Professional & Technical Books - Page 12

The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals

Jane Mayer

Amazon Price: $10.85 List Price: $15.95 Not yet published By: Anchor

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 96 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A dramatic and damning narrative account of how America has fought the
"War on Terror"

In the days immediately following September 11th, the most powerful people in the country were panic-stricken. The radical decisions about how to combat terrorists and strengthen national security were made in a state of utter chaos and fear, but the key players, Vice President Dick Cheney and his powerful, secretive adviser David Addington, used the crisis to further a long held agenda to enhance Presidential powers to a degree never known in U.S. history, and obliterate Constitutional protections that define the very essence of the American experiment.

THE DARK SIDE is a dramatic, riveting, and definitive narrative account of how the United States made terrible decisions in the pursuit of terrorists around the world-- decisions that not only violated the Constitution to which White House officials took an oath to uphold, but also hampered the pursuit of Al Qaeda. In gripping detail, acclaimed New Yorker writer and bestselling author, Jane Mayer, relates the impact of these decisions—U.S.-held prisoners, some of them completely innocent, were subjected to treatment more reminiscent of the Spanish Inquisition than the twenty-first century.

THE DARK SIDE will chronicle real, specific cases, shown in real time against the larger tableau of what was happening in Washington, looking at the intelligence gained—or not—and the price paid. In some instances, torture worked. In many more, it led to false information, sometimes with devastating results. For instance, there is the stunning admission of one of the detainees, Sheikh Ibn al-Libi, that the confession he gave under duress—which provided a key piece of evidence buttressing congressional support of going to war against Iraq--was in fact fabricated, to make the torture stop.

In all cases, whatever the short term gains, there were incalculable losses in terms of moral standing, and our country's place in the world, and its sense of itself. THE DARK SIDE chronicles one of the most disturbing chapters in American history, one that will serve as the lasting legacy of the George W. Bush presidency.


From the Hardcover edition.

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen

Harold McGee

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Subjects -> Cooking, Food & Wine -> Gastronomy -> Essays

Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 173 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

On Food and Cooking is a unique blend of culinary lore and scientific explanation that examines food -- its history, its make-up, and its behavior when we cook it, cool it, dice it, age it, or otherwise prepare it for eating. Generously spiced with historical and literary anecdote, it covers all the major food categories, from meat and potatoes to sauce béarnaise and champagne. Easy-to-understand scientific explanations throw light on such mysteries as why you can whip cream but not milk; what makes white meat white; whether searing really seals in flavor; how to tell stale eggs from fresh; why "fruits" ripen and "vegetables" don't; how to save a sauce; what hops do; and what happens when you knead dough. A chapter on nutrition reveals that Americans have been obsessed with their diet since the 1800s and exposes the fallacies behind food fads past and present. There's a section on additives -- a not-so-new addition to food -- and taste and smell, our two pleasure-giving versions of the oldest sense on earth. With more than 200 illustrations, including extraordinary photographs of food taken through the electron microscope, this book will delight and fascinate anyone who has ever cooked, savored, or wondered about food.

Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (Book & DVD)

John Medina

Amazon Price: $19.77 List Price: $29.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Pear Press Amazon Marketplace: 42 new & used starting at $15.29

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 42 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know--such as the brain's need for physical activity to work at its best.

How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget--and so important to repeat new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains?

In Brain Rules, molecular biologist Dr. John Medina shares his lifelong interest in how the brain sciences might influence the way we teach our children and the way we work. In each chapter, he describes a brain rule--what scientists know for sure about how our brains work--and then offers transformative ideas for our daily lives.

Medina's fascinating stories and sense of humor breathe life into brain science. You'll learn why Michael Jordan was no good at baseball. You'll peer over a surgeon's shoulder as he finds, to his surprise, that we have a Jennifer Aniston neuron. You'll meet a boy who has an amazing memory for music but can't tie his own shoes.

You will discover how:

- Every brain is wired differently
- Exercise improves cognition
- We are designed to never stop learning and exploring
- Memories are volatile
- Sleep is powerfully linked with the ability to learn
- Vision trumps all of the other senses
- Stress changes the way we learn

In the end, you'll understand how your brain really works--and how to get the most out of it.

About the DVD The Brain Rules DVD, included with this book, is a lively tour of the 12 brain rules. You will experience firsthand Medina's rare gift for making science fun, accessible, and relevant. The DVD will take your understanding of the book to the next level.

Women & Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny

Suze Orman

Amazon Price: $16.47 List Price: $24.95 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Spiegel & Grau Amazon Marketplace: 139 new & used starting at $5.82

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 278 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

New Possibilities! 5 out of 5 stars.
29 of 29 people found this review helpful.

I never imagined in a million years I would pick up a book on personal
finance. I had an idea that investments and numbers were just too hard,
something I'd never understand. Reading Suze Orman's "Women & Money"
turned that notion on its head. Her warm, funny and no-nonsense book is
not only informative and empowering, it is also really enjoyable to
read. While she offers plenty of detailed and helpful financial advice,
the underlying theme throughout -and what really impacted me- is that
control of your financial destiny begins with you. How you treat your
money is an extension of how you treat yourself. Her 'Save Yourself
Plan' is about letting go of the old excuses that say 'I can't' and
letting go of the shame and blame of past decisions; it's about
empowering yourself with knowledge and starting fresh from exactly where
you are in this moment.

A wonderful companion book to Ms. Orman's that expands on these
ideas is Ariel and Shya Kane's Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: The 3 Simple Ideas That Will Instantaneously Transform Your Life. Their inspiring approach to
living in the moment (instead of in a continuous loop of worry about
the past and the future) gives you the tools to dissolve those old,
limiting stories about yourself ("I'm not good with numbers!") and step
into a life that is easy, alive, and full of possibility.

Editorial Review:

Why is it that women, who are so competent in all other areas of their lives, cannot find the same competence when it comes to matters of money?

Suze Orman investigates the complicated, dysfunctional relationship women have with money in this groundbreaking new book. With her signature mix of insight, compassion, and soul-deep recognition, she equips women with the financial knowledge and emotional awareness to overcome the blocks that have kept them from making more out of the money they make. At the center of the book is The Save Yourself Plan—a streamlined, five-month program that delivers genuine long-term financial security. But what’s at stake is far bigger than money itself: It’s about every woman’s sense of who she is and what she deserves, and why it all begins with the decision to save yourself.

The Great Gatsby (Cambridge Literature)

F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 1121 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

The Great Gatsby 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

Today is one of those days when I long for a book such as "The Great Gatsby"
It is inseparably associated with a point in history F. Scott Fitzgerald claimed to despise. He is both the quintessential Jazz-Age writer and probably his era's harshest critic. Complex and timeless. Who could ask for more?


My favorite passage -


"Most of the big shore places were closed now and there were hardly any lights except the shadowy, moving glow of a ferryboat across the Sound. And as the moon rose higher the inessential houses began to melt away until gradually I became aware of the old island here that flowered once for Dutch sailors' eyes--a fresh, green breast of the new world. Its vanished trees, the trees that had made way for Gatsby's house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams; for a transitory enchanted moment man must have held his breath in the presence of this continent, compelled into an aesthetic contemplation he neither understood nor desired, face to face for the last time in history with something commensurate to his capacity for wonder."

Editorial Review:

This volume is part of the "Cambridge Literature" series of literary texts edited for study by students aged 14-18 in English-speaking classrooms. The series should provide school students with a range of edited texts taken from a wide geographical spread.

The Wealth of Nations (Bantam Classics)

Adam Smith

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Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Wealth of Nations
by Adam Smith

It is symbolic that Adam Smith’s masterpiece of economic analysis, The Wealth of Nations, was first published in 1776, the same year as the Declaration of Independence.

In his book, Smith fervently extolled the simple yet enlightened notion that individuals are fully capable of setting and regulating prices for their own goods and services. He argued passionately in favor of free trade, yet stood up for the little guy. The Wealth of Nations provided the first--and still the most eloquent--integrated description of the workings of a market economy.

The result of Smith’s efforts is a witty, highly readable work of genius filled with prescient theories that form the basis of a thriving capitalist system. This unabridged edition offers the modern reader a fresh look at a timeless and seminal work that revolutionized the way governments and individuals view the creation and dispersion of wealth--and that continues to influence our economy right up to the present day.

Literature Guide: The Giver (Grades 4-8)

Lois Lowry

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3088 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Awful, Disturbing, A Waste! 1 out of 5 stars.
2 of 6 people found this review helpful.

It was awful! I DO NOT recommend anyone read it. Maybe some people would like it, but not me. I kept reading it, hoping it would get good, but it just got worse. And the worst part about it was that at the end, I seriously felt like the book had somehow taken something from me. And I don't mean just my time. Now I'm just trying to get it out of my head. It had the potential to be really interesting, but I just don't think it quite got there. Someone said it was rushed at the end. I agree. It felt like the author just kind of gave up. I was hoping that the novel would redeem itself somehow, but no such luck. I would be horrified if my child were required to read this in school. I don't believe in censorship, but it shouldn't be required reading. The reading level may be for younger readers, but certainly not the topics discussed in the book. What were the Newbery people thinking?!

Editorial Review:

A complete guide to teaching the Newbery Award winner, The Giver. Includes an author biography, background information, summaries, thought-provoking discussion questions, as well as creative, cross-curricular activities and reproducibles that motivate students.

Manias, Panics, and Crashes: A History of Financial Crises (Wiley Investment Classics)

Charles P. Kindleberger, Robert Aliber

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 44 Average rating: 3.5 of 5

Relevant but hard to read 3 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

I am no economist and just an interested general reader. I expected to read narratives about past financial crises and how they played out. But this book is not organized that way. It doesn't tell any story from start to finish. Instead it references lots of different crises in a kind of shorthand way, without giving the background or the overall narrative.

Many of the references are pretty darn obscure, at least to me. So fine, if he's talking about how a certain phenomenon works and he says, "as in 1932," or "as in the S&L crisis," I'm with him. But when he says, "just as in the 1762 case in Belgium" (made up example)--well, my eyes start to glaze over, because he hasn't told me the story of 1762 Belgium, but referenced it as if it should be as familiar to me as the Great Depression in the US.

I also think there's something wrong with the writing style. He seems not to start out with topic sentences that show us where he's going, or to end with a summing up of the significance of what he's just said. Certain details recur within a few pages of each other. The effect is pretty scatter-shot, as if it was not carefully edited and made to flow.

There is plenty of raw material here for anyone watching our current economic crisis and wondering how it happened, but you have to work for it. What I get from it is that in certain circumstances, if everyone does what seems best to him or her in the market, the end result will be disaster for all. It's not really irrational to buy when prices are increasing by the day, because huge profits can indeed be made. But the more people that make that individually rational choice, the more irrational the whole thing becomes.

Maybe I could compare it to a stampede to an exit door in a fire. Each person's individual best choice is to get out as quickly as possible. But if you allow that psychological reality to play out, you might have people trampled to death at the door who then block everyone else from escaping.

Reading this was like listening to a rather elderly professor of history who is intimately familiar with many obscure incidents, but doesn't provide the context for his young students to follow his train of thought.

Editorial Review:

Manias, Panics, and Crashes, Fifth Edition is an engaging and entertaining account of the way that mismanagement of money and credit has led to financial explosions over the centuries. Covering such topics as the history and anatomy of crises, speculative manias, and the lender of last resort, this book puts the turbulence of the financial world in perspective. The updated fifth edition expands upon each chapter, and includes two new chapters focusing on significant financial crises of the last fifteen years.

The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels (Your Coach in a Box)

Michael Watkins

Amazon Price: $13.59 List Price: $19.98 Usually ships in 24 hours By: Your Coach in a Box Amazon Marketplace: 32 new & used starting at $11.39

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Total reviews: 79 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

The window of opportunity in a new position is a short one; according to career transition expert Michael Watkins, a new leader has 90 days to determine his success or failure on the job. In THE FIRST 90 DAYS,Watkins offers a practical, proven-effective guide for anyone moving into a new professional role. Whatever the stage of the listeners career, whether starting a new position or just adding additional responsibilities, these techniques can insure that this critical transition period proceeds quickly, smoothly and effectively. Drawing on both real-world examples and his groundbreaking research on leadership, Watkins provides a framework for success in all stages of the process, including: Diagnosing the new situation Crafting winning transition strategies Taking charge quickly and authoritatively Building teams and coalitions Securing early wins Avoiding the most common pitfalls Laying the groundwork for long-term success A breakthrough personal and professional survival guide, THE FIRST 90 DAYS will speak to self-help listeners across the career spectrum.

The Daily Five: Fostering Literacy Independence in the Elementary Grades

Gail Boushey, Joan Moser

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 48 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Inspiring and helpful 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This is one of the few education books that I really looked forward to reading and learning more about the philosophy. Even if your school has a set idea of how Language Arts/Reading periods should look, there are some fabulous theories and strategies that can be implemented!

User Friendly 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

This book is a great way to introduce literacy activities to a class. It helps the teacher and students become comfortable with reading and writing. It also helps the students work independently without teacher support. I highly recommend this book to all elementary school teachers.

what a difference 5 out of 5 stars.
0 of 0 people found this review helpful.

My district has used a reading and writing workshop approach for at least ten years. This book has truly helped me to step back and take the time needed at the beginning of the year to establish strong routines. I don't believe the information is new, it is just laid out in a consise, reader friendly manner. My students are much more on-task and quiet during literacy work times. The "first 25 days" quidelines have been invaluable for lesson planning and getting my school year off to a successful start!