5 comments about Facing Down Evil: Life on the Edge as an FBI Hostage Negotiator.

1. I was actually disapointed in this book. Given the authors background I was hoping for a book that went into some detail into his methods, beliefs and techniques of crisis negotiation. What I got was a very light but enjoyable read that covered his career in the FBI (including his battles with the beaucracy which I felt did not add to the story) and four incidents of crisis negotiating, which had some good basic tips. Waco got a mention - but only to say he will leave it to the next book - rather frustrating.
   
   My recommendation is, if you want a book on techniques, buy one of the others on the market (for example Van Zandt's fellow ex-agent Fred Lanceley's "On Scene Guide for Crisis Negotiators", or even Frank Bolz 'Hostage Cop"), but if you want a good read and an interesting story then this would be a good book to get.



2. "Facing Down Evil" is a legitimate, keenly observed look at the FBI and Hostage Negotiations by one of it's key players. Van Zandt brings a unique perspective of the Bureau to the page. He is real in his emotion and attitude and doesn't play the glory card so many others do in their memoirs. You actually feel as if you walk a mile in his shoes and it is a tough, yet gratifying path. Van Zandt succesfully intertwines stories of his personal life with his carreer and in doing so draws his audience in and keeps them wanting more untill the last page is turned.



3. I recommend this book to any one who enjoys a true-to-life FBI drama.
   Each chapter told a different edge-of-your seat story about this author's fascinating life as a negotiator/profiler for the FBI.
   Exceptional book and a great read!



4. I really enjoyed this book and it had many interesting thoughts and details for someone looking to get into the FBI, like myself. However, I felt it layed a little too heavily on his family issues and Christian background. Not that I'm opposed to either, but I had assumed, by the synopsis of the book that the author would go into more detail about high profile cases he had worked on but did the exact opposite. He talked about cases that were probably least known to anyone reading the book. Still, it was a good read but don't pick it up if you expect to read about cases like the Oklahoma City bombing or the Unabomber.



5. I enjoyed this book. I have great respect for the author's insight and experiences. His views into hostage psychology were enlightening for me and should be an eye opener for those interested in hostage negotiations. I found this book to be a very fast read and very interesting and while I found parts to be somewhat glib, it is recommended for those interested in the workings of the FBI and those with an interest in what the FBI does and the human feelings experienced in the performance of their difficult duties as FBI Agents.

3 comments about TRAVELS WITH THE WOLF: A STORY OF CHRONIC ILLNESS (WOMEN & HEALTH C&S PERSPECTIVE).

1. The book is a beautiful and lyrical account of Ms. Goldstein's illness and her struggle with a chronic condition. A must reading for all, and particularly for those involved in health professions.



2. Amazingly descriptive accounts of how the medical profession both helped and failed the author. Every physician should read this and think long and hard about her or his own place in the profession.

   But also an amazing coming-of-age story. I have never had chronic illness, but I could relate to so much of the narrative. It is a wonderful account for anyone who remembers struggling to assert one's independence and define oneself as an adult while maintaining and redefining relationships with friends and family.

   Wonderfully written.




3. Professor Melissa Goldstein writes with clarity, grace, and emotion. The combination of prose and poetry flow seamlessly. Chronic Illness can often be attributed to psychological illness, even when there are physical explanations. Melissa Goldstein writes of the struggles associated with belief in oneself, one's physicians, and one's present life without fear of the future. Her story is one of hope and determination and is inspiring to all people; she reaches out to us through our most basic emotional connections.

1 comments about Speak to Me!.

1. This book was very interesting. I am in an ASL class for school and this book made me realize another world that I didn't fully understand. This book should be read by any ASL student, and any parent of deaf children.

3 comments about Acknowledged A Man.

1. I read with intererst the story of the Del Buono family as they fought for services for their son/brother. Barbara obviously has tremendous faith courage and strength. Her husband and children, esp. Mary, are also amazing. As the mother of a brain injured son I also am caught in the maze of TBI--and it is not pretty. Barbara has done a good job describing nursing home situations. Even though Nick's nursing home experience was years ago conditions in these homes, at least in Indiana, for TBI survivors has not changed enough. Reading this book has helped give me the strength to continue to fight for services for my TBI son.



2. It is an excellent resource which can help us all to deal with the difficulties of life and use them to create a better world where the wounded are cared for with heart, not just hands.



3. After reading this book I was so greatful for the excellent care hospitals now give.I am also thankful for all this family has done.

5 comments about Twilight: Losing Sight, Gaining Insight.

1. This is a brilliant analysis of the deterioration of vision by Mr. Grunwald who has gone through it. He handles his unfortunate situation with grace and class.

   I am very surprised that this text has not been published in audio form since there are so many individuals who cannot read because of AMD, but would gain so much from Mr. Grunwalds words.




2. My mother has macular degeneration and needed this book on tape. .... My mom found the book to be very helpful. I also read it to try to understand better what she deals with every day. She also purchased 2 copies of the book in hardcover for her eye specialists. Although they know all the medical information already, the book can give them insight into their patient's plight. I recommend the book to anyone who knows or works with someone with low vision.



3. This book has so much to offer my alert and intelligent 90 year-old uncle, who is struggling to maintain his existential connection with life as macular generation cuts him off from the reading that has given him intellectual sustenance over so many years, that it is really depressing not to find an audiotape version available on Amazon.

   June




4. Written by a retired Editor-in-Chief of Time, Inc. publications, this slender tome gives the author's musings on macular degeneration, which is an incurable, age-related, gradual loss of vision that affects millions of Americans. It is a loss that the author himself experienced, though initially, having worn eyeglasses all his life, he simply thought that he needed a prescription for stronger lenses.

   The author gives the reader a historical perspective of age related macular degeneration and the state of this disease in the medical world today. He also recounts his early struggle with the permanent loss of vision and his somewhat difficult transition to the world of the blind and partially blind, given the fact that his life had always revolved around the written word and voracious reading.

   This is a very personal chronicle of one man's journey, both physical and emotional, to a new phase in his long and rich life. It is clearly a journey that the author would have preferred not to have taken, but having taken it, though against his will, he makes the most of it. A gifted writer, the author shares his experiences with great candor and insight.

   This is an informative, inspirational work from the heart. Those who read it will gain knowledge of the insidious disease that is macular degeneration. It is certainly a disease with which all those who may potentially become afflicted should be familiar. Baby Boomers, in particular, should take heed.




5. This is not a review per se in that I have not read the book. However, I wanted to buy it on CD for my father-in-law, who is 89 years old and HAS macular degeneration. As a result, he is now unable to read at all. It is peculiar to me that this particular book is not available on CD since many in its target audience would likely be victims of the degenerative eye disease that is its topic. Are there plans to put it in an audio format?

5 comments about Accidental Genius.

1. This book could have benefited from better editing- it has a lot of typos, some incomplete sentences, and at one point two paragraphs are repeated almost word-for-word in two different chapters. It is, however, an interesting case study of an exceptionally gifted child and the family who raised him. Parents seeking advice from other parents of gifted children might find this book hard to put down, but I think they could find better resources by starting with "Smart Boys" or "Smart Girls" by Barbara Kerr, or the books "Re-forming Gifted Education" and "Stand Up for Your Gifted Child."



2. My daughter entered full-time college at age 13 and graduated at age 16. This book gave the most accurate description of what it is really like to go through the acceleration process. Although the book details the personal experiences of the Kearny family, the reader should know that many families that accelerate will experience a lot of what the Kearny's write about. The first chapter of the book that is provided in the Amazon description is not really representative of the book. Once you get past Chapter One, the real story begins. The authors are painfully honest about their feelings and experiences; and do the reader a great service by sharing their personal stories. I have been through the acceleration process with my child and I believe that the Kearny's had a lot to do with the academic acceleration abilities of their children. They should be congratulated for thier enormous efforts and brilliant teaching methods.

   The Kearny's are pioneers in the area of acceleration. There are now hundreds of accelerated kids attending colleges across the nation. If you are interested in accelerating your child, I highly recommend this book. You will encounter many of the same roadblocks and negative opinions from teachers and administrators. Reading this book will give you an idea about what you will encounter so you're prepared to deal with the negatives when they happen. The book also shares the joys of acceleration and shows how beneficial early college can be. My daughter and I would do it all over again and encourage others to think about it too. This book is a great way to start your journey. Give it a try!




3. Yes, that's right... this was a fascinating story. And it was easy to read almost non-stop until I had heard it told. However, the book really does have many shortcomings. Perhaps just because the story is so fascinating that it raises all sorts of questions that are not addressed here. Most notably missing is Michael's own view on his childhood. How could the parents not think of including him in his own story? His own analysis would be at least as insightful as that of his parents. Especially since some of the speculation engaged in by the parents is of limited cogency. Particularly unsettling, in the midst of an already loose and casual narrative style, is the large number of spelling errors or similar proofreading errors that are in the book. Apparently this small press charges more money but offers less quality in its product. The story is fascinating and merits a 4 out of 5 rating for its interest alone. But the parental interpretation could have greatly benefited from editing, proofreading, and supplemental material provided by a third author - either a subject area expert or their "whiz kid" himself. Strangely, they refer to Michael's autobiography as if it is a published book somewhere, but web searches have turned up no sign of it. Nor is it included in the reference section at the back of this book. This book is fascinating, just as if one could meet directly with the parents and talk with them all day long. However, it really feels like a draft manuscript, rather than a polished and completed work. I am grateful it's available, but the story and subject deserved more thorough treatment.



4. This is one of the worst books on giftedness I've ever read. I bought the book thinking I would learn something about acceleration. What I got was nothing but a sad tale of a dysfunctional family whose mother is completely obsessed with her son's intelligence and her rationalizations for why she kept pushing him. Everything in their life is put on hold and everything in their life is sacrificed for the education of this ONE child. I'm sure Michael believes the world revolves around him -his family certainly believes it...and they don't do anything to teach him any different. Sadly for Michael, life only revolved around him,his education and his intelligence. He never experienced what it was like to be part of a family where EVERYONE was valued for who they are...not just their intelligence.



5. Imagine this. Doctors tell you your premature child may be burdened with slow mental development throughout their life. The child is fussy and can't sleep without some kind of mental stimulus- a quick fire candidate for ADD drugs. Rather than medicate you quickly find the best way to calm your child down is to interact with them and the child picks up things quickly. In fact, your child loves learning, retains most anything you present it and can recall the same information with voracity. You've hit the jackpot! Your kid should cruise through their classes and is likely to be the pride any school they attend. Colleges will be lined up around the block with scholarships and your baby's future is assured. Right? Not even close.
   
   The Kearney's found themselves in just this situation and quickly discovered there is a vast difference between learning and the US education system- big emphasis on the word "system". The first thing they found is that our system prefers children to step through it at the it's pace- not the child's, regardless of how disinterested the child may be in the curriculum. The first assumption our education makes is disinterest represents laziness or reluctance to learn- even if the child has already learned the material, finds repetition dull or just needs a small break. Aside from trying to feed a bottomless mental appetite the Kearney's had to make a very difficult decision: Let the public education system take a bright child and knock that bright light down to a normal level and possibly create endless behavioral problems in the process, pay an expensive private school to do the same or home school their child and hope the state recognizes their efforts. They tried the first two but eventually accepted the last option and even then they were always plagued by double standards, dimwitted officials, inept professionals, and little to no outside help. In fact, it seems that rather than foster intelligent students the US education system is simply more interested in simply reporting that they have students. Why is this? Because our education system is a joke.
   
   Think about how teachers are resented on all sides, ridiculously underpaid, under budgeted and checked by conflicting bureaucratic standards then think about how dumb someone must be to consider that as a career choice. There is humor or at least an illustration of a nation which pays education lip service but doesn't really take it seriously. Perhaps the thought of intelligent children eventually competing for our jobs is frightening. Perhaps the thought of not raising a generation of consumers who define themselves only by consumption is frightening to corporations. Perhaps the old guard (i.e. Ivy League alumni with vast contributions) are happy with things the way they are. Again, who is most precious to our future- another parent's prodigy or our own child? And does our education system really matter when two of "the best Ivy League" schools are churning out people like George W. Bush through? To quote him "You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test." This book highlights the problems with and conclusion any hopeful parent will discover about raising a gifted child in America: If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. It may bankrupt you, bring you under suspicious of child endangerment, create envy in pretty much every parent you know and wear you to a nub, but that's the gift of having a gifted child in our current system.
   
   Should you be looking for "how to create a prodigy" advice, there really isn't much here. The parents don't outline lesson plans. In fact, they seemed to simply do what many parents should: encourage, support, provide positive reinforcement, take their child's education seriously and try to make learning as fun as possible for their child. In that respect I believe they deserve an A+. The rest (prodigality, genius) is really genetic.
   
   I would give this book five stars but the editing is the worst I've ever seen in a published work. Numerous spelling errors and accidentally repeated passages litter the book. Even the title is odd considering the authors state repeatedly and clearly that they don't consider their children geniuses, but prodigies. I had to wonder if anyone actually bothered to edit the manuscript at all or how drunk they were when they did. I can forgive the shoddy jacket artwork but I really feel the publisher did a half-hearted job on this one, which is unfortunate for such an interesting book and wake up call for our national education system.

2 comments about Helen Keller.

1. Many people have heard of Helen Keller, the first deafblind person to graduate from college, an author, and the individual honored on Alabama's state quarter. Many fewer actually know what sort of person Keller was, what she stood for and believed in. Keller's activism on behalf of women's suffrage, pacifism, civil liberties, and radical socialism have largely been stripped from the sanitized images of her in popular consciousness. This short collection of some of Keller's best-known radical writings can help address this ignorance and raise consciousness about an American radical and militant socialist most often remembered as little more than a "poor little blind girl".
   
   In "Helen Keller: Rebel Lives", editor John Davis brings together a collection of letters, articles, and essays (all written by Keller except for one interview) outlining her radical social visions. Davis opens the volume with a 14-page biographical sketch, chronology, and introductions to the documents written with Karen Fletcher. The remaining 75 pages are organized into four sections, each including 5-7 brief documents, that explore Keller's views on disability and class (and the links between them); socialism and industrial unionism; women and women's suffrage; and war, militarism, and pacifism. Also included is a very short bibliography of electronic and printed resources for more information.
   
   The documents I found most interesting were those relating to Keller's involvement with the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), a radical anticapitalist union. Even though I was already familiar with Keller's revolutionary socialism, Keller's lively and witty articles on socialism and the IWW were a pleasure to read even with the burden of hindsight. I can only imagine that readers who know little about Keller the radical leftist will find these writings much more of a revelation, and more interesting as a result.
   
   This volume is in no sense a complete biography of Keller. It includes only introductions to her activism and revolutionary politics, and could have benefited greatly from providing background and analysis that was both more comprehensive and more in-depth. However, this slim volume is plenty to burst the bubble of sanitized history that surrounds popular views of Keller, and help readers get past her whitewashed image and learn a bit about the least-remembered aspects of the real person. It may also be of special value to teachers looking for primary sources on Keller or any of her fields of activism.



2. Essays and transcripts of speeches by Helen Keller, which reveal her true concerns and her work on behalf of others. For example, she advocated on behalf of public health measures to prevent causes of blindness. She advocated for social and economic reforms which she believed were morally just and socially necessary.
   
   Keller's concern for others shines through this text, transcending the specific political alignments she felt were necessary to achieve her goals, so that any reader of any political persuasion will find herein much value.
   
   Highly recommended.

No comments about Birth in a Chicken House: A Collection of Stories.

2 comments about Someone Stole Yesterday.

1. The book was a moving example of what humanity & family should be. Makes me believe that real life heros are still out there



2. This a moving account of a family's struggle to deal with a grown son's head injury, but it suffers from a lack of judicious editing. There is a bit too much repetition and inclusion of unimportant details that detract from the central, compelling story of their son's recovery. I found myself frustrated by descriptions of homes and meals that had little or no bearing on this central story and its powerful message. I think people read these books to learn more about brain injury or to be inspired by the courage and perseverance of the brain injured person. This book accomplishes those goals, but I have read other memoirs that do a better job and make for more focused accounts of the pitfalls and triumphs of the brain injured and their loved ones.

5 comments about Breaking Autism's Barriers: A Father's Story.

1. You can't miss the hard-headed commitment, the dogged won't-take-no-for-an-answer determination of this father in his loving and relentless pursuit of appropriate services for his son with autism. Bill Davis "tells it like it is" -- no wishy-washiness, no pie-in-the sky, no empty promises or fairy tale endings. His book makes clear the unfathomable depth of his love -- his passion -- for his beautiful son Chris, and the unyielding belief that no work is too hard, no frustration too crippling, no sacrifice too great if the goals are to provide for his son avenues by which this child with autism can make sense of our complex, swirling, overstimulating world, and find ways to express his own rich perceptions, ideas, and wit.

   Read this book if you have a child with autism. Buy it and give it as a gift (as I have twice already) to someone you know who has a child with autism.

   Read this book, too, if you have or know a child with ANY disability, for in Bill and Jae Davis' story of working with educational authorities, "working the system", "fighting the system" , improving the system, and not "settling" for halfway measures is a model for all parents of ALL kids with so-called special needs.

   But read this book if what you're looking for is just a good love story. The love that springs out of every page is real and unsentimental. The whole story is here -- the love of Bill and Jae for each other despite fatigue and frustrations and fights, the love for their daughter Jessica and Jessica's love for Chris, and the loving personality of Chris himself, the true hero of the book.




2. When starting this book I felt it would be a technical rendition of an Autistics child's life. Boy was I surprised to read the heart felt story about a father, a mother and two children caught up in the baffling world of Autism. From the diagnosis, through the stress of daily life the commitment between these family members was so touching and compelling forcing me to reexamine my own life's priorities. The Davis' obstacle ridden devotion to further education and community awareness of this disease is nothing less than admirable, and hopes that through Mr. Davis' advocacy work he can compel others to open their eyes.



3. When starting this book I felt it would be a technical rendition of an Autistic child's life. Boy was I surprised to read the heart felt story about a father, a mother and two children caught up in the baffling world of Autism. From the diagnosis, through the stress of daily life the commitment between these family members was so touching and compelling forcing me to reexamine my own life's priorities. The Davis' obstacle ridden devotion to further education and community awareness of this disease is nothing less than admirable, and hopes that through Mr. Davis' advocacy work he can compel others to open their eyes. I would encourage everyone to read this book, you will never regret or forget it.



4. Bill is so candid in his telling of the Davis family's life with Chris. He gives so much of himself and asks nothing in return. He is constantly out in the community advocating for not only his child but all children and adults with Autism. I'm proud to say I know him and I throughly enjoyed his book. If your child has been diagnosed you really should read this. Some parts will make you cry but many will make you laugh and say "Oh my god I'm not the only one!" It's an excellent book told from a point of view many never get to see. -Tracy Gipe, mother of a ten year old with ASD and his two younger siblings without.



5. I think this book is amazing because it let's you go into the mind of the author who is a man full of love for his son. He writes this book as if he is sitting in the room talking to you, and I like that. It's easy to read and easy to understand. And that is what people look for especially on Autism. I applaud this man and his family for doing wonderful things for the Austism Society and I'm proud to say that I'm a part of his world. I hope more people will read his books and get to know the love and suffering he and his family have been through. If anything he should get a medal in his honor.