I used this book to study for the MTEL, the teacher exam in Massachusetts (they don't have their own study guides). The math section was VERY helpful. I did not need help in the other areas of the test, so I skimmed over it, but it was useful as well.

Like most cliff's notes, content hits the mark. She includes all the major ideas (and some minor subtleties)and explains them clearly and thoroughly. But for a book like Walden Two, you should be able to interpret it yourself. Really, the ideas are very simple, and all the literary subtleties[sic?] are crystal clear to the perceptive reader. Only buy this cliff's notes if you haven't read walden two and you have to write a paper on it or something. In all other cases you should be able to do it on your own.

this might at first be a tough book to understand but this version makes it all the most better to read and comprehend!

its a must buy, plus its Shakespeare's final play and its his way of saying good-bye to his audience!

I read this 1985 book a couple of years ago. I liked it well enough to keep it to read again one day.

It took the reader back to 1900 to experience, along with the hero and heroine, the powerful hurricane that devastated Galveston, Texas and killed thousands of people.

The story was written in such a way that the reader could imagine being right in the middle of the powerful winds and pelting rain that brought unrelenting floodwaters.

There were some heart wrenching scenes, that were so sad particularly when you know that that tens of thousands of people actually went through that hurricane. I believe it is the worst hurricane ever to hit the United States as far as the loss of human life is calculated.

As one might expect from Cliff Notes, this book teaches all the necessary aspects of resume writing without superfluous detail. Both the chronological and functional styles are succinctly addressed, with additional advice on preparing your resume for scanning and Internet posting. More sample resumes would have been nice, but what can you expect from a 100-page book?

if you are having trouble with the book (like i did) these cliff notes really help you understand the plot, characters, and other stuff you need to know for class...etc...

I read " A Separate Peace" as a required reading book over the summer. I wasn't particularly thrilled about summer reading and this didn't sound like it would be the most exciting book ever, but I was pleasantly surprised to find it pretty interesting, with a much deeper meaning then casually met the eye at a glance. This story took place in New England at Devon ( a private high school for boys) during World War II, and involved mainly two boys, Gene and Phineas, who were best friends. It tells of how Gene, who represents the experienced grown up, is overcome by jealousy and anger towards his friend. The jealousy that he holds within himself eats away and eventually leads him to push his friend from a tree and permanently injure him in a way that will eventually lead to his death. As Phineas is representative of the innocence we have as a child, this is very symbolic; Gene, the symbol of experience, "destroying" Phineas, the symbol of innocence.( growing up, losing our innocence) The tree is also symbolic , it is like the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (The Garden of Eden). In the story it is Phineas's idea to climb the tree that has thus far been used for military training as a fun new thrill. When he decides to climb it and jump and convinces Gene to do the same, it is symbolic of taking the forbidden fruit that will lead to death and pain in the end. This is especially true for Gene who, when he "destroys" Phineas he is really destroying the innocent half of himself. He had forebodings at first when Phineas wanted him to climb the tree, but he ended up brushing them aside and in a sense, with that decision , it was the beginning of the end. I think this was a good book. It was sad in some ways but it was a meaningful and interesting story.

A Separate Peace by John Knowles is based during World War II in New england. If you can't interperate literature, this book may not be for you. If you are good at reading between the lines there is abetter chance of you enjoying this book. It is about two teenagers, Gene and Finny, who are good friends. However, an extreme jealousy between the two holds back their friendship. Literal level readers may be bored by the lack of action, there is not an overwhelming amount of activity in the 196 page novel. You will find a plethora of themes and connections to life and human nature in this novel. Because of its war setting, there is an omnipresent war theme. Nature plays a large part as well as Biblical meaning and loss of innocence. A Separate Peace is full of universal refererances. The literature is supposed to teach all of the human race more about both ourselves and others. Characterization is done particularly well in the book. War has a double meaning as Gene takes on the role of human nature and the basic feelings and instincts of all people. Phineas is the "perfect" world that everyone would like to live in. there appears to be a character to cover the entire diverse world. Imagery may be another reason to read A Separate Peace. You will like the personification, war imagery, and the theme of nature that is brought out in the book. Overall, John Knowles has put together a nice example of very relevant literature in A Separate Peace. The only drawbacks would be in the sometimes difficult messages and occasionally low suspense parts in the novel. It also has a slightly slow beginning. In general, I would recommend reading this novel to readers of all age groups.

I try not to overuse the word "classic" but "A Separate Peace" surely is and will remain so. The basic plot structure is fairly simple and the characters, while well drawn, are not extremely elaborate outside of Gene (the main character/first person narrator) and his best friend Finny. What gives this novel its power is its imagery, structure and symbolism--precisely the elements that so many prior Amazon reviewers have disliked in the book. Methinks the English teachers aren't getting through to the students, or the students are being a bit obtuse on this one!

Knowles describes an elm tree as the most "Republican" of trees and the book is full of little gems like that. When you read this book for the first time, pay attention to the water imagery, including rain, ice and snow, and how they cleanse, liberate, and tie plot elements together. Pay attention to the interplay of purity and pollution, including the purity of the upper river and the pollution of the lower river, which serves as a metaphor for innocence and corruption. If you really want to get academic, circle the word "marble" every time it occurs.

At the same time, we have World War II going on as both an allegory of Gene's tumultuous adolescence and--this is important--an almost musical counterpoint to the emotional interplay between Gene and Finny. Very well done. Some critics have turned themselves inside out to find "homosexual" or "homoerotic" elements in the book. I disagree. Before one can have a heterosexual or homosexual identity one must have an identity and Gene is struggling to keep his identity throughout the whole book.

All in all, and for all its subtlety, "A Separate Peace" is a powerful and moving book. I hope the next generation of students comes to enjoy and appreciate this masterpiece just as the last several have.

THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET by Sandra Cisneors is a short book composed of 44 short, short vignettes. Told from the point of view of Esperanza Cordero, a young Mexican girl living in Chicago, the vignettes criticize poverty, child abuse, social and racial discrimination, sexism and so much more.

Beginning with the line- "We didn't always live on Mango Street," THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET illustrates the story of Esperanza's search for freedom, for "only a house quiet as snow, a place for myself to go, clean as paper before the poem." Reading Sandra Cisneros' lines, you'll immediately fall in love with them. I must admit the vignettes have little relavance to one another, and the book doesn't seem to have a distinctive plot besides Esperanza's longing for a true house (different from the house they own on Mango Street), which doesn't seem to develop much throughout the book. But the language that literally flows through the book is so beautiful, so lyrical, so poetic. "as powerful as morning glories" "eyes like Egypt" "I am a red balloon"...

A beautiful excerpt from my favorite vignette, "Sally" - (I don't think I'm giving anything away, as the book lacks plot development anyway): Sally, do you sometimes wish you didn't have to go home? Do you wish your feet would one day keep walking and take you far away from Mango Street, far away and maybe your feet would stop in front of a house, a nice one with flowers and big windows and steps for you to climb up two by two upstairs to where a room is waiting for you. And if you opened the little window latch and gave it a shove, the windows would swing open, all the sky would come in. There'd be no nosy neighbors watching, no motorcycles and cars, no sheets and towels and laundry. Only trees and more trees and plenty of blue sky. And you could laugh, Sally. You coudl go to sleep and wake up and never have to think who likes and doesn't like you. You could close your eyes and you wouldn't have to worry what people said because you never belonged here anyway and nobody could make you sad and nobody would think you're strange because you like to dream and dream. And no one could yell at you if they saw you out in the dark leaning against a car, leaning against somebody without someone thinking you are bad, without somebody saying it is wrong, without the whole world waiting for you to make a mistake when all you wanted, all you wanted, Sally, was to love and to love and to love and to love, and no one could call that crazy.

The House on Mango Street, written by Sandra Cisneros is the look at the coming of age through a child's eyes. The book is written in the view of Esperanza, a young Hispanic girl growing up in in American world. Though her views of life are a bit naive in the beginning, she goes through many experiences that challenge what she thinks is right. From being hit on by a bum-man in the street, to dealing with a friends abused by her father.
The book is written in short story format. There are a total of 44 short stories in the book, but they all tie together in the end. It's like a long movie shown in short episodes. While they might not all connect together right away, all the stories help the reader to understand the life that Esperanza lives, and why she reacts to things the way she does.
Another thing that plays into the story is the role of Hispanic women in the culture when the book was written. At the time, their main role in life was to stay at home and take care of the husband, kids, etc. This comes up many times in the story, as their husbands luck up characters, or children are beaten for talking to boys.
In all, the story is a great look at the life of a Hispanic girl through the eyes of a child.

... but this time into the dirty town on Mango Street. Esperanza knows she's destined for more than she has and refuses to end up like the many residents of her new home. The House on Mango Street tells Esperanza's story as she meets new people and becomes involved with new situations she's never experienced before. While she decorates the story with intelligent metaphors and comparisons of everyday objects (red balloon compared to freedom), the book's grammar is sloppy and improper (often lacking such things as quotation marks). Though it further helps connect with the 'street kid' personality most of the characters have, it can be confusing for some readers. The short vignettes sometimes seem like 'fillers' to keep the important plot developments spread further apart but each story has its own moral, backed up by bits of humor, mystery, and sadness. The changes Esperanza go through as she ages, physically and emotionally, are noticeable and interesting. Overall, the main point of this book can become vague at times, but it's a nice read and a perfect addition to any collection.

This book is about one poor family that is struggling to have a better future.In baja california,in a section called la paz,there was a man named kino and his wife juana,and their son who made their relationship evencloser.One day coyottito was in his delicate box playing around having fun,when an evil,ugly,dangerous and untouchable scorpion was crawling on the top of box rope.The scorpion stung the poor little baby who started shaking and crying.Kino was very furious and began to hear "the evil song"An example of foreshadowing.Kino needed to find or get money to help coyottito recover and heal.luckily he found"the pearl of the world ,and he could now get money.The townspeople started to get greedy and became interested in kino pearl.Kino also became greedy because he wanted a higher price for the pearl.Eventually,his greed forces him to act in ways he never imagined.Kino and his family faced incredible challenges.

As a high school student,I'll rate this novel 4 perfect stars.It is interesting and exciting.It has some actions and scenes that will surprise you.It's good because it talks about a foreign nation with a diffrent culture.I recommend this book for children to listen and teenagers to read.

Although this book may be slim and thin, it gives a powerful and straight forward teachings of the natures of men. Kino, the main character, goes through a tragic event of being unable to afford his son's visit to the doctor as the wound from the poisonous scorpion kept on getting worse. To save his beloved son, he dives into the waters and finds a pearl that seemed to posess the shape and the size of a full moon. When the words quickly spread about the mysterious pearl, he soon finds him self stranded between the greedy who devastatingly want to purchase his beautful item. Unluckly, as the story progresses towards the end, Kino faces many depressing results. However, to those who love short and heart thrilling novels, I highly recommend this book... READ IT TODAY!

The Pearl by John Steinbeck was set at a little village called La Paz in Baja California, Mexico. In this book the main character Kino has Live in this small village with his wife, Juana and his son, Coyotito. Although that they are poor, they all has a great life, until Coyotito had been bitten by the scorpion. Kina had no money to pay for the doctor to treat his son. So they went to the gulf to try to find a pearl, so that he can pay the doctor to treat his son. Fortunately he had found the pearl, and it is not just a little pearl, it is "The Pearl Of The World. "It is as perfect as the moon and as big as the sea gull's egg". First Kino thinks that this pearl will bring a good future to him and his family, but instead this pearl is the root of all the evil. It has brought fear and evil and also a lot of problems to Kino and his family. Will Kino and his family overcome all the problems or will the problems get them?
I think the book "The Pearl" is a very nice book and also a helpful book for everyone, and I will rate it with five stars. I think that everyone should read this book, because it is a very interesting book and it has all kinds of conflicts. And most important is that it tells people never to be greedy, when people are greedy, or want a thing too much, they will never get those things that they want. Instead, they will get something evil.

After reading Paradise, I now know why more than a few have thought so bad of it. I can see how people would find it boring or difficult or not worth it simply because those were my exact sentiments at the end of Jazz. Since then, for various reasons (including the persistence of some good friends) I've gone back and read all of Morrison's books and in the process have learned to read. Beloved, Song of Solomon, Sula; these are works that have a simple requirement of the reader - to relax, trust, and enjoy the language, the people within. Enjoy each page. In the great works, morsels of truth are scattered along, not concentrated in the end. While some authors give you that token in the last paragraph so you can say "Ah," Morrison asks you to gather as you read. And if you weren't gathering all along there'd rarely be anything for you at the end. Her novels have taught me not only to read each other, but to read the works of so many others great ones, who (whether or not they sew up the book with That Satisfying Ending) have always reserved their best hidden in various passages, waiting for the patient and perceptive to discover, quite often in the 2nd, 3rd or 5th reading. Of all her books, I think Paradise would be the most inappropriate for someone looking for a traditionally satisfying read. And since I'd really hate for more people to close the book disappointed (those things are expensive, aren't they?) I'd recommend Song of Solomon first, then Sula, then Beloved, and then Paradise, a truly wonderful experience, and quite possibly her best.

I loved this book. Like other Morrison novels Paradise has a good deal to say about misdirected anger, about turning harm inward (like The Bluest Eye) or in an arbitrary outward direction (like Song of Solomon) or upon the ones we most love (like Beloved). But central to this story is the dangerous notion of creating a paradise on earth. Things fall apart, the center will not hold.

The prose is lush and the story not so hard as some might lead you to believe. I found I didn't need to worry about knowing who was doing what when; I merely had to trust the story to hand itself into my heart. Which it does. And there is redemption here, this is not a fatalistic vision to my eyes.

A second read? Yes, of course. Always read the good ones more than once and they will be better. When I read it again, I can come back and rate this novel the 10 it surely deserves.

I haven't finished Paradise yet, but I will in the next day or two. I've heard a lot of things about this book lately, due to Oprah's endorsement. It's interesting that so many people have complained of the book being too difficult, or too convoluted. I'm proud of Oprah for supporting a wonderful book and author, but I'm afraid that her support has put this book on the reading list of far too wide an audience. This is not your typical best-seller. Morrison does not spoon-feed her readers, and for that we are appreciative. I enjoy thinking while I'm reading, not being told every linear detail. As I'm reading Paradise, I find myself trying to remember details, how this character hooks up with that one, and I have had to go back and check some things. I don't see this as a negative quality--it's part of enjoying something that is truly a work of literature. The lush history, the stories related from generation to generation, and the complex relationships and character sketches make this one of the most amazing experiences, let alone books, that I have encountered. I'd give it a rating of "10", but I would have to reserve that for the "classics". Paradise will likely stand the test of time.