A foreword for this 2nd printing is written by Nancy K. Splain, J.D., Liaison to the American Bar Association's Far Eastern Project - Ukraine. Dr. Splain lived in Ukraine 2001 and 2002. She has traveled many of the same by-ways as Lise did during her escape with her Mennonite people. In this unusual foreword, Dr. Splain describes the lush hills of Crimea where Lise was born and her passion for this book is obvious. Dr. Splain's foreword is an outstanding addition to this award winning book.

Escape to freedom. Survival. How might we lose our freedoms? This author tells it all.

has written this true story in Lise's own, up-lifting and charming words as a child of Dutch-German parents trapped in Russia. I consider it an important addition to the unknown, unadmitted history of Russia's people and Lise's escape with 140 of her people is an amazing story for all ages. This exciting, well crafted book is hard to put down. It is both relevant and powerful. How difficult it is to earn freedom -- how easy to lose it! I Heard My People Cry is felt in the hearts, and seen upon the faces of all mankind. So relevant for day!

This was one of my favorite books as a child. It left such an impact, that I checked it out from the library dozens of times. I remembered it as simply "Sarah's Story," and initially had difficulty finding it in our local library. This is among our favorite family books, one that I look forward to sharing with future generations. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is told engagingly. Be sure to share this wonderful TRUE story with any child that you hold dear.

My 6-year old daughter brought this book home from the library last year. She and her 4-year old brother were entranced by the book, as was I. The fact that it is true makes it even better. My kids loved the fact that the little girl thought the bear that protected her was a dog. I plan to buy it this year for a birthday or Christmas gift, and not just for my children.

This tale of a wild animal caring for a human child is very touching. It is beautifully written and illustrated. I read this to my class last year and again this year. They hang on every word.

"I Have Heard of a Land" was inspired by the stories Joyce Carol Thomas heard about her great-grandparents harrowing journey to the Oklahoma Territory in the late 1800s. Thomas tells the story in lyrical terms which are matched by the glowing paintings of Floyd Cooper. What I love about this book is that if you took away the pictures of African-Americans building a homestead on their own land in Oklahoma, you would not know the people or place involved. Thomas has created a hymn to the American pioneer spirit that truly transcends race. No wonder "I Have Heard of a Land" received the Coretta Scott King Award. An Author's Note at the end of the book provides more personal notes on the settling of African-Americans in Oklahoma which teachers and students will find interesting as well.

BECAUSE OF ITS BEAUTIFUL POETRY, I THINK I HAVE HEARD OF A LAND IS EXCELLENT READING FOR YOUNG AND OLDER PEOPLE

Everyone should read this story.I HAVE HEARD OF A LAND is very informing and inspirational. I personally love the poetry along with the images.

Delightful and original. Ellen Weiss explodes the idea that a "job" need be drudgery or obligatory. By interviewing people in unusual jobs who love their work, she shows kids that imagination and love count when thinking about a career. Her enthusiasm, amusement, and affection for her subjects make the book fun and swiftly readable. I bought this for my 9-year-old, but my 12-year-old gobbled it up, too, and read it in one sitting, laughing all the way. The author's choice of odd jobs -- bug wrangler, professional scary guy, sound effects man, etc. -- are perfectly tuned to kids' sensibilities. This is a rare book that can be a great birthday gift for kids from 4 to middle school (even high school). I hope we'll see a sequel.

I shared this book with a group of ten and eleven years olds and they were entralled. Their imaginations went wild. No longer did they want to be firefighters and rock stars just because that's what their friends wanted to be...suddenly there was a whole new world of jobs open to them. This is a wonderful book...well written, funny, informative, and filled with all kinds of great stuff that kids will love. I can't recommend it highly enough.

Ellen Weiss has written an amazing book. The photographs are great too. This book teaches a lesson. You need not decide early in life what you want to do for the rest of your life. You can have an interesting, rewarding and enjoyable career if you follow your heart, your interests, your dreams. It's a great read. I personally know of a school where ninety plus second graders are enjoying this book. There is a copy in each of their classrooms and one in the school library, The children each have their own preferences. "Bug-Wrangler" and "Armpit-Sniffer" seem to be the top two favorites, but all the jobs receive mention. I cannot say enough good things about this book. Thank you Ellen Weiss. Thank you Damon Ross and the other contributing photographers. I especially enjoyed the photos of the "Feather Guy" by Karen R. Coles. To sum this book up in one word....."Wowee".

I once heard an organist describe Charles Ives "America" in this way--a small town on the Fourth of July, where every band wants to perform in the parade, so they all agree to play the one song they know: 'America.' But they all play it differently. Ives's arrangment depicts the infinite complexity of all the bands' variations. This book not only show where he might have gotten an inspiration for this piece, but for all his other music also.
However, I think the most eloquent illustration is what Charlie heard when he got the news that his father had died. The depiction of total silence is a stark and effective contrast to the cacaphony of the rest of the book. This book can be used to introduce Ives' music to those unfamiliar with it, to explain it to those who don't understand it, or to increase the enjoyment of someone who already appreciates it.

"Charles Ives was born with his ears wide open. The very first sound he heard might have been his father's trumpet announcing his birth to the town of Danbury, Connecticut." During his life, no matter where he was or what he was doing, Charlie heard the wonder of music in the everyday sounds around him. It could be the rustle of his mother's dress, the tick of a clock, the hooves of horses clip-clopping down the street, or the ice cream man's bell. Charlie heard music in a bat hitting a baseball, the rumble of thunder, the applause and cheers of a crowd, and a train's bell and whistle. As he got older, Charlie wrote "music about things he'd heard or seen, or feelings he had. But sometimes it was just to hear how different notes would sound together." Charlie grew up, graduated from college, got married, and started a successful insurance company. But he never stopped writing his music. "It was a new kind of music. It didn't have to be pretty, it had to be true to his feelings... But most people didn't know how to listen to it. Some thought it was a joke. Others just heard noise and got angry." Finally, when Charles Ives was very old, musicians began to play and perform his music, and people began to hear what Charlie heard. "Maybe, if you open your ears like Charlie, you can hear the beautiful, funny, sad, joyous, amazing music he heard..." Mordecai Gerstein has written a spectacular introductory biography that really captures the essence of Charles Ives and his music. His simple, straightforward text is both engaging and informative. But it's Mr Gerstein's creative and inventive artwork that really makes this book stand out and sparkle. His busy and detailed illustrations are packed with sound effects, swirling around the pages, in all shapes, sizes, and colors. The visual becomes the audible, and readers will begin to "hear" the magic of music in the world around them, just like Charlie. Perfect for youngsters 8-12, What Charlie Heard is a marvelous, evocative story about an extraordinary composer, the entire family can savor, share, and enjoy together. And once you've finished reading, it's time to listen to some of Charles Ives' music, so that you can hear what Charlie heard.

A glorious, exciting, stimulating perfect match of text and illustration, this book does what every non-fiction book should do and does it brilliantly. You will be looking to purchase recordings of the music of Charles Ives after you read this--and so will the kids with whom you share it. It intrigues you, stimulates you and delights you. What more could anyone want?

I first read this book 12 years ago, by the suggestion of a co-worker. I honestly have never cried so much from reading ANY book in my entire life. I am now 31 years old and crying as I think about Ursula "Sunshine" Assaid(USA). I have been looking for this book for years and I'm hopeful that Amazon.com will be able to ship it to me. Anyone who even knows, seen, heard or laid eyes on just 1 child MUST read this book. You won't be or see children the same!(P,S,) Keep tissues handy!

I first read this book in the sixth grade and haven't been able to find it in any library since. However, it has made me more aware of child abuse in America and how horrible it really is. I cannot believe that some judges will overlook this sort of thing while I as a young child was able to see how gruesome it is. Even now I am only 14 and outraged that this is being overlooked in our country. I think every teenager should read this book. It makes us,who especially at this age are self-centered appreciate what we have.

I first read this book when I was in 9th grade. I have been trying to find this book for the past 2yrs now. Wheni read this book all I could do was cry. It was so sad to read that a mother could watch this happen to her child. I being a parent myself am more aware of how I talk and act toward my kids. Never in a million years would I ever think of trating my kids this why. Thier lives are way to fragile and precious to loose over any one, be man or woman or money & power for that matter. I'm just glad I found the book again.

This book is dynamite! It is one every woman should read. Dr. Vliet outlines and addresses so many of the complaints most women have but the world ignores. This book contains all the information and ammunition necessary to take to our doctors to demand our problems be addressed and treated. Women no longer have to accept the oft repeated "It's all in your head" comment so many of us have heard all these years. Dr. Vliet not only helps us understand what ails us, and suggests alternatives, she tells us what to look for and what to ask the doctor when we visit. And, she shows us how to listen to our body and to learn that there are things we *can* do to get the help we need. As the title suggests, women are Screaming To Be Heard, and Dr. Vliet directs us in how to make ourselves heard--and not only that, to get the care and attention we need.

As other reviewers have pointed out, this book addresses almost any question you might have about hormonal issues for women. Even better is that Dr. Vliet has no axe to grind: she won't be a cheerleader for either the "everything must be natural" or the "traditional medical establishment" camp. She forms her opinions carefully: she is completely tuned into women's experiences of their symptoms, but at the same time, she won't promote "natural" hormones unless her experience and the scientific data back up their effectiveness. For example, she points out how "natural" thyroid replacement hormones don't have the ideal combination of T3 and T4, while at the same time acknowledging that T3 can be crucial to wellness (which many doctors don't realize, insisting on giving only T4) and explaining how to get T3 in a more biocompatible form.

This book is jam-packed with information and may be heavy reading for someone who doesn't have an intellectual bent. Once you've read it, you'll likely know more about hormones than your doctor does (which is sad!). However, if you're looking for a book that will teach you everything you'll need to know to be your own patient advocate, you'll be in seventh heaven.

For more in-depth coverage of thyroid issues, I highly recommend "Living Well With Hypothyroidism" by Mary Shomon. "Listening to Your Hormones" and "The Thyroid Solution" are good too, but not the first place I turn.

After over 12 yrs of doctors telling me my fatique was depression, lack of sleep, my imagination, nothing at all, etc.... I was so very fortunate to find this book. Dr. Vliet addresses so many problems that women have due to hormonal problems.

Do not underestimate the importance of hormones! I had a complete hysterectomy 13 yrs ago and about 12 yrs ago began having severe fatique, mental fuzziness, memory problems, bladder problems, headaches, plus other problems. Every doctor I went to see never even addressed these problems as hormonal. Although I was on hormonal therapy, my various combinations just did not help enough. I knew something was not right, but trying to tell your doctor that you know what the problem is just does not work, or it did not work for me. Most of the doctors I saw did not take my symptoms seriously and thus I searched for 12 yrs for help.

Then I read Dr. Vliet's book and all of my questions and concerns were answered! Everything began to make sense. I cannot stress this enough - IF YOU ARE A WOMAN, READ THIS BOOK!

For all of you out there, who once dreamed of breathing fire like Gene Simmons but are now jockeying a desk, this book is for you. Damn the cubicle. Quit your job and join a rock'n'roll band. Get rich. Get women. Get famous. Or not.

In the Cheese Chronicles, Tommy Womack presents a great look into the usually-unglamorous lifestyle of beer-swilling, chain-smoking, working musicians just trying to make ends meet. He demonstrates that the road to musical nirvana isn't paved with gold for every band that hasn't made it yet. It's paved with concrete just like the Pennsylvania Turnpike, complete with an ungodly amount of potholes. From songs about frozen fish to crashing out next to the litter box on some guy's floor, it's all here. And funny as hell to boot.

Too bad you can't get the Cheese on cd anymore. I'd buy a copy. Definitely.

Rock & roll at its grittiest! Rock & roll at its best! Reading the "Cheese Chronicles" should be required for every musician/rock group/fill in the blank. Tommy Womack describes this period of his life very vividly... travelling the roller coaster of a rock & roll band-- the good times & the bad times; the fun times & the serious times.

I was one of the lucky ones who got to see Tommy Womack and Government Cheese perform maybe twenty times before they decided to call it quits. "Cheese Chronicles" documents the ups and downs of a very entertaining, high-energy group of musicians on the road for years. Cheese always reminded me of the early Who with their penchant for driving audiences mad, and it was great to relive some of my more fun times in the 1980s. Womack's book is funny, poignant and gives the reader a great idea what it's like to be in a working rock band. Tommy's prose is intelligent, easy to read, and one never had to see the band perform live to enjoy the book or to get a good idea what the rock life or Government Cheese are all about.

This small book, only 141 pages in length, offers a most refreshing, lively and accessible guide to practical voice training written for actors and voice students who strive for honest performances using a voice that responds naturally to their inner selves. Chuck Jones, a remarkable teacher, has pioneered his voice training practices through many years of acting and teaching experience, guiding innumerable voice students and performing arts professionals to integrate fully expressive voices into their work.
Jones' approach to vocal training is unique since he clearly and very convincingly focuses on the relationship between vocal training and acting, thereby supporting American actor training in which actors are encouraged to draw on their own emotional lives and resources. Jones explains that "....voice training does more than solve vocal problems: Voice training allows actors to extend their range, develop power, and create that mysterious quality known as presence....helps put actors in touch with their deepest emotional states and allows them to connect to their roles in a profound way....helps actors to develop the capacity to reveal the full range of their inner lives." (page 23)
In the first half of the book Jones examines fundamental acting issues that relate specifically to the vocal instrument such as, being heard, character choices, and vocal power. In the second half of the book, Jones introduces a very specific, logical sequence of exercises as part of a daily vocal workout that release, stretch, strengthen, increase the expressive range, resonance and flexibility of the vocal anatomy and physical instrument leading to a heightened physical and emotional awareness.
Jones brings the book to a close by defining how to connect the voice to the emotional life, breathing as part of acting, and finally, how to get used to the new sound that results from his vocal training practices; thus Jones addresses practically the full integration of the expressive voice into acting work based on an honest connection that includes the physiological, the physical and the emotional aspects of the actor's instrument eliminating the "mystery" from voice training.
I first met Chuck Jones about 15 years ago when I attended his voice class as a student and his work and who he is as a teacher changed my life and my work as an actress! He took the "mystery" out of voice production for me as an actress and he is my inspiration for becoming the voice teacher I am today.

FORWORD by Caymichael Patten, Director, the Caymichael Patten Studio.

I first met Chuck Jones when I was a young director coaching an actress for an audition for The Actor's Studio. The scene was from "The Country Girl." Her partner was Chuck. Both of them were more experienced than I was, so I was nervous, but I blossomed working with Chuck. He may not have known it, but he was teaching even then. That was when I was first exposed to the way he could put his whole concentration on someone, with open attention, without judgment, listening for the essential. Guess what? My notes to these actors got better, because I could pick out what was germane in what I was trying to say-because that's what Chuck was responding to.

I've seen that kind of attention when he was talking to a new student, who had come to class complaining, "I've never been able to breathe right and act at the same time." Chuck zeroed in on this fellow and said, "What is breathing right? There's no special voice-class breathing or proper acting breathing. One of the ways we know what's happening with people is how they take a breath."

I could see the actor's face soften as it dawned on him that Chuck's work wasn't going to be the typical voice-class hokum, that it emphasized connecting the actor's voice to his or her emotional life. That's what we all recognize as truthfulness.

So I've sent him many students over the years, saying to them, "If you think this work has nothing to do with your acting, you're wrong. Do the exercises, and your acting will get better." And it does. They come away from his work more in touch with themselves, more relaxed, more deeply connected emotionally, more responsive to their core acting selves.

I hope I'm communicating what a terrific teacher he is and what a boon his work is to the actor. If you can't study with him directly, or if you have worked with him and need a reminder, this book is for you.

Make Your Voice Heard is a useful book for actors interested in increasing their vocal power and range. The exercises are simple, concise and easy to follow. And they really work! Actors who use these exercises notice improvement almost immediately. We use this book as the text for the beginning voice classes at the Atlantic Theater.

I purchased this book to help me keep consistent with my journaling. On the days I "drew blank" when I took pen and pad in hand, I read a chapter of this book. I enjoyed the exercises and the experience. I may pull it out again for next year's journal to see what I come up with then.

This must be the most accessible book on how to live and communicate one's life through poetry simultaneously. As a former Georgia Heard (a most gracious educator whose life is her work) student, I can honestly say I have gained so much valuable insight into my own writing and teaching from using this companion (book). It is a must for those "re-visionists"; those who want desperately to communicate experiences and to see these experiences take on new lives of their own. If you enjoy poetry, you should not be without this timeless guide for writing.

My friend who was student teaching fourth graders at the time, told me about this book. She knew I wanted to start writing again, but was unsure of where and how to start. When I finally got ahold of Georgia's suggestions and life examples, I realized how difficult I was making it all out to be. Ms. Heard has helped me take my pen in hand again and I have been a happier person ever since. This book is one that you can take from the shelf over and over again, getting something different everytime you read it. I really appreciate her way of making every writer feel that their work is important - finding the joy in every piece of writing. I realized through her book that my writing, whether private or published, is a gift.