the cliff notes to Uncle Toms Cabin by Stowe help me greatley in understanding the long a trecherous book. the cliff notes provided me with the basic outline of the book and help me to understand the characters. of course the cliff notes was a much shorter version of the book and many of my friends just read the cliff notes and they did very well on the test. out of all the cliffs notes that i have read, the ones to Uncle Toms Cabin rates upon the top,

This book is an excellent resource for those who would like a brief summary perspective on just in time production processes (where components arrive for use in production just prior to the time they are needed, rather than being held in inventory, and finished goods are immediately shipped to customers rather than being held for finished goods inventory). The book nicely explains the advantages of just in time, why it works, how it relates to quality improvement processes, the effect on purchasing, how to link various cells using just in time, and how to put the concept into effective implementation.

The book begins with a brief history of how just in time came into being, and how it became so popular. I found it interesting to see that lack of space in Japan played a role in the development. That factor would not have been enough without the effects of the quality movement based on Deming's principles there (defect-free goods are the way to create quality, good quality is more profitable than poor quality, buying from suppliers who are committed to quality, working with suppliers to improve quality, and quality requires top management commitment). The seminal experiences at Toyota in Japan are also related.

Although it is a summary of the field, the level of detail is good. I particularly liked the section that compared just-in-time to other popularly-employed manufacturing processes. That made the differences and advantages clearer. I also enjoyed reading about the kanbans (ways of ordering production) that Toyota developed to create effective production flow without putting a lot of computer systems in place.

Whether you are looking for personal curiosity, to begin an evaluation of whether or not you should use just in time, or want to teach the subject to someone, this is a good book for you.

I also suggest that you visit plants that have just in time, in order to see how this is implemented. A good overview of the strategic advantages of just in time can be found in Michael Dell's book, Direct from Dell.

"Tintin in America" was certainly an interesting look by Hergé at the United States, in that the country essentially consisted of gangster and Indians. Of course, this makes sense if you think about it from the perspective of a Belgian cartoonist creating a story in 1931 when Al Capone was notorious and the idea of cowboys and Indians, prohibition, all were part of the idea of "America." Consequently, this volume on the United States from the "Tintin's Travel Diaries" series takes the opportunity to set the record straight. Originally this volume was published in France (text by Chantal Deltenre and Martine Noblet, translation by Maureen Walker) which explains the interest in answering questions like "Is it called 'America' or 'The United States'?" to "What Sports Do Americans Like Best?" Thus we are confronted with a rare chance to see what they think about us in France (and if that is not an ironic idea given recent world events then I have no clear conception of the master trope of the universe).

For those who are completely in the dark, Tintin was the intrepid reporter who made his first appearance in 1929 in a serial newspaper strip with an adventure in the Soviet Union. After that Hergé sent his creation to the Belgian Congo and the United States. Obviously the idea behind "Tintin's Travel Diaries" is inspired by Hergé's characters and the conceit is that each volume is based on notebooks Tintin might have kept as he traveled. The idea is to explore the geography, customs, culture, and heritage of the people living in the lands Tintin visited. Each two-page spread addresses a key question designed for young readers, such as "Is the Dollars Still Strong?" and "Do People Still Hunt Buffalo?", and is illustrated with both Hergé's original cartooning and photographs showing the country as it is today. The publisher's note that Hergé often changed his stories and drawings to reflect the changes in the world, and one of the points young readers want to get from these books is how the cartoons represent the past while the photographs show today and give us some indication of how attitudes have changed over the course of half a century.

Like the Adventures of Tintin this look at the United States is fun and (surprise) educational. To be clear, while most of the original Hergé illustrations are indeed from "Tintin in America," there are some taken from later adventures as well. You do not have to read that original Tintin adventure before you pick up this travel diary, but if you read them back to back then you will certainly get a sense for why these particular questions are the ones being posed. This is really a nice companion volume, and, as I indicated above, a rare opportunity to look at the United States from a foreign perspective (albeit, that of a younger student). Other volumes in the series look at China, Tibet, India, and Africa

Les Miserables is not the story of any one man. Rather, it is a story of society. Victor Hugo's characters are based around one of the most important periods of history. The events and downfalls portrayed in this novel should be grasped by everyone of our present-day society. People today believe we have it bad. People today think that a day at the office is stressful. People think that the law doesn't show very good justice. People today are wrong. In Hugo's time, the character Jean Valjean was imprisoned in the galleys at Toulon for 19 years. Nineteen! And for what? For stealing a loaf of bread. Today that's NOTHING in our society. Being a 16-year old, this seems rather harsh. To anyone it should seem rather harsh. Another character, Fantine, was led to prostitution because she needed to take care of her girl, Cosette. Starvation and deprivation from society drove Fantine to this. The love affair between Marius and Cosette should also be embraced. Here, in all the madness the world is in, these two young adults can find love for each other, and make it last. And for Jean Valjean, hope springs eternal. Through all the hardships, torments, and anguish, Valjean can still find the will to go on with his life. Anything such as this which is read in the novel will not be found in present-day society. This novel shows that in a world gone mad, love, triumph, and the human spirit....will live on. It will prevail. This novel shows that we must stick together, we must never give up, and we must never let in to the cruelties and evil of our society. I am very surprised that this immense novel has not been adopted by schools for literary purposes. It kind of makes me ashamed to be a part of my society, where everything is mad, yet, here's this tale of the miserable right in front of us, and people don't make an effort to take it in. It's a tragedy on our part. I recommend this novel to anyone who has a human heart. Once you have read it, you will want to change. This tale of Tragedy, Triumph, and Redemption will make the human soul think for a few minutes, and take time out of life's burdens. Les Miserables......is a triumph for us all. -Zach Jones

"What do I read Next" is an excellent resource. Every question I had about genre, its success, and its latest trends were answered. The authors were incredibly thorough. The 700+ page book is divided by genre, such as Mystery, Romance, etc., then dissects each genre by category. It defines each subgenre and category. It classifies each text that has been publshed that year. Next the author analyzes each genre. The latest novels are identified and described. The genre is examined by category to explore the latest trends, developments, reviews, and other issues concerning romance. I loved this book because it provided a wealth of information for Final Paper. I would definitely use it again.

Here are two worthy additions to Gale's multigenre What Do I Read Next? series. What Fantastic Fiction specializes in fantasy, horror, and science fiction published within the last eight years (1989^-96), providing details on more than 4,800 titles. The editor has contributed to other volumes in the series and has sound working knowledge of fantastic fiction. What Western describes 1,500 titles published since 1989, selected by someone who is himself a writer of western fiction. The arrangement of each is similar to that of the parent volume, What Do I Read Next? There is a key to story types and a list of award-winning titles for the period covered at the beginning. The list of fantastic story types is divided by subgenre: horror, fantasy, science fiction. Western story types include Indian wars, man alone, and ranch life. The title section is the same format as What Do I Read Next?: author/title, story type, character, time period and locale descriptors, a short summary, and other title suggestions. The latter go well outside the time period of the works described. As with all Gale titles, there are multiple indexes: series, time period, geographical, story type, character name, character description, author, and title. All public libraries, as well as academic libraries with popular fiction courses, will want to consider these collection-development and reader's-advisory tools. They will be especially welcomed by librarians who do not have expertise in these genres.

Beilder takes a whirlwind review of the world of Chaucer criticism. In his introduction, Beidler shows the reader the many levels of thought that are still occuring about Chaucer to this very day.

This edition of The Winter's Tale far surpasses any other I have ever encountered. Cliff's lush prose take you in and you are engulfed by a sea of language. Does anyone know where I could find a list of Mr. Cliff's literary awards? I am in the process of researching him for a paper entitled, "Cliff: America's Best Author."

Set in 1882, Zarathustra is a novel by Walter Stewart based on the life Friedreich Nietzsche, a philosopher who was on the brink of ultimate insight into the human spirit when he fell in love with the provocative and enthusiastic young woman Lou von Salome. Zarathustra is a deeply romantic novel of love at cross-purposes, sudden betrayal, and the lasting impressions of the human heart on one man whose philosophy would influence and affect the 20th Century.

Like most young ones my age, I read and studied "To Kill A Mockingbird" in junior high school. But this story has stuck with me through the years, and every time I flip through it's pages, I look back on it with affection. This classic tale of courage and altruism is timeless.

It is the early 1950's in the southern states. A highly respected small-town lawyer decides to take on a case defending a framed African American man, although he knows he will not win the trial. The lawyer must face the ridicule of the town's folk, and racists in his community who seek to have the framed man killed.

In the meantime, the lawyer's two children (Scout and Jem) get entangled in the age-long mystery of Boo Radley, their mysterious next door neighbor who no one has seen for years...and who no one seems to understand.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" is a touching story full of life-lessons, one of which proves that fighting a losing battle may be difficult, but "good" will ultimately triumph if you stand up for what you know to be right and true.

The award winning nove, To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee is a piece of literature I believe is appropriate for all people older than 13. This book is the story of a little girl named Scout growing up in a small, racial biased town called Maycomb County, Alabama in the 1930's. It includes her childhood adventure with her brother Jem and their best friend Dill. It includes the wisdom of her father, Attikus and her maid Calpernia. Even thought Attikus was quiet, mild mannered he was a very strong man. Also, the story came in contact with many peopel such as Miss Maudie, Miss Rachel Harris, , Miss Stephanie Crawford, Mrs. Dubose, Mr. Radley, Boo Radley, Reverend Stykes, and Mr. Ewell. This book illustrates racism of the deep south. Also, points out how children have to learn to deal with bigotry at a young age, and that predjudice can play more of a role than the obvious truth. Two examples of predjudice are against a misunderstood neighbor, named Arthur "Boo" Radleyand a black man that the falsely accused of a crime because of his race, Tom Robinson. The kids had specific experiences that taught them not to be prejudiced toward a person, despite what they may have heard about them. This book includes many charactors, but they all fit together very tightly in the end. I learned a lot from this book and found it hard to put down while reading it. To Kill a Mockingbird is an extremely well written piece of literature and I suggest everybody read this at least as once in there lifetime.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a timeless classic by Harper Lee. The book narrates the story of a young girl named Jean Louise Finch, also called ¡°Scout¡±. Lee presented this book through the eyes of Jean Louise.
The story takes place in Maycomb, Alabama, during the 1930¡¯s or so. The plot is about Scout¡¯s father, Atticus Finch (a lawyer), trying to defend Black suspect Tom Robinson for accused of raping a White girl in the Maycomb County of Alabama. The plot incorporates several issues that people were struggling during the time of the story, including racism, injustice, and prejudice. The entire novel circulates around Scout and her family. Many situational conflicts arise, from trying to make Boo Radley come out of seclusion to dealing with family and community difficulties.
Lee did a miraculous job of telling the story through the view of Scout. The characters were depicted hardly by their appearances, but by their personality traits, which showed advanced style in writing. The setting and the time periods had a great impact on the story, as people those days lived quite close to each other and knew their neighbors well. I was amazed how natural and realistic the characters were made. Scout and her older brother, Jeremy (also called Jem), reacted to situations exactly as many of the children now days would act. Almost every character in the story had a crucial role at some point of the story. The character development was beyond imagination. From Dill (Jem and Scout¡¯s best friend) coming to visit the Finch family in the summer, to Jem trying to make it past the Radley¡¯s gate, to Calpurnia (the house cook) scolding the children for not coming home, this piece of literature truly elaborated on pivotal character details. After reading this book, one would think he knows the characters quite well.
Overall, this was a fantastic novel to read and I was truly impressed with the quality of writing and development presented in this story by Harper Lee. To Kill a Mockingbird will truly be an American Literature classic for as long as it will be remembered.