"This book . . . is both important and fascinating. Indeed, the author provides a case study of the Progressive movement in the United States and gives a balanced portrayal of an individual who -- while achieving neither fame nor elective office -- left a remarkable legacy of public service. At the same time, Ray E. Boomhower has revealed in yet another way the connection between culture and politics in the United States."

William B. Pickett, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology professor of history

This was just one of the facts my son spontaneously shared. This was the first book in the series that my almost 8-year old read. He was enthused about sharing what he learned about young JD and his family. He is asking for more titles from this series for his upcoming birthday.

This book is a hot find for kids who love vehicles. Being able to move the car down the road is a great treat. The illustrations are wonderful; they offer lots of opportunities to play "do you see a ...?" with your child. Enjoyable interactive book!

Every thinking evangelical should welcome a book like this. Dunn provides some useful criticisms of the traditional evangelical defence of the authority of Scripture, particularly on the issue of inerrancy, and investigates Scripture's claims about itself - what it reveals about its own inspiration, the nature of its authority, and how the Bible writers used and interpreted the Old Testament record. His conclusions may be disagreeable to some - see the chapter entitled 'Was Jesus a liberal? Was Paul a heretic?' for example - but his voice cannot go unheard, and as usual Dunn combines a real respect for the Scriptures with honest, reasonable scholarship and clear thinking.

As a youth in South Florida, I recall the Miami riots of 1980 as a time of excitement and menace. Although far removed from the violence, I remember the concerned voices on the radio and the firey images on television. Marvin Dunn, a sociologist and community leader, places the riot in historical perspective. He profiles the black communities of Overtown and Liberty City, the culture of the Miami Police Department and the incident that touched off the rioting. Dunn convincingly explains that the rioters came from a cross section of the black community, from middle-class professionals to the inner-city poor, and that the violence was not goal-driven, like the urban uprisings of the 1960s. The riots represented pure rage springing from a host of long-held grievences. In many ways, the Miami riot of 1980 foreshadowed the LA Riots. Dunn and Porter also fault the Miami Police for their handling of the riots and describe several scenarios by which they could have put a stop to the violence. I recommend this book to any and all who are interested in race relations and/or the relationship between urban law enforcement and the black community.

Anthropologists will quibble with Griggs and Dunn about whether a particular learning style is the result of culture or a cause of it. The debate would really be about the validity of the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis and, as such, belongs in another academic arena. Griggs and Dunn have written a good guide for the classroom teacher who wants to understand her/his multicultural students better. The book is a significant contribution to the field because multicultural children are often labeled as having learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, and related learning problems when the difficulty is really cultural and is related to (a) the worldview of the culture based on economic and social factors related to being a member of a minority culture, and (b) how education is valued and whether it is relevant to a child's family and home environment. For these reasons, educators can benefit greatly by reading Multiculturalism and Learning Style.

Although I think it is difficult to write a good short love story for an anthology, because the lack of length in a novella makes it difficult to develop plot and characters adequately, this anthology is an exception. "Miss Delafield Disposes" is not a novella to be taken as a straight-forward romance, but rather to be enjoyed with much laughter! The heroine is being bamboozled by a slick artist, and the hero rushes in to save the day, even though at first he isn't really sure what is going on. There is a lot of "tongue-in-cheek" description and dialogue,and the author has a wicked sense of humor. Her descriptions are priceless. One example is when she describes the elderly Lady R--"dressed in rusty brown, she looked for all the world like a potted shrub in dire need of watering!" The second novella, by Carola Dunn, also was very satisfying. "The Frost Fair" tells not only of the fun people had when the Thames froze over, but also of the peril when the ice started to melt. It is a delightfully sweet tale of love in the upper working class, and it will be re-read many times by me. The third story, "Cupid's Arrow," was ok, but my least favorite. The author used the "love at first sight" ploy to explain the romance, and I don't care for it as much as I do when an author shows why the couple grows to care for each other(as in the "Frost Fair," where they learn about each other while having fun at a fair). I found the third story to be kind of boring, and probably wouldn't re-read it, while the first and second stories make the book worth buying. If the third story had been better, it would have been a 5 star book. As it is, it is still a good read.

it can be hard - to say the least - to find a book about flat patternmaking for chidren. The principles are the same as for womenswear, but drafting a basic sloper without a full set of standardized measurements is quite difficult."Pattern Design for Children's Clothes" includes measurements charts (these are invaluable), as well as clear instructions for styling the basic slopers(bodices, skirts,collars, sleeves, pants, etc...)and grading them. There are two drawbacks; the garment styles illustrated are somehow outdated (too close fitted for today's fashion, in my opinion) and although there are instructions on drafting hoods, the charts do not include the measurement needed (these can be found in 'Childrenswear Design')Apart from that, I'd recommend this book to anyone who wishes to design for children.

Sly Rogers invites his friend private investigator Billy Oliphant and daughter Kirsty to spend a pleasant wintry weekend at Forestcrag Moorland Holiday Village. The trek to the remote North England resort is not fun, but Bill expects a luxurious relaxing few days spent with his daughter. However, director David Morland wants to hire Billy to quietly investigate the recent poisoning of employees. Billy says no wanting to just R&R with Kirsty and not impact his work waiting for his return home.

A nasty storm strands the occupants of Forestcrag. When the corpse of payroll manager Eric Salkeld is found hanging, Billy calls the local police, who cannot easily get to the death scene. Though it appears a simple suicide, the locals ask Billy as a former cop to conduct a preliminary investigation and to contain the scene until they arrive. He also receives a warning from the police that someone he once arrested has escaped and is in the area. Meanwhile Billy notices marks on the body making him conclude the so-called suicide is a cover up of a murder.

Fans of suspense laden investigation thrillers will feel they gained much PAYBACK from Alan Dunn's novel that reads somewhat like a police procedural once the first of several murders occur. The story line is very exciting so much so that the well-written climax seems weak by comparison. Still, Billy is a delightful lead character and those close to him accentuate the audience's ability to understand the hero's preference of non-involvement. When all is said and done, readers will appreciate PAYBACK and look for more novels from this British author.

Harriet Klausner

This is probably The best book I have read on the Pilgrimage Unfortunately the book itself is out of print. The publishers might bring out a reprint and then I will order two copies from Amazon. Extracts from the book can be found under the travel section of the Telegraph Online Newspaper look under Yahoo for this newspaper. There is also quite a bit of useful information on the pilgrimage to santiago under the Travel section of the Telegraph Online.