africa?

This and other dynamics behind the immense problem of young male violence are explained in this book with clarity, erudition, and personal experiences convincing far beyond the usual theoretical models.

The Talmud talks about the "Master of Return," the man who took the wrong way and then found the right way; in the eyes of God such a man stands higher than even the angels in heaven. One such man has penned this book, as you'll see for yourself when you read it. If you spend any time at all around young males, or if you simply want to understand what's going on in their world, then this resource is indispensable.

This book is excellent! I work in a correctional facility and it has really helped me to understand the young men that I work with. I plan on reading it with them and having discussions on the information presented. Many of these young men come from the "5-H club" mentioned in the book. They need people who understand where they have come from and what they have gone through. I'm not saying they shouldn't be punished for their crimes, but I feel we need to find alternative solutions for these young men, rather than putting them in an adult prison where they only learn new and more dangerous crimes from the hardened criminals.

David Spero wrote a helpful and positive book for anyone facing life with illness. It was well written and covered all the key issues for living successfully with chronic illness. He offers a wide range of solutions to help others improve their quality of life as well as shift their attitudes about illness in general. I could see my own journey in the book and thought it captured the essence of illness as a powerful spiritual teacher.

The Art of Getting Well, by David Spero, is a very informative, enjoyable, and inspiring book for those of us with chronic illnesses. David has included many helpful examples, from his own and other's lives, of what works and what doesn't. He describes standard and alternative treatment options for the reader to consider. He also gives many valuable ideas to help the chronically ill have better lives whether or not their condition improves. I highly recommend this book.

Genre: Health/Self Healing

Title: The Art of Getting Well

Author: David Spero, R.N.

"Illness is the best teacher, awareness is the best medicine, self care is the best care." David Spero's health-coaching motto.

They say timing is everything, very true of the arrival of this book for my review. After lying awake most of the night with my throbbing limbs, hands and feet, I opened my package and thought "Oh no, not another self help book." Ultimately I quickly changed my mind as I started to read this practical and informative guide to a 5 step program for recovery. The aim of this book is to provide a key to improving our quality of life and even possibly improve our overall condition.

The book is based on science and medicine and readers will find references in the back of the book. David Spero's own professional and personal experience provides the background and basis. It has been written for the millions of people suffering from a "chronic" or "progressive" condition and all caregivers. I believe anyone that reads it would benefit.

Included are true stories, easy to identify with, where to get help, how to ask for it but most importantly, the book encourages readers to take responsibility for themselves. Educate yourself about your condition, identify your body's signals and be proactive in the course of treatment. Perhaps the first step is to understand that we DESERVE to be able to take the time to help ourselves, slow down and enjoy our lives. Pain is a personal experience and to each individual it is `very real.'

The author, David Spero R.N. has devoted over 30 years as an R.N./Health Coach, specializing in chronic illnesses. His goal is to maximize the quality of life of his patients. He was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis approximately 20 years ago. He has personally experienced illness and has learned how to help himself and improve his situation. His book is well written in a warm and caring way, inspiring readers to live their lives as successfully as possible. In this reviewer's opinion, he has achieved his goal. He shares his depth of knowledge and confirms his motto. After reading Chapter 1 your will want to finish it quickly, then reread it in detail as you set up your own program for wellness.

I Thank you David, for setting me on a realistic course and highly recommend this book. Reviewer: Cheryl Ellis, Allbooks Reviews

You don't have to have a chronic illness to get a lot out of Spero's "The Art of Getting Well." Maybe that's because living in our fast paced and relatively crazed culture qualifies all of us as chronically ill. Whatever the case, the accessible style and reassuring tone of this book give you the confidence and motivation to make real changes in your life. I'm especially pleased that Spero does not fall into the "blame the victim" camp. Getting sick is not our fault, although we can have a say in how or whether we get well, up to a point. Sometimes our luck runs out, but our spirit can still remain strong, furthered along by the compassion of bonafide healers and primo storytellers like Spero. Get two: one for yourself and one for a friend.

One reviewer mentioned that the authors writes in a chatty, conversational tone--that's an accurate description. I found this book an easy read and very insightful and useful for helping me get on track to recovering and caring for myself, as well as preventing future relapses.

The author recommends useful tips for recovering from an illness: put your life before your illness, listen to your body, conserve your energy for healing, change the things that harm you, and get the help you need. His recommendations come from what's worked for patients, friends, family members, and a lit review of what other authors have written.

Thanks to the tips in The Art of Getting Well, I feel better equipped to recognize when I feel stressed, to calm myself down in a soothing way, to recognize the signs and ask for help when I need it, and visualize healing and becoming the healthy person I want to be, to honoring myself by putting myself first without negatively impacting others.

This is a book I will keep on my shelves to reflect upon for years to come.

A single volume; a great price; wonderful, clear illustrations and fascinating text -- this is a superb one-volume companion for any reader of history who wants to be able quickly to visualize the geography he or she is reading about. The maps are clear and excellent, and the index is comprehensive, giving the book great utility as a reference source. But the book is more than a reference; each two-age spread is its own self-contained "chapter" of fascinating, well-written historic insights and timeline-analysis into a region's or a period's history. Some reviews fault the book for being Eurocentric; on the contrary, I found that its "global" approach -- given the size constraints of a one-volume, manageable book -- was refreshing and modern. Hunt the internet for more inexpensive copies; I got it new from the Chicago Theological Seminary Co-op bookstore at a great price.

This History Atlas is probably the best generally available. I find it to be very good as a general overview of history timelines with maps and charts. It doesn't really dig deep; it is the proverbial two miles and two inches deep view of history.

For a through understanding a reader should move on to other books. That being said any true student of history needs to have a good overview of things before they can dig into the details. And this good gives a great overview of the major topics. Which is why I would recommend it to people.

One group that could really benefit from a book like this, of course, are high school students studying history or social studies or whatever they are calling that class now a day. A provides a way to understand an outline at a glance which is very useful for a student. I know I wish I had something like this book in high school or even college.

Recently I did a detailed comparison of the 5 or 6 major offerings in this area, which includes such traditional notables as the big Hammond atlas and the one from Oxford University Press, as well as the Dorling-Kindersley one, but this atlas is the best combination of features and price out there. It's only a fraction of the cost of the big Hammond one, for example, and is cheaper than the other two by at least 50%.

So I agree with several of the other reviewers here, that this atlas really rocks, and that in many ways it's better than any of the more famous other offerings in this field on the market, including the massive Hammond one and DK ones, which, as I mentioned, are a lot more expensive.

I've read my share of ancient history books, and this atlas is just the best way to get a good overview quickly of a particular time frame and period. I've used it to clarify many aspects of ancient history, for example, when I got lost in the details in reading more standard histories on the subject. In reading your typical ponderous history, it's so easy to lose the forest for the trees, and there is no better solution for the problem than this book.

Another nice feature of the book is that periodically throughout the text there will be essays at key years or junctures in history, such as "The World in 1914," or "The World in 800 BC," or whatever, in addition to the more topically oriented essays, such as "Old Kingdom Egypt," or "The Persian Empire," or "The Warring States (referring to 5th A.D. century China) which give you further historical perspectives on the events of the time.

The book is organized into two-page spreads with the essays and their corresponding maps and illustrations. According to the jacket text, the book was also prepared with the aid of graphics experts and geographers skilled at combining the written word with visual illustrations and graphics. I would say they and John Haywood succeeded admirably, making this a great book just to browse casually, or read more seriously. Haywood also writes very well and has a nice, deft touch with the material that avoids the dry, technical-sounding quality of some atlases.

Another nice feature of the book is the detailed, color-coded timelines that accompany each two-page spread, which some atlases don't always include or set aside in a separate section of the book. This makes it easier to use and more informative since it can be referred to along with the maps and the text.

My only fault with the book is that the coverage is typically Eurocentric, but this really only applies to the DK atlas, which is suprisingly strong in terms of its coverage of Asian, African, and non-European history in general. All the others are more Eurocentric, like this one.

Keep in mind that this book (like all atlases) aims at breadth rather than depth, since it covers the entire history of the world from man's earliest origins up to modern times. Overall a great altas and a fine book to keep you oriented in whatever period of history you are reading on.

Many people are interested in history, but find their own history to be much more transparent than other parts of the globe. This is reinforced by a school system that, in North America, concentrates on European and American history, ignoring two-thirds of the world.

I will soon be teaching history to a new generation of students, and I can tell you: it doesn't get much easier when you study more. History students often end up knowing a patchwork - vast amounts of information about Europe or China, but very little about other important areas such as India or Africa, and with very little idea of what was going on in China at the time of Rome, or vice versa.

John Haywood's 'Atlas of World History' is just the book you need to fix this problem.

Large, beautifully clear maps occupy every inch of this book, with timelines and summaries around them to give readers a brief overview of the period in question. Every chapter of world history is summarized with a world map that quite clearly shows states and tribes around the world, giving one a breathtaking hint to what was going on. Other maps - the majority - concentrate on a particular period of time in a particular part of the world. Europe still gets more attention than other regions, but this is almost unavoidable in history - there is just so much information available! However, other parts of the world can come to startling life in front of you, making the history of India, China or Africa into digestable, comfortable chunks easy to understand.

The only downside to this magnificent book is that it is only a summary. To understand history in depth, you need something that has focus, not breadth. But to understand history as a whole, this book is indispensable.

It is a rare treasure that I hope you enjoy as much as I do - although the book is slightly outdated now, it continues to outclass newer versions by other publishers, and will always occupy a special spot on my bookcase.

This is a terrific gem of a world history atlas. As a history undergraduate, I wanted an atlas that would give me an opprotunity to explore a multitude of historical periods with inpsiring maps and elegant prose. Do not be fooled by the price on this fantastic Atlas, it is worth its weight in gold.

The atlas starts with early human history and migration, moves into the prehistorical world, then the ancient world, then the medieval period (my personal specialty), the early modern period, and finally the modern period. The scholarly aptitude utilized in the writing of this atlas is beyond comparision. The maps are vibrant and extremely well-done.

Truely, I can not recommend a better book for anyone interested in gleaning an overall view of world (Western, Eastern, and everything in between) history.

"The Band Never Dances" is an excellent read told in the first person by Judy Valentine, a 16-year-old New York drummer in search of a band to write/play with. Her lyrics are quite moving, in particular "The Girl Inside the Girl," which was inspired by her older brother, Jeffrey, who killed himself three years ago after coining the expression "...the band only plays. It never dances," hence the title of this book and her band's debut CD and single.

Judy spends the duration of the story struggling over her brother's untimely death and trying to find some catharsis through her music and up-and-coming fame in her rock band Wedding Night. At the same time, a love triangle develops between her and one of her band mates (Mark the Music) and Nick Praetorious, the quintessential "bad boy" rock singer they tour with. How this hot-and-cold relationship draws out and concludes is quite satisfying for any romantic. Judy, especially, is a remarkable character--she's extremely bright and independent, and like in the book, other young women will want to be her.

This is one of the best contemporary young adult novels I've read in awhile. It's fast paced, touching and deep, and suitable for the slightly older teen crowd due to some mature themes. In fact, the book seemed to be written from a much older character's point of view than from a 16-year-old's. At times, I couldn't connect her age and actions together, but I loved this book regardless. Recommended.

A magnificient book, although tad childish and naive. The author weaves a beautiful tale of the protagonist Judy, a drummer who recovering fromt eh death ofher brother, is yearning to discover herself through her 'band'. SHe finds this band when she answers mysterious want ad. and meets Strobe, together they assemble this band...Irwin. Maddox and Mark the Music. The descirpitions that the author uses when describing music being made is painfully beautiful. His descriptions of Mark the Music playing the guitar are exceptionally beautiful....leads you to believe the author is a guitarist...The story is very tight and Judy's voyage of discovery, in the company of 'Wedding Night', the band, is told very well. The ending is beautiful...ANyone with music in their hearts will fall in love with this book.

This is one of the most wonderful books from my early adolescence I ever read...it can to me at just the time I needed it and that I will never forget. I felt just like the heroine of the book the whole time... her against the world in a desperate desire to simply make music and find out who she is. Read it...and give it to your teens...

The Band Never Dances is a beautifully written book that captures your heart and makes you become very involved with the characters. Being a musician myself, I fully understood what Judy was dealing with throughout her stuggle in the band, and many people have had tramatic expericences as well. All in all the book seemed to touch on every subject and a very realistic way.

Judy Valentine always hid from life behind her drums. It was always her dream to be part of a rock band, as well as her older brother's dying wish for her. Three years after her brother's suicide, Judy finds her band, Wedding Night. Opening for Nick Praetorious, the hottest act in the country, brings the band national attention and forces Judy at sixteen years old to deal with success, attention, and being idolized while still developing her own identity.

Chinese Handcuffs by Chris Crutcher tells the similar story of a teenage boy named Dillon who also loses his older brother to suicide. Dillon escapes his pain through triathalons, an extreme contrast to Judy's music writing and playing. Crutcher tends to write novels centered around sports because more young people can relate to sports analagies than they can to introspecitve song lyrics. For me, it was nice to read a young adult novel with a storyline that I could relate to rather than merely understand.

"You can give her all your money, till you're totally broke./ You can christen her with diamonds, You can sprinkle her with coke./ But you'll never have her and you'll never know her/ 'cause she's the girl, she's the girl inside the girl."(Pg. 36) Judy "wrote" this song,"The Girl Inside the Girl". Many other full song lyrics are included throughout the book so that one can truly hear the sounds of a Wedding Night concert as well as visualize it. One even begins to understand the rock and roll lifestlye through a teenager's eyes. Once seen from behind closed doors, a rock star's life loses it's luster and glamourous image. Yet, the passion never dies for the music, not for Judy Valentine.

This book was written for "young adults", so it might be a little below an older teen's reading level. However, the storyline is just so unique, I would still recommend it to any music lover.

This book looks a little outdated, but that's just what I expected. The condition is good, and the price was the best available. Shipping was fairly timely.

I am finishing up by degree in Graphic Communications in December. I checked this book out of our school library and didn't want to give it back...so I bought my own! What I love about this book is that it breaks it down by industry and specialty area. I also like the way it breaks down what you should include in your portfolio for those areas. It is nice knowing that there is more to Graphic Design than just being a Graphic Artist in a print shop or a newspaper. This book gives you an idea and an overview on what's out there. Awesome!

This book is a good overview of what it means to be a graphic designer. It goes through the different areas of design, and different job positions.
Everything you need to know about the design world is in this book.

This book is a good overview of what it means to be a graphic designer. It goes through the different areas of design, and different job positions.
Everything you need to know about the design world is in this book.

There is a lot of good to be said for this book. But the thing that jumps out and slaps me in the face, right off, maybe because I have dealt with new design students and new professionals for the past several years, is a few dumb comments such as "If you are going to be a good designer, fine. If you aren't don't bother. The field is full of mediocre talents as it is."

And how, pray tell, does one know whether one is going to "be good" during the first year of ones study? --Or even during the first few years of ones professional practice, when sweeping out the place may be included in your job description, and hands-on real world work may come your way slowly and in small discreet bits? And doesn't every creative person at one point or another question the worth and validity of what he or she is doing, EVEN after recognition has started rolling in and they understand that their work is generally perceived by their peers as good? Further, I would ask whether everyone HAS to be a Saul Bass or a Neville Brody. Isn't design a broad enough field to encompass the work of those with less Olympian ambition? Comments such as the one above are relatively few and far between, to be certain. But where on earth was the editor when pompous uninsightful stuff like this flew in under the radar? Although the sheer snideness of the comment may make many jaded pros cheer, I have to wonder what useable information this kind of comment contains for the neophyte at whom the book is supposedly aimed? --To show that a lot of jaded pros have a really bad attitude?

I do not favor the Pollyanna view whether we are talking art or careers. But I believe it is impossible to know how you will fare at something before you have been doing it a while. Thinking otherwise --for example, that a teacher in a design 101 class can tell you whether you are "any good" (and I have seen or heard about many students asking this very question)-- just intimidates and discourages people from being brave enough to give the life that they would see for themselves a try. To me, that is way too limiting.

Though I am a little older than Dr. Edelin and only met him about 16 months ago when he gave the keynote address at the annual national convention of a group called Medical Students for Choice, I have followed his amazing and impressive career since I frist read of his indictment by an incredably biased and racist prosecutor in what was then the narrow minded and mostly Irish Catholic and racist controlled city that was Boston during the late 60s and early 70s.

Dr. Edelin's and my own story have many parallels, though I was born "poor white" into a racist culture in rural Arkansas and except for 4 years in the US Navy, have lived in this culture all of my life.

Dr. Edelin tells an gripping story of his childhood and young manhood in a racist society, one where he had to be smarter, kinder, better trained and better prepared than any of his white colleagues to even be allowed to attempt to realize his dreams of being a doctor and treating his patients with skill, compassion and amazing courage.

His is a story of liars, and honest men and women, of dedicted physicians and more than a few doctors and residents willing to lie, misguide and misdirect the jury of their, not Dr. Edlin's, peers. And always, the two major villians show up again and again, to do their best to figuratively lynch this incredably skilled, brave and capable young Black man... just because they thought they could, though he was guilty of nothing more than doing his best to treat his patients as he would like to be treated himself.

And he had a Judge who should have been impeached for incompetance, and a prosecutor who should have been hung. I wonder just how many innocent young men he sent to prison for life and to be killed so he could advance his career. Broken Justice? Sounds like Catholic Justice gone mad.

I was a pediatric resident when Dr. Edelin was there and also knew the resident who accused him, who was a real piece of work. Loved the book!

I have known Dr. Edelin for a number of years and always have found him to be an engaging speaker and a great storyteller. This book did not disappoint. It is amazing to imagine one person going through what he went through....the turn of events was such that I couldn't believe that it was a non-fiction book!

This is an important book on the subject of Roe vs Wade and the parallels to a John Grisham novel in describing the court room scenes are accurate. I felt the energy of the 70's and his experiences as a young man faced with such a frightening indictment. Where it differs from John Grisham novels that I have read is that this was the first book I had where someone had gone in-depth into the medical profession and explained it in a way that made sense to a non-doctor. He makes the medical world accessible and interesting in the same way that Grisham and Turow have made the legal world accessible and interesting.

Overall this is a great read and one that I have already recommended to many others.

Broken Justice captures its reader's attention from the very first page. This book is not only a story of a young Black doctor fighting for his rights in racist Boston, but fighting for the rights of all Women, in Boston and through out this country. It is hard at times to turn the page because of the injustice that keeps emerging on each page, but at the same time it is hard not to keep going so as to find out how this young doctor continued to survive through this treacherous time in his life, because the book grips you and forces you to continue.

This book is a must read for people of all ages, genders and races. If we are to unite as a country, it is pertinent for all of us to understand everyone's struggle. Dr. Edelin fought for himself, but more importantly he selflessly fought for others. And 30 plus years after his trial he still fights and believes in the same rights as he did then. Thank you for giving this book to us!

I have met Dr Edelin in 1975 and have known him during the post trial years. His motivation for the work he has done is nothing but honorable .. a man following his beliefs for the good and welfare of people. This book demonstrates, once again, the broken legal system, with all of its prejudice in a very polarized city,not unlike many tainted trials. In Ken's instance, it is shameful of our legal system to have put this esteemed and caring doctor through the ringer for selfish and biased reasons. Once I began this book, I couldn't put it down.

T.D. Jakes writes in a simple manner that speaks quietly to the inner spirit. This book is uplifting and encouraging, offering thought and insight to a having a blessed life.

In Late May/early June I submitted a book review on Can You Stand to be Blessed. Will it appear with the other list of reviews?

If not, themustardseed.com has asked if they can use the review.

Please respond to ejordan114@aol.com or elmariaj@hotmail.com.

Thanking you in advance

I know for me I Can Stand to Blessed! I felt as if the book was talking to me and I needed someone to write the words down for me to read. Thank God for Bishop T. D. Jakes. I can't get enough of his books. Get God and Get ready to be Blessed...

I enjoy being blesssed not ashamed of it and want to continually keep getting blessed, and am a blessing to people.

There is more to receiving God's blessings than meets the eye. The blessings of God are greater than words. I've learned and I'm continuing to learn that there is indeed a process (before you're even aware of it) that takes place (in you) before a manifestation of God's blessing is handed down. The beauty is it's God who gives the blessings, but also it's God who enables us not only to extend our hand to receive the blessing, but it's also God who enables us to open that same hand. As God opens our hand to receive His blessings He also prepares us, prepares our heart, our emotions, and our abilities (in advance) to handle the opposition, the resentment, the rejection and the pain that comes from friends, family, church members, and yes, even the saints of God. You see so many people (Christians, and non-Christians alike) want the blessing, but are they first in love with the giver of the blessing, the Sovereign One? It is through reading this book (Can You Stand to be Blessed) that I'm reminded of the organization and the turn of events, that take place while in the process of being, "BEING PROCESSED FOR GOD'S BLESSING."

Once Again, T.D. Jakes, Thanks for sharing what either our parents, aunts, and uncles didn't know, or perhaps they just didn't know how to share on being a receiver of God's blessings. I will continue to pass on the gift of learning, and sharing not only just the blessings of God, but also the preparation process.

I've been on a blessing journey for quite a while. I'm on the way, and yes there are some good times along the way, however, there are also some not so good times. The truth, the truth must be shared. The blessings of God are available but "Can You Stand to be Blessed" is the question.

You Can Stand to be Blessed, but you mustn't nor will the Father allow you to miss the process. Oh God cares for us soooo much, that every step in His process will be completed to His satisfaction before we are allowed to move on.

T.D. Jakes, I continue lifting you up in the hearing of the Father, believing that God continues to sharpen your hearing of His voice as you continue to share the Father's heart with the people.

You too continue being able, and willing to "Stand to be Blessed"

Having just gone through radiation and chemotherapy for cervical cancer myself, I was very interested to read this author's take on how having cancer affected her life in so many ways.

I think everyone depending upon their stage in life (mine was mid-50's, 4 grown children and 2 teens at home, self-employed, married 30 years), has different reactions both emotionally and physically as well as spiritually. However, as Gail Konop Baker writes, those reactions and your stage in life determine a lot about how you approach the results, surgery, treatment and follow-up visits.

Ms. Baker's reactions of wondering about how her kids would get on without her, what her husband might do or should have done and whether her own personal life is as best she could make it are pretty common reactions. Her treatment of them is touching, sad, funny and passionate! She is also very frank about her worries on her appearance, the aftermath and her husband's and children's responses to her illness.

A very entertaining and informative read!

Gail Konop Baker's novel, "Cancer Is a Bitch" is a beautifully written book about life, marriage, family, love, fear, joy, and courage. Baker talks to you like a best friend. You find yourself crying with her, laughing with her, empathizing with her, and identifying with her. Most of all, you admire her for her spunk and courage as she battles an uninvited visitor, cancer and comes face to face with her own mortality. Baker writes candidly and with great sensitivity about a subject that is often swept to the side or denied. What the author teaches the reader is that she is able to reach a higher awareness of self and life by bringing the enemy out in the open and giving it a name.

I started this book intending only to read for a few moments before dashing away to the next thing in my datebook and was immediately pulled in, instead. By page twenty-one, I'd already cried three times, in the way that only the perfect mix of humor, author self-awareness and heartbreak can bring; not because I was sad for the author, but because the story is so beautifully written and so identifiable from any place in life, so real, so balanced and so thought-provoking. I found myself thinking, "You know, that's how I would react, too; that's what I think, too. I didn't realize I thought that until right now, but I do, so very much."

This memoir, based on Gail's wonderful Literary Mama column, Bare- Breasted Mama, is funny, frank, and poignant. It's a terrific, uplifting story, that will speak to anyone who's ever been a mother, or a wife, or a writer, not to mention its relevance to anyone who's been touched by cancer.

Somehow, Gail manages to take this incredibly trying personal story and turn it into a deep, funny, thoughtful examination of, essentially, life itself. Bravo!