Book Description
Why do some students in the United States make the most of college, while others struggle and look back on years of missed opportunities? What choices can students make, and what can teachers and university leaders do to improve more students' experiences and help them make the most of their time and monetary investment? And how is greater diversity on campus--cultural, racial, and religious--affecting education? How can students and faculty benefit from differences and learn from the inevitable moments of misunderstanding and awkwardness?
Two Harvard University Presidents invited Richard Light and his colleagues to explore these questions, resulting in ten years of interviews with 1,600 Harvard students. Making the Most of College offers concrete advice on choosing classes, talking productively with advisors, improving writing and study skills, maximizing the value of research assignments, and connecting learning inside the classroom with the rest of life.
The stories that students shared with Light and his colleagues about their experiences of inspiration, frustration, and discovery fill the book with spirit. Some of the anecdotes are funny, some are moving, and some are surprising. Many are wise--especially about the ways of getting the best, in classroom and dormitory, from the new racial and ethnic diversity.
Filled with practical advice, illuminated with stories of real students' self-doubts, failures, discoveries, and hopes, Making the Most of College presents strategies for academic success.
Customer Reviews:
So you've been admitted to a top school; now what?.......2007-06-13
If you are interested in this book, check out the hard-cover edition which is available both new and used for substantially less than the paperback.
I was introduced to this book by a friend who is heavily involved in undergraduate advising. I had not heard of Prof. Light or of this work previously, and I wonder whether it is less widely known than it deserves to be.
The title and cover of the book are a bit misleading. It could easily be mistaken for a self-help book and/or a book that covers a wide spectrum of college environments. For this, I fault the publisher rather than the author. Readers who come to it expecting one of the above will indeed find it lacking. It assumes students are motivated and goes from there. If you're looking for a book to provide motivation, this is not it.
The book in fact presents the results of ten years' research, primarily around Harvard undergraduates. To understand the context fully, one should read the first item of back matter, "The Assessment", first. There has been some attempt to generalize by involving faculty from 25 other institutions (which are neither named nor characterized), but the real focus is on Harvard.
There are good reasons for this. Harvard is a very selective place, and its administration has both the wherewithal and the motivation to make every student's experience as rich as possible in the full knowledge that for every student who disengages, there were ten other equally qualified applicants for whom there was not room. Thus, Harvard funded the study, the results are particularly applicable to it, and its own press published it. It is unrealistic to carp that the book wasn't about something else.
So who should be reading this book? Sadly enough, it should most be read by those Harvard faculty members who are not particularly interested in developing undergraduates to see what they're missing. Perhaps Harvard's recently-launched initiative in excellence in teaching will help; the question of advising remains murkier. Academic staff anywhere who aspire to do a better job in helping their students launch their adult lives are bound to find useful perspectives and practical nuggets. I think the book will be mostly lost on undergraduates; I wouldn't have understood it then, much as it might have been useful. Parents of high-potential college students might find it helpful in understanding what their children are going through, but to use it as a guide to advising their parentally-resistant (or, worse, parentally-dominated) offspring may be unproductive. Using it in a peer-advising context is a waste of time, as you can see from other reviews. I suspect there are good nuggets here for secondary school educators as well.
This book makes an interesting contrast with the more recent book, "Excellence Without a Soul" by Harry Lewis, who was the Dean of Harvard College during the time Light was finishing this book. Lewis's book reflects personal opinions on the same issues (and more); its underpinnings are based on his own experiences rather than the extensive interviewing process Light uses. Taking the two together provides even better insights than either separately.
Goodness: Among his many detailed points, Light talks (sometimes through the students) of the importance - and difficulty - of clear exposition in reporting on scientific research and of the value of evidence-based discourse, and this book provides an exemplar of both. The book is not heavy on theory with consequent bulky endnotes, and the bibliography is of reasonable size.
Quibbles: Light intermixes Harvard-specific terminology (e.g., proctor) with more generic equivalents (e.g., dorm supervisor) without making the connection for the reader. He presents most of his dilemmas from the viewpoint of a student in the social sciences, which are somewhat different from those encountered by students in the humanities or - especially - the natural sciences. There is so little indentation in the extended quotes from the students that it is sometimes hard to tell whose voice is speaking. The inner margins in both the hardcover and the paperback are so tight that it's hard to read without breaking the spine. And the editing could have been a bit tighter.
The above could easily reduce my rating by a star, but on balance I think the importance of the work and the clarity (if occasionally redundant) of the exposition overcome these. Perhaps I should say five stars if your desired frame of reference is a selective, research university, and four stars otherwise.
Better the second time around.......2006-06-02
The first time I read this book (in 2002) I wasn't at all impressed. As a student affairs professional, I kept thinking that Light (as is the case with most academics) basically ignored the role of student affairs as a significant source of student support and education. I also thought he was writing the obvious.
I re-read the book in 2005, however, and had a very different experience of it. Light refutes some of the "conventional wisdom" (such as the common feeling that it is best to get all of the "requirements" out of the way early) and backs up what he says with solid reasoning.
The major weakness of this book is it's focus on Harvard students as the research sample. The book would have gained considerable credibilty if Light had made a diligent effort to reach beyond Cambridge and beyond the Ivy League to learn what makes students at other kinds of campuses successful.
That being said, this is an important book for anyone who advises college students: faculty, academic advisors, and student affairs professionals. I would also recommend it for High School guidance counselors and parents. Students might or might not enjoy it; again, the Harvard focus could make it seem perhaps irrelevant to many.
Making the Most of Light.......2005-11-07
I am a peer academic advisor at a West Coast college. I was assigned this book as part of my peer advising training, so I read this book from the perspective of a student. Overall, I found the book mixed in its helpfulness to students.
Chapter 3, "Suggestions from Students", contains the bulk of practically useful information. The title itself underlines one of the book's key ideas: students learn from each other. While substantial student interaction occurs behinds classroom doors, Light notes correctly that "learning outside of classes, especially in residential settings and extracurricular activities such as the arts, is vital" (p. 8). More subtly, Light suggests that college leaders and other individuals must make conscious efforts to develop the kind of environment that facilitates symbiotic learning between students. He writes,
when students refer in their interviews to those that build campus culture, they do not just mean deans or residence hall directors or leaders of student organizations ... They are really characterizing _every student_, in the old-fashioned sense of believing that each person can make a difference by setting an example (p. 194, his emphasis).
Later, he continues,
deans and adults should convey to all incoming students that they have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience, in their college years, a new set of people with new ideas that may challenge their own. They should encourage students to see these few precious years as a special chance to meet, work with, and get to know others who are unlike themselves (p. 196).
So far so good. The rest of the book, I felt, was short on concrete advice for students. Here, I'll mention some thoughts that occurred to me while I was reading the book.
First, despite Light's claims, I am unconvinced that his results generalize. Light is a statistician by training, and I was surprised that he did not offer any comparative statistics to substantiate his claims; as such, his work may be more aptly called Making The Most Of Harvard (or more accurately, How Faculty Can Help Students Make The Most Of Harvard).
Second, not only does Light's results not generalize across colleges, he also does not provide evidence to show that they generalize across a diverse group of students (strange, since he devotes a large part of the book to diversity). There are no tables, graphs, charts, or summary statistics that back up his claim that his results generalize; in particular, the book focused mostly on students who are ex ante driven and motivated towards success - Light says nothing about the selection bias that arises from sampling a group of Harvard students, who are more likely than not to possess the characteristics necessary for success.
All in, I found Light's book informative, but unhelpful. I will not deny that there are lessons to be learnt if one puts some thought into it. As a peer academic advisor, however, much of the book was made up of clichés, platitudes, and findings that were irrelevant to my work. Faculty and administrators, however, may find the book more useful.
Pretentious .......2005-09-21
It should have been titled, Making the Most of Harvard: Students Speak Their Minds. We were required to read this book for an English writing class. Some of the suggestions in the book are helpful, like time management and getting help if you are not scoring well but only if you read this book *before* you go to college.
Light makes suggestions that may not be feasable, including finding a class with very few students because it will be benificial. Our class also felt that Light's suggestion of picking roomates according to race is ludicrous.
3.5 Stars... Worthwhile reading for/re incoming college freshmen.......2005-07-08
My son and I went through the college search process in the past year (he'll start college next month), and we actually had quite a good time doing the college campus visits, narrowing down his choices, etc. Now that he is about to start college, I fell upon this book by accident.
"Making the Most of College" is from some professor at Harvard whom I readily admit I've never heard about before. But the author actually makes a number of (seemingly) good points that I thought made a lot of sense (disclaimer: I did not go to college in the US but in Belgium, so I cannot easily compare it to "the old days"). The book does get tedious at times,and as such is not geared to/written for incoming freshmen but more for parents and teachers. I cannot imagine too many incoming freshmen reading through the whole thing (my son certainly did not), but I did discuss certain passages of the book with him. What good (if any) it will do him, who knows... only time will tell :-)
Customer Reviews:
Great Insight on Problem Solving.......2007-01-09
The book is about problem solving. The authors are famous for their great insight in computer programming and problem solving. Rather than stating the 10 Commandments of problem solving, the authors took a long but more effective way. They tell a story in each section to end up with a sparkling insight. The book is very unique in the way of presenting the idea and insight - An illustration in every couple of pages, bold and capitalized texts all over to emphasize, a list of possible actions or solutions along with multiple choices, a brilliant sense of humor, etc. What they accomplished with such attempt is readers' attention and impact on their lessons to give.
What's the problem?.......2006-10-22
This is a very effective guidebook to problem solving.
The book is a fast & easy read; it's whimsical, sometimes even annoyingly so, but it addresses a lot of overlooked or discounted aspects of problem solving that often cause us to miss the mark.
By providing well chosen examples this book shows us a better perspective on the importance of problem definition, ownership, and point of view. It even challenges us to consider whether the problem should be solved at all. The examples are fiction, but as with all good fiction, they contain a kernel of truth but the facts can be manipulated to better show how point of view and problem ownership can alter the nature of the problem and thus render one solution better than another. These "problems" are designed so that the reader does not become distracted by the problem itself and lose focus of the principles of the problem solving process being shown
I found it interesting and helpful to see how solving one problem can cause another problem to surface or how solving one problem can create a new problem for others.
The specific problem that gave rise to the name of this book was very well presented and showed how a real understanding of the true nature of a problem can lead to knowing exactly what is needed for a really good solution.
All in all I found this a very helpful book.
Spend time observing, thinking - then - acting if useful..........2006-05-28
Similar to two consulting books written by Weinberg, this Gause/Weinberg work ...
a) is straight up
b) doesn't waste my time with frills
c) illustrates ideas through stories
d) overloads you with many useful themes immediately applicable
This book presents basic life problems encountered by many .. shows two opposing views into the scenario, and helps the reader see the various ways to observe, approach, solve (with repercussions to consider) and learn from along the way.
Put it in the portfolio with other Weinberg books and you begin to formulate a thoughtful, customer focused service worldview. Worth the time.!.
A funny little book..........2005-09-15
... with some serious ideas. If you are a fan of Weinberg then go ahead and buy it. It provides good insight to the process of problem solving.
Delightful and thought-provoking, light on solutions.......2004-12-05
This engaging little book helps you step back and see your problems from a broader perspective, which helps you solve them more effectively. It also introduces you to a number of truths about problems, especially that solving one problem always creates another.
What this book does not do, however, is tell you how to solve problems. If you're looking for how-to, look elsewhere.
Customer Reviews:
Making Wise Choices.......2007-07-20
These First Place Bible studies provide so much spiritual support. You can spend as little as 10 min. a day with each day's lesson. Or, if you're like most of us First Placer's, You'll want to linger longer on what the Lord is trying to tell you. There are many First Place Bible studies. Just try one. You'll be glad you did.
Making Wise Choices.......2006-03-16
Although I have not yet finished with this Bible study, I have been a little disappointed with the first six lessons. This is the fifth First Place Bible study book that I have done, and I have found all of the others to be great. This study seems to have less Scripture and more questions asking the student to reflect on his own thoughts and feelings. Some of the questions are hypothetical and difficult to answer as well as somewhat repetitious. Authors need to stick with immersing students with God's Word and what it has to say.
Average customer rating:
- Delinsky does not fail to provide another good read
- Vintage Violets; Wine At Its Best
- Another enjoyable book by Barbara Delinsky
- Trite, trite, trite - HELP!
- Real and Gritty
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The Vineyard: A Novel
Barbara Delinsky
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ASIN: 0684864843
Release Date: 2000-06-06 |
Amazon.com
Like a glass of good pinot noir, Barbara Delinsky's The Vineyard is best enjoyed slowly. The Vineyard follows the triumphs and tragedies of the Seebrings, a wealthy family of vintners in Rhode Island. The story begins when recently widowed, 76-year-old Natalie Seebring announces her scandalous engagement to none other than the vineyard manager, Carl, whose social standing is, needless to say, several notches beneath the Seebrings'. Natalie's children, Susanne and Greg, are furious with their mother for marrying the help, and only six months after their father's death.
Besides her remarriage, Natalie is working on a family history project, one she hopes will explain all the love and loss she has endured before reaching happiness at long last. She recruits Olivia Jones to help with the project, and Olivia and her daughter Tess move out to the vineyard for the summer. Tension builds with the summer heat as the wedding approaches. To make matters worse, Carl's son Simon, the new vineyard manager, is coldly resentful of Olivia and Tess, who remind him of the wife and daughter he has lost. But amidst all this, Natalie Seebring's long-buried past is slowly revealed, and like a summer storm, the truth blows through the vineyard, leaving everything different in its wake.
Barbara Delinsky says she was influenced by Tom Brokaw's The Greatest Generation in writing The Vineyard, and Natalie Seebring is a fine tribute to the strong, silent Americans who made so many sacrifices during World War II. Keep a hankie close by when reading this one. Family tragedy, unlikely romance, and old wrongs finally made right will have you laughing and crying. --Francine McBride
Book Description
In The Vineyard, New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky (Lake News, Coast Road, Three Wishes) has written her most complex and emotionally rewarding novel: a story of two women, a generation apart, each of whose dream becomes bound with the other's.
To her family, Natalie Seebring is a woman who prizes appearances. She is exquisitely mannered, socially adept, a supportive wife, and head of a successful wine-producing enterprise. So when she announces plans to marry a vineyard employee mere months after the death of her husband of fifty-eight years, her son and daughter are stunned. Faced with their disapproval, Natalie decides to write a memoir. There is much that her children don't know about her life -- about her love of the vineyard, her role in fighting to build it up, and the sacrifices she made for her family.
Olivia Jones is a dreamer, living vicariously through the old photographs she restores. She and her daughter, Tess, have no one but themselves, so they cling to the fantasy that a big, happy family is out there somewhere, just waiting to welcome them home. When Olivia is hired by Natalie to help with her memoir, a summer at Natalie's beautiful vineyard by the sea seems the perfect opportunity to live out that fantasy -- an elegant home by the shore, a salary that allows her to hire a tutor for her dyslexic daughter, a job that is creative, hours spent with a woman who has led a charmed life.
But all is not as it seems, Olivia and Tess discover when they arrive at Asquonset, the vineyard in Rhode Island. While welcoming, Natalie is not quite the mothering type, as is quickly evident in the hostility her daughter and son have toward her -- it's a hostility that Olivia must buffer. Another dose of stark reality comes in the form of Simon Burke, who runs the vineyard's day-to-day operation and sees in Olivia and Tess an unwelcome reminder of the wife and daughter he tragically lost. And then there is the cruel reality of Olivia's own life -- the mother who never wanted her, and a career that has floundered.
Natalie's story, intended for her own children, enlightens Olivia as well. The lives of these two women of different generations, parallel in so many ways, become, in The Vineyard, a powerful and moving story as the fantasy of an idealized life, complete with perfect romance, crashes headlong into reality.
Download Description
When Natalie Seebring, seventy-six, announces plans to marry within months of the death of her husband of fifty-eight years, her son and daughter are stunned. In the face of their disapproval, Natalie decides it's time to talk about the past and reveal the secrets she has kept for decades. She hires Olivia Jones, an incorrigible dreamer, to help write her memoir and invites Olivia and her daughter Tess to spend the summer at the family vineyard. As summer deepens and the vineyard's crop ripens, Natalie's story unfolds and startles one family member after another. While Olivia's fantasy of finding a welcoming family for herself and Tess remains as tenuous as the success of the season's crop, Natalie's unraveling life story offers lessons for her, too. Perhaps most important is learning to accept the reality of a good life over the fantasy of one that will always seem better. Ultimately, in a tale that mirrors the vineyard summer, days of hope and fear lead to a sweet harvest for all.
Customer Reviews:
Delinsky does not fail to provide another good read.......2006-05-07
So far, every book I've read by Delinsky (Coast Road, Three Wishes and Lake News) has been one I've had a hard time putting down. And one well worth the read.
There is something about the stories and characters that Delinsky weaves....they instantly pull you in, you care about what will happen to them and you enjoy the journey.
The Vineyard is mainly about family, those that have family and those that don't. It shows that even though you may have family, you may not get along with them, but perhaps it's better to be grateful, since some people don't have any family at all! It's also about courage and strength that people manage to find within themselves to carry them through out the obstacles and tough times in their lives. It's about opening up to other people and finding a good friend. It's about the old saying, "don't judge a book by it's cover"- as each of the characters prove of themselves.
Good read- recommended!
Vintage Violets; Wine At Its Best.......2005-03-10
After enjoying FLIRTING WITH PETE and LAKE NEWS I wasn't planning to read more Barbara Delinsky novels right away, since I believed I had already read the ones with themes related to my pursuits or interests.
Then I read THE VINEYARD excerpt at the end of my LAKE NEWS paperback.
I was captured with the ingenious way each main character was introduced by his/her reaction to a wedding invitation from a couple in their 70's and 80's. Of course I wanted to read more; curiosity was precisely stirred from the contrast of negative and positive reactions to this unusual situation.
I bought and read THE VINEYARD, becoming fully involved and pleasantly satisfied with the story, even though I hadn't known I would be so thoroughly engrossed in a family owned vineyard. Was concerned that I might find the history interjections boring and the writing style of an older generation focus a bit too forced (not many writers can capture the beauty and graceful vitality of age until they've arrived there and developed the graciousness).
But, BD handled all with just the right amount of detail, genuine warmth, and ingeniously natural intrusion techniques. For me this book was a reader kidnap, from the first page on.
I have mountains of positive input on this exquisite novel, but I'm testing the effect of short and sweet, instead of writing my typical epistle on a novel. Since I've already slipped on a banana peel heading smack into too long and savory, I'll ...
Another enjoyable book by Barbara Delinsky.......2004-11-09
THE VINEYARD by Barbara Delinsky
November 8, 2004
I've read a number of books by Barbara Delinsky, most of which I enjoyed a lot. THE VINEYARD is not going to be one of my favorites, but I think I'm going to remember it mainly because I had a hard time liking the main character.
Olivia Jones restores old photographs for a living. She's a single mother, with a daughter (Tess) who has a learning disability. The reader will discover that Olivia is a person that deals with a rough reality by hiding behind daydreams. She in particular finds herself dreaming about the people in the photographs she restores, including a series of them sent to her boss, Otis, by a woman who runs a vineyard.
Natalie Seebring is Otis' client, a woman who is in her twilight years and needs an assistant to help write her life story. Olivia accidentally comes across this request for Otis to recommend someone to fulfill this task, and soon she is dreaming of being that assistant, imagining what each person in those photographs is like. Believe it or not, she soon finds herself working for the matriarch of this family, and she and Tess move to the vineyard to spend the summer there.
The story takes on two main plots. While the story of Natalie's life is being told, the reader will learn about her childhood, how she meets her deceased husband Alexander, as well as how she met her current fiancé, Carl. The second plot involves Olivia, and a man she meets at the vineyard, Simon, who also happens to be Carl's son. Simon and Olivia seem to have something in common, and that is, they are both afraid to venture forth into a relationship with the opposite sex. But both are obviously attracted to each other, and their romance evolves slowly as the story moves on.
Other characters come into play, in particular the grown children of Natalie, Susanne and Greg, and a third child, Brad, who remains a mystery throughout most of the book. His story comes out at the very end, and although I had suspected some of what was to be revealed, I was still somewhat shocked, just as the characters in the book were, too.
While I don't recommend this book as a first time reader to Barbara Delinsky's books, I believe that those who enjoyed her more recent books may enjoy this one. The irritating characters of Olivia and Tess, however, may grate on some nerves, as it did mine. Olivia is a very weak, naive, type of person, and I found it very difficult to feel sorry for a woman that dealt with reality by hiding in daydreams and believing them to be true. Her daughter was a bratty young girl who unfortunately got picked on a lot by her peers, mostly because of her attitude and inability to make friends with others, and not by her disability as mother and daughter are led to believe.
On the other hand, I think an author is doing a good job if a reader can feel intense dislike or like for an invented character. I had no problems with the writing. And I looked forward to reading each chapter as I read about Natalie's life story. Overall, I enjoyed THE VINEYARD and as always, look forward to reading more by Barbara Delinksy.
Trite, trite, trite - HELP!.......2004-01-07
I struggled through this book - my first Delinsky book. I read it because my book club wanted to read it. I almost didn't make it through the entire book and I wonder what the other book club members will have to say. For me, it was like sitting in front of the TV watching a bad daytime soap opera. I found it to be a waste of time and I was happy that the length of the book was the only real challenge for me. I thought Olivia's character - she sleeps with Simon after only a month of staring at one another from across the lawn - was weak and uninteresting, sappy and whiny. To top it off, she and Simon sleep in the same bed with the 10 year old daughter in the next room and this is considered a great romance!! Pullease. I can't think of a single thing other than perhaps the discussion of how the grape vines ripen that was interesting to me. Yuck. I'm on to The Da Vinci Code - THANK GOD!
DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME - READ A GOOD BOOK.
Real and Gritty.......2003-12-22
I really like Barbara Delinsky's style of writing. You feel as if you are an actual part of the story rather than "remote viewing" as is the case in nearly every other romance fiction writer.
Nor is there any sordid, soft porn sex scenes to tittilate voyeuristic lust. She builds her love scenes as a gradual, gentle and deeply insightful awakening. She reveals romance in an elegant, classy and very tasteful manner that engages the reader in the reality of the eventual mating without grossing out the reader with the vulgarity found in Stephanie Laurens or even Nora Roberts show-all-tell-all graphic manner that forces some readers to skip those "steamy" pages. Delinsky's books are like opening a box of treasures and never being disappointed or repelled by the contents.
Delinsky also has a wonderful sense of philosophy about family relationships and the manner in which to build strong ones despite setbacks and condemnation by said family or friends. In this book she examines the greatly flawed assumptions that middle aged children dump on their elderly 76 year old mother when she elects to marry her vineyard manager and childhood lover after the death of her husband and father of the kids.
Also this fascinating story is about the labor intensive work of farming a vineyard and the whole issue of sacrifices made by a very strong woman for her entire life to ensure a long term goal of security which makes this story very empowering to women.
I did not care for the manipulative, self pitying, pathological liar Olivia, a photo restorer, who happens through connection to her retiring boss to find a position in the vinyardist's own household for the summer to help organize memoirs, restore old photos and write the book that will explain to Natalie's adult children why she is marrying Carl and the truth about their biological father. Olivia's learning disabled and dysfunctional child dropped into the mix is just plain annoying, but the author deals with this difficult topic in an informed and proactive way. Then, there is Simon, the sour, recalcitrant, rejecting vineyard co-manager whose lost his mother, wife and child in a freak sailing accident caused by drunken sailors in another watercraft. After 4 years he is still wallowing in anger and self pity. Both Simon and the child Tess make the book grating at times, especially the kid's rebellion against authority and her special education teachers. Then there is Olivia's whining about her long lost alcoholic mother whose rejection has forced her to live in fantasyland her entire life. She even fantasizes that she is a long lost member of Natalie's household. This is all a bit much.
However, I do recommend this book for the elegant prose and style that the author brings. She makes me think of Guy Gavriel Kay's exquisite writing style as she unfolds a story in a rich tapestry of life in a microcosm. I will definitely read more of her stories.
Average customer rating:
- No Soapbox
- Little Gem
- Gives permission for all the types of vegetarians
- Do another seach, there is a better book for you out there
- Learning about Vegetarianism & Spirituality
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Eating In The Light: Making the Switch to Vegetarianism on Your Spiritual Path
Doreen Virtue , and
Becky Black
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Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
ASIN: 1561708054 |
Book Description
In this fascinating book, learn the spiritual properties of different food and beverage groups so that you can make informed decisions about what to eat and drink. You'll begin to feel a lightness of being, enhanced peace of mind, and inner fulfillment, in addition to maintaining your ideal weight and emanating radiant health.
Customer Reviews:
No Soapbox.......2007-08-23
Bought the book with trepidation, because my experience with most veggie authors has been preachy. This was refreshing in that it allows folks to be where they are . . and make gradual choices. Even one story where relationship and connecting at a friends meal was more important than being a purist vegetarian. Refreshing, well written and a great primer for those wanting to know how to eat correctly making the switch.
Little Gem.......2007-05-15
This is a short little book I bought because I was contemplating becoming a vegetarian for spiritual reasons. Eating In The Light spells out the different kinds of vegetarians and gives some general recommendations regarding nutrition and making the transition to vegetarianism all from a spiritual standpoint. If you already know about vegetarianism this may be too basic for you, but for the individual just beginning to contemplate the path, I think it's very helpful.
Gives permission for all the types of vegetarians.......2003-01-07
I found this book pretty helpful. I especially liked the fact that they're not pushing strict anti-carnivourism as the only way. I also liked the fact that it is a smaller pocket size. I can take it when I go shopping and refer to it.
Do another seach, there is a better book for you out there.......2002-11-01
I read others' reviews before I bought this book and I have to say that I am very surprised that no one mentions that it is only a 4x6 inch, slim, pocket book! As you can imagine, it contains very little information. It will take you about half an hour to read, maybe an hour if you read slowly. If you are already a vegaterian, then you don't need to buy this - I promise you there is nothing that you don't already know in this book. If you are not a vegetarian, then you are better off buying a more comprehensive book on the subject...
Learning about Vegetarianism & Spirituality.......2001-08-02
This is a wonderful book for anyone who has questions about becoming a vegetarian, or for people who already are vegetarian. It helps one to make informed decisions on the very personal choice of whether to eat meat and animal products. I became a vegetarian over two years ago after reading Dr. Virtue's book Divine Guidance, where she states that she was informed during meditation that her clairvoyance was being inhibited by eating meat and ingesting the pain from the animal flesh.
I highly recommend this book. I love the practical, how-to information included on how to shop for and prepare vegetarian food, as well as tips on how to order vegan and vegetarian meals in restaurants, and how to handle situations like eating meals with family and friends who do not follow a vegetarian lifestyle. The book is sized small enough so you can even take it with you in your purse or pocket to restaurants and health food stores for easy reference. It is a highly educational companion for anyone on a spiritual path, or anyone simply looking to make more healthful choices in their life.
Book Description
"A profusely illustrated, bemusingly unorthodox introduction to math."—Booklist
A book for the eternally curious, Coincidences fuses a professor's understanding of the hidden mathematical skeleton of the universe with the sensibility of a stand-up comedian, making life's big questions accessible and compelling. Each chapter opens with a surprising insight—not a mathematic formula, but a common observation. From there, the authors leapfrog over math and anecdote toward profound ideas about nature, art, and music. Coincidences is a book for lovers of puzzles and posers of outlandish questions, lapsed math aficionados and the formula-phobic alike. 160 illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
What they said ... making light of weight ideas!.......2007-06-02
What a wonderful motto for learning! To understand deep things simply, investigate simple things deeply. In "Coincidences, Chaos and All That Math Jazz", Burger and Starbird take that motto to heart and bless their readers with an entertaining, irreverent, always amusing yet eminently readable and completely understandable exploration of some of the frontiers of mathematics.
In the opening chapters, real-life numbers - the roulette wheel, nature vs nurture studies of twin's characteristics, e-mail stock picking scam and spam artists, air safety standards, HIV testing and the puzzle of coincident birth dates at a party - are used to put meat onto the bones of the familiar saying "lies, damned lies and statistics" and to introduce the modern concept of mathematical chaos.
A simple straightforward chapter on the nature of numbers that almost effortlessly leads us into a basic understanding of much more complex topics such as cryptography, the Goldbach and the Twin Prime conjectures closes with the interesting comment, "... our instinctive desire to wonder about the world of numbers has paid enormous practical dividends in the past - abstract ideas about primes and factoring unexpectedly led to public key cryptography and security in Internet commerce. Somehow human curiosity about numbers from ancient times to the present seems to be in synchronicity with the universe."
Counting spirals on pineapples and sunflowers and the simple act of folding and unfolding a strip of paper is used as a springboard to take the reader, who is now thoroughly engrossed in the enjoyable style of the book, to a basic understanding of the Fibonacci sequence, the golden ratio, chaos and fractals.
But for me personally, the most interesting section was the last one. Burger and Starbird used extremely simple notions of counting, matching and a hotel with an infinite number of rooms to guide the unsuspecting reader to a brilliant "aha" moment - a concise, clear understanding of Cantor's ideas regarding the cardinality of infinity, the completely counterintuitive idea that some infinities are bigger than others.
Mathematics is fun and beautiful and this wonderful little book will show even the most math-phobic reader why! Highly recommended.
Paul Weiss
This book = Great Fun + Great Insight!.......2007-02-06
Who says math is boring or irrelevant?
Certainly not someone who's read this book and seen the many ways math serves as the skeleton key to life and the mysteries of the universe itself!
At the beginning of each chapter the authors skillfully say what they're going to prove in simple English and then by the end of the chapter end up proving it not only in English but math as well.
Starting simply with the subject of coincidences, the authors show how and why even in very small groups you may share a birthday with someone else. From coincidences the authors discuss choas, the reverse of coincidence where small differences ultimately make for...well...even bigger differences. Why is this so? They tell you.
Later they tackle cryptography and show how the patterns of running a lottery are in the end very similar to the patterns that govern the forms life takes. Amazingly, in twenty pages they manage to cover the same ground covered in the book "The Golden Ratio" (which by the way, is also very, good book but just a longer discussion).
Moving from the mysteries of life to the mysteries of the universe, the authors ACTUALLY MAKE YOU UNDERSTAND what the 4th dimension would be like. In this way, they manage through a brief treatment what the longer work "Flatterland" by Ian Stewart (also, by the way, a very good book, just longer) manages to do.
Finally, they plum that ultimate mystery of mathematics and creation -- infinity. Here again, they also manage in a brief treatment that which is also dealt with in a longer book, "Zero" by Charles Seife (again, also a very, good book but again just longer).
As both an introductory work to all the other books cited in this review or merely as a book read on its own, this book delivers both great fun and great insight.
Buy it now!
Add a healthy dose of humor and you have a very accessible inquiry........2007-01-07
Math professor Edward Burger and teaching professor Michael Starbird blend forces in a guide lay readers will find readily accessible, COINCIDENCES, CHAOS, AND ALL THAT MATH JAZZ: MAKING LIGHT OF WEIGHTY IDEAS. Nearly two hundred illustrations and diagrams supplement scientific 'trivia' questions about everything from an infinite motel's occupants to a sexy rectangle's origins. Yes, there's math here - but also hard science and an imaginative lively dialogue which draws even reluctant math readers to learn. Add a healthy dose of humor and you have a very accessible inquiry.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch
Math is a numerical representation of life ... no doubt about it ! .......2007-01-03
I am not a math freak ! I have always awed math and admired mathematicians for the ability they have ! so i got this book because all reviews said this was a light hearty read .... and none of those reviews were wrong .
The chapter on chaos theory was the best I read ... made me think so much about how human life and its eventual end can be put into context by studying the chaos theory of math.
Its definitely a good book to have for now and for future generations so they dont grow up fearing math but rather enjoying its magic !
Entertaining and simple.......2006-06-05
Great book on recreational mathematics that you can actually curl up in bed with! Very few books on mathematics, let alone chaos and complexity will let you read it laying down in bed at midnight. I think the fact that one of the author (Edward Burger) is a stand up comedian as well as professor of mathematics has something to do with making the book approachable and fun to read.
Book Description
Abby Morland's been making mischief since she was not-so-sweet sixteen, when she spied gorgeous Guy from the neighborhood being attacked by curvaceous Cara, the "Topless Piranha." It was a racy, tasty, spicy piece of gossip Abby couldn't resist passing along. But years later, her indiscretion may be coming back to haunt her -- since she now wouldn't mind a little nibble of Guy herself. With four cousins, two weddings, and a re-emergent piranha in the offing, the recipe for making more mischief is at hand, and it might just turn Guy in Abby's direction at last!
Customer Reviews:
Great fun read in the sun.......2006-03-23
Brought this one on vacation with me. I really like EY's books. They are what many call "British Chick Lit" and live up to the name. This story is full of 2 people who can't seem to catch a break. Not only that but they are so worried about offending someone or another they give up their happiness for it.
I also enjoy the differences in the US and European culture. When we think about taking a holiday it is usually for only a week and while many go to Florida or possibly Jamaica, Bahamas or Bermuda we don't run off to places like Greece, New Zealand or Barbados quite as quickly.
This is a thoroughly enticing story that spans more than 15 years. It starts with a chapter about the summer that Rachel and Abby were 16 then jumps years into the future at the start of the 30's. Basically Rachel likes Guy, who the piranha in lip gloss Cara takes away, then Fleur (Abby's cousin) is with guy and Abby finds herself attracted, but then Cara is back and everyone tries to make sure that she doesn't get Guy again, not giving Guy any credit. When that dies will Abby finally get her shot at Guy? Read to find out.
Cute and rocky romantic comedy.......2006-03-21
On a weekend retreat with her cousins, Abby witnesses hunky Guy in a moment of passion with sleazy neighbor Cara they nickname the "Flytrap." The only one she told about it was cousin Fleur. Fast forward 15 years and Guy returns to the fold when he is invited to a party and he and Fleur start dating. Knowing his background with Cara, who seems to be interested again, Fleur asks Abby to keep an eye on Guy when she is not able to make it to a party, since Guy denies every being in a relationship with the tramp.
But Abby is finding she is interested in Guy, and is not sure she wants the babysitting role. Add to that the fact that Cara knows they are on to her. When they are all called together for her brothers wedding, she is stuck with babysitting duty of her young brother. Her aunt (and Fleur's mom) is still smarting from losing her boyfriend (and Abby's dad) to Abby's mother, despite the divorce, and smart cookie that she is, thinks that Abby is after Guy.
When Guy can take Fleur's suspicions and lack of trust no longer, he dumps her. He finds out that Abby played a key role on spying on him, and finds it hard to forgive, especially since she appears to have spread rumors about him. Several months later, he is the date of another cousin at a wedding in Barbados, and once again she is stuck watching her brat of a brother while mum is on holiday. Will she ever be able to reveal to Guy how important he is to her?
Young has produced another heartwarming and very British tale of a young couple's unlikely and very rocky road to romance.
as always..........2005-11-16
I've read all of Elizabeth Young's books and was anxiously awaiting this one's release. As always, a really good read. Can't wait for the next one.
Great Fun!!! .......2005-10-17
I really enjoyed Making mischief and couldn't put it down until I was done with it.
Liz Young brings to life funny and interesting characters, with a good plot.
Good laughs, with a romantic touch.
Totally recommend it!!! just as her other novels...
Amazon.com
Creating your own candles allows for a wide range of creative expression. Molding, dipping, rolling, carving, twisting, scenting, decorating-all these methods yield unique handmade candles, and all are nicely explored in this well-illustrated guide. A thorough introduction to the various techniques sets the stage for dozens of projects, from molded shapes concealing hidden treasures or stately pillars collaged with found objects to elegantly decoupaged tapers or whimsical candles mimicking ice cream sundaes. Many projects are devoted to decorating candle containers, so in addition to showing beginners how to delve into the field and providing more experienced crafters with new ideas, the book also offers great designs for unleashing your creativity on the candleholder, even if you never make a single candle from scratch. --Amy Handy
Book Description
Make candles with that personal, imaginative touch. Gorgeous color photographs come together with a complete how-to guide to help you produce any combination of size, shape, color, scent, and style. Experiment with mold, double mold, dipped, rolled, and floating candles, shape them by carving, pinching, and twisting the wax, and add aromatic effects. Decorating techniques include decoupage, embossing, and leafing, while a variety of easily available items such as dried leaves, foil, paint, cork, glitter, and bracelet charms will transform the most ordinary candle into an object of beauty and charm. You'll even learn how to make candleholders and containers from ordinary household items, and individualize store-bought candles. Lavish photographs of gleaming candles in inspiring settings show exactly how to create a romantic evening, a festive holiday atmosphere, or a warm welcome for dinner guests.
Customer Reviews:
Good but not great.......2001-05-18
This book covers the basics in candlemaking, what you'll need, wick types, wax types, pouring temps, which is very informative but it lacks in the candle varieties. It seems to focus more on candle decorating. I was looking for tips on making chunk, layered and ice candles to name a few. There also isn't any information on Gel wax or soy wax. There was some helpful information in here, but overall it wasn't what I was looking for in a candle book.
Well, I DID come back to order it....*grin*.......2000-10-17
First impression....all I can say is I guess my dog likes it! I woke up this morning to find the pages of this book strewn all over my yard. What was left of it did seem very informative and useful, so I came back to reorder it. Maybe this time I'll get to see the whole book. LOL
I think this is a great book for beginners........1999-09-05
The information is very useful, detailed, and well presented
Book Description
Shoebox Holography was developed with the aid of high school students. It describes in detail how to make a hologram using a simple inexpensive laser pointer. The book is intended as a science project for beginners. More serious students can buy the Holography Handbook which describes how to create a home studio for making holograms. Shoebox Holography has been used by numerous high schools as well as amateurs who are just getting started making holograms.
Customer Reviews:
A great place to start........2002-01-17
This is an excellent book for those looking into and exploring holography. It demistifies a lot of the jargon associated with holography, as well as the most difficult part... correct development. Unlike what another reviewer said, this book is up to date and has good sources for materials. I would not suggest this book for those who are already making holograms, it is really for those just starting out. But it is almost perfect for those beginers. The only downfall of this book is it's lack of setup diagrams, it only illustrates one. This keeps things simple but does not allow you to progress unless you do research outside the scope of the book. Over all this is an excellent book that truely makes "real" holography easy enough and cheap enough for anyone to do.
Not recommended.......2001-11-24
This book is quite out of date. The supplier it lists for the plates no longer supplies them. The new supplier described "Shoebox Holography" in terms I can't post on a public website. Avoid this book; I wish I had.
A EDUCATOR"S DREAM.......2000-04-21
I have used this book personally, I have used it in my high school Communications Technology lab, and it works. After reading the book, and introducing the world of Shoebox Holography to my student, it was like a DREAM COME TRUE. The students are are not only learning how to make holograms but it is the knowledge they learn from the process. The Science, Math, and Technology they learn, from the process, becomes MEANINGFUL to them. This book not only covers the process of holography it also goes into great detail of laser and fiber optic technology. It excites all levels of high school students and they actually run to class to make their holograms. It has also been useful to build teamwork in the classroom. By creating teams they learn to work, communicate, and rely on each others abilities. The book has illustrations and photos that explain the concept along with the written directions. I have been teaching for 23 years and this is the best classroom tool I have seen in years. I am going to order classroom sets, of this book, for my students to use in their studies. I highly recommend this book.
An Awesome Book of Never Ending Information!.......2000-04-21
As a 12 year old first time science fair competitor, I was happy to achieve 1st place! My topic and information was taken from Mr.Frank DeFreitas' book. This book got me through the hard times of the project. It was so easy to navigate through the book, that I could find how to fix my problems immediately. The Shoe Box Holography Method was very easy to use but at the same time exerted a good amount of challenge. It gave the basic fundamental priciples of making a hologram, and showed me a piece of the future which is not far away! After doing this project, I instantly wanted to know more, and by looking deeper into the book, I came across more advanced projects! I don't think I will outgrow this book for a while. It's information goes on forever! Lastly, I recommend this book for someone who wants an awesome science fair topic, a piece of the future, or to discover an exciting hobby!
THANK YOU MR.FRANK DEFREITAS !
Guidebook for Your Holography Future ! !.......2000-04-20
Regardless of your age or your knowledge of holography, this wonderful book will guide you into a holography exploration where your talents and imagination will produce marvelous holograms. Students will obtain "award" winning results if you chose the "shoebox" method for science fair competitions. But more important - HOLOGRAPHY IS FUN,REWARDING,and will be YOUR FUTURE - Frank DeFreitas' book just makes your journey the best experience it can possibly be! Outstanding in all areas.
Books:
- Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found
- Methods, Standards, & Work Design
- Mickey Mouse History and Other Essays on American Memory
- Mommy?
- Multiple Voices in Feminist Film Criticism
- My First Five Husbands..And the Ones Who Got Away
- Napoleon's Pyramids
- Natasha: The Biography of Natalie Wood
- Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology: A Rationale for Treatment
- Orson Welles: Volume 2: Hello Americans
Books Index
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