After my son tested to have NVLD, we were told to read this book. It is the best on this topic, but I have two complaints: it contains a lot of jargon that can be difficult for regular people to understand. And the examples are so extreme--while you will feel good that your child isn't "that bad", if you show this book to a teacher, they may decide they can't handle a child with NVLD. It would be better if it included a section about the various levels of NVLD that can occur and how to deal with them.

My child's Occupational Therapist handed me this book and told me to skim it quickly. She thought my child had NLD and suggested I review the book and see if I agreed. Thanks to the numerous checklists in Thompson's book I was able to get a handle on what the problem was.

But it isn't all checklists. Thompson has illustrative anecdotes that explain what it's like to have an NLD child, and to BE an NLD child. Some of them are absolutely heartbreaking, such as the boy who jumped off a building because he believed his "friends" who assured him he could fly. Some are encouraging, showing how therapy, accomodations, and hard work can help children overcome this learning disorder. And some just make you think... different.

If you've heard the phrase "Non-verbal learning disability" and aren't sure what it means or whether it applies to your child, or what to do about it, do check this book out. An excellent resource for parents, teachers, and anyone else who works with any children with NLD.

The difinitive book on NLD. Tells many aspects. Gives examples in the extreme of just how badly NLD can affects areas of a person's life. Was a relief because now I understand how my daughter thinks and which particular "swiss cheese hole in her brain" she has and because she's not as bad as the extreme examples given. But it also warned me of areas where I as her parent can help her strengthen her weaknesses. Now I know why such a smart girl can be so clueless. I love her how she is, and I can be helpful to her now.

I found this book to be very well written and interesting! I was hoping more questions would be about little boys, as we have a 7, 6, 4 and 19 month old. It covers a wide variety of topics, concerns and situations at all ages. I especially agreed with the sections and comment regarding teens and their "issues". The author seems to have a 'don't make too big a deal of anything' attitude. I liked that! Most of the teen stuff will blow over and the photos of your son with blue hair can be used as blackmail later!

By one of the authors of "Raising Cain", this book in the format of a series of questions and answers organized around central themes.

As such, it can serve as both a reference work to specific areas or a can be read as a single work.

The book deals with a wide range of issues in a candid, non-judgemental way.

And, perhaps, like Spock's or Leach's works about infants, it will serve to help orient adults in doing their best with their sons or the sons of others.

I buy more books than I find time to read them. Occasionally I come across a book that grabs my attention, hooks me in, and refuses to let me put it down. Such is the case in regard to "Speaking of Boys". I was spending time in the book section of a local Target store while my ll and 12 year-old boys were checking out toys and video games. The book's cover photo grabbed my attention. Flipping through the book and its questions, I found the presentation attractive, bought it, and began reading it during subway rides to and from work. I came to understand a lot of issues that I never fully comprehended as a twelve year old. I was surprised by some of the "facts" of teenage boys, such as how they view sex, why they feel a need to fight authority while needing hugs, when "wet dreams" begin and how to explain the phenomenon, etc. I have highly recommended the book to many. It's easy to digest, accessible to just about anyone, and oftentimes explains difficult issues with a touch of humor. Check it out!

Warren Thompson, a F-117 "Nighthawk" pilot, has put together a superb book, one of those that the aviation enthusiast will consider a "must" for his reading collection. This book covers the development, maturation and wartime employment of an aircraft unique in the annals of airborne warfare, and which is still relatively unknown as to its capabilities and potential for further application. The personal stories of the pilots who learned how to use this very different airframe, flying exclusively at night in a very demanding tactical environment, tell a compelling story of how men and airplane come together to become an awesomely effective war machine. Many of the pilots who flew "Downtown" to Baghdad on the opening night of the Gulf War, and many subsequent missions as the war progressed, tell their riveting personal stories as they faced some of the densest Anti Aircraft Artillery and Surface to Air Missile threats ever. Their determination, professionalism, camaraderie and teamwork are clearly articulated in a most readable fashion. They give every detail, short of Classified Information, about how they planned, adjusted and ultimately executed some of the most demanding bombing missions ever completed. The book also covers the intricacies of mission planning, sortie generation and a myriad of other challenges faced by those who put together the air attack plan and those who were charged with its execution. The book contains many excellent and previously unpublished photographs, including 7 in color, of the aircraft, aircrew, ground support personnel and results of bombing attacks in Iraq. A number of illustrations, photos of unit patches and maps augment this excellent text. This is a great book about superb aviators and a new and deadly form of air warfare told in a wonderfully personal and particularly readable manner.

This one is hard to put down until you are finished reading it. It gives insight into just how hard Desert Storm would have been without these mounts of Darth Vader, and the unbelievable dedication and hard work the ground- and aircrews put fore in those months of 1990-91.
All through the book there are plenty of pictures, both posed pilot shots and pictures taken by 82nd Airborne after the cease fire showing the damage done to Iraq by the F-117 community.

There is one small error in the book though. There is a picture of a fighter in it where the caption claims it's a damaged Iraqi Jaguar. Anyone that sat through aircraft recognition in any service around the world will recognize it as a MiG. Not a very big issue, but an error nonetheless.

I can recommend this book for anyone interested in getting a glimpse into a world only a few hundred people inhabit on a day to day basis. It's no wonder the F-117A was considered the star of the show after the Gulf War was over. This book explains why.

If you are looking for a book about the F-117,well you better don't hesitate to think twice,buy this book,its worth for your money,this book contains lot of photo from the exterior to the interior of the F-117,plus this book tell the operation conducted by the F-117 in the gulf war. Before I close my message, all I can say about this book is that,if your fond of F-117 then better get this one roght now before it run out of stock.

Chemtrek is ideally suited to 1st year college or 2nd year high school chemistry use. Chemtrek uses conservation, cost, and waste reduction as design elements of its laboratory experiments, as a result the quality of hands-on lab activities shine because they focus Green or conservation practices often omitted in the chemistry Lab.

The book is worth while to teachers as a valuable reference of quality, thinking, lab activities , which stress what is happening and why over typical cookbook chemistry methods. If you can't use it in your lab, at least read it and see for yourself how these techniques can be applied to your classroom.

My College has saved, many thousands of dollars, in reduced chemical purchases, and saved even more in the waste disposal fees, not paid because the wastes were never produced using this methods. If you use small scale this book is for you, stop buying kits, and learn how to do it yourself.

This book offers us a view of thecniques used in a organic laboratory and shows a litle more about the principles. I will recomend to my students.

A master manual with a great deal of power for dealing with waste minimization at the source, instead of making a mess and cleaning it up later. After contacting the author, I was able to recieve a great deal of technical expertise and help in using the text to instruct and create my own small-scale laboratory where I teach. Great stuff!!!!

Frank Thompson does a good job of informing the reader about films that have disappeared and forgotten by history.The synopisis and stills from the lost films give the reader a good idea of these forgotten stories, but Thompson has an annoying habit of going on and on at the end of each synopsis about how sad it is that this film is lost, etc. You feel like saying "OKAY-WE GET THE POINT! LET'S MOVE ON!" Fortunately, since this book was published, one reel has been found of Annteete kellerman's "The Daughter of the Gods." Half of "The Flaming Frontier" has been found in France, and a couple of feet of Theda Bara's "Cleopatra" has been donated to the George Eastman archive. So all is NOT lost.

Very good book, one of the most important of the decade. Segments on DAUGHTER OF THE GODS (1916) and THE CASE OF LENA SMITH (1929) especially interesting. Did miss some key films - namely ANNE OF GREEN GABLES (1919) with Mary Miles Minter and HUMAN WRECKAGE (1923), Mrs. Wallace Reid's first production effort.

There are many books about important films, but this book is unusual in that it discusses films that are now lost because of decay or intentional destruction by the studios. The focus in this book is on the silent era, where as many as 80 percent of the films made are now lost. Some of the important films discussed are THE PATRIOT, DAUGHTER OF THE GODS, CLEOPATRA (1916), DAMAGED GOODS, and THE MIRACLE MAN. Thompson focuses on key actors and filmmakers of the era, especially those whose work is mostly unavailable today including Theda Bara, Raymond Griffith, Thomas Meighan, George Loane Tucker, and J. Gordon Edwards.

I refer to this book again and again, as I am very interested in early Hollywood. As noted in the other reviews, this book is not complete, and a number of important films are not listed. However, this book is well-written and provides readers with a cautionary tale of how important it is that films be preserved.

I didn't know this was a girl-starring book before I got it for my boy, but he loves the book anyway. My husband said he refuses to read the book to our son, but I found him reading it to him anyway.

I think this book is very helpful in starting the potty training process. After reading this book several times with my daughter, she wanted to copy what we read in the book. She is not fully trained yet, however, she has gone potty 6 times after reading this book.

potty training! She loved seeing her favorite Sesame Street characters in the book. The book is more geared for girls than boys. I think every girl who is potty training should have this book.

I have read Not as a Stranger perhaps four times, and every time come away with something new. The older I become, the more I realize the story is not so much about Medicine, and the passion/obsession required to complete medical training, but about a man who matures and realizes that he is not an island. Compassionate telling of a situations that are still relevant today. The examination of small town life, politics, and the medical industry in the early twentieth century is very well done. What is amazing is the examination of one man's marriage, but I leave that to the reader.

Every now and then you read a book that lasts through life...I read this book at age 15 or so and my sister then about 17 read it also...over the years we have found ourselves referring to this book for some or other reason. I think of it often and spent years looking for a copy of it, eventually finding one on a trash and treasure book stall. The way the author described both the main character and the lifestyle have remained etched permanently in my mind. The part where Lucas gets lost on a camping trip was for me a particularly special part of the book, describing the intrinsic human need for company, care and support....excellent book, a must for the book shelf...i haven't read it recently and do not know it it would have the same effect on me as it did in my developing years...

From the time he is a small child Lucas Marsh cannot think of anything except becoming a doctor. He has a very naive and glorified view of medicine and doctors. This book tells the story of how he has to fight his way past that glorified view and come to grips with the fact that doctors are human, and as such are subject to the same human shortcomings as everyone else.

It's too easy for a gear head like me to order books like this. This book can give you a pamphlet history about effects which are overused and antiquated. If you're a gearhead like me you'll probably buy this book, but you should realize beforehand that you'll never own any of the boxes described here unless you're willing to pay way, way too much for them and are prepared to be disappointed. Spend your money on good effects devices (or lessons) rather than waste your money on a ... book like this.

Gets 3 stars because there aren't any other books quite like it, and it's amusing to read about the stories. I just think that all these old effects are overrated because of the increasing tendecy to treat rock n' roll like classical music.

YO,,,these effects look as cool as they sound.
This is the ultimate book...it would be
cool if it also came with a cd demonstrating some of these effects.....but this book is 2 hip.

This book has a great deal of information for those of us who like Stompboxes. What a wealth of knowledge that has been accumulated by Mr. Thompson that we should all be thankful for. I have been collecting stompboxes for over 25 years and found plenty of new information and history that fills in many of the voids that I had. I would love to see it in color photos as I'm sure the future will have that in store. Good Job! Bring us more!

This is a brief but entertaining and convincing argument for the artistic value of one of the most unfairly condemended media outlets -- television. Working from the hypothesis that the quirky dramas that dominated television from the '70s to the '90s (Hill Street Blues, St. Elsewhere, thirtysomething, ect.) actually made up television's second golden age, author Robert J. Thompson actually makes a pretty good argument for taking TV seriously. Each chapter provides detailed (and refreshingly witty) analysis of all the TV shows that we previously took for granted and shows how the writers and producers of those shows were able to create great art in the guise of great entertainment. Of particular worth was Thompson's long and informative chapter on St. Elsewhere, over the course of which he manages to break down a few of that show's intricate inside jokes and show how the show's controversial final episode actually served as a powerful and still-relavent statement on the state of television and American culture today. This book is a must read for anyone who sees television as more than just a distraction.

The title of this book is provocative but something of a serious misnomer. Robert J. Thompson points out early on that the original "Golden Age of Television" took place in the Fifties and was built on the variety shows like "Texaco Star Theater" and "Your Show of Shows," the anthology dramas like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One," and, of course, "I Love Lucy." Thompson also acknowledges that in the Seventies the situation comedy reached its "literate peak" with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show," "All in the Family," and "M*A*S*H." However, the argument for "Television's Second Golden Age: From 'Hill Street Blues' to 'ER'" covers a period from HSB's debute in 1981 to the present, where "ER" continues to be one of the top dramas on television. That is a period of more than two decades and while Thompson devotes a chapter to "The Second Golden Age of Television: "Cagney & Lacy," "Moonlighting," "L.A. Law," "thirtysomething," and "China Beach," essentially focusing on the Eighties, it is hard to say that the following decade, with "Twin Peaks," "Northern Exposure," "Picket Fences," "NYPD Blue," "Law & Order," "Homicide," "The X-Files," "Chicago Hope," and "ER" was not at least as strong (feel free to add to the list). Even if we are talking about the first decade of the 21st century we have "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "24," "The Practice," "Ally McBeal" and short-lived series like "My So Called Life" and "Once and Again" (and that is without dipping over to HBO and talking about "The Sopranos," "Six Feet Under," and the rest of their kind), all of which speak to quality dramatic programming.

That is why in the final analysis I see Thompson's argument as being not so much for a specific time period of great television, but rather advancing the proposition that the hour-long dramatic television series is the chief art form of the medium (yes, even more so than the situation comedy). I would even extend this argument to the mini-series, from "Roots" and "Shogun" to "War and Remembrance" and "Lonesome Dove," because the guiding principle of the extended narrative form remains the common denominator. "24" takes the idea of season-long story arc a unique extreme, but "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" did all of its complete seasons have a first-half story arc (e.g., Spike & Dru in Season 2) that then merged with a second-half story arc (e.g., the return of Angelus) that provided a framework for all of the individual episodes. Then there was "Murder One," which rather successfully devoted an entire season to one sensational murder trial. When a series loses its driving story arc, as when Dave and Maddie consummated their love on "Moonlighting," or when what was supposed to be the hook becomes the line and sinker as well, as when the question of who killed Laura Palmer ultimately derailed "Twin Peaks," the demise of the show simply affirms the principle in the negative.

Thompson's starting point is January 1981 when prime-time television was about to make a sudden and dramatic turn towards quality because of "Hill Street Blues," the show that Steven Bocho did not want to make and that nobody wanted to watch, but which became "television's first true masterpiece." However, Thompson argues that it was "St. Elsewhere" that was "TV's greatest show, ever" (having to do with key notions of "intertextuality" and "self-reflexivity"). Ultimately he is not defining a particular time period (especially since the "golden age" in question is clearly not over), but explaining why in the "vast wasteland" that Newton Minnow bemoaned so many years ago "quality" television is flourishing in terms of hour-long dramatic programming. Within that context Thompson clearly makes his case for much of the best television ever made having appeared on the networks since 1980. The book is half critical evaluation of these programs and half insider's tour looking at the decision-making process as well as the social, economic, and artistic forces that ended up revolutionizing the medium. Thompson also more than adequately proves he knows his television history, which is necessary to help convince those of us who are true students of the medium. Consequently, the fact that the title of this book is not a fair representation of its most significant claim, is not to be held against the author, because he has made in public an argument I have been making in private (okay, in class as well), for several years.

It's all too easy to assume that simply because we vegetate in front of the TV all day, that we have some kind of understanding of its history and how it works. This book summarises the importance of several landmark shows of the 1980s and 1990s, helping to show how a few select producers (chiefly refugees from The Mary Tyler Moore Show) were able to transform the quality of television, at least for a while. Note that the shows are discussed in their American context -- British viewers may be surprised to hear that anything was innovative about the "MASH without the laughter track", because MASH was always broadcast in the UK without a laughter track. But for placing the history of American TV in its natural home habitat, this remains an important and interesting introduction to quality television.

This book gives good coverage of it.s subject, but is biased from start to finish. It is also inconsistant. First it claims Thompson is working long hours and struggling to get by, and then it has him traveling endlessly with the Klan and spending all kinds of money on it.Thompson has a lot of personal turmoil in his life due to the death of his son, marital problems, and alcoholism. He finds a feeling of self importance as a Klan leader and quits when the thrill wears off. Did he ever really believe in the Klan or was it a form of escapism from his personal problems? Worth Weller makes it plain from the start that he isn't sympathetic to right wing political movements. He seems to think the social problems the KKK confronts are in the Klan's imagination. Even if you don't agree with the Klan's solutions or approach, anti-white discrimination, racial tension, and government corruption are very real major problems that concern all Americans.

I spent a year in the American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Brad Thompson and Jeff Berry are both friends of mine. this book is the first of many to soon appear about their activities. do not believe what the media or self-appointed civil righrs groups tell you. Read several books about the history of the KKK and then judge for yourself. make an informed decision. The really dangerous minds are not the ones you see in white sheets, but the ones you will never see in white shirts. This is a must read for Klansmen, and anti-kkk opposition

Under the Hood: Unmasking the Modern Ku Klux Klan presents a well-written and yet chillling look at what temptation can lead otherwise rational human beings to do. Weller vividly describes what led Brad Thompson, a father saddened by the death of his son, to seek solace in what Thompson believed to be the power of the Ku Klux Klan. Thompson eventually became disillusioned with the KKK and left his mask behind. This book is an important one in that the author thought deeply about how he wished to portray his subjects and gives an accurate description of the history and movement of the Ku Klux Klan.