This book is a bargain at its full price, but given the offer, it is a true find. Grab it! Deborah Madison is an accomplished food writer with several other vegetarian cookbooks to her credit. This one focuses on traditional American foods and ingredients. I made several recipes out of this book over the holidays-Corn Pudding and Hominy Grits Casserole are two that were especially popular. The book is visually pleasing, and the recipes turn out like the photographs. Madison is a lucid, non-preachy writer and the recipes are easy to follow. She does not insult the reader with hard-to-find ingredients or complicated procedures. While American culinary traditions are thought of as meat-oriented, she has done a fine job of reminding us that our heritage includes worthy vegetables, fruits, grains and dairy products. Although not for vegans, this collection works well for ovo-lactos as well as carnivores who are seeking ways to complement or de-emphasize meat in their diets.

This was the first book from the Vegetarian Table series that I purchased, and it remains one of my favorites. The recipes are not only attractive, but easy to make. The book is illustrated with great photos.

Everything from Pear Chutney to Fried Green Tomatoes! Deborah Madison certainly livened up some old favorites but still kept them simple and fairly quick. My personal favorite is the Broiled Eggplant with Tomatoes and Cheese!! There is nothing boring nor to extreme in this vegetarian cookbook. I am not a diehard vegan so this is a good compromise with dairy and veggies.

In Mandy Potter, An Abundant Woman's heroine, Elizabeth Neff Walker has created a well-rounded character in all senses of the word - her fears and concerns are realistically depicted, as is the contrast between her professional and private personas. The issues of acceptance, fat phobia, prejudice and self esteem are addressed in ways that most women (abundant and otherwise) will relate to, and I came away from this tender, sexy novel feeling good about myself and appreciative of the wonderful people I have in my life.

I'm normally not a fan of romance novels - but this one hit me where I live! At last - a ROUND heroine! The story is intriguing - the characters finely drawn. This is a FUN read, and MOST enjoyable for those of us not built like a Barbie doll!

From the first page, I was caught into this book. It is a woman's book in the fullest sense of the word. The writing is superb, witty and insightful, and the characters are alive. I found myself relating to the emotions and conflicts. Here are flawed people struggling to live and love, and succeeding. I also very much appreciate the clear print on cream paper.

This literary genius captures the readers attention by challenging the realms of societal issues that are considered a hidden taboo and has introduced them in his novel,"All Honey Ain't Sweet", as raw facts of reality. This fictional novel also allows your innate senses to come alive by creating laughther, sorrow, and joy, leaving the reader in a blissful nostalgia.

All Honey Ain't Sweet is a fantastic novel. Although it is fictional,the characters seem so real. The author touches on some deep social issues with a lot of twists and turns and the chapter titles are great. For a debut novelist, Elzie L. Madison is on his way to the top.

I enjoyed the display of relism that this book provided.How a brother and sister in love,really agree to disagree. I especially love that at the center of this novel is a strong, self-employed,well-educated BLACK MAN.

I usually don't read much and I am what some people label a TV fanatic because I watch TV quite a bit, but a friend referred me to Gettin' Down to the "Real" Nitty-Gritty and it was so realistic, funny and such easy reading that I had to pull myself away from the TV to read this book. Miss Madison is a great writer and I look forward to reading her next book.

I find it to be an enjoyable readable book. Reads as if it came from the hearth of a waman in tune with her enviroment and wanting to make it change for the better. Unlike most reads I did not have to have a dictionary to enjoy it.

Gettin "Down" to the Real Nitty-Gritty is very funny, but realistic. The author has a lively sense of humor.

I'm a huge Madison Finn fan!!! This book was 1 of my faves along w/Just Visiting, Lights Out and Heart to Heart! The other bks in the series are really good 2! I would recommend these bks 4 8-13 yr olds b/c I'm 12 but in October I'll be 13 and in September I'll be in gr.8, but I'll never stop lovin' these bks! My friend loves these books 2 and when my other friends saw us reading them they wanted 2 get the 411 on them 2 and 1 of them even got 1 from the library. You can really relate 2 Madison, and this bk is cooler than cool!! You will totally not go wrong w/this book. It's about when Maddie volunteers @ a nursing home called The Estates and she sings in a chorus. Also Madison isn't really sure n e more if Ivy is enemy or friend. Ivy's actually acting friendly?! *Gasp*, plus when Dad bails on their winter plans Madison doesn't want 2 tell Mom. Know why? Buy this bk and find out. U'll c that Give and Take is AMAZING!!!! Just....The coolest!
PS. Can't wait 4 #13: Sink or Swim, #14: Double Dare, #15: Off the Wall and all the other excellent bks 2 come! Laura's an awesome writer!!

this book is the Coooooooooooooooolest

The holidays seem to be looking up for Madison, that is until her dad cancels their ski trip plans and Madison's two best friends appear to be avoiding her. And then Madison's parents get into a really big fight. When Madison volunteers at the Retirement home with Ivy, her enemy, and Hart, her crush, she meets up with an old woman by the name of Eleanor Romano. The two become very good friends, and Madison is even surprised that Ivy is being nice to her when they go to the retirement home. Madison's friend Fiona gives Madison some good advice for the holidays: "you get what you give." Madison decides to apply that to her life and everything seems to be on the upside again. Madison is in for quite a few holiday surprises, and plans some for her friends, both old and new. I liked this Madison Finn book because it talks about giving, and how it is much mor eimportant than receiving. The book also talks about being nice to others, even when they are not nice to you.

This is a fine work of scholarship in the area of intellectual history. McCoy offers a penetrating exposition of the ideas of one of this country's most important intellectuals, and explores Madison's great achievements as well as some of the disturbing contradictions within his thought, especially concerning the question of slavery.

Madison, of course, opposed slavery, but had great fears about the dangers of emancipation, and thus ended up endorsing colonization, a position now long since discredited. McCoy's treatment of this issue is insightful and relevant to any discussion of the later sectional crisis. The contradiction between slavery and the principles of American republicanism were real, as Madison understood very well, and ultimately were more or less resolved in the kind of war that Madison had feared.

Madison's concerns about the importance of public support for education, and the opportunities and dangers of industrialization and unemployment reveal a man both principled and pragmatic in his approach to new developments in the rapidly growing Republic. McCoy shows us an intellectually vigorous Madison who was skeptical about human nature, committed to republican institutions, and alert to the need to accommodate the new realities created by social and economic change. In McCoy's treatment, Madison was a principled thinker, but never an ideologue who might prefer the consistency of a philosophical system over the experience of reality.

McCoy's chapter on Madison's view of the 1832-1833 nullification crisis is also especially informative. Although Madison is often cited as a supporter of state nullification, based on a careless reading of his 1798 Virginia Resolution (that is often paired with Jefferson's more explicitly nullificationist 1798 Kentucky Resolution), in fact Madison was opposed to the South Carolina anti-tariff movement, and argued that while high tariffs might be a bad idea, they were not unconstitutional -- indeed, "no great constitutional question" was involved.

Worse, according to McCoy, Madison feared that the logic of nullification would lead to "a rupture of the Union; a Southern confederacy; mutual enmity with the Northern; the most dreadful animosities and border wars, springing from the case of slaves; rival alliances abroad; standing armies at home, to be supported by internal taxes; and federal Governments, with powers of a more consolidating and monarchical tendency than the greatest jealousy has charged on the existing systems" (Madison, quoted in McCoy, p. 134).

The book is well-documented from primary sources -- especially letters and personal papers -- but it would be nice if McCoy had included at the conclusion a complete bibliography, along with some commentary on how his findings related to the current literature on Madison, but that is a quibble; this is not a doctoral dissertation but a serious study, accessible to the ordinary reader, of a key founder of the Republic whose adult life spanned the colonial period in the 1770s though the Jacksonian era in the 1830s.

Madison, for all his strengths and limitations, remains one of the great political thinkers in American, and indeed, world, history. He is justly seen as the father of the Constitution. This book is a great introduction to the ideas and experience of "the last of the fathers."

When reading the book you get the feeling that James Madison was thinking of how to preserve the actions and thoughts of the new republic founders. Madison lived longer than most of the founding fathers and saw the transition and change of the U.S. government.

The Father of the Constitution out lived both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by 10 years and saw the new government he had worked hard to preserve, now threatened. Slavery was only one of his worries...Madison sought to stabilize a fragile system of politics that threatened to crack the national unity.

Madison was a shy man, but when the time arose he was a most ardent supporter of the republican faith. People asked Madison on how to fashion their government... he inturn would espouse the need for the study of history. The history of the founding and the ideals that sprung forth to birth a great nation.

This approach moved him away from the mainstream of public attention, all along wanting the public attention to focus on the nation as a whole.

This book is a good study into Madison the man, from his early days as a young Revolutionary to his last years caught in the moral dilemma of abolitionism and proslavery arguments. Later in our history we shall see Madison's thoughts come to life.

We read a lot of Madison's letters on these subjects and others, thereby giving us a good look into Madison the man... character and temperament struggling to resolve these issues.

If one is into reading about the Founding Fathers and their times, thoughts and tribulations; this is a good book to read. I found this book to be interesting with good flowing narative, well documented and useful.

Read it and enjoy... I did

This is an excellent book for those who wish to understand Madison's view of the purpose of the Constitution and his perception of how it should be used by posterity. Madison insisted that anyone who was responsible for making laws should have a full understanding of the Constitution's content. McCoy, in a straightforward and clear writing style, clearly presents Madison's perspective and his dilemmas'--the issues of a republic vs a democracy and an ideal of the natural rights of man vs the existence of slavery. McCoy examines the philosophical background from which Madison's beliefs evolved as well as how his ideas contrasted with his contemporaries. He also documents in great detail the 'students' of Madison and how they interpreted his legacy. But his discussion of Madison as slaveowner and believer in the natural right of man to liberty and the hardening attitude of the South during his lifetime makes this book excellent.

"Maternity Ward" not only serves up a wealth of new information for Ploesti buffs, it provides a clear introduction for readers unfamiliar with the dramatic low-level attack on Romanian oil. The diary format and numerous personal photos give the book an air of immediacy not found in other histories of the 1943 mission. We feel a palpable sense of loss for the young men who did not return, relief for those who did. Stephen Ambrose cites "Maternity Ward" prominently in his recent "Wild Blue" -- with good reason, as Ms. Aronowitz's book is a "must-read" for anyone interested in the difficult conditions faced by airmen in the Mediterranean Theatre, and the courage they displayed in carrying out their duties.

For those of us devoted to the study of Operation Tidal Wave, Ms. Aronowitz has performed a great service. This excellent work gives us not only a close look at Bill Fay and his comrades who flew the low-level Ploesti raid of 8-01-43, but also re-writes aviation history by describing WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED to John Ward and his crew and aircraft. No other account of this mission reveals Ward & Anderson's Ionian Sea ambush and their subsequent amazing journey. All other accounts I've read have the entire crew being killed at the target. Great investigative reporting. Also, obviously a work of great love, which I heartily endorse, given that these young men took off knowing not only the danger, but the necessity of their actions.They thought that if they destroyed the target, other young men would not have to follow them. Well done, Ms. Aronowitz.

This book was a very moving account of the life of the crew of a B-24 Liberator during WWII. Based on the daily writings of William Fay, the details of his stories have been thoroughly researched and explained by the author, so the reader knows exactly what William Fay was describing in his diary. The tragedy of war and death, the daily hardships of living in the windy, hot desert, and the tenseness of always awaiting news of the next mission, have all been weaved into a fascinating story.

Authors wanting to write for children and/or teenagers will find just about everything they want in this book. My only quibble is that the author states, "For any age, fantasy is the hardest material to write, and even harder to sell." Therefore, if fantasy is what you want to write, you won't find any help specifically related to your preferred genre in this book.
IS fantasy really harder to write than any other genre? I personally would find contemporary realism, with the almost obligatory dysfunctional family setting so beloved of today's publishers for older children, well near impossible to write, simply because I seldom enjoy reading it. However, good writing techniques are the same no matter what genre you write, and Lee Wyndham's suggestion to read the very best MODERN fantasy titles seems eminently sensible to me. I just disagree that would-be fantasy writers should learn their craft by writing here-and-now stories. If the mere thought of writing contemporary realism makes you want to yawn, you'll only land up writing a boring story.

I have taken three fiction writing classes from a major writing school. I have scanned a large number of writing books. I write middle grade/young adult novels.
I just have to write this here. This is the best book I've seen in its subject. It has been so helpful to me especially the "how to organize a book" and "plotting" sections. I would reccomend this book to anyone who is starting to write books for children and teenagers.

If you're a beginning writer in need of advice, this is a great book whether you're writing for children, teenagers or adults. While in the process of writing a short story or novel, Wyndham guides you every step of the way. In every chapter she gives advice on how to keep your work organized, something creative minds usually have trouble with. Her section on getting published is extremely valuable and informative.

I think every college creative writing program should have this book as a curriculum requirement. It not only teaches, it encourages. Young writers need that more than they need a list of things they can't write about so as not to offend the teacher/administration, etc. If anyone is interested in writing ANY kind of fiction, I suggest you purchase this book and read it thoroughly.

Rakove's contribution to Madisonian scholarship is well advanced, despite the great heights at has already achieved, by this collection. An erudite reviewer mentioned this might have benefited from stage setting by Rakove and this is true, for Rakove is among the few who could have set the stage for so precise and capacious a topic as Madison's refelctions. Despite the absence of background it is an excllent collection. In this 250 th year of Madison's birth and considering the recent scholarship by Rakove, Banning, McCoy, Rosen,and Mattern, the time may have arrived for Madison to be transformed from a forgotten lieutenant, or a keeper of arcanum, to a state of appreciation by all.

The American Founders are receiving a great deal of merited attention in popular histories such as "John Adams" and "The Founding Brothers." These books have the merits of readability and accesibility -- of providing knowledge and historical context of the early days of our country in a relatively short but informed compass.

The Library of America's series of writings by America's Founders -- including Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and many others besides the book of James Madison's writings -- are longer and more difficult to read. They consist of original texts with only the slightest endnotes and historical chronology. (In this book of Madison's writings, the historical chrononogy is excellent) The disadvantage, if that is the correct word, of the Library of American's series is that reading these books takes substantial effort and digging. In addition, it is difficult to stop with one book, as each collection relates to and requires and understanding of the work of the other Founders. The advantage these books offer, though, can't be found anywhere else. They offer a chance to meet and encounter American's Founders in their own words and on their own terms and to see the development of their thoughts over time.

James Madison (1751-1836) was probably America's greatest political thinker. His career spanned the Revolutionary War, the formation of the Articles of the Confederation, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights, the creation of party in America, the Louisiana Purchase, and the War of 1812, which occurred during his Presidency.

The Library of America's collection of over 900 pages offers a rare opportunity to read in one place the major writings of James Madison. It allows the reader an opportunity to assess his importance and to see the themes Madison developed throughout his life.

A major contribution of Madison was his insistence on freedom of religion in the United States and his opposition to any established sect. These theme pervades this volume from the Amendments Madison proposed to the Virginia declaration of rights in 1776, through the Bill of Rights, Madison's Presidency, and beyond.

Madison was also the architect of representative government. He was a member of the Constitutional Convention and took copious notes of its proceedings. He was the major draftsman of the Constitution. He spoke for both a strong National government and for representative government -- in which the people chose their leaders.

Together with Alexander Hamilton, Madison wrote the Federalist papers which explained the Constitution to the people of New York but in a larger sense to the United States in his day and in succeeding days as well. This collaboration was significant in that Madison and Hamilton would later quarrel and be the founders of the party system. Madison and Jefferson spoke for what has become the Democratic Party (the "democracy) with its emphasis at the time on individual rights and participatory democracy and a narrow reading of Federal power while Hamilton became the spokseman for a strong central government and for economic development.

The book chronicle's Madison's efforts in supporting and drafting the Bill of Rights. Subsequently, Madison wrote a lengthy article for the State of Virginia expressing opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts that Congress enacted during the Presidency of John Adams. The opposition was based on the inconsistency of the act with the freedom of speech set forth in the First Amendment and to the lack of authority for these Acts in the original constitution.

The book has comparatively little on Madison's career as Secretary of State under Thomas Jefferson and on Madison's own relatively unsuccessful Presidency during the War of 1812.

Upon leaving the Presidency, Madison enjoyed a long retirement at Montpelier. This collection gives a good view of Madison's continued activity during this time. It discusses his views on slavery and on the impending Missouri compromise (Madison opposed it -- an opposition that would haunt the United States in the later Dred Scott decision) and on Judicial Supremacy -- the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional. (Madison agreed the Court had this power but he disagreed with the way Chief Justice Marshall used it.)

One of the final items in this book is a short, two paragraph article entitled "Advice to my Country" written 1n 1834 as a parting before Madison's death. Looking at the impending conflict between North and South, but speaking to our time as well Madison wrote:

"The advice nearest to my heart and deepest in my convictions is that the Union of the States be cherished and perpetuated."

This is an important wish for our country now as then.

This book will repay reading and study. The study of our Founders is, I think, one of the best ways to learn to love and understand our country.

This volume captures the essence of Madison's writings through the editor's skill in presenting 191 documents out of an archive of more than 25000 documents. Mr. Rakove presents a generally balanced array of letters, speeches, and essays which are arranged chronologically. Included are all the Federalist Papers authored by Madison. The editor provided many documents dealing with the Jay Treaty and Alien and Sedition Act, but fell short in providing sufficient material during the period of Madison's cabinet position as Secretary of State, covering the Louisiana Purchase and the conflict with Britain and France prior to the War of 1812. That deficiency may well be based on lack of documentation. The book itself is elegant, beautifully printed and is provided with a copy of the Constitution, notes, an excellent chronology and a good index.

Unlike a lot of cookbooks, this was a delight to read. I find Deborah Madison to be a good observer, and the subject matter benefits from her keen eye--and ear. She certainly finds creative ways to exploit the typical farmer's market fare. The only significant flaw with this book is that Ms. Madison simply tries to cover too much ground--literally and figuratively. Many of the ingredients are obviously regional in nature and availability, and are therefore beyond the reach of many readers. Still, this is a finely crafted volume and the author should be commended for elevating the subject matter to a very high level. Well done!

Deborah Madison's "Local Flavors" hews to her longtime trajectory along the path of encouraging her readers to make use of what's fresh. Of course what's fresh is always better than what's been shipped in, and Madison focuses on this edict with this cookbook chock-full of recipes making use of fresh, fresh, fresh produce from the farmer's market.

The cookbook is handsomely done, with easy recipes and numbered directions (so helpful when you look away and then need to find your place again). While readers on the coasts or in big cities will have no problem finding the ingredients they need, those in smaller or rural areas will have some difficulty. Ingredients that are regularly called for here include palm sugar, blood oranges, lemon verbena, pineapple sage, chantarelles, orange flower water, and more. Still, the recipes are imaginative, the photography sumptuous, and Madison's enthusiasm for her subject positively contagious.

I just purchased this new cookbook by Deborah and I am not disappointed. Deborah Madison comes across as a teasured friend in all of her cookbooks. You can't help but trust all of her tips and recipes because she is so passionate about fresh, healthy food. In Local Flavors, she packs the book with so much information about shopping and enjoying farmers markets. Buying and using fruits & vegetables in season is not only practical, but ensures you are getting the most delicious produce. This book is for all who believe in "eating by the seasons" and for those who support locally grown foods!