Book Description
Seventeen years ago, Sepha Stephanos fled the Ethiopian Revolution after witnessing soldiers beat his father to the point of certain death, selling off his parents' jewelry to pay for passage to the United States. Now he finds himself running a grocery store in a poor African-American neighborhood in Washington, D.C. His only companions are two fellow African immigrants who share his feelings of frustration with and bitter nostalgia for their home continent. He realizes that his life has turned out completely different and far more isolated from the one he had imagined for himself years ago.
Soon Sepha's neighborhood begins to change. Hope comes in the form of new neighbors-Judith and Naomi, a white woman and her biracial daughter-who become his friends and remind him of what having a family is like for the first time in years. But when the neighborhood's newfound calm is disturbed by a series of racial incidents, Sepha may lose everything all over again.
Told in a haunting and powerful first-person narration that casts the streets of Washington, D.C., and Addis Ababa through Sepha's eyes, The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears is a deeply affecting and unforgettable debut novel about what it means to lose a family and a country-and what it takes to create a new home.
Customer Reviews:
new yorker.......2007-08-30
I read this book hoping to be moved and enlightened and to feel that I had been honored to have a new and wondeful experience. This was a good book, but, sadly I will have forgotten it shortly. I await the next by this wonderful writer who might someday be a saramago or a ha jin or a murakami....but not yet. Still worth 5 stars for the promise of the future.
important book.......2007-07-20
This is a very touching novel, very well-written. I think it is an important book because so few Americans have any knowledge of the experience of African immigrants. Obviously this is only one small story, but it is an intelligent and poignant story that vividly captures meaningful aspects of the immigrant experience.
Melancholy and gently humorous . . ........2007-06-20
The central character and narrator of this melancholy novel, Sepha, is a 30-something Ethiopian immigrant, living in Washington, DC, in a run-down neighborhood that is suddenly showing signs of gentrification. After 17 years in the States, he has long since reached the point of accepting his fate - an endless exile from the country of his birth and the mother and younger brother who survived the revolution that he himself escaped at the age of 19. A shopkeeper now, operating a little market, he lacks the drive that makes model immigrants of others and thus barely makes ends meet - less than barely.
Except for two friends, Ken and Joe, also African immigrants, he leads a lonely and listless life. By contrast, Ken an engineer from Kenya, strives steadily to adapt himself to the American pursuit of material success; Joe, a waiter in a high-class restaurant, is a closet epic poet, obsessed with the political debacle of his own country, Congo. The friendship of these three single men is poignant and often quietly amusing, and they pass the time with ironic reminders of how their lives in America have been like an escape from Dante's hell (the title is a reference to the closing lines of "The Inferno").
Enter a well-off white woman, an academic with a school-age daughter. When she buys and renovates a house in the neighborhood, she sparks a feint romantic interest in Sepha, as well as the resentment of the welfare-check neighbors being evicted as rents suddenly begin to soar. The resulting events make for a wistful account of people traumatized by brutal political upheavals, and washing up in the land of freedom and opportunity, where lives settle into a kind of permanent holding pattern. Beautifully written, with a quiet charm that finds rueful laughter in sadness and loss. Readers may also appreciate Hisham Matar's "In the Country of Men."
Nice debut from Dinaw Mengestu.......2007-06-15
Dinaw Mengestu's debut novel paints a detailed, knowing picture of life amongst D.C.'s Ethiopian community. It's also a nice study of a 'neighborhood in transition' and its effects on new residents and old. I especially liked Megnestu's depiction of the interactions between the novel's protagonist Sepha Stephanos and his two African mates, Kenneth and Joseph. Megnestu shows a keen ear for dialogue.
An Ethiopian immigrant's new life.......2007-05-30
Sepha Stephanos is stuck in time. He is in Ethiopia, huddled in the corner with his brother, watching his father being beaten by revolutionaries during the Red Terror. He flees to America, but his life in the "land of opportunity" is merely a dream --- not a nightmare or a hopeful reverie, but a mundane existence free of any ambition or disillusion, full only of fond memories of his father. "How was I supposed to live in America when I had never really left Ethiopia? I wasn't, I decided. I wasn't supposed to live here at all." Instead, he leads a solitary existence behind a convenience store counter and inside a dilapidated house in a run-down neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
Sepha has two friends, both representing different facets of immigration. Kenneth dons his suit and tie daily, having worked himself up from hotel employee to engineer. He "takes one for the team" by working Christmas Day, allowing his American co-workers to celebrate with their families. Joseph, on the other hand, is a waiter who drinks the alcohol left on tables straight from the glasses of unknown patrons. Joseph is a romantic, perfecting words of poetry and relating everything in life back to Africa. Like Sepha, Joseph is unable to come to terms with his American existence.
Sepha's desire for invisibility is challenged when a white woman moves in next door with her biracial daughter. Suddenly his store seems dirty and his home run down. He notices his balding head and nonexistent college education. To further complicate matters, his neighborhood is embarking on its own revolution --- a changing climate that threatens the ousting of all present tenants for the sake of revitalization. Will he awaken from his dream in time to maintain the life he has created for himself, or is it ultimately impossible to trade one country for another?
Debut novelist Dinaw Mengestu and his family left Ethiopia shortly after the Red Terror when he was just a boy. Recently he gave a reading in Seattle, Washington, to a room filled with Americans and Ethiopians alike. The Americans were no doubt drawn to the beauty of the story, the fluidity of the prose and the humanity of the protagonist. The Ethiopians were understandably thankful for this telling of their recent history and for a voice of a highly voiceless topic, in the land that they too are trying to embrace.
Mengestu's voice brought the character to even greater life as he read of Sepha's final experience with his father and the revolutionaries. The author stood behind the podium in a white shirt and sport coat, with blue jeans scarcely hiding his "Ethiopianesque" stick-like legs and his hair in dread locks that were haphazardly crowning his head. His voice was soft, slow enough to carry the weight of the story, and we in the room sat mesmerized. We all seemed to be asking ourselves the same question: Where does one go from here? When a writer has told the intimate story of his family and country, even when fictionalized, how can it be matched by any subsequent tale?
There is no doubt though that this author can pull it off, and I look forward to reading his next (as of yet undisclosed) body of work. Mengestu has both the humility and the grandeur of a successful writer, and we at the reading all seemed to feel as though we were in the presence of a highly talented friend.
--- Reviewed by Shannon Luders-Manuel
Average customer rating:
- Excellent Life Management Book
- A Lifetime Guide
- What's important in your life?
- great getting it together tool
- Good Book
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First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy
Stephen R. Covey ,
A. Roger Merrill , and
Rebecca R. Merrill
Manufacturer: Free Press
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Binding: Paperback
 Time Management
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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Living the 7 Habits : The Courage to Change
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The 8th Habit
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families
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ASIN: 0684802031 |
Amazon.com
What are the most important things in your life? Do they get as much care, emphasis, and time as you'd like to give them? Far from the traditional "be-more-efficient" time-management book with shortcut techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time totally differently. Using this book will help you create balance between your personal and professional responsibilities by putting first things first and acting on them. Covey teaches an organizing process that helps you categorize tasks so you focus on what is important, not merely what is urgent. First you divide tasks into these quadrants:
- Important and Urgent (crises, deadline-driven projects)
- Important, Not Urgent (preparation, prevention, planning, relationships)
- Urgent, Not Important (interruptions, many pressing matters)
- Not Urgent, Not Important (trivia, time wasters)
Most people spend most of their time in quadrants 1 and 3, while quadrant 2 is where quality happens. "Doing more things faster is no substitute for doing the right things," says Covey. He points you toward the real human needs--"to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy"--and how to balance your time to achieve a meaningful life, not just get things done. --Joan Price
Book Description
I'm getting more done in less time, but where are the rich relationships, the inner peace, the balance, the confidence that I'm doing what matters most and doing it well?
Does this nagging question haunt you, even when you feel you are being your most efficient? If so, First Things First can help you understand why so often our first things aren't first. Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass, because where you're headed is more important than how fast you're going.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Life Management Book.......2007-06-22
I read the 7 habits of Highly Effective people a few years ago and was very inspired at that time to take more control of my life and try and implement the habits into my daily life. In particular, i really found the third habit on time management useful and could see the benefit. However, at that time i did not put the habits into effect in any real way.
Then recently, i discovered this book again which mainly deals with the third habit and some of the second habit and found that i was now ready to not only read about it but to actually start doing it by using the tools and techinques outlined to take control of my life and focus on the things that really mattered.
It may seem simple but starting with a vision of my life and then writing out my goals for incorporation into my monthly, weekly and daily planning has alreaady had a tremendous effect on my life and i find that i am scheduling important things in my life such as meditation and exercise and doing these which is giving me a more balanced work life balance. I also find it very effective for my job in which i am now scheduling important activites into my calender and doing them rather than just reacting to the urgent day to day requests at the expense of these more important long term activities.
A Lifetime Guide.......2007-02-05
I have bought this book for four years, read over it for many times.
If I can only take one book with me to another world, I will take this one. It is a good guide to how to live for a lifetime.
It begins with the foundamental principles, then gradually teachs you how to live a better life based on those principles. Every sentence is a sentence of truth. Everytime I have setback, I go back to this book; and everytime, I find that I have violated a principle.
Over four years, I become a different person.
What's important in your life?.......2007-01-23
What's important in your life? What do you really want to accomplish? What do you want to see completed at the end of the day, at the end of the week, at the end of the month, at the end of the year, and, ultimately, what do you want to have accomplished by the end of your life?
Getting things in line in your life, learning to set priorities, not just for money, purchases, and trivial things, but for more important things. How about family, relationships, and career?
great getting it together tool.......2007-01-18
I purchased this book as a Christmas gift for someone special who told me since reading the book he has been able to adapt a positive change in his busy and hetic life in a very positive way. He has been able to put in priority and balance the pressures, responsibilities, expetations of both his personal and business life,
Good Book.......2006-12-06
I bought this book because I needed some guidance to start putting things back in order in my life. Eventhough it focus on business and work, it provides some helpful hints to apply on you personal life.
Book Description
In Father's First Steps, pediatricians Robert and James Sears discuss 25 important aspects of new fatherhood, including supporting the mother during labor and beyond, bonding with baby, deciphering baby talk, being a good husband and a good father, and much more. With its emphasis on fathers taking an active role in parenting, this is a book that every new mother-to-be will definitely want their partner to read.
Customer Reviews:
Best New Father Book I've Found.......2007-08-27
I'm not quite a father yet, but will be soon. I've read a few of these new father books, and many are just terrible -- full of lame jokes, and treating us like we're bumbling, beer-swilling, EPN-watching idiots. This is the first one of these that gave me what I was looking for -- straight, no-nonsense info (with some quiet humor included) about diaper-changing, baby-holding, money-saving, and pep-talk advice on being an involved dad, and treating us like we have the intelligence, humor and eagerness to raise a child. Don't let the cutesy-poo cover and illustrations put you off, this is a great book for dads AND moms (my wife loved it too).
Made my husband feel a lot better.......2007-06-11
I ordered this when my husband was feeling pretty down in the first week after our son was born. I wish I'd gotten it much sooner. He felt much better that what he was experiencing was so normal, and that the things he'd been doing were exactly the right things to do. And, he picked up a few good tricks, and has the benefit of another perspective. Short and sweet, easy read, and I think it really helped him out.
Practical Fun Read.......2006-08-16
I wish I could have read this before my twin boys were born. The style was honest and fun while giving simple and straight forward pro-tips. It is a quick and enjoyable read. The practical content answers a number of key questions, I had as a new father.
Informative and humorous!! .......2006-06-17
What a wonderful approach to fatherhood! Humor is a great tool to teach about sometimes sensitive topics and it makes reading quite a bit more enjoyable! Having 4 children of our own we feel this book is a must for all new fathers!!
It's about time we had a book for new Dads!.......2006-06-13
Thank you for this funny and welcoming approach to Fatherhood! Dads contribute to the development of their baby in many unique ways and you help us to understand the role of a new father better. A must read for every new Dad!
Book Description
This hands-on book tells you how to quickly determine performance needs before investing precious time and resources. When trainers, consultants, and problem-solvers need to figure out what's wrong with an organization--and they need a solution fast--they need this book. Needs assessment is about doing things right; performance analysis guarantees doing the right thing.
Rossett offers extensive guidance on:
Accelerating a performance analysis
Overcoming organizational obstacles
Using technology in analysis
Presenting the results of an analysis . . . and much more!
You'll get job aids, templates, and implementation examples that direct you through the basics of performance analysis. Carefully selected case studies further illustrate the text.
Visit the First Things Fast online coaching and information system and get information about how to encourage analysis in the organization and what strategies are best for doing it. This online information and coaching tool, designed by award-winning author Allison Rossett, offers planning tips and tools to get things done . . . fast!
Customer Reviews:
hands-on guide that is immediately useful.......2001-05-11
Overall, this book is a straightforward examination of performance analysis that explains why p.a. is more practial than traditional "training." It's a godsend for people who have to implement a plan right away because of the abundance of checklists and templates. I have some minor criticisms though since I have read several books in a similar category. 1 -- the author does not write as professionally as others (Rothwell, for example, who wrote Beyond training and Development) and spends too much time touting her earlier books 2 -- often the information borders on the extremely obvious 3 -- the book is overpriced as many textbooks are. P.A. boils down to the fact that it's really a "casing the joint" type of strategy -- get a general idea of the situation before diving in. All this fancy terminology for such a basic idea... still, it can definitely save a company a lot of time and money to do this common sense approach before spending money on training.
Guess who's coming to dinner.......2000-11-30
This book serves as the first course at a performance analysis dinner-it whets the appetite and entices the reader to look further and deeper. It provides the reader with tasty morsels of information without weighing the reader down in the heavier technicalities of performance analysis. First Things Fast is a quick and easy reference for the professional trainer and one that I will keep on hand for future use. It addresses the situation as it is-the way things are-and provides concrete examples and solutions for those involved with the process. Because of the quick and easy reading that characterizes the book, I would recommend this book to those who are seeking a basic understanding of performance analysis without wanting to invest a great deal of time. I would also recommend it to those who want a quick reference for use in their performance analysis work (the templates are an effective starting point for the line of questioning which needs to occur). First Things Fast has the potential to be an extremely useful tool for those individuals who are in the position to decide what needs to be done and why.
An illuminating, practical guide for performance consulting.......1999-09-30
Rossett makes a very useful distinction in this book between performance analysis and training needs analysis. She recommends an action-oriented consulting approach that ensures the real problems and potential solutions are identified before selecting training as an intervention. Her approach is practical and recognizes the time and resource constraints that learning consultants, managers, and their companies operate within. I have ordered copies for all of my staff!
Great guide to quick human performance analysis.......1998-11-05
This book is a great help for anyone who is asked to analyze a performance problem. It provides a series of checklists and job aids to help someone figure out what's going on and how to fix it. It considers lots of problems and teaches you how to decide if the employee needs instruction, motivation or a changed environment. I really enjoyed this very practical and easy to read handbook; it avoids all the theory and jargon and puts the emphasis on analyzing human performance problems in a quick, efficient manner.
Average customer rating:
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First Things First
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
General
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First Things First Every Day: Because Where You're Headed Is More Important Than How Fast You're Going
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The Four Disciplines of Execution
ASIN: 0743501330 |
Average customer rating:
- For those who like this kind of book...
- Covey is the best!
- Profound and Powerful - This program deserves ten stars!
- Loved the book and enjoy the audio program
- Three authors, 1 CD - Good Highlights
|
First Things First
Stephen R. Covey , and
A. Roger Merrill
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Audio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
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First Things First: To Live, to Love, to Learn, to Leave a Legacy
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Daily Reflections for Highly Effective People: Living the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Every Day
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Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
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ASIN: 0671315560 |
Book Description
First Things First is a revolutionary guide to managing your time by learning how to balance your life. Traditional time management suggests that working harder, smarter, and faster will help you gain control over your life, and that increased control will bring peace and fulfillment. But in the first real breakthrough in time management in years, the authors of First Things First apply the insights of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to our daily problems of struggling with the ever-increasing demands of work and home life.
Rather than focusing on time and things, First Things First emphasizes relationships and results. And instead of efficiency, this new approach emphasizes effectiveness. It tells us:
* Why we feel a gap between how we spend our time and what's deeply important to us
* How focusing on efficiency and control increases the gap instead of closing it
* How to determine if what you're doing is really important -- or only urgent
* How to overcome the tremendous gravity of habit
* How to put people ahead of schedules
* How to lead your life, not just manage your time
Offering a principle-centered approach and the wisdom and insight that made The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People a #1 bestseller, First Things First empowers listeners to define what is truly important; to accomplish worthwhile goals; and to lead rich, rewarding, and balanced lives.
Customer Reviews:
For those who like this kind of book..........2006-05-03
If you think you'd find a lot of unrelated platitudes interesting, then you'll enjoy this book.
Covey is the best!.......2004-09-23
Covey stands tall above the rest in a world rife with self-improvement seminars. His practical wisdom can be applied to the workplace, marriage and parenting and truly enhance your life! Covey's strong Christian faith and commitment to family are evident in his philosophies and can only enrich every aspect of the whole person - which is what his 7 Habits are all about. This book touches on his "Begin with the end in mind" and shows you how. Highly recommend!
Profound and Powerful - This program deserves ten stars!.......2004-09-08
If you have ever said to yourself:
I have too much to do and not enough time to do it
OR
I can't find the balance between my personal life and work. When I take time from one to the other, it just makes matters worse.
OR
There's simply too little of me to go around
OR
I don't feel in control of my life
OR
Way down inside I have this empty feeling. It's like the song, "Is that all there is?"
First Things First is not just another time management program. Rather, this is a program that connects the investment of time to our deeper priorities in life. The concepts espoused by Dr. Covey are profound, powerful and pragmatic.
Rather than offering you another clock, First Things First provides you with a compass. While other programs teach you harder, faster, and smarter First Things First teaches you direction and priorities because where you are heading is more important than how fast you are going.
Keeping with Dr. Covey's tradition, this program is about effectiveness not just efficiency. But not just effectiveness in your business life, but in your personal life as well.
Great program and highly recommended.
Loved the book and enjoy the audio program.......2004-09-08
Stephen Covey unveils a powerful time management systems here that really works. I bought the book and went ahead and bought the cd-audio program as well. I am now getting more done in half the time. Thank you Dr. Covey!
Three authors, 1 CD - Good Highlights.......2004-03-04
Some people on the reviews complained about the book not just being Covey talking...but if you notice the book is written by three people (yeah, Amazon only shows 2, but I have the book in front of me) The CD is a good highlight to explaining the basics to the First Things First principles. The cd says to get the book for using the meat and potatoes of the book...BUT there is also a 3 Disc set out there which is Unabriged and tells it all (for some reason I can't find it on Amazon...but have found it in searching around the net) So if you want the basics to remind yourself of what you are doing (Review regularly to make it a part of your life is a common self improvement strategy) is quicker than re-reading the book over and over... especially when given the gift of traffic to slow down and enjoy the CD.
Book Description
Risky in conception, hip and yet soulful, this is a prose poem of a novel -- intense, lyrical, and highly evocative -- with a mystery at its center, which keeps the reader in suspense until the final page. In a tour de force that could be described as Altmanesque, we are invited into the private lives of the residents of a quiet urban street in England over the course of a single day. In delicate, intricately observed closeup, we witness the hopes, fears, and unspoken despairs of a diverse community: the man with painfully scarred hands who tried in vain to save his wife from a burning house and who must now care for his young daughter alone; a group of young clubgoers just home from an all-night rave, sweetly high and mulling over vague dreams; the nervous young man at number 18 who collects weird urban junk and is haunted by the specter of unrequited love. The tranquillity of the street is shattered at day's end when a terrible accident occurs. This tragedy and an utterly surprising twist provide the momentum for the book. But it is the author's exquisite rendering of the ordinary, the everyday, that gives this novel its freshness, its sense of beauty, wonder, and hope. Rarely does a writer appear with so much music and poetry -- so much vision -- that he can make the world seem new.
Customer Reviews:
Remarkable Debut.......2007-05-21
It moves slowly, it's melancholic yet beautiful. Life and absurdity of circumstances mapped out for us, and the vibration starts from a point in your heart and extend to your whole body, filling you with awe and sadness.
A dream, a tone poem, a love letter, a prayer........2007-04-26
This is one of the most remarkale books I have ever read. I've never encountered this writing style anywhere else - if anyone knows of another author who writes in a similar vein, please share.
I couldn't read this book initially. I was confused about what I was rading. After a second or third attempt, it clicked in to place, and I was off. I couldn't wait to get home from work to read more, and I digested it in a few days, despite only ahveing a few hours of down time each week.
I don't think McGregor even needs a story. There were story elements in this book, and the story was fine. But I think I would be happy just to read his descriptions of events and characters in the street, without end.
My only disappointment was that, at the time of reading, he had written no other books.
I'm currently reading his book 'So Many Ways To Begin', and that too is haunting and dream-like.
I highly recommend Jon McGregor's writing.
Remarkable.......2006-08-29
right from the begining, the text is more poem then prose.
this is a really well written book, and it draws you right in from the begining - a description of the "song of the city" that you can hear if you just listen to the little sounds going on. very entrancing.
in general, there is great attention to detail, which makes one feel as if they are part of the book, the plot, as if on IS the character described.
an extraordinary look at how an ordinary day can cary so many remarkable moments. very beautiful.
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things.......2006-08-06
Written in a very unique style, poetry even, the story revolves around the lives of people living in the same community, alternating between characters and personalities, thoughts and emotions. Although, many of the characters remain nameless and only receive descriptions as their identifying qualities, it only adds to the immense feel and power of the writing. It is so interesting getting to know each individual character, especially the one who collects things, takes pictures.
At times, it is hard to know when events are occuring, and this can become confusing; but it doesn't take anything away. And even though the entire premise is about everyday happenings and feelings, the writing never becomes tired or boring, even up to the end.
There isn't much I can say about the book; I don't have the right words. Just read it.
Extremely beautiful and insightful tale of life. Wonderful writing.
A beautiful work.......2006-07-13
The book is less a novel, (not that it matters, but don't expect one if looking for that sort of read.) It's more a lengthy poem or a novella -- I see it more as a musical tone poem. Declarative sentences of beautiful, sensitive construction build and awaken our eyes to an awakening day in London. The first few pages are stunningly strong and while all the book doesn't maintain this pitch, indeed no living person could, we don't particularily worry because at ever turn of a page is a new discovery.
Reading it in one shot is to be overwhelmed in the way watching the entire ring cycle or mahabarrata (sp?) would overwhelm. I enjoyed it over a series of nights, taking my time, and the language seeped into my dreams. It's a dreamlike work, and one any contemporary writer should check out both for it's strength and structure.
Average customer rating:
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First Things First
Stephen R. Covey , and
A.Roger Merrill
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Accessories:
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RESPeRATE Blood Pressure Lowering Device
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Airborne Effervescent Health Formula, Original Orange, 10 Tablets (Pack of 3)
ASIN: 0684858401 |
Book Description
How to Survive Your Baby’s First Year is here to help make that first year with a new baby a lot easier. The book offers advice from hundreds of parents who have made it through the first year with their own babies and lived to share the secrets of their success.
Customer Reviews:
Easy and good read.......2005-10-29
I don't have time to read a book cover-to-cover, so I appreciated 'How to Survive Your Baby's First Year'. I keep it on the night-table by my bed and read a few tips/stories every night. This book isn't meant to be an expert driven in-depth exploration of how to care for your baby. It's meant to share some good advice from real moms and dads on how to get through the first year with your new baby - and it does that well.
1st time mom.......2005-10-21
Somewhat entertaining, quick read, NOT informative. It was more about people sharing briefly their experiences than it was about actual useful tips. It's comforting to read about other parents going through similar challenges but you can read about that for free at one of those online newsletters [...] AND get some real, useful advice from other parents and experts in childcare. Not worth the money to get the book.
I won't be keeping this on my shelf for much longer.
Okay as a fun read..........2005-08-28
I think I got the wrong impression when I bought this book, I thought it would be a little more informative then it was. Most of the comments from other parents are "inspirational," not educational. I was looking for the book to actually give tips on infant care, but there was only a few of them that delivered on that thought. I think it is a good read only as entertainment.
Sister loved it!.......2005-03-05
It got this book for my pregnant sister, and she loved it! Said the stories were hilarious and touching, and the advice from everyday folks was fun and useful.
What to Read When You are Reading the "so called" experts.......2005-01-24
What a pleasant surprise. I was given this book and figured it would be like all the other baby books...i.e. they make you crazy. In the other books some expert tells you how exactly your child will develop and how you should respond. That's not real life.
Every child is different (as is every parent) and that is the strength of this book. The editors have interviewed hundreds of parents who have been through the same new born child experience. They share great and different advice. It is quite frankly a relief to know that there isn't just one way and that other parents share the doubts and experiences that the rest of us do. I highly recommend adding How to Survive Your Baby's First Year to your library.
Book Description
Have you ever wondered:
- Why Asians love "Hello Kitty"?
- What the tattooed Chinese characters really say?
- How to achieve feng shui for optimum make-out sessions?
- Where Asian cuties meet the white guys who love them?
Then you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll realize this book is better than a Broadway production of Cats when you read scenes that include:
- twenty-something Lindsey Owyang mastering the intricacies of office voicemail and fax dialing
- an authentic Chinese banquet where Number One Son shows off his language skills by speaking "Chinglish"
- dating disasters with grandsons of Grandma's mahjong partners
- the discovery that the real China looks nothing like the pavilion at Disney World
- karaoke
And all the while Lindsey is falling in lust with the "white devil" in her politically correct office. But will Grandma's stinky Chinese ointments send him running? Or will Lindsey realize that the path to true love lies somewhere between the dim sum and the pepperoni pizza?
Customer Reviews:
Entertaining and harmless.......2007-06-03
I enjoyed reading this book, and liked it. It was a quick, breezy read, I liked some of the characters, and many of the situations they found themselves in were humourous and entertaining. But as a white male (I know, probably not the intended audience for the novel), I kept feeling the need to defend myself against Lindsey's allegations that all whites who show interest in anything asian are out to find themselves a little "Chinese Sex Slave". Wether or not Keltner intended to have Lindsey's closet (and, albeit largely harmless) racism towards caucasions be a naive personality trait is up for grabs, but Lindsey was just downright awful in many of her generalizations towards the socalled "Hoarder of All Things Asian" (I feel bad for anyone named Don or Steve who happened to read the book). The ultimate cullmination of her ignorance is when she accuses Michael of not understanding what it's like to be raised different and called names based on race, ignoring the fact that it is said in the novel that he grew up in Honolulu (At least partially, and to any white people who have done that, you have dealt with your share of racism).
But aside from this large personality "flaw", I would say (and it may have entirely been part of the character, I'm sure many Asian-American do in fact feel that way, although I can't speak for them), Lindsey seemed a nice, but shallow protaganist. I didn't read start reading this book because I expected some incredibly insightful view into the world of human nature, I read it because it looked like it would be interested, and it was. It was a harmless book, there's little in the terms of deeper meaning here, but it is very well written and it goes by quickly. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for some relaxing reading that won't require too much concentration.
Horrible and hypocritical.......2006-10-20
This book seems like a series of complaints. The main character complains about some Asian-Americans are too "Asian" or "not Asian enough". It is as if she can't find a happy medium to live in. A guy she goes on a date with is into fast cars and karaoke, which is supposedly too "Asian". But a guy who can't use chopsticks well enough isn't "Asian" enough.
The author seems to like to add name brands of clothing into the soryline as well. I don't think the public really cares that the character is wearing something Kenneth Cole or Gap. Is she trying to promote something that I'm not aware of?
Perhaps because I am also Asian-American, and can't understand why someone would write a book of complaints about being Asian-American. Maybe it is because I don't entounter these problems on a daily basis like the character.
I'm bummed that I bought the sequel and this book at the same time.......2006-07-15
This was a nice, fast read and kept me awake during my commute but in NO way should be compared to Amy Tan.
I found the cliches and overly descriptive scenarios very dull and annoying. Seemed to me that the author was trying too hard (as if overboard description makes for good writing).
The character of Lindsey was shallow and ran away from anything remotely unsafe. She annoyed me also.
I found the characters of Pau Pau and Michael were most endearing, though.
I bought both "The Dim Sum of All Things" and "Buddha Baby" at the same time. "Buddha Baby" was very similar to "Dim Sum" and annoyed me for the exact same reasons.
Twinkies unite!.......2006-07-04
There was no doubt from the moment that I read the first page that this was going to be a description of my life. Keltner does capture the flavor of the ABC but there is also a lot of hostility in this book towards the "American/caucasian folks" for their little stereotypical behaviors. However, there are some very funny passages especially, the stinky medicinals that her grandmother keeps trying to smear on her (Oh, I remember those stinky goo moments as well.) and the smelly, bizarre concoctions often served at restaurants. So true. I think it could be enlightening and amusing for a summer beach read so I will give it a "thumbs up." But yes, as others have commented, the sexual innuendos are just a little too coy and maybe could just be left out altogether. I did like the "hoarder of all things asian" concept. That really made me laugh! I would recommend it to ABC's, ABK's and Twinkies as well as people interested in a view into our world.
HILARIOUS!.......2006-01-24
This book is one of my favorites. It made me laugh out loud. The characters are so real and you can totally relate to them, especially if you've got some kind of asian descence. I would recommend this book to anyone. READ IT! BUY IT! WHATEVER! ITS HILARIOUS
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