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The Huckenpuck Papers is the tale of a family's secret and a young girl's search for self-esteem. Superbly written by P.J. Pokeberry for young readers ages 8 to 12, the wise and lovable animal characters deal with serious subjects including pregnancy, sex, physical abuse, abortion, and even suicide. A unique and very highly recommended addition for school and community library collection, this fantasy fable is deftly and effectively written to assist the readers and their parents when facing similar problems in the real world.

Book Review The Human Development Report Written for Amazon.com

By Alice Tepper Marlin

The international economy and its influence on the fluctuations in the stock market are attracting the media spotlight more than ever before. Yet, a more human struggle on a massive scale has been scarcely noticed. The disparities in consumption highlighted in the ninth annual Human Development Report brings attention to these pains by counting the winners and losers in humankind's long fight against hunger disease and poverty. The report's statistical tables chart the progress of 174 countries as they attempt to provide their citizens with adequate food, cleaning water, basic shelter and hygiene, primary health care and education. A common point of view underlies the treatment of these subjects: that sluggish development can be understood largely through the lens of the global consumption of goods and services. The conclusion offers grounds for both encouragement and great foreboding.

Information is presented in 5 chapters discussing topics such as the global state of human development, the unequal impacts of consumption and environmental damage and a prescription for accelerating progress. Human development statistics and rankings for each country are detailed in 26 tables. The overview summarizes the report's findings, profiling the world's economic outlook and provides short-term and long-term recommendations. The conclusion proposes an agenda for action, one that encourages technological innovation, the introduction of regulation and legislation, and capacity building. The Human Development Report also succeeds in covering such vital subjects as the impact of conflict resolution, infrastructure, social barriers to opportunities, and sustainable agriculture on development progress. The report is user-friendly, with good size type and clear graphics. The style of writing is succinct and intelligent, assuming knowledge of only basic social, environmental and economic indicators, and explains sophisticated concepts in simple direct language.

The report takes the position that there is no single cause for developmental progress. It argues that the world's poorest countries face a choice between repeating the industrialization and growth patterns of the last century -with their legacy of environmental pollution and inequitable resource distribution -or charting a new course that accelerates human progress while minimizing pitfalls. Another key factor is the power of citizens and consumers to affect shared destinies. The sophisticated consumer, environmental and human rights movements of the last forty years all point toward effective citizen action as a counterweight to unchecked corporate and governmental power. New consumer programs like Green Seal and the Forest Stewardship Council labels in the United States or the more established Blue Angel labeling Germany offers a means to channel purchasing power into socially responsible products. Consumer choice can also provide a link between people in industrial and developing nations, enabling us to turn our shopping carts into vehicle for social change.

Through its summaries of detailed empirical data, it shows the world, as a whole, experiencing a consumption boom and a massive, unprecedented wave of increased poverty. Total public and private global consumption in 1998 year is estimated at $24 trillion, more than twice the level of 1975 and six times that of 1950. Yet, the fruits of such prosperity is not evenly distributed with the wealthiest 1/5 of the worlds population responsible for a staggering 86 percent of global consumption, while the poorest fifth share a miniscule 1.3 percent.

Long a standard in the field, The Human Development Report reflects fresh thinking on old and new problems confronting the development community. Its summary analysis, country specific data and success in showing connections amongst a wide variety of subjects, is sure to make it a useful resource for researchers. It is also valuable for policy makers who increasingly find themselves dealing with complex issues of growth, poverty and social welfare.

This book is an outstanding teaching tool for the undergraduate classroom, and a fine introduction to Latin American history for educated laypersons. The individual biographies cover a wide range of historical experiences, but share the unity of revealing the lives of ordinary Latin Americans from c.1800 to the 1980s. Castro, Pele, Evita & Juan Peron, etc. are not here, but the subjects are just as interesting & perhaps more representative. It is well-balanced according to gender, though coverage of individual countries is less so, with Mexico & Brazil well-represented, others less & many not at all. The level of scholarship is consistently high, and just as important, the contributors all write in an engaging & accessible style. Minor criticisms include the lack of any maps & portraits of the subjects, & much less full treatment of Latin American Indians. Further, since this work was boiled down from two larger works (19th & 20th centuries), there are fascinating lives which had to be excluded; personally I would have retained 3-5 more chapters & still kept it under c.350 pages. But one can always quibble.... Also regrettably, co-editors Judith Ewell & William Beezley--who treats his students to "Hawaiian Shirt Day" for extra credit!--justly point out the importance of humor in their intro., but have deleted many of the more exemplary chapters of that kind. Nevertheless, for many kinds of readers, "Human Tradition" is both a pleasure & a treasure.

Dr. Cashion has a remarkable knack for blending his field research into rich, entertaining accounts and stories. I wish all historians could put their work into human perspective like Ty.

Nancy Rhoden and Ian Steele edit The Human Tradition In The American Revolution gathering concise essays to explore many facts of the American Revolution. From Afro-American and Native American participants to a minister and frontiersmen, this focuses on individuals who made a difference.

A new arrival and notable reference for anyone studying American history and culture, Benson Tong and Regan Lutz's Human Tradition In The American West helps explain the changing cultural and social relationships of the early American West, using individual biographies to consider a region which often challenges easy answers. Chapters uses these biographies to examine a range of lives and experiences of the times.

Ballard Campbell edits The Gilded Age And Progressive Era, examining public figures at the turn of the 20th century. Biography blends with historical review and analysis in this important coverage.

A dozen biographies of those opposed to or affected by Vietnam serve as the foundation for revealing how individuals were influenced by events of the times. Human Tradition in the Vietnam Era goes beyond most Vietnam books to provide a cross-section of opinions and experiences documenting the lasting effects of the war.

The Human Tradition In The World War II Era is an informative collection of brief biographical sketches presenting the American experience during the second world war by examining the conflict through the ordeals of a broad array of men and women. Here are the stories of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines who served in the European and pacific theaters. The Human Tradition In The World War II Era is divided into three major sections: The Home Front; The Government; and The Sharp End. Readers will appreciate a fuller understanding of the tremendous war effort mounted by the Americas, and gain a deeper sense of the war's profound impact on American society at large, and the lives of individuals both in the field and at home. This is very highly recommended, compelling, instructive reading for students of 20th century American history, culture, and participation in World War II.

This book is an exhaustive compilation of articles written by leading cardiologists and medical researchers who study the diseases and functioning of the heart. The sheer size of the book (over 2600 pages) make it a challenge to read entirely, but the articles that can be read are worthwhile spending time on. The only minus to the book is that there are no articles on the mathematical or computational modeling of the heart. But for studies in anatomy and physiology of the heart, and treatment of heart disease, this book is excellent. One would expect a higher price for the book considering its size and the color plates it has enclosed, so even at $150.00 it is still really a bargain.