Do we always choose people that remind us of our parents? An interesting look a marriage & friendship. And how the past does not have to dictate our present.

Although a little lengthy, 'Chesapeake Song', is an excellent, honest story of love, heritage, and marriage. It depicts how your upbringing and adolescent environment capitulate many aspects of your adult life. This story will tug on your heart, and make you think. Read this book on a sunny day, at the park, under a tree, with a cool glass of lemonade.

On the surface, Tamra and Charles Lane seem to be living the American lifestyle. They were childhood sweethearts in Maryland and in spite of different dreams for their future, are happily married. Yet after thirteen years of wedlock and having children, Tamra leaves her spouse, not an easy decision since she still loves him.

Tamra looks to her heritage to help her finalize her decision. She turns to her own mother Virginia who left her own spouse, a school administrator. Tamra also looks back at the family powerhouse her grandmother who kept everyone together while the world collapsed around their family. Still, Tamra needs to learn what she can from her immediate female antecedents while Charles struggles with why since he feels he has given her everything she wants.

CHESAPEAKE SONG is a well-written character study that centers on how the lessons of childhood impact the adult as family patterns and histories repeat itself in each generation. The story line employs flashbacks to provide insight into the relationship between Tamra's parents and the influence of her grandmother as well as how Tamra and Charles have reached a critical fork in the road. Though not paramount to the main theme, but an added bonus, the audience observes African-American relationships over the last four decades. Readers who want action need to go elsewhere, but anyone interested in family dynamics will enjoy the insightful debut of Brenda Lane Richardson.

Harriet Klausner

This book was givin to me by my Father who recieved it from Ret. Col. Dentino. Recently grdauating from the 52nd Trooper Youth Week class run by the NJ State Police, I saw how diverse and highly trained NJ Troopers are. It does give a good history of the NJSP, but after reading half the book, the stories don't seem to be as interesting. If you are interested in the NJSP, this is the book for you, but don't expect to pick it up twice and finsih it.

Coakley did his best to include an overview of the relevant aspects of New Jersey State Police history and lore.Any one topic of the book deserves a book in and of itself.Well done and well worth reading.It reminded me of what it took to become the best of the best.

I have read this book many times over the years. The stories told reflect greatly upon the storied past of the New Jersey State Police and the sacrifices that have been made from the beginning up to the date of publication. Proud to be a part of the Blue and Gold.

Basically, if you can get past the terse text you will find a very, very out-dated system of thought. Andre Breton may have been revolutionary then, but now it is just a re-hash of an old, dilapitated art school that has nothing more to say.

It is hard to exaggerate the importance and the relevance of this book and the greatness of it's author, Andre Breton. Although a flawed and decidedly ambivalent man, Breton was the first out and out surrealist worthy of the name, seeking the spirit of magic and 'immanent transcendence' of a sort in the marvelous, a sense of mysticism and wonder in no way supernatural or otherworldly. Breton exhorts us to break the sterile and suffocating chains of rationalism and logic, and to realize the relativity of perspectives and perceptions of reality, thereby freeing both our intellect and the supreme weapon of the human mind, the imagination. The surrealist lifestyle is nothing if not a furious attempt at total liberation, and Breton knows that this cannot be said often enough. The mad, the imaginative, the dreamy and the alienated are true 'surrealists' and unwittingly live this defiant philosophy of rebellion through their resolute refusal to conform to society's norms and to replace their own thoughts with those of the uninspired, the average, the ordinary. The literary and poetic precursors Breton cites are absolutely perfect and in accordance with the ideology he is formulating:anyone who has deeply felt the power of imaginative art has felt the spirit of surrealism, and Breton was possessed by it. He once screamed furiously, "I AM SURREALISM!"--and far from seeing it as arrogant or pompous, I think he was right.

Breton's work is one of the seminal classics of twentieth century art and literature and deserves to be read, if for no other reason, purely for historical ones. However, the intersted historian will quickly be transported beyond the realm of antiquarian curiosity and into an embodied philosophy of life that profoundly critiques and challenges the status quo. In many ways, the critiques/alternatives offered by Breton and the surrealists are more desperately needed now in the beginning of the 21st century than they were in the beginning of the 20th.

As to the previous reviewers rather shallow critique, I can only say that Breton (still read in France as one of their major 20th c. poets) has written these as witty, playful, often beatiful sometimes even rambling texts. To call them terse is to either radically misuse the word or to lack an aesthetic sensibility, or perhaps both. As for the supposed rehashing of an "old, dilapitated art school that has nothing more to say", such an unsupported critique reveals far more about the reviewer than about Breton.

Enjoy this book.

Finally a book that talks about black sports, that's not about just baseball. To know what these pioneers had to go through just to make it, makes me very proud to say that I'm black. But, you ask why such a poor rating. Because the author, Ron Thomas, did a very poor job of getting his facts first hand. He states that he got the idea about this book when alot of these ball players were still alive. But did not have "time" to interview them, so most of his recollections are through magizine or newspaper articles. Alot of these ball players past away before "he could get to them". Their are a couple of times in the book were he leaves you hanging trying to figure out what he's trying to say, for example when he's explaining that "when they got hungry, it didn't make matters easier because they practiced just a few blocks from the Nabisco plant." My question? When they got hungry, then what, did they have to split the dinner, they had no money. What? But nothing was more frustrating then when the old black ball players were explaining to us "that everyone treated us bascically ok", Mr. Thomas still tried to paint an "evil" side to the white owners and management. Making it seem like no one was willing to help. I think someone else should have done this book. And could've probably done a better job.

They Cleared The Lane: The NBA's Black Pioneers by Ron Thomas, is an informative and entertaining account of the early Black players and coaches of the NBA.It is obvious Mr. Thomas has done extensive research through interviews, and media archives to examine and clarify the enormous social and athletic impact of the early Black NBA players. As a true basketball fanatic, I enjoyed the opportunity to read and learn about some important individuals who help to shape and define the NBA.

folks need to Know the Pioneers that Paved the way for Ball today.50-52 Years ago isn't that long ago.alot isn't mentioned of it&hat's really sad to me.but glad to have this Book that speaks on the Past,Present&The Future.A Toast to the Men who Paved the way.

This book is a fairly good introduction to the ideas of category theory by one of the creators of the field. Unfortunately, the book is sometimes sort of confusing, and doesn't give many as many examples as I would like. Category theory (while it has become a field in its own right), is really a way of thinking about mathematics. The way you learn a way of thinking is by working out examples & doing excersizes, but this book doesn't provide as many connections to other areas of math as it should.

I don't think that this book was really intended "for the working mathematician," but rather for someone with some independent interest in category theory.

This book is extraordinarily well written. It covers the necessary topics in a concise, orderly manner. HOWEVER, it presumes a substantial amount of knowledges concerning various algebraic/abstract structures in the field of mathematics. If you already have had experience with such structures, and are simply looking to understand them from a different perspective - this is the book for you. However, if you have limited knowledge with regards to advanced math (ie - grad level math) then try the book 'Arrows, Structures and Functors: The Categorical Imperative' by Manes and Arbib. This introduces the reader gradually to simple algebraic structures, monoids, groups, metric spaces, topological spaces, and the categories that can be built around them.

This book is a classic. Clearly written, drawing on a vast number of different applications and motivations for the subject. Eilenberg and Mac Lane created category theory and this book is alive with the very style of thought Mac Lane brought to it in the first place. It is obvious that Mac Lane wrote each page, and each exercise, with a view of the whole book in mind. He starts with the very basics, assuming indeed that you know nothing of category theory. He goes on to adjunctions, limits, the adjoint functor theorems, monads (triples), monoidal categories, Abelian cateories, Kan extensions, higher dimensional categories, and categorical foundations. It is a masterpiece and one of the great books in mathematics.

When will this author stick to a subject that he knows-- traditional medicine-- and quit inflicting flowery generalities that capitalize on other people's cultures (in this case, Native Peoples) to sell books? This book is so poorly researched it made my head spin (which is about the only shamanic aspect of it that was validated). I returned it immediately and should have learned with past experiences with this author's work.

I am native american and I like this book . If you like stuff like this then buy this book . I would recommend it to anyone .
From the first chapter I noticed a difference in the way I looked at life .

This book provides a great way to learn about Shamanism. Insightful look into guided imagery.

My favorite book of 2000!

This book is truly for idiots. It assumes that you were in a coma or a recently thawed/reanimated caveman who is unsure what those noisy things in the sky are. The "Gliding" in the title refers to one thin chapter of the most basic info. This book would be entirely suitable for a precocious toddler or any elementary school child interested in writing the most basic of book reports.

The chapter in this book on JFK Jr.'s crash last summer had me reading from paragraph to paragraph like I was locked into a suspense novel.

Oh sure, we all know the awful conclusion, but what is so riveting is how author Bill Lane walks you through all the details of the fateful flight, and adds in logical, well-explained theories about what may have happened -- down to how the red and green lights from the control panel of JFK's craft may have been reflecting off the inside of the windows, further reducing visibility that foggy night. Reading each detail, I got goosebumps, and felt like I was right there with JFK and the Bessettes, getting more and more tense as more and more things went wrong on their trip to Cape Cod.

I haven't been a big fan of things flight-oriented. But this book is written in a way that makes you realize that deep down somewhere on some hidden level, you have all these questions about flying that you didn't even know where there. Oh yes -- it had me saying to myself -- I guess I have wondered what demographic it is that ends up crashing their own planes most, and oh yes, I have wondered what physical phenomenon it is that makes pilots become so disoriented when flying at night. This book puts you in touch with that curiosity, then cheerfully answers the questions for you.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Flying and Gliding is written in a tone that's very familiar and explanatory. Thankfully, it never talks over your head leaving you confused -- but it doesn't condescend, either. It really hits the spot for people who are curious about the ins and outs of flight -- from actual aerodynamics, to the psychology of pilots -- but have been too afraid to ask about it all.

What keeps planes in the air? Do acrobatic pilots ever pass out from all that pressure when they turn upside down? What's "get-there-itis"? What's "nose art"? What does it feel like when a small plane hits the water at a 5,000-per-minute descent?

You have to pick up the book and find out!

A very readable, friendly introduction to aviation. The perfect gift for anyone considering getting a pilot's license.

As a horsewoman and published author of horse stories for middle-grade readers, I was dismayed at the number of factual errors in this book and the often inappropriate behavior of both humans and horses.

Some examples:

Tom's been riding for only 2 years, not nearly long enough to qualify for open jumping events. In reality, he'd be in walk, trot, canter over fences, no more than two feet high.

The story takes place in mid-summer. The horse's winter coat would be long gone; therefore, no need to discuss clipping him out.

Tom and Nick buy a gray mare at a sale. Nick estimates she's about 3, then gives Tom a leg up onto the mare's back. What responsible riding instructor would put a student on an unknown horse's back?

They go for a ride; Nick calls for a canter, and Tom 'crouches' over Chancey's back. Good riders don't 'crouch' at a canter. They sit deep in the saddle with a straight back.

At one point, Tom 'sprang' into the saddle. Makes him sound like a kangaroo.

Tom often rides the horse hard, cantering over fences, then puts him away without cooling him off first; or worse, feeding him immediately after riding. Once, he interrupted a horse's feed (grain) to ride it at a gallop. It's a miracle it didn't colic.

And then Tom, mounted on Feather whom he's barely ridden, wins the open jumping class as a prestigous horse show, beating a class of 100+ experienced riders.

I could go on, but suffice it to say, if this so-called educational publisher wants to produce quality horse stories for children that will help teach them about the right way to handle horses and ponies, they should take a good look at this sub-standard series and reconsider continuing its publication.

This is a book about a boy named Tom who trains an unruly horse named Horton Chancellor. He works with Chancey every day calming him down in time for the Benbridge show, his snotty cousin returns home early and rides him instead. Tom still wins Benbridge on Feather, the little white mare. In the end Tom rescues Georgina and Chancey, and he gets to keep Chancey. I didn't like how Tom called Napoleon a "stupid animal" in the beginning. That was so mean!

This was such a great book that once I began reading it, I couldn't put it down! I had no idea what was going to happen to Chancey near the end and I wasn't sure how Tom was going to keep Chancey...This was a great book that's worth reading no matter how old you are! Just make sure you read the series in order because that way it makes more sense.

This book is biased, not up to date in it's views of oral-deaf education, and outright offensive to those in the Deaf community who chose to use technology to be able to hear and speak. Yes, some deaf people DO want to be able to hear! Is that so surprising? Harlan Lane is an extremist who refuses to recognize that different lifestyle choices are better for different people. The audist and oral-deaf education community are supportive of and unopposed to sign language and Deaf culture. However, they also believe that if one's choice is to live in the hearing world, one should be afforded the opportunity to do so. Today's technologies of advanced hearing aids and cochlear implants, combined with modern education and therapy techniques make this opportunity available to the majority of deaf persons, particularly young children. The oral-deaf education community recognizes that ASL may still be the choice of many, and has no wish to damage or eliminate deaf culture. Why then does Harlan Lane refuse to similarly acknowledge in this book the fact that hearing aids and cochlear implants do work, and deaf children (and adults) can and do learn to hear and speak very well by using them? What is wrong with that if that is someone's choice, or if that is the choice of the hearing parents of a deaf child?

I found this book to be engaging almost from the beginning; it is meticulously researched, well organized, logical, yet passionate in its defense of an oppressed language minority. One could certainly argue that Mr. Lane short-changes his opponents by not really addressing their arguments on the benefits of mainstreaming Deaf children, but the purpose of this book is not to present both sides of the issues; the purpose is to demonstrate the oppression of the Deaf language and therefore their culture. It provides strong evidence that the Deaf child is a minority, not an invalid, and that the tendency of hearing parents to see mainstreaming as the only option is a dangerous mistake. This is deep reading and scholarly writing, at times to the point of near inaccessibility to a mainstream audience. However, it is convincing and eye-opening if one is willing to put the effort into reading it.

Sadly, the reader from New Jersey seems to have missed the point of this book. By condemning Mr. Lane as refusing to "recognize that different lifestyles are better for different people," he fails to see that Mr. Lane defends the Deaf as a different lifestyle that deserves to be recognized! This book is not saying that no Deaf (especially late-deafened adults) should try to learn lip-reading or consider cochlear implants. It is simply saying that those Deaf who wish to take part in Deaf culture, who wish to be Deaf, should be given that option as well.

Harlan Lane shows how Deafness is a cultural affiliation and only through the hearing world's oppression does it become a disability. Very well-written and researched, Lane digs deep into the Deaf culture and history to bring us this excellent resource. I believe that anyone saying that this work is biased and obsolete holds biased and obsolete viewpoints themselves. Come into this with an open mind, and you will leave a better person. Highly recommended!

I really regret purchasing this book. I thought that I was purchasing a great book that can't go wrong from reading other reviews. However, what I got was a book filled with information that can be found on other Maya books. You can easily purchase other Maya book and cut out all the Nurb section, and this book is what you get. I am very disappointed.

This book is great. The Poly Toolset and UV Toolset sections are more comprehensive than the manuals, and demonstrate what each command does. The poly modeling stuff isn't just Poly Modeling 101, it teaches you to develop an approach that results in CLEAN low-poly models. The UV Mapping chapter is similar, not just how to unwrap UVs, but the right way to approach it for any model and lay out the texture info like a pro.

I got the first version, and just got the new one, updated for Maya 5. It's in full color!! And they added a bunch of rigging stuff and a chapter on weighting. Also the printing is way better (the quality on the first one was kind of poor).

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to learn how to make game art with Maya. As other reviewers have commented, it isn't for absolute newbies, but being familiar with the interface or maybe having taken an intro Maya class is probably good enough to get started with it.

this book is completely focused on learning how to use polygons. For ANYONE out there who wants to learn how to model polygons from scratch, this is it. This is the only book I know of that teaches only polygons.

It will then move on to teaching UV mapping for polygons. That is also very helpful.

A few notes to beginners. This book is meant for animators who already know how to use the Maya interface. It won't go much into where all the buttons are etc., so I suggest your familiarize yourself with Maya's interface first. If you decide not to, you might be doing some searching around to do the tuts. I can't make a very accurate guess with this because I already knew the interface before starting with this book.

Another thing is that it ends with rigging characters for games. I was expecting to learn how-to, only to find that it says that it expects you to know how to work with the basics of rigging. I haven't gone into that chapter yet, so I could be wrong about how hard it is as a beginner in rigging, but there is another book called Maya 2 Character Animation that goes over rigging techniques and teaches it in depth, from simple to complicated. For beginners like me with rigging, since rigging exercises are so hard to find online, maybe this book will be a very good buy to accompany Maya Illuminated.

Otherwise, this is an EXCELLENT resource book. It will teach you how to model polygons from scratch. The only thing you need to know as I said is the interface.