I loved this book when I was a kid and now my children are enjoying it themselves. The art is wonderful for young children and the rhyme holds their attention well. A good bed time story. "I was the happiest dad who ever turned, to a book from which to read he'd learned. My children are enjoying too, a beloved tale that when young I knew. My mother sat me on her knee so the Diggingest Dog I could see. And now I share the same with three."

I loved this book when I was a kid and now my children are enjoying it themselves. The art is wonderful for young children and the rhyme holds their attention well. A good bed time story.

"I was the happiest dad who ever turned, to a book from which to read he'd learned. My children are enjoying too, a beloved tale that when young I knew. My mother sat me on her knee so the Diggingest Dog I could see. And now I share the same with three."

I loved this book when I was a kid and now my children are enjoying it themselves. The art is wonderful for young children and the rhyme holds their attention well. A good bed time story. "I was the happiest dad who ever turned, to a book from which to read he'd learned. My children are enjoying too, a beloved tale that when young I knew. My mother sat me on her knee so the Diggingest Dog I could see. And now I share the same with three."

I honestly liked the book--Bess's story is very good. She loses her sight in a sledding accident and her Uncle decides to send her to the Perkins school for the blind. Bess's sister and a friend record the diary entries in the book, which cover both the good and the bad. I liked her story a lot, that is until I got to the historical note. On page 121, it claims " Born in 1809, Louis Braille lost his sight at the age of four...Six years later he was sent to the very same school that would eventually inspire Dr. Fisher to create Perkins School for the blind. It was during this time that a soldier named Charles Barbier visited Braille's school with a system of writing called "night writing" It had originally been designed during World War I..." If Louis Braille had been born in 1809, he would have been 105 years old at the start of World War I! (1914) So, obviously, this is a big screw up. Either Braille wasn't born in 1809 or Denenberg is talking about the wrong war here. I honestly liked this book a lot. But historical fiction is supposed to be accurate, isn't it? Read the story. Skip the history part...it's got some glaring errors in it.

I rated this book 4 stars, because at first you don't understand the book, but the more you read the more interesting it is. The main characters are: Bess Brennan( a young girl who goes to The Perkins School for The Blind) Elin,(Bess's twin sister), Eva (one of bess's besst friends and also her roommate), and Amanda (another one of Bess's best friends and also another roommate).

These Girls (all except for Ellin because she is not blind)came from all across America to go to the Perkins School for the Blind. The school is in Boston Massachusetts. The school teaches the girls how to read brail, get along with people, and how to take care of themselves. This book is a true story about Bess, Amanda, and Eva trying to get through life being blind.

I would recommend this book to people who like to read about true stories about people.

Bess Brennan lost her sight in a sledding accident, and is having a hard time adjusting. One of the hard things getting used to is writing in her diary, so her sister Elin offers to write down her entries for her.
But Elin isn't always there. Their parents decide to send Bess to Perkin's school for the blind, where Bess can learn to do things for herself. So Bess and Elin agree to write in her diary when she comes home on weekends.

This book is absolutely wonderful. Barry Denenburg is a really great writer.
One of the parts I liked is where all the students at Perkin's were going to do a play that came right from Barry Denenburg's other book, When Will this Dreadful War be Over. And Bess got the part of Rachel, the slightly cuckoo cousin! What a laugh.

Amazon Book Review: Restoring As-Risk Communities
Edited by John M. Perkins
Legendary urban minister and founder of the Christian Community Development Association, Dr. John Perkins, has edited a wonderfully helpful "how-to" manual for urban ministry practitioners who are interested in serious Christian community development. As a graduate student of religion, I had the opportunity to study urban ministry this semester and found Perkins' collection of essays to be most instructive. In his own words, Perkins assembles this collection of essays as "a handbook that describes not only the theology, principles, and strategy that guide what we are doing, but also offers more practical how to's-lessons learned from years of struggle and triumph in some of America's toughest neighborhoods," (Perkins: 13). As a serious scholar of Christian community development, that is, grassroots efforts through the Christian church to provide "creative long-term solutions to the problems of the poor," Perkins shares invaluable principles that will undoubtedly benefit persons whom God calls to lives of ministry in the city. With a central emphasis on the three R's-redistribution, reconciliation, and relocation, Perkins and his colleagues provide a blueprint for holistic Christian community development.
In three sections, Perkins and his colleagues outline the following: Foundations of Christian Community Development, Strategy of Christian Community Development, and Ministry in the Community. The essay topics range from Understanding Poverty in part one to Indigenous Leadership Development in part three.
Why read this book? Anyone who wishes to minister in the inner city should read this book simply because one can draw valuable insights from individuals who have already committed their lives to urban ministry and missions and are doing it well. Who should read this book? Anyone who is considering ministry in the inner city, regardless of her background, should read this book. It is an especially helpful beginner's guide. It will long be considered a part of the canon of urban ministry literature. The reader will find it to be very practical, well written, and useful. It engages the student in a serious and stimulating conversation about how God is already working in the city.
On a scale of one to ten, I give this book a seven. As I have already mentioned, its quality is good, and it will be extremely helpful to a person considering urban ministry. Moreover, it has contributed to the scholarship of this field in ways that are immeasurable.

Many authors and editors have constructed texts on the who, what, how, and why of inner city/urban ministry, but Perkins' compilation is a must-read for anyone aspiring to reach underprivileged communities. The information offered to the reader is quite general, and allows for flexibility when considering mission planning and strategy. At the same time, it dares those who consider themselves "called to urban work." Perkins lays out a convicting methodology in his tri-fold approach to urban ministry. His exposition of the need for relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution nearly drives the reader to the conclusion that effective service in the at-risk context can not happen outside of these elements of strategy. His argument is incredibly convincing and is obviously backed by several experientially-tested co-authors.
The book is written from a vast spectrum of perspectives. The content spans from theological reasoning and standpoint, to the simple, yet profound reminder for ministers to serve their husbands/wives and children. As supporters of the Christian Community Development Association, these writers hold no qualms about articulating the need to edify and create similar programs in the nation's communities. Whereas several other urban missiologists write from an international vantage, Perkins primarily keeps his message within American walls. Nevertheless, the information provided is pertinent to any urban context across the globe. The commonalities of poverty, leadership development, and the local church are addressed - making this text one of value for most ministers of the city.
While projecting a foundational theology that seeks to meet spiritual needs, Perkins proposes a strategy for missionaries and teams that include the book's major themes of relocation, reconciliation, and redistribution. In the midst of defining and promoting Christian community, the necessity of indigenous leadership and partnering with the local church, Perkins maintains a tone of '3R' tactic. Due to a lack of Christian disciples in the city, the book heavily pushes for avoidance of urban flight, while advocating relocation to the heart of town. In addition, the editor believes that a failure to redistribute resources, time, and the Gospel back into the lives of the ghettos and slums will yield a continued hopelessness in the hearts of the city's residents. And at the crux of the matter, the reader is encouraged to ruminate upon the significance of reconciliation (God-to-person and person-to-person) for reaching the goal of meeting needs and building the Lord's church in the city.
Perkins' concern is the establishment of Christian presence in the hurting communities of America. He and his co-writers are well aware of the social gospel, but their motivation is for the spreading of the Good News to transform the spirit of the urban world - above and beyond providing for temporal needs. For the novice, the book serves to expose and inform. For the expert, it works to challenge and sharpen.

I first encountered this book about three years ago when I was looking around for something meaningful to do my Master's degree in. It played a key role in my choice to study development and to major in International Development as a way to live out my Christian faith in a tangible way. This is a troubling book because of the questions it raises and the challenege it lays down for all of us. As a former pastor, I was struck by the importance of the work that CCDA does and the witness they produce. I eventually became a member of CCDA and have encouraged others to do so, even if they don't want to take an active role. I like the format of the book and the straight forward way the ideas are presented. Currently I order copies of this book on a somewhat routine basis, either here on Amazon or from CCDA, to give to people that I meet who are interested in more 'doing Christianity' and less 'talking Christianity'.

I read a positive review of this book in a business column in my local paper and ordered it. I enjoyed reading the book and especially like the metaphor the author used. Who doesn't know about King Arthur and the Round Table? And what a great metaphor to use in relaying the concept of good communication in the business world. There are good tips throughout the book on how to bring your company together and how to make it work. I recommend this book and Good to Great for every manager or director.

It's difficult to find a management book that is as well-written as this one. An intriguing read about collaboration and how to use collaboration effectively. Great for nonprofit orgs and corporations. If you need to know how to get a project done with the help of other people, read this book.

David Perkins is brilliant. This book is collaboration for smarties. It aims high and delivers the Holy Grail for real seekers. Wise, clever and rich in truths, it is a new theory based upon lots of research and practice. I found it very helpful and stimulating - a treasure trove of insights, principles and things you can do to create better conversations and help teams & organizations act more intelligently. Perkins lays out an elegant set of principles on the practice of intelligent action and how the most intelligent solutions emerge from people in constructive dialogue together. He shows what makes for progressive and regressive action. He hits a home run by illustrating how both people smarts and process smarts are essential for success.If you are a leader, coach, consultant or educator and really want to find new ideas on how to build a collaborative culture, buy this book, read it carefully and you will find the Holy Grail! It's a real gem!

I first ran into Charlotte Perkins Gilman because of the title story in this collection, "The Yellow Wallpaper" which she wrote originally as a sort of cautionary tale--don't let this happen to you! It is an unsettling story which stays with the reader. A woman ordered to take the "rest cure" finally dives over the edge into insanity.

Gilman's stories are most often didactic, that is, they have a clear message. She is a first rate story teller. These are fascinating tales about real human beings, like a well-traveled great aunt might have told about traveling across the plains in a covered wagon.

Town gossips sit around sharing scandal with the new lady school teacher in "The Unnatural Mother." The reader is in on the irony almost immediately, that the mother in question is a heroine, a woman well ahead of her time in her child-raising practices and her willingness to sacrifice for the public good. To the locals she's plain unnatural.

These stories are great fun... quirky, ironic, satirical. They were way ahead of their time politically and socially, promoting family relationships, childcare, and responsibility in a non-preachy and dramatic (and often funny) manner. Perhaps that's why they don't feel dated. Gilman might be happy with the way things have gone in the 20th century; her stories still speak to the modern reader.

The Yellow Wallpaper and other stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman is a wonderful compilation of feminist short stories. The first story, The Yellow Wallpaper reminds us, even today, that a woman who allows herself to become dominated to the point where her talents are suppresed can made herself a prisoner of her own creativity. The protagonist,much like Gilman, has a "nervous disorder." Unlike Gilman, who wrote her way out of the "disorder" the "wife" is not allowed to write and thus must sneak her writing, much like an alcoholic. Eventually, the wallpaper invades her space to the point of madness. Other stories point up other women's issues, such as Three Thanksgivings, in which the women save themselves via a business adventure, which is similar to Making a Change, in which a mother's anxiety and depression are alleviated by following her true creative urges and an older woman's losses are alleviated by her ability to nurture. The Cottagette was a light-hearted romp into the problems women create for themselves and how a too-good-to-be-true suitor helps out his beloved. Turned is an interesting story of what happens when a man makes a wrong move in the presence of a strong woman! Last but not least, Mr. Peebles Heart is an interesting story of a fiftyish shopkeeper. For $1.00, this book is a highly recommended find for those that enjoy feminist literature. I happen to be one of those so I have given it a "10."END

I was 15 when I first read this book. I was awkward and unhappy. The book hit something inside of me and wrenched sympathy from me. It was unbelievable how much oppressed women writers were in the 19th century. The central character in the Yellow wallpaper was trapped behind a cage of propriety, carefully manufactured and sold by society. Her writings were "destructive" and were dangerous to the accepted norm. When she couldn't write, she couldn't live. Her madness was a direct reaction against her entrapment. She was someone who simply couldn't live without writing. I would highly recommend this book to any reader. It is tragic, beautiful and maddening.

This book was a welcomed addition to resources for my animal career students. I recommend it highly through my Unusual Animal Career Series...and through my seminars.

What you will find is a book that contains information on volunteering opportunities, career realities, some of the animal training schools, and a good compilation of facilities that you might find interesting.

If you have dreamed of an animal career with marine mammals then invest in this book!

brief descriptions of almost all cetacean facilities including internship/volunteer info.. very very helpful.. i've never written a review before.. however this book is so outstanding i want to help out fellow dolphin and whale enthusiasts in their quest for that dream position.. peruse this spectacular resource for quick info on any and every marine mammal place!

I learned alot from this book. It was filled with alot answers to questions that I had about entering the field. I would rec. this book for any one that has a love for dolphins or whales, I very much doubt you could find this much info any where else - even online I know because I tried. Def. an A+++

Robbins pathology is a classic textbook for medicine. 7.edition is very attractive with funny illustrations. Saunders quality seems obviously. But Robbins couldn't solve that problem: It is becoming looser and looser... Rates, incidences are not satisfactory... It tends to escape from details,but sometimes it makes this classic book simple... Clinics are not updated enough. There are many misscarriages... For example rutin thyroid scintigraphy uses Tc99m pertechnate, not radioiodine... Little doses of it may cause permenant hypothyroidism. And osteomalasia/osteoporosis. Now,we now that: Only 1-2 h/week UV to face and forearms is enough to synthesize essentiall amounts of vitamin D. So wears (veils etc) are not important as the cause of vit. D deficiency. It is not realistic and new datas showed these kind of comments are all defective. Race and geographic position is the important factors ( As written in an other classic: Harrisons...). Of course these are not interesting details for someone, a pathology book maynot talk about them, if it does, it must true. I hope 8. edition will become stronger... Cost of price... Thanks for editors. Essentiall for USMLE, with BRS pathology...

The 7th addition of Robbins Basic pathology is several hundred pages shorter than the previous edition. Most of what was removed was basic physiology and anatomy review. I found that while it's good to have a shorter textbook, the loss of these subjects made for less interesting reading. The 7th edition also adds quite a bit more molecular biology and molecular genetics, reflecting chnages in the study of pathology. Overall, it's an excellent pathology review book and will be very useful for medical students and path residents who want to review. The main flaw of the book is an unavoidable one. Many important areas of pathology are covered in a single paragraph and much detail is lacking. However, the authors had to do this to keep the book relatively short (only 700 pages). I recomment this book highly as a good way to begin studying pathology.

This book makes the compilation of the main concepts of medical pathology that every medical student or physician must know for an optimal practice.... the figures and tables makes understanding a lot easier and faster..... it's a jewel in pathology books!

This book purpose is more to entertain than to make some deep impressions. What can I learn from a tribe which kills man when found in bed (jungle) with another woman, shrink heads of their enemies and similar. To me this book is more a commercialization of the Shuars then wisdom shearing. Maybe author is not in power to ask them real questions?
If you want to read a good book on amazon shamans (Shuars and others) and Ayahuasca (vine of the spirits) then rather try 'Cosmic Serpent : DNA and the Origins of Knowledge' by Jeremy Narby.

Just finished Spirit of the Shuar--- what a ripping good read! There are lots of books about the Amazon and indigenous peoples from anthropologists and scientists who describe the situation but rarely ( ever?) do you hear the voices themselves. What you get with Spirit of the Shuar is real, unromanticized people ( the Shuar) leading lives challenged by the onslaught of the industrial/technocratic juggernaut telling their story. How are they surviving? What do they believe in? How do they make a difference, especially with wise gringo help? One wise gringo is co-author John Perkins. Read this and the rest of his books. Heed his message.... while we have time!

Bill Pfeiffer

Deep within the mountainous rainforest of Ecuador, many days walk from the nearest road, lives a tribe that call themselves Shuar ("the people"). Their homeland is a place of wondrous beauty and yet great danger, where anaconda lurk in the rivers and jaguar prowl at night. Spirit of the Shuar is a book that tells their story, in their own words. After you have read it, you will know why Spirit of the Shuar has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

The Shuar are proud people who are perhaps the only tribe remaining in all of the Americas who have never surrendered to any would-be conquerors. Until recently, the Shuar lived in a shroud of secrecy, fiercely protecting their lands and privacy. Twenty years ago it would have been unimaginable that Shuar warriors, women, elders, and uwishin ("the ones who know") would willingly and openly share their traditions, mysteries, and life stories with outsiders. But these are new and challenging times for the Shuar. They are struggling to retain their traditions as well as their right to survive in the face of the insatiable hunger of oil companies and lumber conglomerates for their lands. And missionaries who seek to save their souls and rescue them from ways deemed uncivilized. Too many outsiders have in recent years come to them with the intent to teach and reform, but not to learn. And, as you will learn from reading Spirit of the Shuar, the Shuar have much wisdom to convey.

In this spirit Mariano Chumpi, a Shuar warrior and co-author of Spirit of the Shuar, agreed to record on cassette tape the stories and wisdom, the feelings and impressions, of his people. The resulting transcripts were put in book form by Mariano's long-time friend, John Perkins. This collaboration resulted in a masterpiece! Spirit of the Shuar combines the colorful spoken language of a peoples reliant upon oral tradition with the skilled written craftsmanship of author John Perkins who first became acquainted with the Shuar as a Peace Corps volunteer over 30 years ago. It is a sensitive and revealing portrayal of the traditions, way of life, and spiritual practices of a people who proudly stand against the pressures of modernism.

The tales contained within Spirit of the Shuar are told in a direct and elegantly simple style. The pages come alive as the reader is given a glimpse into what it might feel like to live among the Shuar. Warriors share their experiences of participating in head-hunting wars. Shamans speak of all-night healing ceremonies during which both the uwishin and his patient typically consume a powerful medicine plant, ayahuasca. Later, the uwishin blows tsentsak, invisible darts, into the heart of his patient to aid him in seeing where the problem originates and how it must be healed. Women discuss how they prepare chicha, a fermented manioc beverage which serves as a primary food for the Shuar, which men are only permitted to touch with their lips. Intimacies about family living, courtship and sexual practices are openly discussed; such details are a natural part of living to the Shuar and there is no hint of embarrassment or withholding. Rosa Shakai, Mariano's mother, even explains how Shuar women "rein in their men" when they cut down too many trees or hunt more than need dictates.

Spirit of the Shuar also contains 12 pages of color photos of the peoples and places you read about. You will see people like Tukupi, the most famous of living Shuar warriors, who as a young man defeated and killed thirty-three enemies - mostly Achuar - in hand-to-hand combat. But now, as an elder, he is regarded as a great healer for Shuar and Achuar alike. You will see the Shuar dressed in their traditional clothes and in their missionary-approved attire. The intimacy of the words and pictures will make you will feel as if you have been invited into a Shuar home to share in a cup of chicha and animated conversation. I found delight as I was permitted a rare glimpse into the thinking and lifestyle of people who continue to live in much the same manner as did their ancestors hundreds, perhaps thousands, of years before. I think you will too.

But Spirit of the Shuar is so much more than a well-told rendition and exposé of a culture and peoples different from our own. It is an appeal by the Shuar for our help...not in monetary terms, but in attitude. These proud, formerly secluded people opened their hearts and lives because it is their belief that when their ways are understood, and their humanity is accepted as equal yet different from our own, that their traditions and right-to-exist unmolested will be acknowledged and supported. For make no mistake about it...the jungles are shrinking and indigenous peoples such as the Shuar are fast disappearing from the face of the planet. If these peoples are to survive, if the very lands upon which they live are to remain pristine and a haven for a multitude of species (many of which are not even yet known to scientists), as a culture we must "change our dream".

Those individuals who contributed their thoughts and intimacies in the Spirit of the Shuar are explicit in their hope that those of us from industrialized nations who participate in the dominion and exploitation of nature and resources will come to replace this value by more earth-friendly dreams. The Shuar - who have never known defeat and who live in harmony with the dangers inherent in jungle life - do not give up, they adapt. Proud warriors who in earlier times would have fought to the death to repel an outsider are now revealing their secrets, willingly and freely. In reading their words you will fall in love with the beauty of the jungle and perhaps come to feel, as I do, that the peoples and the land in which they live hold a beauty that is worthy of our respect and protection.

I found it very difficult to follow. To many little sections which made it difficult. If you could figure out how to follow its flow then maybe you could enjoy the information obtain in the book.

I work in the pressure cooker of Health Care. As a CEO I make decisions impacting individuals lives and careers. The people who look to me for leadership want decisions that are honest, effective and value based. The Leadership Bible is my daily source of inspiration and strength. I especially appreciate the character profiles and the Homepages that guide me to further study on a variety of leadership topics.

I am a new leader in a training program and I have found this to be an amazing resource. It is comprehensive in that it covers a variety of attributes necessary for making me into a successful servant leader. The wisdom found in the Bible is mind blowing, but practical and this book takes you through a step by step process on each attribute. It has helped me to fill holes in my leadership role that I didn't know were necessary even. I recommend this to anyone who wants to become a fully rounded successful servant leader.

The first time I read the Yellow Wallpaper I was struck by the sheer force the words have on the reader. Perkins Gillman plays a mind game with her words, and the reader is made to join her sense of imagination. I first read it for a literature class, and each of the students in the class had a different interpretation of the story. This seemed extremely effective - it had made all of us think, and imagine. It had made is not just analyze the words, but it made us become a part of the story.I myself felt that the woman in the story was quite amazing - there were two men in her life, her husband and her brother both doctors by profession who were most incensitive to her needs. As can be expected of that time period, they were more interested in the norms of society, and were not going to allow the woman to act contrary to the norm. She however, was not about to give up on behalf of the norm. She was going to fight to the very end, and it felt almost as though she had liberated her own mind when she stopped seeing another woman in the wallpaper, but herself became one with it. Those of you who read this should also go ahead and read something on the author. It is a truely amazing story, and leaves plenty of room for the imagination. or. In one of her essays she talks of why she wrote this story.

This short story, based upon the author's own experiences, is a powerful tale of one intelligent woman's struggle with madness, the role of (married) women in society and family in the late 1800s, and how she copes with well-meaning but misguided relatives and their ideas of a woman's nature and abilities. Many consider it an early feminist novel, and I agree, although I would extend the author's message to any group that finds itself severely restricted by society's notions of appropriate behavior, goals, and the nature of the group.
The narrator of the story is, from a modern point of view, a normal, young, married woman who also has a desire to write. However, bound by Victorian mores and restrictions, this desire to write is deemed inappropriate at best and casts questions about her not fulfilling her (only) role as wife (and mother). She was only to focus her attention on "domestic" concerns (house, husband, children) and anything remotely intellectual was considered a threat to her sanity and her physical health. When she refuses to bow to society's (and her husband's) ideas of womanhood, she is confined to a room for COMPLETE rest (meaning NO mental stimulation of any kind, no reading, no writing). What makes matters worse is that her husband (a doctor) is also her jailer, and instead of truly understanding his wife as a human being, opts to follow society's standards instead of doing what is in the best interest of his wife (and her health, both physical and mental). Not surprisingly, she rebels a bit, and continues to write her thoughts in a journal, hiding the journal and pencil from her husband. When her deception is discovered, she is even more strictly confined than before, and denied contact with her children.
It is at this point that she begins her descent into madness--not from the desire to write and express her creativity, but from being denied an outlet for that creativity. She was not mad before she was prescribed complete rest, but rather the complete rest which caused her madness. She begins to imagine things (shapes, objects, animals, people) in the yellow wallpaper which covers the walls of the room to which she is confined. As more restrictions and controls are placed upon her, her imagination grows, until finally she strips the wallpaper to reach the figures, and is found by her husband, surely and completely mad.
I liked this story very much because the author conveyed the kind of dead lives many talented, creative women must have been forced to lead due to society's ideas of women and their abilities while fully backed by the medical profession. She clearly illustrates that in this instance, doctors and husbands do not know best, and that their very best intentions had the precise effect of bringing about the madness that they sought to cure. As I read the story, I wondered why her husband (and the doctor) were so blind as to the causes of her "nervous condition". It obviously was not working, and rather than demonstrating their intelligence by trying something else or, God forbid, asking her what she needed (a couple hours per day to devote to writing, a small thing indeed), continued along the same methods of treatment, only with more restrictions! The social commentary and the commentary on the status of women in society and in their own families is handled in an effective way by the author, not only in her prose but in the development of the characters and the storyline. It is a most persuasive plea of the basic idea of feminism--that women are people too, with talents and abilities outside of their roles as wives and mothers that deserve an opportunity to be developed. In reading this story, I am amazed by how far we as a society have come in changing our views of women, and yet by how much further we have to go. I highly recommend this book.
This book was also made into a show that aired on PBS' Masterpiece Theatre in the late 1980s. I have not been able to find a copy of the program, but remember that it was well-produced and faithful to the story.

This book truly captures the constraints felt by so many women, both in Perkins' time and in our own. She is able to touch on a very sensitive subject with amazing poetic prose. The fact that this book was written in the nineteenth century makes it all the more remarkable!