I liked the book of Cry, The Beloved Country. The begining of the book was a little confusing, but then when I began to understand more of what was going on, I began to like the book. The book demonstrates the racism that existed in South Africa and how different types of people were treated. The book is about a parson from Ndotsheni who went to the city of Johannesburg to find some members of his family, who have moved there. Most of the book explains what happens while the man is in that city, and what happens afterwards when he comes home to his country. This book would seem like an interesting book to someone who likes to read about segregation and family life. This book is an exciting adventure, which includes many interesting suprises and evens. Overall, I learned many facts about South Africa and the life that people have there, while reading Cry, The Beloved Country.

I think that Cry, The Beloved Country was a great book because it was exciting. I never knew what was going to happen next. One thing I didnt like about it was it was kind of confusing when they used South African words but it was still a great book. When I started this book I couldnt put it down. The Rev. was a man of great christian values, even when his kids did something not acceptable. He took in Absaloms wife and that was a great thing to do. In conclusion, I think that anyone could read this book.

I learned so much with this book. It showed me the struggles of both the white man and black man. It showed how there were white people who wanted to make a difference even though bad thing would happen in their lives. It also showed that the white man was actually scared of letting the black man have freedom because they were afraid what would happen, because they know that the black man should be angry with them. I really don't like reading but when I had to read this for school I couldnt put it down. I look foward to reading more of Paton's novel!

A Separate Peace is a book with a deep message for all the people about the real meaning of friendship, values and consequences of the World War II in American teenagers. It is easy to read, because Knowles places the time and settings with a particularity as he knows how to do.It is sad and dramatic story, however you learn the real meaning of FORGIVENESS with Finny and Gene friendship. We really recommend the book, but it is necessary to get time and patience for a good comprehension of the message that Knowles wants to transmit it. Give a chance and create your own opinion about the book. We give it four stars, thanks Mr. DeMaria!

I read A Separate Peace when I was in eigth grade. It touched me then, and now -- nearly twenty years later -- it is still one of my annual reads. The characters of Gene and Phineas are so well-developed that you feel you know these two boys and the special relationship they share. Despite the terrible thing Gene does to Finny, it is virtually impossible to dislike Gene, just as it is impossible to dislike Finny. If you're looking for cars exploding, guns blazing, and curse words every other page, the book is not for you. However, if you're trying to take a realistic peek into the workings of the adolescent male mind in 1942, then you would not want to miss this book. It is truly tragic, and I recall twenty years ago that when I read the words, "Your friend is dead" from the novel, I had to put it down and did not read the last few pages for nearly two weeks. It's a sensitive subject addressed in a sensitive manner.

This book is a must-read for teenagers, in fact for everyone. I loved this book and thought that it was a very real portrayal of life as an adolecent. Phineas is an amazing character who is very well developed and has a very special quality about him. There were times reading this book that I wished I knew someone like Phineas and that he was my friend. He is the kind of person that almost wills you to bend to his thinking but does it with a skill that makes you feel good about your decision. As the book progresses and Finny and Gene's relationship changes you become enthraled in their feelings and the tragedy that has occured to change that friendship. I recommend the book A Seperate Peace to any teenager who wants to see a truly amazing peer in Phineas.

This book wasn't a really good help for the clep. You cannot even find the answers to their own practice test on the book itself. I would rather buy a textbook which is being used for this course, that really helped me to pass the test.

I did the CLEP exam today. I studied this book and did all the tests at the end, but also followed the advice of previous reviews and read other Psyc books. I did not do marvelously in the test, but I passed with 10 points to spare. So yes, it is great to use the practice exams and see which areas you need to brush up on, but definitely use supplement material - I used "Infants, Children and Adolescents" by Laura E. Berk, and found it very helpful and detailed (as well as interesting). Know the major psychologists and theories, and some biology.

This book is all I used. Just read the course review and then continue to plow through the practice tests until you know them like the back of your hand and you'll be fine.

Margaret Atwood created a shocking example for the future : A dystopia. Atwood created the State of Gilead, a totalitarian state. In this state citizens are controlled and women are considered most important in their child bearing role. The story is told by a handmaid, who is supposed to become pregnant, her name is Offred. A few chapters are full of tension and shock, but if you think (during reading this chapters) that you will learn more about it, you will be disappointed. Every time Atwood puts chapters in, which calm you down again. The protagonist Offred, suddenly refers to usual things. For example after the ceremony scene, she tells about using butter instead of body cream. This behaviour emphasizes Offred's desensitised character. Lots of unbelievable things are normal for Offred. This shows that the totalitarian regime has full control and violates many Human Rights. But Offred rebels just in a little way. She is coloured with duality, her thoughts differ from her real actions. Furthermore two different societies are presented in contrast to each other. On the one hand the former 'normal' society (as we know it nowadays) and on the other hand the Gilead society, but the development from a liberal society to a totalitarian regime is not described in detail. This shows, that it is not easy for Offred to get information. News channels are censored, most of the women are not allowed to write or read... The Historical Notes at the end of the novel still belong to Offred's story and give it somehow authenticity. I think 'The Handmaid's Tale' is a well written novel, but you should not expect to get satisfied, because it is a warning and does not give you the feeling of release at the end. Just bare in mind that every gap and additional information (e.g. the Historical Notes) in Atwood's novel has it's function.

This review is actually of Mary Ellen Snodgrass' Cliff Notes for "The Handmaid's Tale" and not Margaret Atwood's novel, which is one of the few late 20th-century works for which there is a little yellow book. Snodgrass begins with a concise review of Atwood's life, background and published works. By way of setting up the novel, Snodgrass takes the rather unusual step of providing comments from various reviewers of "The Handmaid's Tale." Establishing it as work of speculative fiction that warns (predicts?) of a triumph of totalitarianism, Snodgrass puts the novel in the tradition of dystopian novels such as "1984," "Brave New World," "A Clockwork Orange," "Fahrenheit 451," etc. (all of which would serve as interesting analogs for students to compare/contrast). We are then provided a list of characters, a very useful time line covering the events in the novel, and a brief synopsis of the novel. In terms of Critical Commentaries, Snodgrass looks at the three epigraphs than open the novels and then each of the fifteen chapters and the "historical notes," offering brief descriptions and then commentary. Two of the strengths of her approach are that Snodgrass puts literary concepts in boldface and "translates" difficult words and phrases that are important in the novel. A Genealogy of Offred and Janine (Ofwarren) is included, along with a small map of New England. For Critical Essays, Snodgrass focuses on Literary Analysis (existential apologia, oral history, speculative fiction, confession, dystopia), over a dozen Literary Devices (simile, symbol, historical and cultural lore, literary allusion, parody, etc.), and the idea of women in "The Handmaid's Tale," as well as the traditional elements of themes and settings. She even offers 15 points of significant differences between Atwood's novel and the 1990 film version directed by David Ray (perhaps the most useful information for teachers who are using this book in class to have).

Snodgrass' notes for Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" is an above average Cliffs Notes volume, because it does a nice job of putting the book in literary perspective as a dystopic novel, takes pains to define words/phrases for readers unique to the culture of Gilead, and integrates dozens of literary concepts into its analysis. "The Handmaid's Tale" has the advantage of being speculative fiction, what many students will insist on thinking of as "science fiction," which will entice more students to be interested in reading the novel, at which point I do not think they can help but be engaged by the world Atwood creates and the issues she raises. Snodgrass' notes will allow students to see it as "literature" as well.

I have never read a more accurate book of fiction before. I haven't thought about the personal rights that I enjoy, until I read the Handmaid's Tale. It is a story of rebellion and it is about the will to live. It is about finding the means to survive emotionally. It is about sex, but not kinky sex. It is about the neccesity for love. I loved this book, and I hope that someday, every high school senior has a chance to read this book before they graduate.

Mark Twain was a true American original and one of the true titanic figures of American literature. He was also, as anyone who bothers to dig beneath the "The-guy-who-wrote-Tom-Sawyer-and-Huck-Finn" surface knows, a man who held distinct and perhaps slightly provocative political opinions. One of the things Mark most detested was monarchy - once calling it "the grotesquest swindle ever invented by man." In his later highly controversial novel, A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court, he took on the concept in a viscious and fearless adult satire. In this, his earlier novel, The Prince and The Pauper, Twain did the same thing while aiming principally at younger readers. The story, while featuring a lot of dialect in Middle English, is written in fairly simple and straight-forward prose, which, thus, opens the book up to readers both young and old. The novel's oft-forgotten original subtitle, A Tale For Young People of All Ages, perfectly sums up the books' merits: while this novel may have been written, primarily, with a young target audience in mind, it can also be enjoyed and appreciated by adults. Though it is novel length, the style in which it is written reflects that of classic fairy tales, and will probably be appealing to any child who likes to read. Adults, on the other hand, will note and appreciate the books' deeper underlying meanings, as well as Twain's ever-present wit. This book is very well-written; Twain, a master writer, was, alas, sometimes prone to clumsy prose in his novels - but not here. The Prince and the Pauper is practically a tour-de-force of character development and suspense in plotting. Reccommended to younger readers looking to broaden their horizons, as well as Twain fans of any age.

As a final thing worth mentioning, many reviewers here have commented that, owing to its use of dialect (something which Mark Twain uses in every single one of his writings, which is part of the reason why he was such a great writer - not to mention why he is the true father of real American literature), it is hard to understand. If these assertions have bothered you, however, rest assured: they are mightly over-exaggerated. The dialogue, though prevalent, is minor, and the meanings of the words are usually obvious - even to children; after all, one must remember who Twain wrote this book for. Most children who would read this book would probably already be familar with these elementary colloquial phrases from the many King Arthur stories derived from Malory. And, even if not, Twain foresaw this - and was helpful enough to include a useful appendix.

Mark Twain's, The Prince and the Pauper is a classic look back into sixteenth-century English society. Tom Canty is a young boy who is born into poverty and is forced to beg in the streets of London by his father. Edward Tudor is the Prince of Wales, heir to the throne. Both of these boys were born on the same day but grew up in opposite ways of life. One day Tom is dreaming about being a prince and starts walking towards the royal palace. When he reaches the palace the guards try to stop him but Prince Edward sees Tom's condition and invites him to his quarters to hear what Tom has to say. While they sit there they begin to realize what strong resemblance there is between them and decide to switch clothes to fulfill Tom's dream of looking Princely. All of a sudden Edward storms out of the room to denounce the guards who did harm to Tom, only to be mistaken as the poor pauper and locked out of the royal palace. From here on out the two boys experience what life is like in the other's shoes. Mark Twain does an outstanding job of developing each character and showing how each must learn new ideas to deal with their latest way of life. Unfortunately I did find myself losing my concentration while reading this book. This easily could have been due to the fact that the way Twain wrote The Prince and the Pauper was actually on a very easy reading level, which would lead me to recommend this book to readers of middle school age who enjoy adventurous tales like The Boxcar Children or The Hardy Boys.

The Prince and the Pauper written by Mark Twain is an adventurous, exciting book. The book takes place in London around the 1500's. Two boys were born on the same day, Tom Canty and Edward Tudor. Tom Canty was born unto a poor life, and as a boy growing up, "Tom's reading and dreaming about princely life wrought such a strong effect upon him that he began to act the prince." And just his luck, did he happen to some across the Prince of Wales, after suffering the hard blow of the soldier knocking him into the crowd. The Prince of Wales is Edward Tudor, the other boy born on the same day but born into a rich and wealthy family. As a result from the encounter, the two boys decide to switch places, as the Prince of Wales says to Tom Canty, "Doff thy rags and don these splendors."
The book describes the boys' adventures throughout the experience of living each other's lives. As the Prince of Wales lives as the pauper, he is introduced to and learns about many different people such as the Canty family, Miles Hendon, a troop of Vagabonds, Hugo, the peasants, the hermit, and others. And as Tom Canty acts as the Prince of Wales, he experiences living the higher life of royalty, being treated with respect and given so many opportunities and choices.
Through having the plot be that the characters switch places, the book is more exciting because the reader could act in the character's place and experience the lifestyles and adventures involved with each person's life. Other than being able to understand better each person's lifestyle with the type of writing, using dialogue in Old English adds a stronger effect to bringing everything back in time to understand the setting. Although at times, the Old English could get confusing.
Overall, I thought that this book was interesting because it explains the lifestyles of different people in London around the 1500's in a way that is fun and easy to understand. Although at times, I did feel as if it carried on too much about things that were insignificant. Other than that, the book was good and I would recommend that it be read, if you are interested in adventure.
Other adventure books written by Mark Twain, such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, were also interesting, but I enjoyed reading The Prince and the Pauper more because it contained more excitement for me.

John Steinbecks book was a really easy book to understand and held the morals parents want their kids to learn about. I liked the fact that the moral was deeply ingrained if not nessessarily spelled out. The end of the book showed how the evil of the pearl and the greed of people can kill what you set out to save in the beginnig. I belive that Coyotito's death brought great realization to the situation. Sorry not every that may seem to be true isn't and most likely will not be true in the end.

I really recomend this book to poeple of all ages its exciting and sad.It really brings out all your emotions.In my opinion I think it was one of the best books Ive read in a long time.The Pearl is a great book and very intresting.So pull up a chair and start reading it, youll love it too!

TOOTLES, MARISA

The Pearl is a very interesting book. It shows the disadvantages of Kino and Juana having the great pearl. Althought the pearl should help the couple a lot but it turn out into a tragic ending. Read this book now and I am sure you will enjoy it a lot!

I will credit Stephanie Barron with being very clever in blending the known facts of Jane Austen's life with her fairly average murder mysteries. I also appreciate her informative footnotes about references about the Regency era, both obscure and more commonplace. My only real caveat about this book and the others in the series (I have read only the first three) is that Ms. Barron makes the retiring and proper Miss Austen behave with untoward and unladylike forwardness to achieve her ends as an unlikely sleuth. In truth, it is totally against the accepted character of the redoubtable Jane to imagine her taking so much upon herself, interferring in matters so vulgar and acting in a fashion that borders on impropriety. Ms. Barron also makes Jane seem snappish, even rude, behavior she would in reality eschew with a shudder. If the mysteries were more compelling or more cleverly crafted, this out-of-character portrait might be more readily forgiven. As it is, the books do not add to the reader's understanding of Miss Austen or her books, but rather draw her as much more the vulgar interferring miss than we know her to have been. If the author did not claim her work as a true illumination of Jane's nature, this series would be more enjoyable as simple mysteries set in the fascinating Regency era, with all its colorful historical characters, the multiple strata of society -- a time renowned for both louche and restrained behavior and much hypocrisy.

The author, Stephanie Barron, uses wit, subtle humor, and a true to form Austenesque style to captivate readers in the first of the Jane Austen mystery series. I, for one, think the idea for the book is some of it's genius--who better than Jane Austen, novelist & student of human character, to solve crime?

Though i DID notice (as a couple of other readers mentioned), that sometimes her style draws the readers attention more than the story, her words are cleverly crafted, and its obvious Barron took some pains in studying prevailing(19th c.) uses of diction, syntax, etc.

The mystery was excellent, definately NOT predictable. The vilian turned out to be the person I least expected (though i admit, i am quite easily duped by red herrings). A character who I found a bit revolting was Isobel. Her motives, whining, and general uselessness made me think: how could she ever have been friends with Jane Austen??!!!

Another gripe with previous reviewers: I loved the footnotes. For those not intimately acquainted with the early 19th cen. England, they are valuable. How else would I know that a "square" was a thing they put on boots to raise them so they could walk through the mud?

Overall, a great read. Good for time-kill, when you are sick, or need to read a comfort book. I recommend highly to all, especially Austen fans.

This is the first in a consistently fabulous series, in which Jane Austen is the main character, and a brilliant sleuth at that!

Barron, the author, does a superior job of catching both the ambience and the language of Austen's times and literature. Social satire underlies the series, as does an inherent respect for Jane herself. Occasional, and sparing enough not to become annoying, quotes or near-quotes from Austen's works creep into the dialog in a way that gives the Austen fan a happy twinge of wistful nostalgia, without disrupting the flow of the story.

And the story itself is well worth the time--it's a rich mystery, with well developed plot, characters, environment, and dialog. The author goes out of her way, particularly in this first installment, to create a sense that this is truly a documentation of actual events--that Jane's letters, diaries, and other accounts have been woven together into a narrative to share with Austen fans an element of her life that was previously unknown. This is accomplished in a number of ways, including clever techniques and footnotes that do in fact contain historically accurate information about Jane, her family, the political and social context of her times, etc.

I really enjoyed this book, as well as the rest of the series, and recommend it not only to Austen fans, but fans of well-written mysteries, as well.

Don't judge a book by its cover (or size). If ever this statement was true, it is now. At first glance, Billy Budd by Herman Melville looks like at quick easy read at only 80+ pages. Once you get through the first few paragraphs, you realize that you just might have bit off more than you can chew.

The character Billy Budd seems to be a stand up guy. Though quiet, he boosts the morale of his shipmates with just his presence. Melville himself calls him the, "Handsome Sailor." He appears to be almost perfect in every way, although he does have one fault. He stutters when he is overwhelmed by many feelings he cannot express. I like this about Billy. It shows that he is human and does have imperfections. Another character, Captain Vere, is a little bit creepy for my taste. His obsession for Billy, whether it be sexual or not, is a bit strange. A specific instance of the odd obsession is in the scene in chapter 10 in the mess hall. It is the well known "spilled soup" scene. The detailed description Melville gives to a small section dealing with spilled soup on the floor is a bit extreme. I agree with most people saying that there is much homoerotic content in Billy Budd.

Overall I give this book a low score. I do like the idea behind the story. A well liked sailor who doesn't cause trouble is set up by his commanding officers. Billy is portrayed as a hero to his shipmates. A young man, murdered because of his innocence. If it wasn't for the idea behind the story it would get a much lower rating.

Herman Melville's Billy Budd is a classic which should be used more often in the High School ciricullum in order to make students more apprciative of the genius, Herman Melville. Melville incorporates a mix of biblical, mythological, and classical symbolism that is so profoundly genius in his development through each character in Billy Budd. I would recommend this book to every High School teacher to use as an introductory into Melville's works, especially Moby Dick!

This novella is difficult to read, with long and complex sentences and perhaps unnecessary diversions. But its power and depth reward the effort it takes to read it.

"Billy Budd" is an allegory of a young seaman who strikes and kills a superior officer when the officer's cruelty and treachery become unbearable. The focus of the story is the debate over whether to execute the seaman (Billy Budd) for his crime. With passionate and terrifying logic, Melville (through the voice of Captain Vere) demonstrates that human perfection is impossible - not because we humans are weak, but because perfection simply does not and cannot exist in this world. To make decisions based on our notion of "divine justice" is not only impractical and foolhardy, according to Melville, but even immoral.

If you like to think of yourself as an idealist, then reading this book will leave some unanswered questions in your mind, possibly for the rest of your life. I first read this story more than thirty years ago, and it still affects the way I think about almost everything to this day.

I just took my PCAT this past weekend and I have to say that this book was really helpful and certainly prepared me for the test. The samples questions got me very acquainted with the format of the questions on the test. As I was taking the exam I feel I was just working on sample problems in the book. The outlines were definitely helpful. I suggest going over the biology and chemistry outline.

I bought this book, along with every other PCAT book I could find. I studied and studied all of them up until test day. When I took the exam (10/99), the only book whose questions were similar to the actual test was this one. The other books are WAY too in-depth. Overkill might be a good thing on other exam preps, but here, over-studying could lead to burn-out, and failure to miss the big picture. Granted, I'm a graduate student in Pharmacology, but this book is the best prep I read. Pick up this book and the HighYield series in Biology and General Chemistry. Forget the rest.

I took the PCAT in October 2002. It had been 10 years since my last biology class, 9 years since my last general chemistry class, and 7 years since organic chemistry. This book's outline of topics to study for the PCAT was excellent. Sure, when I actually took the test, I realized that the outline wasn't perfect, but it provided an (almost) complete list of topics to study. The study and sample test questions in the book were a bit easier than the actual test, and using this book alone is not enough to prepare you for the test. I used the book's outline, then went back to my text books to study each subject that was listed. This method worked great for me--I scored in the 99th percentile.

A number of reviewers have called this book long, slow, and boring. Well that's either beacuse they must not enjoy reading too much, or because they're too young to understand the true meaning of the book. It does not have much action in it, but it's very deep, and gets you thinking. If you like a powerful, provocative, psychological novel, then this one is for you. It is for people that would enjoy reading about the incredible complexities of humanity. Great book!!

The book is essentially a reflection of a 30-something year old man trying to convalesce from two psychologically traumatic experiences that happened in his youth at a New England boarding school. Gene was not ready, in his teen aged years, for the experience of Phineas - a character more mythologiclly true than realistic. Although the excellently crafted subtlies of this novel could by pass the shallow reader, there is a wealth of youth, human, psychology for the keen eye and the sensitive soul. Understand this book, and it will change your view of friendship and war forever. How can anyone read that last paragraph: "All of them, all except Phineas, constructed at infinite cost to themselves these Maginot Lines against this enemy they thought they saw across the frontier, this enemy who never attacked that way - if he ever attacked at all; if he was indeed the enemy" and not immediately want to read the book again,... and not have her/his naivete immediately shattered.

I hate A Separate Peace. It is not only dull and utterly worthless but also kills brain cells. No stimulus whatsoever can be found in this extravagant waste of paper. The author, Mr. John Knowles, cannot write comprehensibly and deserves to be shot in the face.