This book is like a "Call Centers for Dummies" meets "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Call Center Management But Were Afraid to Ask!". This is an educational to that can lay the ground work for an aspiring call center manager or hone the skills of the most experienced call center manager. Very well written and comprehensive book that almost acts as a call center efficiency consultant. I have put together presentations for senior management based on material in this book that made jaws drop. Thanks to this point of reference I have been able to make many positive changes in my call center's reporting, forecsting, and performance measurement tactics. If you are thinking about dishing out a couple grand a head for offsite training I would highly recommend trying this book first and saving your budget!

Brad Cleveland and ICMI have published a real goldmine with this title. Call Center Management on Fast Forward relates the key knowledge needed to successfully run a call center for maxiumum productivity and for the best service to the callers. This book is based on ICMI's many years of consulting and lots of hands-on experience. You will learn how to manage a call center not based on your intuition, but rather on the mathematical realities of queueing theory and random call arrivals. What can be a hard subject is explained very well so that a manager can really put the author's advice into practice. We at Portage Communications are going to start including a free copy of this book along with every copy of our Call Center Designer and SimACD call center planning and workforce staffing software that we sell. We like it that much!

This book is for everyone in the business world, not only for call center managers. All organizations of all sizes are closing the gap between businesses and customers. And the main customer contact point, call center, is coming into a spotlight as the centerpiece of businesses. This book introduces readers to call center management practices, the good and the bad. It also point out the factors that are changing call centers, their functions and people who work in them. Its insight into some of the technology changes help readers grasp their importance in the context of everyday operation. Fast reading.

An excellent book that shows step by Biblical step the process of how to be set free from the addiction of pornography and masturbation. The three "R's" of Radical Amputation, Radical Appropriation, and Radical Accountability has lead thousands of men and woman to freedom and Purity in their lives.This is the course and this is the information that broke the chains of addiction in my life and allows me to walk in purity and freedom from addiction to pornography today. This is a must read book that I highly recommend. David A. Wagner Author-Secret Sins of the Heart-Freedom From The Chains Of Pornography

The teachings in this book really worked for me. It can lead anyone into true freedom no matter how long you've been in bondage. I tried and tried for many years to be free but nothing worked. The reason? I was doing it on my own strength instead of on the strength of Christ. It is only through Christ Jesus and His Living Water that one can be truly satisfied. This book will teach you how to drink that water. I highly recommend it for anyone in any sexual bondage. It led me out of an 18 year bondage. Free at last!! Praise God I am free at last!!

Cleveland has done a spectacular job of applying the Word of God to the areas of habitual sexual sin. The author clearly leads the student, day-by-day, using Biblical examples and amazing personal testimonies from previous students, to habitual freedom from sexual immorality. This text is based on an interactive web-based course of the same name, Pure Freedom, which can be found at SettingCaptivesFree.com. This book broke my 20 year addiction to pornography, and has renewed my marriage, my family, and my walk with God. The principles in this book can break the secret addiction that has ruined so many lives. Reading and studying this book will show you how to be free forever from Satan's trap!

The Middle East is such a multi-faced region with such a rich historical legacy that even people who strive to be well-informed cannot help but feel bewildered at its cultural, political, and religious complexity. Given the blustering aggressiveness of the post-September 11 U.S. policy toward the region, however, Americans owe it to themselves to become far more familiar with the complexities of the Middle East than has been our wont up to now.

Popular magazine articles that attempt to "explain" Islamic rage as the result of a "fear of modernity" or "jealousy of the west's freedoms" may as well bear a stamp proclaiming their authorship by the "Ministry of Propaganda." As an alternative, I recommend Professor Cleveland's textbook, which serves as a brief but remarkably thorough introduction to the history of this volatile part of the world.

No, the book does not cover Afghanistan or Pakistan, but clearly political currents in these nations are closely linked with what has transpired in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and the rest of the Middle East proper. At the heart of the current crisis is, of course, the Israeli-Palestinian condundrum, and here the author's explanations and analyses are clear, balanced, and incisive. His discussions of the evolution of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the background *and consequences* of the 1991 Gulf War are also invaluable. In his recounting of the Iranian revolution, Cleveland offers a fascinating analysis of the apparent Islamicist rejection of "modernity," showing that those in the Middle East who reject the West do not crave a return to the ancient past, but instead wish to follow a modernization pathway that is guided by indigenous cultural principles, including the precepts of Islam.

Perhaps most impressive, however, is what Cleveland has to say toward the end of the book regarding the dangers of an overly intrusive and domineering presence in the Islamic Middle East by the lone remaining planetary superpower, the U.S. He does not prophesy the recent terrorism that has afflicted this country, but he does criticize the U.S. for policies that seem to rely more upon aerial bombardment than careful diplomacy. The application of Cleveland's conclusions to a reevaluation of the likely long-term consequences of "America's new war" is not a comforting process, but it's one that perhaps more Americans need to undertake.

I have lived in the Middle East for several years. This book is by far the BEST I have ever read at explaining "why" to many of the problems that we face today. It is not a cheerful book to read, in fact it almost makes one ashamed. It definitely made me ask "why is it that so very few people in the United States have NO clue as to the history in this part of the world?" This is a book that should be read by politicans and those in the news media. It is incredible that with all the news coverage since 9/11 that there has been so little attempt to learn, understand, and accept responsibility for the shameful and self-serving roles that Britian, France, and the United States have historically played and continue to play in molding this part of the world to fit the needs of the west. This book should be required reading for President Bush and his staff. At the same time I wish those at CNN, FOX, and the other news organizations would read the book as well. How can we call ourselves a "free country" when we don't take responsibility or are even taught about our role and motives in the history of this part of the world? We ARE a great country, but I am appalled that so many Americans (my friends and family included) could be in favor of a war without even the slightest understanding of OUR role in creating much of the current mess. I will "require" this book as reading for any of my friends and family who want to discuss the issues of this part of the world. It's a shame that I can't require it to those in the news media and government. The lack of historical understanding by the American population is truly frightening. If you can only read one book about the Middle East, this is the book to read. If you can read two, then read Thomas Friedman's "From Beirut to Jerusalem" as well. It is very rare to find balanced/honest accounts of Middle East history. Why?

The first thing that might come to a student's mind with a history textbook would be the words: tedious, dull and unexciting. And do not worry because Cleveland possesses none of these negative qualities. Cleveland covers every topic on the modern Middle East to Oslo agreements and Muhammad Ali in Egypt. The book explains the history of a foreign culture and region that many people do not understand and he writes it in an easy to read format. I promise that it will not be the most exciting book in the world to read, but it will offer you knowledge on the Middle East that only a few actually understand and know. I am a history major at Indiana State University and took a course on modern Middle Eastern history taught by Robert Hunter that wrote "The Palestinian Uprising: A War by Other Means."

I considered Cleveland's textbook on the Modern Middle East a great source of history. After reading this book, I guarantee that you will better understand the present-day crisis in the Middle East than over ninety-five percent of the people in the United States.

This book is worth the price for the beauty and quality of the pictures alone, but the fact that it includes maps and histories of the sites depicted makes it even more of a treasure. While it will have special local appeal to those living in the Cleveland area, the landscape photos (in an unusual square format)are stunning and beautiful enough to stand on their own for lovers of nature photography. Highly recommended!

For any Cleveland native or visitor, this book depicts the Metroparks as it is, in its natural beauty. I ride through the "Emerald Necklace", as it's known, on my motorcycle at least twice annually with my father. The book reminds me of those experiences.

Of particular interest, beyond the great photography, are the histories and information about each of the park reservations. I highly recommend this book.

Gary has managed to capture the essence of the natural beauty of Cleveland's Metropolitan park System. The title reflects the dubbing of the parks as the "Emerald Necklace" of Cleveland. If you truly want to feel that you are communing with nature and want to see the "softer side" of Cleveland, this book is a must.

Wonderful, silly book which will teach you the U.S. Presidents, in order, in 30 minutes. The book has a story which incorporates word associations for every president as well as some quizzes to help you memorize them. Also, has a short biography on every president. Great book for all ages.

My 10 year old sister was given this book as a gift. I'm pretty good at history, so I thought learning all the presidents in order would be really cool. I read the book for 20 or 30 minutes, took the quizes, and by the time I was done I could name all the presidents in order, and backwords. The book also gives you clues to help remember the 5,10,15,20,25,30,35, and 40th presidents.

When I picked up this book and saw that it claimed to enable anyone to memorize the Presidents in 20 minutes, I said, "Yeah, right." But I gave it a try and it works! I really did learn the Presidents in 20 minutes (not any less). It works by means of cartoons and key words that are similar to the President's name and connect the cartoons to that President (ex: money rowing for Monroe). The cartoons are funny and all link together. This is a great book; you should try it.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Marcia Cleveland1s Dover Solo-Swimming the English Channel. This book is enlightening and it fills a void.It is a reliable and thoughtful work, published with the idea of helping the prospective English Channel swimmer. This book provides specific advice and practical information for planning this swim.Marcia1s book is concise and objective; it is fluent and well written. I found it instructing and easy to read. There are maps, pictures and illustrations of excellent quality. There is an appendix with inspirational thoughts, temperature and distance conversion charts, important addresses and swimming contacts. Some interesting mind tricks games and thoughts that allowed her to endure this lengthy and demanding process are clearly explained.Marcia delivers what she promises by writing this book, invaluable help for future and novice channel swimmers with their attempts. She does this by recounting her experience that ended with her successful Channel Crossing in l994. Marcia prudently warns the reader, that following the recipe that led to her own success may not fulfill nor suffice every English Channel hopeful. The book describes her transformation from a pool to an open water swimmer and the steps that lead to her decision to attempt to swim the English Channel. She reviews important practical steps that she thought necessary to feel that she was ready to do it. The relevance of swimming partners; cold acclimation and endurance building are emphasized. She also discusses her experience during her qualifying swim and issues regarding weight gain. This along with details of her training system and her Maine mini-camp experience round the first part of the book. Her trip to England and the details of swimming the Channel start to finish comprise the second part of the book. Her Channel crossing is discussed in great detail on hour by hour blow, as well as the effects of currents and swimming patterns on her progress. Her final approach system might prove useful for those finding big boulders instead of sandy beaches at the end of their swim. In my opinion her main contribution is sharing this experience with us to allow the reader a rare insight into the life events that take place while undertaking a goal of this type. There are some principles that apply to all successful finishers. Marcia reviews them in detail, while noting that training should be individualized. This work is an inspiration for those trying to emulate Marcia. I recommend this book most highly.Nick Olmos-Lau M.D.

This is a book that any swimmer will find rewarding. It's a snapshot of three years in the life of a working woman, wife and United States Masters Swimmer(USMS), culminating in her 9 hour 44 minute swim of the English Channel on July 29, 1994 -- making her the 445th person to complete the official Channel Swim.

Like any worthwhile accomplishment, it did not just happen.

"I set up a long-range training schedule and gradually increased my swimming yardage to a level which would give me the endurance to swim the distance," Ms. Cleveland writes. She increased her yardage from 20,000 per week to 45,000, supplemented by twice-a-week weight training. For her final six weeks' training she averaged 80,000 yards per week. She knew she needed this kind of regimen for the Channel's 23 mile distance in the Strait of Dover.

And because the summer water temperature in the Channel averages only about 60 degrees F. (compared with most indoor pools at about 80 degrees) some serious "acclimation" was required. This she did by moving from her home in New York City to Bailey Island, ME for a three weeks "training camp" in the cold waters of Merriconeag Sound.

"Being in Maine before my Channel swim made the difference between just crossing the Channel and swimming it as well as I did," she writes.

But her book is a lot more than a "how to swim the Channel," or a memoir. It's a compelling look at one swimmer's determination to accomplish a major life goal without sacrificing marriage, career, or friends.

It may well be classified as a "how-to be a dedicated swimmer without sacrificing everything else in your life," book. As such, it offers good advice to all of us who swim.

In February, 1998, Ms. Cleveland and her husband, Mark Green, (to whom the book is dedicasted), had their first child, Julia.

"Although my family is my top priority," the author writes, "swimming will always be a part of my life. Even with a super-busy schedule, I make sure swimming and fitness remain within the big picture."

Add "Dover Solo" to your bookshelf. It will inspire you to keep swimming and fitness within the "big picture" of your life.

It's about more than just swimming.

Can inspire one to accomplise any "impossible" goal!

The Cleveland Orchestra has long deserved a comprehensive history, and Donald Rosenberg has filled that need admirably. The great achievement of the book is to make one understand how challenging it is to *manage* a symphony orchestra, and Rosenberg's careful attention to the nuts-and-bolts business of creating, running, and improving the Cleveland Orchestra makes one aware of just how remarkable an achievement it is that Cleveland is one of the finest orchestras in the world. For example, at the time George Szell was raising the Cleveland to a position at the very top of the hierarchy of American orchestras, the CO ranked 11th in terms of pay among American orchestras.

My one disappointment with the book was that I would have liked to have seen more sustained reflection on the musical and artistic qualities that have distinguished the orchestra over its history. Much of the book is written in relatively short sections, and I began to yearn for a more continuous narrative that could cut deeper.

But make no mistake, this book is essential reading for any fan of the Cleveland Orchestra, and anyone interested in how a great cultural institution can be created.

I was thrilled to finally get my hands on Donald Rosenberg's Cleveland Orchestra Story - it surpassed my expectations. A lifelong Clevelander with fairly good exposure to the artistic and cultural life of the city, I had heard talk of the book in process, and knew it was a formidable project that was being widely anticipated. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to hear the Cleveland Orchestra over the years, and have always been proud of - and a little awed by - its reputation. So, I was happy to see a book that lived up to the same high standards as the subject it covers. I am no orchestral or classical music aficionado, but I was captivated by the story nonetheless. A story of great personalities, of great talent, of a city made greater for those. I may not know all the names and sounds of the people and musical pieces Rosenberg writes about (masterfully and knowledgeably), but his style is easy, even compelling. Great details, exhaustive but not exhausting. This was a book I wanted to own, because of its content but also because of its feel - its hefty weight but manageable size, classy cover, traditional type, thick ivory rough-edged paper. A gift - for myself (and hopefully for some family members over the holidays).

Donald Rosenberg's loving but detailed history of the Cleveland Orchestra reads like a novel, but it is well researched. I was completely engrossed. This is not a romanticized account. The personalities involved are people full of light and shadows. Szell, for example, comes off as the brilliant artist so fixated on the musical dimension that he depreciates or is blind to other valuable dimensions of life like the beauty of human relationships. The conflicts and the joys of the orchestra are made evident. The selections of concert reviews are balanced with the good and the bad.

Those who enjoy classical music will profit from reading this wonderful account of the Cleveland Orchestra who are indeed "second to none."

I read this book 3 times years and years ago and have been searching for it ever since. I was told it was out of print, and am so glad to know that I may be able to find it again - finally! I wont rest until its in my hand. Thank you Marlys Millhiser for having written this book - how about a sequel??? This story could go on forever.

The mystery of switching identities with an ancestor, the exploration of a place 100 years ago, and a rousing love story are combined into a delightful foray into the mind of Marlys Millhiser.

Long out of print, the book has once again become available, just in time to reach a new generation of those who like to read a mystery that is a cut above all the others. Additionally, those interested in the history of Boulder, Colorado, will be intrigued by what it was like a century ago.

While the $14.95 paperback price may seem high, this is a book that will be returned to time and time again over the years. I've read my copy at least six times!

I enjoyed this book a lot. It deals with a young woman about to get married. She receives a present of a strange mirror. The mirror has powers and shows strange things. The mirror causes the girl to switch bodies with her grandmother, transporting her soul back in time about 70 years to her grandmother's 20 year old body.

Anyone who had read Michael Moorcock's "Behold the Man" or has seen the Twilight Zone episode where an Elvis impersonator goes back in time to look for Elvis can guess what happens next. Mainly the young girl is forced to live out the life of the grandmother based on what she knows about the grandmother and thus creating the grandmother. What makes this book so good is that it returns to the present and we see the grandmother living out her life in the body of the granddaughter. The author does a marvelous job of showing us the present time through the eyes of someone from the past. It makes us want to re-examine our own lives for wonders we took for granted.

Painful and hilarious. It only seems larger than life. The sad fact is, if you know anything about foster care, you also know Antwone Quenton Fisher has not exaggerated his story. The predatory, castrating meanness of his foster mother (you will read this book hoping you'll run in to Mizz Pickett on the street so you can teach her a lesson or two of your own); the frustratingly uninvolved "turn a blind eye," "just let me have my kool-aid" aloofness of Mr. Pickett, the foster father; the sexually abusive babysitter; the destructively negligent, hands-off handling by the social services system; and the utter defenselessness and adolescent hopelessness of Antwone -- you know it's all true because you've seen it all.

And it makes you mad.

"Finding Fish" is wonderful and horrific in equal parts. You know Antwone survives because he wrote the book. How he ever did it is flat out proof of miracles.

I read a small ad for this book in a library journal and decided to attempt to locate it through my local library. The public library in Fayetteville, NC is a wonderful resource. They had the book. I just completed it. I say "whoosh" because this book has the effect of inflating a balloon, and slowly letting all of the air out. That's what happened to this young man's life. His testimony is a "must read". There were times during my reading when I had to put it down. It was such a powerful narrative, and a demonstration of "what's wrong" with the child welfare system. I pray that the foster mother, Mrs. Pickett, is alive and in full control of her faculties at this time. She is clearly identified as a vicious, sick human being, who should have never been licensed as a foster parent. The child welfare agencies, also, are glaringly neglectful in their care of this child, Antwone. My heart went out top this young man. As a social worker, who has worked with foster children for many years, Antwone's story is another clear indictment of the "system" and its flaws. I never thought I would say this, but I almost feel that orphanages are superior to "foster" care. At least in an orphanage, a child knows where he or she is, and can grow to accept it. This was a beautifully written narrative, portrayed with angst and soul. God bless this man and his family. I have told many people about this book, and will continue to laud it's worth and magnificence.

I want to encourage all of you to read Finding Fish. Antown's story is one that offers great insight, is poignant, illustrates forgiveness and gives hope.

Moreover, we need to shed light onto the foster care system and expose it for what it is.

A while back Antwone and I were on National Public Radio together talking about our respective foster care experiences, which were both in Cleveland. We have a lot in common.

I am profoundly grateful that his book is so widely read and thrilled about the movie just now out. I wish him every due success and only wish that all foster care survivors can someday expererience the love, success and share the courage that Antowne has exhibited.

Dr. John R. Seita
Author Kids Who Outwit Adults
God Is In the Kitchen

Unsung Valor: A GI's Story of World War II is a war memoir that will appeal to women as much as men. Cleveland Harrison's recollections reach deeper and wider emotionally than the usual battlefield tales. The reluctant draftee's journey from basic training to college, to combat, and finally to occupation duty in Germany does not put women off with a lot of combat details but strikes a nice balance between the military and the human emotions. Harrison's descriptions of his sensations in every place and time are so detailed and clear that one learns to care what happens to him and his buddies.

A reluctant but good soldier, who was surprisingly innocent and firm in his integrity, Harrison reveals more of his attitudes toward women than is ordinarily found in military narratives. His respect and relations with his mother and his college sweetheart (to whom he is secretly engaged), and the women he later encounters in training and service--a math professor and a group of sorority sisters at college, nurses in military hospitals, State Department officers and secretaries, and WACs in military government overseas--make Unsung Valor a unique wartime reading experience for women.

I read with a great deal of interest and anticipation A. Cleveland Harrison's book UNSUNG VALOR. I was certainly not dissappointed. It is an anutobiography beginning with his youth in Little Rock, Arkansas and continuing through his military experiences in training and in combat in Europe during World War II. The emphasis is on his military life.

My enjoyment of the book was expecially magnified by the similarities I had growing up and as a GI during World War II. I also loved my country but was loath to serve. It, however, made me a stronger person. Mr. Harrison expresses this very well.

I recommend it wholeheartedly!

In reading Unsung Valor, I was constantly amazed at the author's ability to portray the specifics of day to day life as a G.I. in W.W. 2. Many novels go for the bullets, the blood and guts, of warfare - sometimes to its glory - but A.C. Harrison takes the reader on the long hard run of what it took to become a soldier, to be transformed from boy to man, from innocence to awareness.

The author has the ability to take relatively quotidian events and make them specific, interesting and emotional.  I found his style fluid and easy to read, and his imagery compelling. He conveys seemlessly a very personal pov of how it felt to grow into manhood baptized by fire. 

What I found most refreshing was the theatrical experiences he had along the way.  I'd never thought that in the middle of a world war that the most basic form of entertainment; skits, singing, impersonations could have such a large impact on the fighting men. Indeed there's something very poignant
about that - the tough GI who can't help but smile because one of his theatrical brothers in arms is so funny, the songs sung that made soldiers so dearly miss home which some would never see again. Read this book!