I am a student majoring in Education at Macon State College. Several students (including myself) chose to read Marva Collins' Way and present our information to the class. We thought it best to actually do a skit from the first chapter to show our fellow students just how Marva's methods of teaching got through to her students. Needless to say, we received rave reviews from our fellow students! In a nut shell, Marva's methods on teaching stem from SELF-ESTEEM. Marva builds on that and the skies the limit! Marva's teaching methods reflect so much of Emerson's Self-Reliance - it's all about the student's perception of the teacher and how that teacher views the student. If you have a chance, go online and read Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson and compare it to Marva's methods. This will give you a better idea just how Marva can take negativities in students and change them into positive aspirations. Marva Collins' Way was very easy to read and had a fantastic preface. I was "sold" on the book as much as Marva's students were "sold" on learning. I thought the book put a bit too much emphasis on this being a way to teach African American children and not enough emphasis on "Returning to Excellence in Education" which is something I fell breaks through all racial barriers, yet keeps diversity intact. I would suggest this book to anyone, not just teachers, who would like to reinforce positive attitudes in children both in and out of school. With all the reference material provided at the back of the book, it is a must have!!! With positive self-esteem, anything is possible! After all, "Man is his own star" - Emerson.

I am a college student majoring in education and I read this for a class. I like the way Marva told about her family life to show what strenghts she focus on and how she was able to pass those strenghts on to others. She also revealed how to break those barriers that some children tend to build around themselves. I felt that this book is a great resource for many different situations and how to relate to children. Learning what is needed on your behalf is what it takes in order to be a good teacher that gives understanding, love, and patience to every child. Once you put forth every effort you'll get your students to put forth every effort. I truly enjoyed this book. I find it to be very helpful. It's great!!

Loved the book, MARVA COLLINS' WAY by Marva Collins and
Civia Tamarkin . . . this is the inspirational story of a woman who started her own school in Chicago and made a difference in the lives of her students . . . it is a MUST READ for anybody interested in education--or, in general, having children succeed in life.

Her thinking makes so much sense . . . for instance, she tells
teachers to not mark papers with wrong answers; instead, tell
students how many they got right.

There were many memorable passages; among them:
[talking to a student] "Very good, James. You're so clever,
but I don't want to see you put your head on the desk. If you are leepy, you should be home. This is a classroom, not a hospital or a hotel. I don't ever want to see any of you napping in your seats or just sitting with your hands folded, doing nothing. This is not a prayer meeting. If I see your hands folded, I'm going to put a Bible in them."

When Tracy rummaged through her lunch sack a half hour before noon, arva reminded, "Don't worry so much about feeding your stomach. Feed your brain first and you'll always find a way to get food for your stomach."

[to a student who was erasing her wrong answer] "No, darling.
Remember, we draw a circle around the error and put the
correct answer above it. We proofread mistakes, we don't
erase them. When you erase a mistake from the paper,
you erase it from your mind, too, and you will make
the same mistake over again."

I grabbed this book online on a lark... and am I ever glad I did! I couldn't put it down! From the opening bell of the trading pit in the first paragraph, the author takes off at the speed of the markets, sidetracking only to share the lessons hard-learned along the way. For the first time ever I read about an "Everyday Joe" who buckled up for daily war and successfully fought to win in the greatest financial wars our society knows. He also lets us in on his REAL personal life, his fears, and the dichotomies and dilemnas of being a devout Christian operating ethically and morally in a world that most Christians neither understand nor condone. This is a work that stands for ANYONE trying to succeed in an arena that at first appears counter to their chosen values, regardless of religion or career. If you're reading these reviews to help you decide, STOP HERE! CLICK THE BUY BUTTON! It's the best trade you'll make today!

Lessons From the Pit opens with a strong narrative depicting a day in the life of a young trader unable to reconcile his behavior as a star trader with his father/husband role model. With this same type of introspection,the author shares in a candid, humorous, and at times, self-effacing, manner his foibles and strengths in his struggle for survival and meaning in the chaotic culture of the pit. As Dr. Clayton Yeuter aptly pointed out in the Forward, Joe Leininger, was a quick learner and garnered valuable lesson from his experiences trading that are applicable both to business and life. The metaphors used in this book are drawn from the contemporary sport scenes and news events which makes for both easy assimilation and enjoyable reading; so much so that I had difficulty putting the book down--also, the comments that I heard from other readers! In sum this is a well written volume giving an inside look at the bizarre culture of pit traders through the eyes of one who factored the spiritual dimension into the equation of his success.

"Lessons from the Pit" is a page-turner! It is an honest and easy-to-read account of life in the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. What makes it so fascinating is the way Joe and Terry bring characters and scenes to life and use them to show how God worked in Joe's life. No matter what their career, all readers will come away with valuable insights and helpful suggestions. My only wish is that the book had been longer. I didn't want to put it down.

Never have I read an interesting, deep book. After completion of reading this book, I had mixed feelings: Happy for the positive ending for the characters and SAD because I finished reading. I wanted MORE.

Mr. Ayala, has a way of drawing you deep into the characters as if you are right there while reflecting on your own personal experiences, this is a 'work in progress' book...A work in progress of making yourself WHOLE.

On a spiritual note, after reading the book, it made me reconnect my relationship with GOD and to read my bible; regaining my positive attitude and believing that "God Will Get You Threw This".

In closing, I have to say, thank you Mr. Ayala for a well written, positive book, thank you for Will You Be Made Whole?

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ayala personally and we had a great discussion about his passion for writing. Before he left I was handed his 2nd novel "Will You Be Made Whole", not knowing the story content I read the book in it's entirety. Amazed at how Mr. Ayala captured the pain and suffering of his characters I found myself in tears. Each time I turned the page I was pulled into the story placed on a emotional rollercoaster, which most books do not do. He showed his reader that life is full of choices and with every choice there are actions and reactions that follow with God is the midst. A real story of good versus evil. God sometimes have to take us through the bad to get to the good of us all. He showed us that in each character from KC, Cookie, Old Man Ben, Katy and even Katy's father. The book is one of the best I have read in many months. Each reader will enjoy it from beginning to end.

I have never read a book that has touched me more than Will You Be Made Whole. I felt the pain of the individuals in this book, as well as their feeling of no hope for a life any different from what they had. I admit I have spent a good part of the day weeping over Kat because I could so relate to her feeling of being trapped in a relationship that she saw no hope of escaping from but yet drawn to stay in.

The frequent interweaving of Ben through their lives reminded me of the many times that I would hear the Holy Spirit speaking to me, drawing me to Him, but never fully relinquishing myself to trust Him.

Ayala did a wonderful job of portraying the feelings and pain of the characters' lives and at the same time showing readers that their is no problem or situation in our lives that God cannot bring restoration to if we only trust Him.

It's so great to see one of my NY Cop Online Magazine comrades hitting it big with her two books. Gallo is a cop's cop regardless of gender. And she is a Top Cop because she just is -- not because it's politically correct to praise female officers. What I enjoy about Gina Gallo is her natural tough but sexy tone in her prose. Do I sound like a fan? You bet I am. I hope this book makes Gallo a member of the cop/writer elite that includes Joe Wambaugh, William Caunitz, Joe McNamara and Robert Daley. She deserves such recognition.

"Armed and Dangerous: Memoirs of a Chicago Policewoman" is an exceptional book by Gina Gallo, a woman who has been there, done that with uncommon courage. Now she writes with honesty, sensitivity and skill about her observations and experiences -- some funny, some tragic and many worthy of discussion on institutional bureaucracy, crime and domestic violence and so much more.

Her world is multi-dimensional as she is: a former artist and counselor who found herself in the uniform of a cop. Thankfully, she has lived to tell her story.

Gina Gallo's memoir Armed and Dangerous raises this question in one of its more vivid anecdotes. Sometimes outrageous, frequently hilarious, and always thoughtful, this book provides an up-close, gritty, honest look at the lives of Chicago's "Po-lice." Gallo brings us inside the training academy, squad cars, and district headquarters. Then she takes us to the streets, housing projects, and crime scenes she came to know during her 16-year career with the Chicago police force. After reading this book, you will perceive police officers differently. Stereotypes are shattered as we see how the cop lifestyle affects individual officers in very different ways. If you know Chicago, Gina Gallo's book is a must. Even if you don't know Chicago, this is a fascinating, unforgettable read

Cardinal Bernardin talks candidly about dealing with a false accusation of sexual misconduct, his panceatic cancer, and his later terminal illness and preparation for death. He talks about surrendering to the Will of God and how to do this. I found it helpful in finding peace within crisis, and hope within despair. I recommend it without reservation

Recently I lost my father to a 10 year bout with cancer. This book provided me with joy, tears and abudance within a month of my own fathers death. Cardinal Bernardin was a remarkable man who had the courage to face his accusers, his illness and ulitmately his death. He has reconfirmed that faith, hope, love, forgivenss and kindness is the very essentials of what life needs to be about. It is clear from the Cardinal as it was from my experience with my own father that even when you think you are at your darkest human hour you need to reach out and make a difference every single day until your final moment in this part of your journey here on earth.

This book is a must read for anyone who has doubted that there is peace in death. He reconfirms that the lessons most important in life are to continue to give of yourself every day despite the adversities you face. In his illness, through his false accusation and his wonderful rediscovery of a deeper faith in Christ it makes accepting God's plan for you important.

Anyone who has an ill parent or someone close to them should read this book it will give you a much clearer spiritual understanding of illness, death and living every moment under God's plan.

A year ago, on November 14, 1996, our beloved Cardinal Bernardin died, as we the people of his flock, spent time in prayer and reflection over his years as our shepherd. It is amazing to realize how we were enveloped into his loving care, even as he lay dying. Some months later, his book, "The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflections" was published, as his gift to us. More than its worldwide sales, is its personal value to those who read it, perhaps once, maybe several times. How many people near death will ever have the energy to focus on the Lord's Presence, amidst physical pain? For Cardinal Bernardin, the pain he wrote about may have focused on physical and emotional difficulties that surfaced in the final three years of his life, but clearly, there are words in his book that can yet feed the flock, "how if we let Him, God can write straight with crooked lines," if only we let go of the control and allow HIM to direct our life's journey. This does not mean we should make no plans, but rather, set aside time daily to draw close to the Lord, and let go of the concerns that may grip us --- to make room for HIM in our lives. Is there room for HIM in the inn of our deepest selves? There is no other option. No matter what difficulties or hurts arise, we are all still family, always needing to work on healing; the other choice leaves us without family and friends. Cardinal Bernardin speaks of redemptive suffering -- the kind Jesus felt, the kind we may experience. The message clearly leads the reader to know that we, like Jesus, can move beyond the suffering, toward something better, allowing the Lord to work in our lives, bringing us into communion with Him and others who are feeling pain and suffering. In the midst of his pain, Bernardin's faith was strong, but he was preoccupied with the pain. His message is this: develop a strong prayer life in your best moments so you can be sustained in your weaker moments. Lean on family and friends, and church community, as they minister. As you read this book, you may feel the connection with Cardinal Bernardin because either you or a family member or friend is experiencing the pain and suffering of illness. Cardinal Bernardin's presence remains with us, in these words, "Pray while you're well, because if you wait until you're sick, you might not be able to do it."

The book Say Goodnight,Gracie by Julie Reece Deaver takes place in all times of the day, in school, at Morgan's, Jimmy's, and aunt Lo's house, in the tryouts at Shubert, as well as other places in the city. The main characters are Jimmy and Morgan, two really best friends since they were very little. Their friendship is so big that they share everything and trust on each other a lot. It seems to be as if they were married because they are jelous if the other person has a boyfriend or girlfriend. They have decided to be best friends instead of boyfriends since being boyfriends wouldn't be the same. The book is about all their experiences together. Jimy works hard towards the goal of becoming a professional dancer. Morgan still was in school and tried to help Jimmy in all the ways she could. Jimmy and Morgan pass through many things together but all of these adventures would end one day. I really enjoyed this book and will recommend it to everybody since the plot of the book is different to all the other books I have read. This book tells you from the beginning Morgans memories with Jimmy and how badly hurt she was. I like the way the book was written , like a type of dairy. What I didn't like was that the memories were too long. This book tells me to treat everybody like my parents in my best since they will not always be next to me.

Hi to everyone. I write this review, beacause this is one of my all time favorite books. I read it when I was in the 7th grade and I just now read it again, and I'm 17. The book is beautifully written, and can capture the mind of anyone, it did mine. I cried through most of it, considering the whole plot was on loss and healing. I cried mostly because of the chracter Jimmy. He was my favorite and a person, if real, I would love to meet. Then his life tragically cut short in the midst of his career. Which obvisouly affected his best friend since birth, Morgan Hackett (affectionatly called "Hackett".)It reminses and shows their sometimes strange yet loving friendship and how it suddenly ends. This book shows healing of the main chracter, Morgan who will have to face the pain and eventually does. The plot of this story is almost like Romeo and Juliet, but in my eyes more tragic.( A juliet without her Romeo). I recommend this book with 5 stars. ;) And it proves, change does happen.

Once a good friend mentioned that she was reading a book called Say Goodnight Gracie, and that it was one of the best ones she had ever read. I was a bit skeptical at first but I decided to look into it. After reading this book, I was astonished as to how many emotions and how much love was put into it. I have now declared this as the best book I have ever read.
The first line in the book, I believe, says more to me, and to others, than any others books could even get close to. "There are friends, I think, we can't imagine living without. People who are sisters to us, or brothers." This book is about two teens, Morgan and Jimmy, who have been best friends since the day they were born. They never thought anything would bring them apart. Nothing could ever damage their friendship because it was just too perfect. Nothing could ever ruin it, that is until the day that Jimmy was killed by a drunk driver.
Morgan thought her life was coming to an end. This is the worst thing that could have ever happened to her, and she just wondered why. Why Jimmy? Why not her? It took her a long, long time to realize that Jimmy was going to be gone and never come back again. Many people tried to reach out and try to help Morgan, but she wouldn't let anyone come too close. She just wanted to isolate herself, and not want to deal with it. She went through a period of time where she wouldn't sleep at night, wouldn't go to school, and thought that she was basically becoming a zombie. But considering the circumstances, her becoming like that was understandable.
Morgan would never forget Jimmy, but she finally realized that it was time to move on, and he would never come back. She knew that if he were up in heaven, looking down upon her, he would be upset seeing her mope like this. So she decides to go back to school, she even makes a new friend, and just decides to move on with her life again, but she will never ever forget Jimmy.

This was one of the best stories that were ever written by the hand of a talented female author. The book takes place right after World War I and during World War II. The main characters, Nick Galvin and Cassie, are well developed and always were attracted to each other and fall in love, no matter how much Nick protests to it because he feels to old to do so and for her. The villain is cunning, ambitious, and hateful enough to want to ruin whatever happiness that both characters have. As one of Danielle Steel's fans, I want you to read this terrific novel and enjoy it's love story, historic events, and learn how women were treated in those times.

I just loved this book. I can read it a 1000 times and not get tired of it. I love the way Danielle Steel sets the story. I wish she would come out with a sequel to this book and continue the story!

As usual, Danielle Steel is at her best. This had to be one of the most fantastic books I have EVER read. She's brings you right in to her story as if you were living it. She makes you feel exactly what the characters are feeling, want what the characters are wanting and more! If you read this book, I can guarantee you WON'T be disappointed, except when you have to put it down.

Detective Sergeant Samantha Casey has a "gift" from her Native American heritage. She is able to speak with the dead. Not words, but images. When a man's body is found encased in a cement pillar in a burb of Chicago, she is called in. The dead man has a golden pin shaped like a lightning bolt clutched in his hand.

Sam, with a little help from Jake and Tim (a boy computer genius/hacker), she unravels a complex case which dates back to the Korean War. The case gets worse as it connects to the death of her own father years ago.

I did not think this one would be good. A detective that is able to speak with the dead? Never work! I was wrong! This was an interesting book from the first page. The case gets more complex than I let on. Very good reading here!***

In this first Sam Casey series mystery, Chasen Heights detective sergeant Samantha ("Sam") Casey uses psychic powers inherited from her Lakota medicine-woman mother to solve a Korean War era crime. During a Chicago rush-hour traffic accident, a car plows into a cement pillar, cracking it open, and revealing a body that's been entombed there for so long it has turned to a soap-like substance. The first time she touches it, Sam is tormented with visions of the African American man's violent death.

The action-packed story weaves together sub-plots involving illegal gambling in high social circles, historic racism in the supposedly integrated US Army in Korea, and police departments' eternal political struggles. And, if that's not enough to hook readers, Sam very reluctantly falls in love with another cop -- one who seems to be out to get her kicked off the force. Tooley's characters are memorable -- even minor ones like the big-breasted blackjack dealer who mesmerizes male gamblers.

This book will leave you wanting to know more -- about bodies that can turn to soap, race relations in the 1950s Army, Sioux medicine women, and especially Sam Casey.

What fun!

When The Dead Speak by S.D. Tooley will hold the reader's attention riveted until the last page is turned. With a foundation of Native American mysticism blended with a solid murder mystery, Tooley creates a masterful tale of love and murder. A freak accident where a semi swerves to collide with the concrete columns of an overpass in Chicago. As chunks of concrete fall away, a body is revealed encased in its concrete tomb. In his hand is a gold pen shaped like a lightening bolt, and a clue that spans the world reaching into Korea and the racism that American soldiers perpetrated against their own. The corruption of the evil done in Korea has spread on American shores to the highest levels, and even ties to Sam's own deceased father. Detective Sergeant Samantha Casey has a gift inherited from her mother, a Sioux medicine woman. Using her hands, Sam can hear the voices of the dead. When she touches the mysterious golden lightening bolt, she witnesses the ravaged, bullet ridden bodies, and she smells the blood and gunpowder. From a corpse dead twenty-one years, Sam hears the screams of battle and senses the fear and terror. If you enjoy Alex Matthew's series with the heroine Cassidy McCabe, then you will find Sam Casey equally satisfying and yet uniquely different. When The Dead Speak is a rocket paced, addictive novel that is impossible to put down. The heroine is sexy, gifted, and imperfect, with just enough vulnerability to keep the reader hooked. While it reaches a satisfying conclusion, When The Dead Speak also leaves just enough untied and interesting loose ends to lead into the sequel, Nothing Else Matters.

Cindy Penn, Reviewer

One Dead Preacher is a suspenseful and intriguing debut novel from John Lindsay. Set in the urban site of Chicago, IL we meet security firm CEO David Price who been been hired to protect the beautiful, voluptuous, elusive and manipulative Sugar...a woman with an agenda of her own. Along with his best friend Rickie and Sugar, David finds himself entangled in a complex web of abuse, theft and murder while he tries to solve the mystery of who killed the "One Dead Preacher". One Dead Preacher has a solid storyline and plot and addresses contemporary issues which face the AA community and the local pillar of the community..the Black Church. The storyline will hold ones interest from page one and will keep the reader consumed until the very end. An enjoyable mystery read that is fast-paced, gritty, thrilling and able to be read in one setting. If there is anything that can be improved about One Dead Preacher its the confusing sub-plot tossed in at the very end...what was all of that about? If you want a book that keeps you guessing whodunit to the very end then pick up One Dead Preacher today and escape to a world of action, drama and suspense.

Sugar Greer, a sexy lady and the wife of a preacher (Brother Yazz), comes to David Price one day asking for his protection and his help in exposing her husband's church organization as the hypocrites that she knows they are. During David's investigation, Sugar's husband turns up dead and Sugar is the main suspect. Of course, as David is involved in this investigation, he learns that there's more to this story than meets the eye and he learns that Ricky, his best friend, is also involved with Sugar Greer. Twists, turns, and surprises abound in this fresh mystery and this book will keep you guessing until the end as to who murdered Brother Yazz.

One Dead Preacher, written by Tony Lindsay, is reminiscent of the style of writing that usually comes from Walter Mosley and Valerie Wilson Wesley. Mr. Lindsay has written an interesting and fascinating look into the corruption that can happen even in supposedly "good" organizations. Never a dull moment from page 1, One Dead Preacher is an excellent mystery that's sure to be a hit with the mystery fans.

What does God, a security CEO, a hustler, and a fine pack of Sugar have in common? "One Dead Preacher."

Tony Lindsay introduces us to David Price a security firm CEO, on a good roll in a [junk] game when a beautiful and enticing woman, aptly named Sugar, comes asking for his help. After hearing she was referred to him by his best friend Ricky, he agrees to give her some of his time and attention. Before the night is over he is blinded by her beauty and sharp mind and has agreed to protect her from her husband, a powerful leader in a religious cult. You can imagine how messy the situation gets when her husband ends up dead and instead of cooling things down it makes it that much hotter.

Mr. Lindsay has the ability to tell a story that will keep your attention until you find out exactly how it all fits together. I was pleasantly surprised with the twists and turns that were throughout the book and I honestly couldn't figure who did what until it was time for me to.

One Dead Preacher is the best mystery that I have read since Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins series. David Price is to Easy Rawlins as Ricky is to Mouse and they explode on these pages. David Price has definitely entered into my top three favorite security/private detectives along with Easy Rawlins, and Valerie Wilson Wesley's Tamara Hayle. I cannot wait until he brings David back in another book.

Kotanya
APOOO bookclub

If you are like me, you have long known you had an aptitude for writing but been amazed at the range of your experiences as a writer. At times you've been told you write with amazing force and clarity, while at others you've been told your writing is verbose and even "chatty." Why the disparity?

You'll understand why when you read this book. More than any other work I've seen, this book provides insight into how the mind operates during reading and applies this insight to the process of writing. Williams makes explicit the many subtle and not so subtle patterns and principles that govern how the mind comprehends writing. If you've had the experience of writing well--and not so well--but not realized why, this book will help you by revealing the principles of clarity that you've been applying intuitively for years--and those you haven't. This is a demanding but very rewarding book that would be of enormous value not only to writers, but to editors and even casual readers who want to deepen their appreciation of what makes lucid writing what it is. I can't recommend it highly enough.

It's a shame that this excellent book is not better known. I stumbled upon it after I had learned, the hard way, many of the "secrets" of good writing that Williams lays out for you here. What he does, unlike all the other advice-givers, is explain and show how to make your writing easy to understand and a pleasure to read. His own writing is crystal clear, and he provides examples that he fully analyzes to show, without fuzziness, why he claims that one approach is better than another. If you *really* want to improve your writing, buy this book and work your way through it. By the end, your writing will be better than that of 99% of your classmates or co-workers.

For people who are serious about improving their writing skills, this is an excellent how-to book. Prof. Williams does not dispense facile advice ("use the active voice") or mindless rules of usage and grammar ("don't split infinitives"). Instead, he teaches you, step by step, how to construct sentences and paragraphs that are clear, concise, coherent, even elegant. He explains in great detail the principles and techniques involved in achieving clarity, grace, and other attributes of good writing. And he illustrates these principles and techniques with many specific, telling examples. "Style" is not a quick read, but it is definitely worth the effort.