Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nonfiction. Show all posts

Why?: The Best Ever Question and Answer Book About Nature, Science, and the World Around You Review

Why: The Best Ever Question and Answer Book About Nature, Science, and the World Around You
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Why: The Best Ever Question and Answer Book About Nature, Science, and the World Around You ReviewMy 3 year old has already asked me many questions in this book,
so it hits the mark on being full of real questions that a real child would ask. The explanantions are short (about 1 paragraph)
and easy to understand - although I found the vocabulary sometimes a bit tough for my 3 year old. I often used simpler words while reading to her. I expect therefore that the rated age range beginning with 4 years is probably accurate from the point of view of understanding the explanations completely. The questions are arranged in groups such as "bathtime questions" and in a "story" order revolving around a child in that particular situation (ie. the child is getting a bath and is asking questions that start with "how does hot and cold water run out of the same tap" and ending with "why do my hands get all wrinkly after I've been in the bath a long time"). Each question and it's associated exaplanation and illustration cover a full two-page spread of the book. My only complaint is that the book does not actually contain as much detailed "science" content as I had hoped to find - since it is based on questions that children ask, not on concepts someone wanted to include purely for the sake of completeness. I would guess that 8 year olds might be left wanting more information that is given in the answers (which could be considered a good thing, spurning them on to further research). Certainly for the younger ages though, this is a great book. (More questions from the book: "Do the doors at the grocery store open by magic?" "Why do stars Twinkle?" "Why does it smell so good outside after it rains?" "Why do I have to use the toilet and where does it go when I flush?")Why: The Best Ever Question and Answer Book About Nature, Science, and the World Around You Overview

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Intro to Business Review

Intro to Business
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Intro to Business ReviewI use this book in Fianace and its pretty good. If you want to learn about business read itIntro to Business Overview

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Inside the FDA: The Business and Politics Behind the Drugs We Take and the Food We Eat Review

Inside the FDA: The Business and Politics Behind the Drugs We Take and the Food We Eat
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Inside the FDA: The Business and Politics Behind the Drugs We Take and the Food We Eat ReviewDemocrats want more Big Pharma regulation and consumer protection. Republicans want to protect Big Pharma's profits. The tobacco and diet supplement industries want to be left the hell alone. And consumers want miracle drugs for free. Somehow, some way, the FDA navigates the minefields of the food and drug industries every day and tries to base its decisions on science. While some authors take cracks at the FDA because of a political agenda, Fran Hawthorne remains neutral and thus provides the most level-headed look at the FDA that's on the shelves. While the reading is pretty dense, this is a book that every concerned citizen needs to read.Inside the FDA: The Business and Politics Behind the Drugs We Take and the Food We Eat Overview

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Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970 Review

Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970
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Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970 ReviewIn the "Forward" by Yoko Ono, she says, "There was no one like him and there never will be. And I miss him." If you are like me, I'm sure you will agree that these are the truest words in the book for each of us. All profits from this book go to gun control projects.
Let me describe what this book is. It contains a fully retranscribed and corrected complete text of the interview that Jann Wenner did with John Lennon and Yoko Ono in early December 1970, parts of which later appeared in Rolling Stone. Much of this material you have never read before. There are also reproductions of Lennon's handwritten notes of song lyrics from the album "John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band" that are discussed in the interview.
In the introduction to this new edition, Jann Wenner characterizes the material here as "a candid, often painful, running commentary on fresh and urgent matters . . . and a self-portrait . . . ." "[I]n 1970 the Beatles were the biggest phenomenon on earth . . . ." [This was] "the first time . . . any of the Beatles stepped outside of that protected beloved fairy tale and told the truth." John Lennon later said that he didn't really believe everything he divulged in this interview. But it sounds pretty real to me as I reread it now. This is a man in intense psychological pain, and who has been for some time.
What, then, is revealed in the book? Aside from the usual stories about drugs and sex from touring, what struck me as most interesting was that Lennon considered what the Beatles had been a fraud artistically. "We were just a band who made it very, very big -- that's all." "But as soon as we made it, the edges were knocked off." "I'm not technically very good [on guitar]." ". . . I don't like many of the Beatles records either." "The only true songs I ever wrote were 'Help!' and 'Strawberry Fields.'"
His other source of pain was the reaction that Paul McCartney and George Harrison had to Yoko Ono. "They despised her." "They insulted her and they still do." "Ringo was alright and so was Maureen [Ringo's wife then]."
The commitment to peace is described often, and without the anger, pain, and regret that show up with all the other subjects. You feel like that was the only area where he could continually be himself. The interview is laced with constant references to his need "to be real."
He expressed a lot of regrets about having been a Beatle. "If I could be a f . . . ing [offensive word shortened] fisherman, I would!" "One has to completely humiliate oneself to be what the Beatles were, and that's what I resent." The interview contains many stories about how the families of local politicians and police departments would invade their privacy in offensive ways to Lennon.
The interview also goes into the details of the Beatles' breakup, contradicting the public story originally put out by Paul McCartney.
Music fans will enjoy his candid comments about the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, and other well-known recording artists.
On the other hand, he is encouraged about the future. He describes his new album with Yoko Ono as "the best thing I've ever done." He also finds his relationship with her to be rewarding emotionally and artistically. She is open to new influences, and helps him to be also. We owe her a debt of gratitude for granting permission to release this new book. It must be painful for her now.
His hopes for the future were the most poignant part of the book:
"Do you have pictures of 'When I'm 64?'"
"No, no. I hope we're a nice old couple . . . looking at a scrapbook of madness."
After you have finished savoring this searing dialogue, I suggest that you ask yourself the kind of questions that John Lennon was asking. How real is your life? Are you doing what you think is important? How can you start doing better? If you do this, you will be honoring the best part of John Lennon's wonderful legacy to us all.
Be real and be at peace!Lennon Remembers: The Full Rolling Stone Interviews from 1970 Overview

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Moscow, December 25, 1991: The Last Day of the Soviet Union Review

Moscow, December 25, 1991: The Last Day of the Soviet Union
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Moscow, December 25, 1991: The Last Day of the Soviet Union ReviewAn excellent, detailed and meticulous account of the last day of the Soviet Union, a pivotal day in the 20th century. Who would have dreamed the "evil empire" as Ronald Reagan called it, the nation that launched the communist revolution that would kill more than 100 million people, would die with a whimper and a legal signature?
The author details more than the last day. He tells about the the days, weeks and years that led up to it. It is ironic that the two central characters, Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin, hated one another. At one time they were both reformers but the relationship soured.
It's odd that more has not been written on the demise of the Soviet Union. The History channel is replete with Hitler stories and there are still plenty of World War II books but there is not an equal amount of scholarship about the Soviet Union. This books helps correct that. Some of the details are fascinating, and a few are dull but all are important.
The author is interested only in facts and details but there is some regret he doesn't dwell more on the significance of the Dec. 25. date. It must be noted that God must have a great sense of irony. The citadel of atheism evaporated on Christmas Day. Books could be written on that irony or coincidence (if it is a coincidence).
A exceptional history book.Moscow, December 25, 1991: The Last Day of the Soviet Union Overview

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The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century Review

The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
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The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century ReviewI'd forgotten the pleasure reading good prose brings. Friedman not only writes well, but does so on an important subject- globalization. He states, "It is now possible for more people than ever to collaborate and compete in real time with more people on more different kinds of work from more different corners of the planet and on a more equal footing than at any previous time in the history of the world."
He claims, "When the world is flat, you can innovate without having to emigrate". But, how did the world `become flat'? Friedman suggest the trigger events were the collapse of communism, the dot-com bubble resulting in overinvestment in fiber-optic telecommunications, and the subsequent out-sourcing of engineers enlisted to fix the perceived Y2K problem.
Those events created an environment where products, services, and labor are cheaper. However, the West is now losing its strong-hold on economic dominance. Depending on if viewed from the eyes of a consumer or a producer - that's either good or bad, or a combination of both.
What is more sobering is Friedman's elaboration on Bill Gates' statement, "When I compare our high schools to what I see when I'm traveling abroad, I am terrified for our work force of tomorrow. In math and science, our fourth graders are among the top students in the world. By eighth grade, they're in the middle of the pack. By 12th grade, U.S. students are scoring near the bottom of all industrialized nations. . . . The percentage of a population with a college degree is important, but so are sheer numbers. In 2001, India graduated almost a million more students from college than the United States did. China graduates twice as many students with bachelor's degrees as the U.S., and they have six times as many graduates majoring in engineering. In the international competition to have the biggest and best supply of knowledge workers, America is falling behind."
Friedman sounds the alarm with a call for diligence and fortitude - academically, politically, and economically. He sees a dangerous complacency, from Washington down through the public school system. Students are no longer motivated. "In China today, Bill Gates is Britney Spears. In America today, Britney Spears is Britney Spears -- and that is our problem."
Questions I wish Friedman had explored in further detail are:
1. When should countries do what benefits the global economy, and when should they look out for their own interests? (protectionism, tariffs, quotas, etc.)
2. What will a `flat world' mean to the world's poor? (those living in Haiti, Angola, Kazakhstan, etc.)
3. What cultural values (or absence thereof) are contributing to the West's loss of productivity, education, and excellence? (morality, truth, religion, meaning, hope?)
4. How will further globalization effect cultural distinctions? (Are we heading towards a universal melting pot?)
5. What will a `flat world' mean environmentally - particularly for those countries on the verge of an economic explosion?
The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century Overview

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American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer Review

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
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American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer ReviewMy father spent most of his career in nuclear engineering researching the mathematics of nuclear reactors at Brookhaven. My father had visited all the national labs and got to know all the key players in nuclear physics in the period from 1950-1970. Growing up in that environment I naturally knew a bit about Oppenheimer and Teller and others. It was clear to me that my father had sympathy for Oppenheimer and a great deal of respect. Teller was viewed more as a politician looking for fame and publicity. This became even more apparent to me when in the 1980s I saw how he lobbied the Reagan administration for research on laser based strategic defense satellites.
This book is an account of Oppenheimer's life from childhood through the Manhattan Project with emphasis on the most crucial part of his career as the head of the Los Alamos Laboratory where physicists mathematicians and chemists teamed up to develop the first nuclear weapons that were used against Japan. Oppenheimer was a reserved man who did not seek the limelight. He was brilliant but his biggest asset was his management and leadership capabilities along with very good judgement, something that Teller seemed to lack. It was just these qualities of leadership that led to the succcessful development of the atomic bomb in a few short years at Los Alamos. His liberal past and pre-war affiliation with communism caused him great difficulties and some in the military feared that he was a security risk. He was continually being checked out by J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI. Hoover did not like the appointment of Oppenheimer to the key leadership position at Los Alamos.
After the war was over, strangely the man who was able to keep secrets during the crucial period of the Manhattan Project was not trusted after the war. He lost security clearance and struggled due to the increased fear of communism from the post-war Soviet Union including the wave of witchhunting during the Joseph McCarthy era. He was liberal and his pre-war past communist associations hurt him deeply. His philosophy on nuclear weapons and his clashes with his former colleague Joseph Teller made for a tormented post-war career. I believe Oppenheomer felt guilt over his involvement in the development of the bomb and was definitely against the arms race. This period of his life as well as his childhood was important to understand the complexities of this man. The authors do a good job of covering this and do not fall into the trap of just emphasizing the war years.
This book is engaging and very successful at portraying the life character and personality of J. Robert Oppenheimer. He was the right man for a difficult and challenging job and had what it took to get the most out of an odd group of geniuses.American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer Overview

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Living Opera Review

Living Opera
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Living Opera Review"Gripping" probably isn't the sort of term one uses for a book about interviews of various opera personalities. Nevertheless, there are moments when you really cannot put it down, especially if you're a trained musician and really know what each person is talking about.
Not only does Jampol interview opera singers, asking penetrating questions about everything from daily life to vocal technique, but he interviews conductors, managers and directors as well. It's truly about opera as a whole, not only the vocal aspect of it, though naturally that dominates the book's content. Therefore, one gets a very good look at a wide variety of aspects in opera, and often one gets to read firsthand the difficulties each person has or has had. And since it's "living" opera, each person interviewed is currently engrossed in that world professionally.
The vocalists Jampol interviews often give tantalizingly brief insights to vocal technique that other singers will enjoy. For example, Renee Flemming gives a wonderful account of how she uses imagery to blend different registers. I personally enjoyed reading about how conductors prepare themselves in tackling opera. Insightful, too, were the remarks from directors and managers.
Even if opera isn't necessarily your thing, I cannot see how any trained musician cannot read this book and at least walk away with a few useful bits here and there. For the lover of opera, this book serves as a sort of behind the scenes look at this complex world of opera. Indeed, for anyone who reads this book, they'll probably come away with a much greater appreciation of this art form.Living Opera Overview

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Interviews with Robert Frost Review

Interviews with Robert Frost
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Interviews with Robert Frost ReviewGetting tp know Robert Frost through these interviews is an enlightening experience. Following him through his years of being unknown to great noteriety and finding him gentle but firm in who and what he is about is an affirmation for anyone who wants to believe in him/herself. His revoutionary ideas of education that stirred the world in his day should be kept vibrant and continuing to stir our world today and on into the future. His definition of a good teacher is one that should be reviewed by all teachers. "A good teacher asks good questions." Teachers as Listeners could gain a great deal of insight with these interviews. Students would not only be learning but would also be sharing the new wisdom that comes with each new individual. Try it, you'll like it and enjoy the growing.Interviews with Robert Frost Overview

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