If you are interested in reading many successful authors' thoughts on the power of story and reading, this book is a must. The essays in this collection are inspiring, diverse, and unified in their passion for writing and storytelling. I found myself returning to passages over and over, savoring the passions for children's literature that are similar to my own. A stellar collection of authors are presented including Susan Cooper, Madeleine L'Engle, Maurice Sendak and many more that appear on most required reading lists. (They are listed entirely in the professional reviews above.) This is a great book for librarians, teachers, students, and anyone who loves one or all of the many authors represented.

Reviewed by LUBOMIR REHAK in International Relations,Volume XIII, No 2, August 1996 -

This is probably the most comprehensive volume written about the events which might be considered a landmark in contemporary history. Diego Cordovez, who served as Under Secretary-General for special Political Affairs of the United Nations from 1981 to 1988, recounts the negotiating process that eventually brought about the peace settlement and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. He is doing it as an insider. It was his mission which, in the end, brought about a solution to a crisis defined by Mikhail Gorbachev as a 'bleeding wound'. Mr. Cordovez' narrative, based wholly on his personal notes and on earlier unpublished documentary sources, is therefore mostly reliable and accurate and is extremely useful for researchers and practitioners of international relations.
As well as being a professional diplomat par excellence, Diego Cordovez is also a fine writer. His co-author, Zelig Harrison, is a professional journalist - for many years he was foreign correspondent for the Washington Post specializing in Asian affairs. He introduces a valuable outside viewpoint. Harrison, however, is not a complete outsider since his analysis of events is based on personal interviews with virtually all the key political actors. He also acquaints the readers with some earlier unknown documents (in particular, from the so-called 'secret file' of the Soviet Communist Party's Politburo) which shed light on the motives of policy formulation that lay behind the decisions taken in Kabul, Islamabad, Moscow and Washington. The authors' account stretches beyond the chronological framework of the actual negotiations which started in 1982 and ended with the signing of the Geneva accords on 14 April 1988. This approach would seem to be justified since it is events in Afghanistan and in the USSR leading up to the Soviet military intervention in December 1979 which account for at least some of the subsequent peculiarities of Soviet and Afghan behaviour at the negotiating table. The authors convincingly dispel the notion that the purpose of the Soviet invasion was to seize control of the Persian gulf using Afghanistan as a spring-board. That was the belief of an influential part of the US political establishment at that time (in particular, of President Carter's national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinsky). In reality the main reason for the invasion was simpler and more traditional. As a result of authoritative accounts from competent witnesses and judging from recently disclosed documents, the Russians were greatly and justifiably afraid that the then Afghan communist leader Hafizullah Amin would betray them and become an American-supported Afghan Tito on their borders. They therefore acted consistently with their age-old fear of hostile encirclement. This partly explains why the Soviets began sending signals of their desire for a negotiated settlement as early as the first months of their stay in Afghanistan.
The book is full of surprises. The authors clearly demonstrate that there existed a real chance to secure a peaceful settlement in 1983-84, under Yuri Andropov's tenure as the Soviet Communist Party's General Secretary. This chance they believe to have been undermined by hawks in the Reagan administration, firstly by CIA Director William Casey. With his single-minded focus on building up weapons aid to the Afghan resistance, Casey looked on the UN negotiations as a Soviet propaganda ploy. The unease in relations between the Soviet and Afghan leaderships, especially at crucial moments in the negotiations, is another surprise of the book. Stereotypical media accounts led us to think of Babrak Karmal as no more than a Soviet puppet. However the authors refer to a number of instances bearing witness to the fact that Karmal, and his successor Najibullah, not infrequently demonstrated a high degree of independence from Moscow. They effectively managed to impede the negotiating process and, later, to block the formation of a broad coalition government which was in principle endorsed by Moscow. Another widespread assumption - that it was the introduction of Stinger missiles which eventually forced Moscow to agree to the sign peace accords - is convincingly rebuffed by both authors. In fact the Red Army was securely entrenched when the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw. American weaponry certainly raised the ante for Moscow but it was not a crucial factor. Gorbachev's determination to end the Soviet Union's military involvement, and six years of skilful diplomacy were the primary factors which gave the Soviets a face-saving way out.
The chapters which Diego Cordovez devotes to dramatic episodes in the eleven rounds of proximity talks in Geneva between the Afghan and Pakistani Foreign Ministers, the accounts of his innumerable shuttles between Moscow, Kabul, Islamabad, New York and Geneva, as well as commuting to the different areas of Geneva where the Afghans and the Pakistanis lived, and even walking through the different rooms of Palais des Nations, are fascinating. Each step forward, however small, demanded months of hard labour on the part of Mr. Cordovez and his team. It also required the utmost patience, knowledge and understanding of their interlocutors' affairs, of their own and of their superiors' intentions, and even of their psychology, tastes and habits. The brilliance of Mr. Cordovez's diplomatic performance is indisputable and brings to mind one of François de Callières remarks that: 'It is one of the greatest secrets of the art of negotiating, to know how to distill, as it were drop by drop, into the minds of those with whom we negotiate, the things which it is our interest they should believe'. Mr. Cordovez demonstrated an outstanding ability to distill into the minds of both the Afghans and Pakistanis, and the Russians and Americans, the idea of the profitability of peace despite the unfavourable circumstances with which he was confronted at virtually every stage of the negotiations.
The situation was desperate even on the eve of the final ceremony in Geneva when the documents had been finalized and were ready for signing and the consent of all parties involved had been received. At this stage the problem of symmetry concerning the termination of Soviet aid to Afghanistan and US aid to Pakistan and the Afghan resistance, not adequately reflected in the draft text, unexpectedly became the sticking point that could ruin the settlement. Basically, Moscow agreed to withdraw its forces in exchange for a simultaneous cut-off of US aid but did not consider it had any obligation to terminate its aid to Kabul. This caused strong dissatisfaction in Washington. The inventiveness of Diego Cordovez, his good contacts with both Russians and Americans as well as a sufficient degree of mutual confidence in relations between Moscow and Washington at the time luckily allowed the formulation of a joint position acceptable to both superpowers, though this was not formally included in the documents. In his final statement, after the signing of the Geneva accords on 14 April 1988, the US Secretary of State George Schultz spoke publicly about the compromise which had been reached. He pointed out that 'the obligations undertaken by the guarantors are symmetrical'. 'In this regard', he added, 'the United States has advised the Soviet Union that the US retains the right, consistent with its obligations as a Guarantor, to provide military assistance to parties in Afghanistan. Should the Soviet Union exercise restraint in providing military assistance to parties in Afghanistan, the US similarly will exercise restraint.'
This book covers the wide range of factors which contributed to the Geneva accords and the withdrawal of Soviet troops which was one of the crucial events leading to the ending of the Cold War. The authors give due credit to Gorbachev and his colleagues in the Soviet leadership who carefully and skilfully prepared the ground for disengagement and endorsed UN peace efforts in the face of strong and agg

This excellent Oxford anthology edited by Michael Harrison presents a great choice of mostly classic, well loved poems and some newer works. The poems are accompanied by lovely, funny and effective illustrations in black and white or colour by diverse artists, which capture the tone of the poems very well.

I think the younger children will especially enjoy the nonsense verse by Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll or the funny poems by Hilaire Belloc. Children and parents can read this anthology together and let the cadenzas and rhythms of the poems suffuse their minds and hearts. Since for me, on these pages Blake's 'Tiger' again burned bright, I felt the tragedy of Noyes's 'Highwayman', was enchanted by Tennyson's 'Lady of Shalott' and Keats's 'La belle dame sans merci'. Shakespeare cast his own spell with his beautiful sonnets and I had great fun with Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll. As a sailor's daughter I enjoyed the sounds, smells and sights of Masefield's 'Sea fever' and Yeats's 'Wild swans at Coole' and 'Innisfree' have always been favourite poems.

A great introduction to wonderful poetry and not only for children.

Whether photographing landscapes or close subjects, I could never remember what caught my eye or why I wanted to paint it. Harrison's book solved that problem.

She walks you through the various cameras and lenses to use, simple techniques of photography and then the best part; cropping, combining different photos, handling the lights and darks of your photos and composition. Then to the painting....she frees your mind to paint as YOU want to see it, choosing your own colors and giving it your own signature. In going through my photos once again, now I SEE why I took those photos! What was once dead, is now alive and begging to be painted.

If you are interested in political science and need to write about it, this is one book you should not miss. For beginners, the manual is useful in laying out the foundations they should have in writing about political science. The manual covers the basics in writing, such as grammar, punctuation and the format of the papers. For writers who are writing for specific audiences, the manual offers suggestions how to improve and refine your writing skills. For example, there are specific chapters dealing with writing policy analysis, public opinion surveys an d other types of writing. The manual aims to give the reader a better understanding of what is required of him or her when s/he undertakes the writing project. It also covers areas like defining a topic and organising the research process. Before you write a paper on political science, it is highly recommended that you use the manual to help hone your writing.

A real treat for Insitu field. Describes the procedure from step one to the end. Good for both beginers and experienced workers. Only complete book available in the field.

I have this book and used it for my prayer meeting with my sales team who are Christians. We used it to lead us in prayer over our bosses and the challenges in our daily sales activities. We are kings and the heirs of the Father and declaring aloud the scriptures of God and His promises have been very encouraging. We experienced breakthrus in business and have been blessed a 100, a 60, a 30 folds. We expressed our appreciations to the brothers and sisters in Christ who have acted to the call of God to make this book available for quick reference to the Word of God in the various situations of prayer in business. God Bless!

This is a terrific book that can be used to guide prayers, complete with scripture references. It is sensitive to women's concerns, and can be used over and over. I received it as a gift, and have given it as a gift to many friends.

The book was great. My 11 year old son found and read the entire book before I got around to suggesting he look at it. He found it interesting and accessible; and it was a springboard for invaluable conversations between the two of us. The book was comprehensive and written with obvious sensitivity and insight into a highly vulnerable, confusing and exciting time in the lives of young people. There was not a hint of moralizing or sense of being "talked down to", which I greatly appreciated.

This is an excellent book that addresses problems typically encountered with commercial roofing systems and how to correct them. This will be an asset for those who are responsible for identifying and correcting problems with commercial and industrial roofing systems. The details are well thought out.

Jeff Scott Firestone Building Products