This book sin't really anything special although it is interesting.The author describes her life all the way from her childhood where most of her family died, and through her success as a teacher and a newspaper editor who fought for freedom of speech in her articles.I recommend this book for those who are interested in the history after 1800s and how life went on at that time.Overall,it is a good book but I found it boring at times.

I read 'Crusade for Justice: The Autobiography of Ida B. Wells' as part of a class in ethical and prophetic witness for seminary. This was, frankly, not the kind of book I was likely to read apart from a class assignment. But I am very glad to have been given the opportunity -- sometimes things we have to do are in fact good for us!

Ida B. Wells was an African-American woman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. She was born and grew up in the South, born in Mississippi during the Civil War. It is significant the impact of the legacy of slavery on her life -- she recounts how her parents, who were married as slaves, remarried each other as free persons after the war. Wells was a determined and intelligent woman -- her parents died while she was young, yet old enough to be left with the responsibility of her younger brothers and sisters. At the age of 14 she found herself at the head of a household with five younger children.

She worked hard to make sure that her education did not suffer, and eventually (a rarity for women of any colour in America at the time) went to work for a newspaper.

In an incident that foreshadowed Rosa Parks, she was once removed from a train for sitting in the wrong section, despite her ownership of a valid ticket for the seat. She sued the railroad and won (newspaper headlines read 'Darky Damsel Gets Damages' without concern for the racist tone), but the judgment was overturned on appeal, and she later discovered her lawyers had been paid off by the railroads, and the appellate judges had thought she was just being uppity to pursue the matter.

Such was the state of the African-American community that none came to her assistance as she pursued this fight. This made her more determined to organise and fight.

Several of her newspaper partners and other friends in Memphis were lynched for these efforts, and Wells was threatened herself, and left the South, but did not give up her crusade. Where ever she went, through cities and towns in the North as well as over to Europe (where, she said, she felt like she was treated as a real human being equal with others for the first time) she decried the injustice of laws which dismissed charges or gave light sentences if victims were coloured, and prosecuted more strongly, gave out harsher sentences, or even resorted to lynch mobs if the defendant (who was often not guilty) was coloured.

'She fought a lonely and almost single-handed fight, with the single-mindedness of a crusader, long before men or women of any race entered the arena, and the measure of success she achieved goes far beyond the credit she has been given the history of the country.'

She continued speaking and publishing up to her death in 1931. She was never afraid of making herself unpopular, and often upset the African-American community by being critical of their complacency (especially the upper and middle classes). She became unpopular by standing against the military service during World War I, because of prejudicial and discriminatory practices, and never quite recovered in popular esteem from that.

But Wells had courage and determination that is rare in persons, male or female, of any colour, of any time, to take on such a task as the exposition and combat of lynching in the South during the post-Civil War decades. Talking directly with governors and even a president, Wells made her voice heard, and it was a difficult hearing in a difficult time.

Even though some of the material in this book is redundant, this is an opportunity to read primary source material about the actions and reactions of a woman many of us know little about. Learning about Ida B. Wells in the first person puts you into the times in which she lived. There is no way a biography can give you the same experience. This is a book I would recommend to anyone wanting to understand this period of our history and the personalities--their strengths and limits--that dominated the crusades of those times. I like knowing about Wells' frailties as well as her strengths and the insights that she shared. And I like hearing her viewpoints about other leaders of her time. The three star ratings may say something about the readability of the book, but not about what you gain by staying the course.

This is a delightful story but I'm concerned that kids miss the point that an overdose of sugar is the problem. Kids do think in concrete terms. If all sugar is bad, why do my parents let me have any sugar? Do my parents want me to do things that are bad for me? Again, the answer is the balance not that all sugar is bad. Fruits and many other healthy food have natural sugar in them. I am a diabetic and I'm very aware of the problems of too much sugar. If an appropriate discussion follows the book, I think it is a good book and I agree with other reviewers. Using this book is like using sugar: do it carefully.

I read this story to a second grade bilingual class who just loved the story and were able to understand the message of the story. When I read it to a sixth grade bilingual class using puppets, It was just as enjoyable to the older children. Since it is in Spanish and English, the whole class was able to enjoy the story and learn what temptation can do to them. I recommend this book to anyone teaching a bilingual class or learning either language.

I first read this book years back at the library with two children I was babysitting for the summer. We read it and laughed in bemused horror.

The book chronicles the tale of two children lured to a magical wagon owned by a Mr. Sugar. His friendly countenance and gentle words urge them to try one of his confections, and thus begins the downward spiral into serious sugar addiction.

They become severely obese, jump up on the school roof, run backwards, and fall asleep in class. What have we to blame? That cursed sugar.

A surprise twist in the end pulls no punches, and teaches children with heavy-handed propaganda that sugar is bad. Very bad.

At once amusing and freaky-deaky, I've recommended this to people learning Spanish (for its bilingual aspect) and people interested in the weird and unusual.

This story is about two companions Maupassant's "A Corsican Bandit" who wander through nature. Forests, fields, valleys and landscapes. Pine trees, untangled Yet one another short story by this great trunks, umbrella pines, misshapen author. And the way he describes this one is trees, granite. even more gruesome than the last. They walk past a little wooden "A Corsican Bandit" is nearly a horror story cross and one of the men asks the describing very dramtic events... other to tell him about its The story takes place in a petrified valley origin. with beautiful surroundings. So the other man starts telling a story about a bandit named Sainte "Up on the two narrow peaks which dominate Lucie. this pass, a few old misshapen trees seemed Sainte Lucie was apparently a weak to have made their way with difficulty, like and spineless boy, with very little scouts sent on ahead of the huge dense mass strength of character. of trees behind them. We turned round and One day his father had been killed Saw the whole forest stretched out beneath by a young man in the vecinity. us, like an enormous green bowl with edges Sainte Lucie knew he was supposed made of sheer rock that seemed to touch the sky." to avenge his father, but couldn't find the courage to do so, until one day, the When it comes to Sainte Lucie, we same man provocatively, newly married, have a bit more information. drove past his house. Because of the fact that one of the Overwhelmed by a unfamiliar feeling, companions told a story about him. Sainte Lucie set out to kill him.... and did. From then on he continued his avenge, and killed and terrorised a large number of people who had been connected to his fathers murder.

___________________________________

It's a straight narrative story. Starts off harmless, descriptive, nature-scene, Ends

I think the message is that the most innocent people can turn out to be what you least expect. That shows in the book when Sainte Lucie threatens one of the wedding guests that he'll shoot his leg, if he takes another step. Knowing Sainte Lucie to be weak and cowardly he says "You woudn't dare!" and sets off, and gets shot. Basically, theres more to people than you think.

The main characters in this "so-called" horror short story are the two companions and of course, Sainte Lucie. This is very interesting, because we hardly know anything about the two friends. We don't know their backround, don't know their hobbies, don't know their selection of clothes, we don't even know their sex! All we know is that they are two companions walking through valleys and mountains, and one of them, according from the information that we have received, seems to be some sort of guide, or atleast a person knowing the forests very well and every story behind them. The other interested.

Once the reader browses through the descriptions of Mapassaunt's life and philosophies in the roman numbered pages begining this title, he or she knows that the following stories are going to be quite dark. They are and they are also, for the most part, vividly descriptive, intriguing, full of symbolism and extremely memorable. From the incendiary betrayals of "Monseiur Parent" and "the Dowry" to gruesome consequences of moral lapses seen in "At Sea" and "the Model" to outride incredible savagery of "A Vendetta" and the title story, this book proves that Maupassant is a master of all things dark, pessimistic and brutal.

I loved this book so, it was one of those times it was heartbreaking to come to the end. Each story was a nice short gem, perfect to enjoy in a sitting.

Because I grew up in La Jolla, and graduated from La Jolla High School, class of 1962, I was only interested in the short story: "The Pump House Gang."

I know most of the characters in the story, and believe that Wolfe did a good job describing them. His account of the La Jollans visiting the Watts Riots was right on. I visited the riot zone myself, and enjoyed the same experiences as Shine, Nelander, and Sterncorb.

Wolfe came as close as any "outsider" has been able to do, in analyzing the La Jolla nut house, the institution where the walls fell down, and none of the inmates left.

Tom Wolfe pursues the idea that many Americans and Brits since World War II have been checking out of mainstream status competition in favor of pursuing status within distinct subcultures. This plays out in some interesting ways--most notably Wolfe watches Natalie Wood pursue status in a more traditional way by acquiring knowledge of art and even some Old Masters, while others play their own status game around photographing celebrities, in this case Wood herself. Essays on Hugh Hefner, California surf culture, and London mods are also worthwhile, as is a comic piece on Wolfe's misadventures with an "automated hotel". Wolfe does bog down at times, however, in the minute stylistic details of the groups he covers; if you are not that interested in style in and of itself, your eyes may glaze over those passages. Still, this is a good read for anyone interested in subcultures (especially of the 1960s) and status-seeking.

Tom Wolfe is brilliant in capturing a generation's feel. This collection of short stories describes the socialites, the freaks and the trend-setters. Wolfe's language manages to show the physical as well as the atmosphere within a few short sentences. If you liked his wit in "The Electric Cool-Aid Acid Test" and his observations (social x-rays) in "Bonfire of the Vaities," you will love this collection of social critical essays.

I lived in Slovakia for two years, during which I had to pick up the language mostly by myself. When I discovered this book partway into the second year I was delighted. It is excellent for any English speaker, easy to understand and very to follow. The only drawback is for missionaries and diplomats - those who are MOVING to the country. By the time you get to the chapters on grocery shopping and going to the post office you might have died of starvation! Skip to these right away and don't be afraid to take the book with you into stores. Have a good time!

When I was in Slovakia this summer, I really wanted to learn Slovak language. Thus "Slovak for you" was the first handbook I found in a bookstore. The content of it is satisfying for me. The book includes many dialogues taken from usual life in Slovakia. It has also wide comments on grammatical topics. Of course, there are books which focus mainly on it. But the book by Bohmerova is good enough for every beginner - speaker of English (not only as a mother tongue).

_Slovak for You_ shows grammatical usage and the Slovakian vocabulary. I would prefer a chart detailing declension and conjugation of Slovakian words. There's a handwriting sample, for ex. the "t's" and "z's." This book is one of the better Slovakian books that I've seen.

.
Some books give lots of facts and dates, others concentrate on opinion and discussion. This one does neither: little factual information, plenty of opinion, but leaning over backwards so far to avoid being controversial that you won't learn much.

Also bear in mind that this book is not designed to be read; it's a class book with "thought provoking" questions at the end of each chapter of the type "What do you think of....?". Another way for the author to stay non-committal.

Finally, it's expensive.

I've been reading and comparing a few global history texts, and this one is in another class. If you're wanting a chronological narrative treading the traditional origins, greek, egyptian, indus valley . . . pattern then this text will not please you. If you're after a well written and presented text combining a good synthesis of fact with thought provoking analysis then this IS for you! I can see perhaps why lecturers might go for other more factual texts if they want to look at the global past in different terms to this one, however I think they can't go wrong with the themes Stearns and co. explore. Its got that perfect balance of fact and analysis. The boxed features and lengthy document extracts fit in well, and the lists of sources are well worthwhile.
So yes, you WILL learn a lot from this book because instead of just providing a series of events, people, terms and dates to rote learn it will get you thinking about the themes of global history, and encourage you to compare, contrast and evaluate. Its also one of the few "World History" texts that isn't a Western Civilization history with a few extra chapters thrown in. It really looks at the whole world with a fresh view, including a variety of cultures and experiences. In the Classical era you'll recieve valuable insights into nomadic peoples, providing the opportunity to understand differing means of organising society and allowing worthwhile comparisons that actually enhance understanding the more well trodden ground of Greece, Rome etc. Other fascinating coverage in this vein includes chapters about migration and the spread of peoples (Africans, Slavs and Polynesians), a whole chapter on the Mongol empire and the independence and nationhood movements of Latin America. I reiterate that these other perspectives are introduced in a way which enhances the overall understanding of world history, and are certainly not arbitary "pc" insertions. The authors do not shirk from showing the rise of the west, and the positives and negatives of imperialism. However it also allows us to see the limitations, and non-inevitability of this rise.
If you insist on reading a solely factual survey text, Traditions and Encounters by Bentley and Ziegler will do a great job, however for any student or enthusiast of World History, this book will open your eyes to new perspectives and really encourage you to engage your braincells!

While some may at first find this book to be daughting, or even uninformative, they would be surprised to learn that what the book presents is one of the most unbiased accounts of World History. As a student who was taught AP World History, I found the book to be incredible. Along with incredibly factual passages, the book also includes primary sources to aid learning. In additon, the book is completely unbiased; spending as much time if not more on African, Asian, and Western roots as it does on Rome, Egypt, or the Greeks. Also, the book spends extraordinay amounts of time discussing ALL of the civilizations of the world, not just the cut and dry topics that were explored in the years before. Despite what the other reviewer has said, this book is the most incredible source of history I have ever read, and should be standard in schools around the country. Regarding the expense, with a source as good as this, the cost is minimal. I found the book so helpful I actually purchased my own copy after I finished the cource.

Ada Lee is straight-up pornography. The story and dialogue aren't exactly what you'd expect to find in a porn film, but are nonetheless as redundant. The characters all speak and look very much alike - all girls. The only difference might be hairstyle and breast size. However, this is typical of illustrated porn.
The story takes place in one day and begins with the title character's fear of relationships - turning quickly into an all-out lesbian orgy. At first, the reader might think it's going to make a point - but it fails at this... miserably.
Now with all of the cons out of the way, it's on to the pros -
The artwork is not the best. However, Munroe knows what cute looks like, and he pulls it off without making the characters seem like pseudo-naive jailbait...
Ada Lee is adorable. She's smallchested with a nice-sized [bottom] and a face that makes more than the comic-standard 5 expressions. Her pants (when she wears them) are baggy and she speaks with hip-hop slang - though in the story, she's supposedly an accomplished author.
The sex scenes are very explicit. I'd have to say triple-X... This is where Munroe works his best artistically - with every detail taken into consideration. From cute sex faces to bodily fluids...
Bottom line - if you're looking for blondes with big [bousims]- look elsewhere... But, if you're looking for cute girls with small chests, a taste for the same-sex, and the need for excess - get Ada Lee. As much as the story bites, the sex scenes make up for it...

What a straaange concept. A bunch of girls (as P.C. as the power rangers) getting together for a naked party. Here's the catch - the only way to understand it is to read it under the influence of Mary Jane.

I read this book in 1993 and it was brought to mind by the recent release of two men convicted of murder in Ada but released recently because their DNA did not match that found at the scene. This is a twisted and convoluted story but worth it to anyone who will stick with it.

This is a kind of book that will leave you thinking. Do the cops have the right people in prison? Or is the killer or killers still out there?

I prefer the professional edition I get through my nutritionist to this one. This one is too small and hard to read.

This book, published by the American Dietetic Association, provides the reader with a 30-day plan to establish good eating habits and suggestions towards changing ones nutritional knowledge. The first portion of the book allows readers to develop an understanding of their own nutritional needs, and helps the reader develop a smart eating plan. It then guides the reader through a day-to-day accounting of foods eaten for a 30 day. The reader will improve their eating patterns and become aware of proper nutrition.

A concise and upto the point,without unnecessary jargons and strongly useful for a beginner.