Talking Animals and Other People/the Autobiography of One of Animation's Legendary Figures

Book Description

Fun Buttons is different! Humor in button subjects and design is featured in the nearly 400 color photographs, text and captions. From all over the world, over three centuries, this gathering of buttons is both delightful and informative. Organized by materials and themes, these funny buttons include children's subjects, animals, fairie, fruit, vehicles and sports designs which can't help but amuse and fascinate collectors, dealers and those who sew. The list of button clubs and organizations is a wonderful reference in itself. "The book...illuminates the myriad of subjects that the designers have used over the years to tickle the public's fancy. Seeing them pictured here has tickled mine! I dare you to read this book and not crack a smile or chuckle to yourself. I couldn't do it." (from the foreword by Tom Wolfe)

Average customer rating:

Fun Buttons with Price Guide
Osborne
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OMUGJE

Customer Reviews:

To "A reader".......2005-06-05

I am sorry for your loss and will make no positioning to state I in any way know how you feel. However, if you had taken the tiny extra bit of time to look at this graphic novel you would have noticed that not a single artist or writer made money on this. It was all a voluntary work basis and all the profits, every last dime, went to charities to help those that lost loved ones in this human atrocity.

Peace be with you.

Hard to keep the moisture from your eyes.......2005-03-24

It is natural to flash back to that fateful day when you read these cartoons. With that in mind, it is hard to keep the moisture out of your eyes. Like everyone else, I was astonished at the fall of the twin towers, it stunned us all in a way that goes to the depth of our being. These are some of the most powerful cartoons that have ever been published. Not necessarily on their own, but in the context of the times, they cannot help but move you.

Heartfelt Tales of September 11th and it's Aftermath.......2002-12-16

There's really not much I can say about this book. The stories contained in it are poignant and touching and heartbreaking and hopeful all at once, and each and every contributor has given not only their time and talent to the project, but clearly they've also given a piece of their hearts. Being born and raised in New York City, the events of September 11th are especially painful to me, but I came away from reading this book feeling just a little more hopeful than I did when I started it. Kudos to all involved for a magnificent effort. (And all of the money goes to a good cause, too!)

Amazing collectable, great read.......2002-07-16

Got this after a desire to collect the 9-11 comics as my ending run in comic collecting, and I must say I am impressed with not only the size of it, but the consitent and diverse work inside. Loads of unfamiliar work that perhaps wouldn't be seen on such a public level with such quality, and at 200 pages for the price its at, its damn good.

The stories themselves? Some make you think. Some make you wonder. All make you remember.

Personal Takes on a Tragic Event.......2002-04-05

The power of the comic book medium is that, by using drawings, they express emotions and reactions that are difficult to put down in words. Due to the extreme nature of this event, this is an excellent way to express what we have all been through.

The most impact is provided by the independent, i.e. non-superhero, writers who express what they went through with pictures and words. From the initial shock to the lingering malaise, the complete cycle is expressed. Reading this book brought back those feelings in me and, even though my emotions were swelling up, I kept reading. This event is now part of our collective experience and we are forever affected by it.

I recommend reading through when you need some perspective on what's important in life. Enjoy life, tell your friends and family that you love them because you never know when it may end.

This review doesn't get too into the content of the book but the impact that it had. As for me, that's the sign of a good read.

Book Description

The movies that document American history during the interwar years still hold relevance today. While we may be put off by the corny sentimentality popular at the time, we feel attracted, despite our 1990s veneer of sophistication, to healthy portions of unadulterated American spirit. Americans resist encumbering themselves with political labels, Kelley asserts, content to remain simultaneously fragmented between elitism and populism, isolationism and interventionism even today, yet remain somehow united by a fundamental essence they can't quite define but readily recognize as the American can-do attitude. Using the unique vantage point of eight classic American movies--Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Magnificent Ambersons, Gabriel Over the White House, Citizen Kane, Casablanca All Quiet on the Western Front, Daily Bread, and The Fountainhead--Kelley and her colleagues explore the political ideologies thrumming through the American psyche. The stock market crash and ensuing depression proved a defining experience. For the first time, the national psyche was sent careening toward alien political ideologies; the seductiveness of communism and fascism took hold in the wreckage wrought by the Depression. American foreign policy likewise fluctuated from the isolationist stance adopted after fighting the "war to end all wars" to an interventionist response to the intensifying pressure to vanquish communist and fascist bullies. Students, scholars, and the general public will find intriguing insights on a period of national catastrophe and triumph.

Customer Reviews:

Politics and old movies! What could be more fun?!.......1999-02-11

My old History of Film prof used to say "You can't understand a film unless you understand the environment that produced it." Beverly Kelley and her co-authors (the redoubtable Jack Pitney, Craig Smith, and Herbert Gooch) have taken the pivotal years of the 20th Century -- from the start of the Great Depression to the end of WWII -- and examined how the ideological turmoil fomented in those churning times was rendered in celluloid, providing an iconography in black and white that still illuminates our thoughts today.

Eight films arrayed in a dialectical pairing of opposites provide the framework for the exploration of the ideologies that not only infused the sensibility of the times, but ripped at the very fabric of American life. Communism, Fascism, elitism, isolationism, and their opposites are all given voice through the medium of the Hollywood film. Some of the selections are obvious -- "Citizen Kane", "Casablanca" -- some obscure -- "Gabriel Over the White House", "Our Daily Bread" -- but all express a notion of what it was to be an American in a country at the crossroads of history.

From a people in the depths of the Depression still struggling with the aftermath of WWI, to a world power facing a new -- if still uncertain -- future, this American experience -- illuminated by film -- is the real subject of "Reelpolitik". Like a surveyor with a transit, Beverly Kelley uses these eight films to define the foundation of the culture which was to follow. It is a foundation on which we still stand today.

"Reelpolitik" is a welcome addition to the library not only of the history or film buff, but of anyone who loves the popular culture that made us who we are. In the end it should not be surprising that we can find some notion of what it means to partake of American culture by examining the messages found in film. As we approach the end of the first century to have its entire history preserved in this most living medium, what is of lasting interest is not the flickering curio of old haircuts and out-of-date fashions in the "old time movies", but a view of how we once saw ourselves and the times that produced those visions. And if we look honestly and clearly into that antique lens, the visage we see is startlingly, brightly, like our own.

Reelpolitik: Political Ideologies in '30s and '40s Films (Prager Series in Political Communication)
Average customer rating:
Reelpolitik: Political Ideologies in '30s and '40s Films (Prager Series in Political Communication)
Beverly Merrill Kelley
Manufacturer: Praeger Paperback
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORMMI2

Average customer rating:
Reelpolitik: Political Ideologies In *30s And *40s Films
Beverly Merrill Kelley
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000ORO6Q8

Book Description

The SUZUKI METHOD of Talent Education is based on Dr. Shinichi Suzuki's view that every child is born with ability, and that man is the son of his environment. According to Dr. Suzuki, a world-renowned violinist and teacher, the greatest joy an adult can know comes from developing a child's potential so he/she can express all that is harmonious and best in human beings. Students are taught using the mother-tongue approach. Suzuki Viola School Materials include: Viola Parts (Vol. 1-7) * Piano Accompaniments (Vol. 1-7) * Cassettes (Vol. 1-7 performed by Bill Preucil). Suzuki Method Core Materials available for piano, violin, viola, cello, string bass, flute, harp, guitar, and recorder.

Manhunt Official Strategy Guide
Average customer rating:

OK a little hard to read.

ANOTHER GUIDE TO ANOTHER ROCKSTAR GUILTY PLEASURE

Manhunt Official Strategy Guide
Tim Bogenn , and BradyGames
Manufacturer: BRADY GAMES
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Strategy Guides | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
Video Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
General | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Video & Electronic Games | Puzzles & Games | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Manhunt Manhunt

The Warriors Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))

The Suffering(tm) Official Strategy Guide

Gun Official Strategy Guide (Official Strategy Guides (Bradygames))

Cold Fear(tm) Official Strategy Guide

ASIN: 0744003229

Book Description

BradyGames' Manhunt Official Strategy Guide features a complete walkthrough leading players through the entire game. Expert mission strategy and detailed maps that mark key locations. Exhaustive weapon and character coverage. Game secrets and more, revealed!

Customer Reviews:

OK a little hard to read........2005-05-02

Not to say I don't like Manhunt, I love it, it is a little hard to read the stratagy guide. The pictures are itty-bitty and are inpossible to read.

Pros:
tells a lot about the game.

cons. itty-bitty pictures.

ANOTHER GUIDE TO ANOTHER ROCKSTAR GUILTY PLEASURE.......2004-02-22

First off, ignore the above "from the back cover" and "book description" (which give the same disinformation). Not only doesn't the "back cover" say all that but there are no maps to be found in this guide (the first time that I can recall a BradyGames guide being without one). Be that as it may, BradyGames comes through again with another comprehensive strategy guide for another Rockstar game aimed squarely at a mature audience. It gives a complete rundown of all the moves, execution techniques, and the weapons you'll need to survive through 20 missions that Starkweather puts you through. While having no maps, each of the 20 mission walkthroughs are thoroughly explained with plenty of clear pictures to show you want you're up against. Speaking of which, the gangs you'll encounter include the Hoods, the Innocentz, the Smileys, the Wardogs, and the Skinz (as well as the Carcer City police, their S.W.A.T. team, and Starkweather's own Cerberus force). For each mission completed with 3 stars (or better) in either mode, you are awarded a bonus artwork panel. For each set of 5 missions finished with 3 stars (or better - also in either mode), you are awarded one of 4 bonus missions. Tips for these (and walkthroughs for the last 2) are found in the back of the guide. Also in the back of the guide, you will find general tips, hardcore tips, explainations on improving your score (to unlock the codes), and how to unlock the bonus features and missions. An excellent guide to have on hand at 3 in the morning when you get stuck playing the guilty pleasure that is Manhunt. Mr. Starkweather, I'm ready for my close-up.

Global Business Today with CD and OLC premium card
Average customer rating:

Global Business

OK Product

good book, I guess

Deceived

Good inexpensive text for International Business

Global Business Today with CD and OLC premium card
Charles W. L. Hill
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | International | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Finance | Accounting & Finance | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Business Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Business & Investing | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Professional | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Essentials of Corporate Finance (Mcgraw-Hill/Irwin Series in Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate)

Marketing w/ PowerWeb (Mcgraw Hill/Irwin Series in Marketing)

Fundamentals of Corporate Finance Standard Edition + S&P Card + Student CD

International Marketing (Mcgraw Hill/Irwin Series in Marketing)

Fundamentals of Financial Management (with Thomson ONE - Business School Edition)

Accessories:

World Out of Balance

Schaum's Outline of International Economics

ASIN: 0073191752

Book Description

Charles Hill’s Global Business Today, 4e (GBT) has become an established text in the International Business market for its excellent but concise coverage of the key global issues including the cultural context for global business, cross-border trade and investment, the global monetary system and competition in the global environment. GBT’s concise chapters give a general introduction to international business - emphasizing the environmental factors, with less coverage of operations. Charles Hill is renowned for his attention to research trends and that is evident in Global Business Today, 4e through a variety of real world examples and cases from small, medium, and large companies throughout the world

Customer Reviews:

Global Business.......2007-09-24

Well normally I would give it a much better review but I never got my product!!!

OK Product.......2007-02-07

The product was okay. I accidentally ordered the wrong book, but it's really not that bad.

good book, I guess.......2007-02-03

I got this book cause it was cheaper to buy it from amazon than through the campus bookstore. I didn't care for content.

Deceived.......2007-01-12

The seller stated book was new. It had wear on it and the front page was cut out where the CD should have been. I was very dissappointed in the condition. It was too late to return it as class was starting.
This is the only time I was ever disappointed. Usually extremely satisfied.

Good inexpensive text for International Business.......2004-05-01

I use this as a text for an undergrad capstone course in International Business Strategy. Hill is co-author of a fine Strategic Management text, and much of the treatment in that text is evident here.

The underlying economic arguments for firm behavior in their international and global activities are well presented. I ask my students to look over the concepts presented in this text, and then apply them to HBS case studies we discuss together in class.

Compared to alternative texts on interntional/global strategy from George Yip (Global Strategy 2/E), or either of two from Bartlett and Ghoshal (Managing across Borders, 2/E, or Multinational Management), this one is more digestible for undergrads (vs. the MBA or other grad level courses these other texts appear to be targeting). It also makes a nice text for Intro to International Business undergrad courses.

If you can order the text without the CD-ROM (unless you want to assign an international business plan, of course), all the better.

For an overview of IB with grounding in the economics/strategy vein, there are few better texts. This one is also better value for the money than most out there, which your students will thank you for.

Book Description

They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing -- not even the loss of her arm -- could come between her and the waves? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany responded to the shark's stealth attack with the calm of a girl with God on her side. Pushing pain and panic aside, she began to paddle with one arm, focusing on a single thought: "Get to the beach...." And when the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was "When can I surf again?" it became clear that her spirit and determination were part of a greater story -- a tale of courage and faith that this soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world.

Soul Surfer is a moving account of Bethany's life as a young surfer, her recovery after the attack, the adjustments she's made to her unique surfing style, her unprecedented bid for a top showing in the World Surfing Championships, and, most fundamentally, her belief in God. It is a story of girl power and spiritual grit that shows the body is no more essential to surfing -- perhaps even less so -- than the soul.

Download Description

" The amazing story of the thirteen-year-old surfer girl who lost her arm in a shark attack but never lost her faith -- and of her triumphant return to competitive surfing. They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the tremendous passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing -- not even the loss of her arm in a horrific shark attack -- could come between her and the waves? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii -- a glorious part of the world, where it's hard to deny the divine -- Bethany responded to the shark's stealth attack with the calm of a girl with God on her side. Pushing pain and panic aside, she immediately began to paddle with one arm, focusing on a single thought: ""Get to the beach...."" Rushed to the hospital, where her father, Tom Hamilton, was about to undergo knee surgery, Bethany found herself taking his spot in the O.R. It's the kind of coincidence that isn't mere coincidence to the Hamilton family, a clan whose motto could easily be ""the family that surfs and prays together stays together."" To them it was a sign someone had a greater plan than the one they'd been working on themselves -- which had been to scrape together whatever resources they could to help Bethany rise to the top of her sport. When the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was ""When can I surf again?"" it became clear that her unfaltering spirit and determination were part of a greater story -- a tale of courage and faith that this modest and soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world. Soul Surfer is a moving account of Bethany's life as a young surfer, her recovery in the wake of the shark attack, the adjustments she's made to her unique surfing style, her unprecedented bid for a top showing in the World Surfing Championships, and, most fundamentally, her belief in God. It is a story of girl power and spiritual grit that shows that the body is no more essential to surfing -- perhaps even less so -- than the soul. "

Customer Reviews:

Soul Surfer a good easy read for early teens.......2007-09-10

My daughter needed a book for her school's summer reading project. She picked this book off the list because she'd heard about the author who had her arm bitten off by a shark as an 11 year old, surfing. She was able to get through it quickly and she enjoyed it even though she is not an avid reader.

Soul book forever!!!.......2007-08-14

At just 13, Bethany Hamilton lost her left arm to a tiger shark, possibly affecting her goals and achievements dramatically in her life forever. But did that stop her from surfing? Of course it didn't! Bethany has been in the water constantly ever since she knew how to swim. She says, surfing is her life and has been since she was three. Her parents have been there for her every step of the way. Bethany has two older brothers, both surfers, and a best friend named Alana, another surfer. She mentioned that without her faith in God she would have never survived and He is the reason she gets up every morning. This book really inspired me to have goals and to achieve and never give up. Bethany Hamilton is a role model to many others and I. I am glad to say that now she is a professional surfer! The sponsor that stuck with her though all the hard times was RipCurl! Bethany is a wonderful girl, daughter, sister and friend to many and I am so glad that I picked up this book and was immediately drawn to it.
Bethany throws her soul into surfing; she was born for the board. She may have lost her arm in the attack, but she could never lose her faith in God. He was and still is her greatest hero and model. I really think that her faith motivated her to get right back in the waves.
Bethany Hamilton's first-hand account of the full-on fight to keep surfing is worth the read all the way. This teenage autobiography would interest any type of reader. I personally think that to everyone who has read this incredible book including me, there is no doubt that this book has made an impact on peoples lives. What a great book.

I LOVE this book it is amazing!.......2007-03-30

This is a great story for all ages! It is about a girl who suffers from a shark attack and loses her arm. Bethany shows a great example of still going no matter how hard times may get. This is defidently a favorite of mine. I encourage you to read this book, it will inspire you as it did to me!

I love this book........2007-02-15

"It came out of the blue," was the quote Bethany Hamilton used for her book Soul Surfer written by Bethany herself.
Bethany is a young 14 year-old who was a victim of a shark attack and got her arm bitten off. In the water though, her belief in Him kept her calm and only put the thought of "get to the beach". It hard not to not admire how calm she was in hospital knowing her arm was gone and the first thing she asked after her arm surgery, the first thing she asked was "when can I surf again?"
Bethany's style is very interesting the way she uses section breaks in every chapter. On minute she'll be talking about her passion for surfing the next minute she's talking about her father's which keeps everything interesting. She also describes Hawaii so beautifully that you would want to pack your bags and move there! Not only does Bethany describe Hawaii but also her parents. She talks about their past and how they met each other and how they supported Bethany during the tuff times. The main reason Bethany wrote a book though and did an interview with Opera was to share her faith in God and how he lead he thorough all the chaos.
I think Bethany also tried to put a lesson in her book and that was to never to lose hope and stop doing what you love. You can tell Bethany had hope for when she got out of the hospital is went back to focusing on surfing (except for all those interviews she had to do). After a while Bethany was able to surf as well as she could with two arms.
This book is good for ages 9 and up for gore like themes.

Bethany Hamiltion Pursuing her Dream.......2007-01-27

Bethany Hamilton, a regular teen, writes her true story about setting out for a normal day of surfing. However, that normal day turned out to be an unforgettable one. The book, Soul Surfer, will capture your focus as soon as your tingling fingertips flip the first page. As Bethany was lying on her board waiting for a strong wave to come, she turned her head to talk to her friend when all of a sudden BAM her arm was being torn off by a humongous shark. When I read this frantic part of the book, I didn't believe it. I actually had to look over it again. Without notice, the thought of a shark tearing off her arm invaded my mind. Amazingly, she didn't even panic. She quickly told her friend to scurry to the beach and get her to the hospital. Bethany describes this extremely well because she reveals all her thoughts. "Please, God, help me. God let me get to the beach."

The incredible story is enormously well written because it feels as if you are experiencing the fierce attack. Bethany not only survived this horrifying tragic, but also she left the hospital with only one arm. Before the attack, she was hoping to become a professional surfer and is still pursuing that dream. Why? "I try to explain the way I feel about surfing and it's impossible. Only surfers get it..." is what she has to say.

I found that when the book ended, my thoughts were all mixed up. "How could this have happened?" were the words slipping from my mouth. I couldn't believe that she had to go through all that suffering. After you read this book, all of the events wash through your brain making your problems seem nothing compared to hers. I know that I could never walk in her shoes.

Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board

Average customer rating:

Soul Surfer
Dumb
Boringgg!!!!!
Toughest Surfer Girl Out There
A positive review from a teenage girl

Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
Bethany Hamilton , Sheryl Berk , and Rick Bundschuh
Manufacturer: Pocket Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Surfing | Water Sports | Sports | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Devotions for the Soul Surfer: Daily Thoughts to Charge Your Life
Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board
Day of Tears
Safe-Keeper's Secret
Last Shot: A Final Four Mystery (Final Four Mysteries)

ASIN: 1416507728

Product Description

They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins. How else could one explain the tremendous passion that drives her to surf? How else could one explain that nothing -- not even the loss of her arm in a horrific shark attack -- could come between her and the waves? That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii -- a glorious part of the world, where it's hard to deny the divine -- Bethany responded to the shark's stealth attack with the calm of a girl with God on her side. Pushing pain and panic aside, she immediately began to paddle with one arm, focusing on a single thought: "Get to the beach...." Rushed to the hospital, where her father, Tom Hamilton, was about to undergo knee surgery, Bethany found herself taking his spot in the O.R. It's the kind of coincidence that isn't mere coincidence to the Hamilton family, a clan whose motto could easily be "the family that surfs and prays together stays together." To them it was a sign someone had a greater plan than the one they'd been working on themselves -- which had been to scrape together whatever resources they could to help Bethany rise to the top of her sport. When the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was "When can I surf again?" it became clear that her unfaltering spirit and determination were part of a greater story -- a tale of courage and faith that this modest and soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world. Soul Surfer is a moving account of Bethany's life as a young surfer, her recovery in the wake of the shark attack, the adjustments she's made to her unique surfing style, her unprecedented bid for a top showing in the World Surfing Championships, and, most fundamentally, her belief in God. It is a story of girl power and spiritual grit that shows that the body is no more essential to surfing -- perhaps even less so -- than the soul. - from book's back cover

Customer Reviews:

Soul Surfer.......2007-04-03

Bethany Hamilton is a strong in her faith, but when tradegdy strikes, will she ever have the faith to surf again? This is the amazing story of a whose faith and courage could help her surf again. Will it be enough? In this book it really shows the love and passion this has for the sport and the perseverance to take risks again. You will find that faith can be big enough for anything in life, even if you don't think so. This book is targeted to all ages, but mainly middle school students and up.
Soul Surfer is mainly for middle school s and up. I also think that this book targets the right audience. For example: indescribable, amputation, and traumatic. "I never saw the shark closing in on me. I'm glad that I never had a split second to wrap my head around the fact that I was being attacked." - Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer)
I think that this book is written in a passionate voice and it fits the character well. "Why did God choose me and what does he have in mind for me." -Bethany Hamilton (Soul Surfer) This book is written in first-person.
Soul Surfer is an easy book to follow. It explains points and what happened to Bethany in an easy to understand way. "It's a thirteen year old female and the arm is gone..." -Soul Surfer
I would recommend Soul Surfer to anyone really. Mainly s though. If you are interested in true stories, this would be a great book to read. I truly enjoyed this book and I think that it showed me how perseverance, courage, and strength are great things to have in life and they can really help in tremendous ways.

Dumb.......2007-03-22

Good for Bethany, but this is still a stupid book.

I find it funny that she talks so much about God and Jesus and all that stuff. According to the native Hawaiians, the tiger sharks are called "amakua", which are sea gods. Maybe she should have prayed to the shark so she wouldn't be short one arm!

Boringgg!!!!!.......2006-11-28

Personally I would not recommend this book unless you are a full on Christian. For more than half the book all she talks about is how all she did was pray and that God got her through all of her problems, and how her church and faith helped her most. The book was very boring, and every page was like the page before. My mind would always wander when I would read, because there was nothing exiting. So this is probably not the best book to read.

Toughest Surfer Girl Out There.......2006-01-26

At just 13, Bethany Hamilton lost her left arm and a piece of her surfboard to a tiger shark, possibly limiting her accomplishments of her life forever. But did that stop her from surfing? Of course not! Ever since age three, Bethany has constantly been in the water, usually off the beach near her Kauai home. Her parents are probably most to blame. Both her father Tom and her mother Cheri supported her one hundred percent, because they had both surfed all their lives as well. But her parents are also her teachers, since she is homeschooled. Bethany has two older brothers, both surfers, and a best friend named Alana, another surfer, who stayed withher through the entire attack, surgery, and recovery. She has turned pro and is currently sponsored by her favorite surfboard and clothing manufacturer, RipCurl. Bethany really went against all odds the day she got back on the board. No one, not even her own family believed she would ever surf again, but the very first thing she did after the stitches were taken out was go out and buy a new board! Bethany is not only a celebrity in the surfing world, but in the general sports world as well. She has recieved the 2004 Teen Choice Award for Most Courageous Teen, the 2004 ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete, and was called "The Bravest Girl in America" by YM magazine. Soul Surfer is a triumphant and moving account of Bethany Hamilton's fight to get "back on the board."

Bethany throws her soul into surfing, calling her unique style of the sport "Soul Surfing." (Hence the title Soul Surfer). She may have lost her arm in the attack, but she could never lose her faith in God. Maybe her faith motivated her to try again, and it was so strong that she now competes professionally worldwide. Bethany has proved to the world that the body may be a substantial part of surfing, but it's the soul that counts.

Truthfully, Bethany's experience has made her a better person altogether, and probably even a better surfer! Her heartfelt passion for surfing has brought her closer to God in faith and in spirit, and could quite possibly prepare her for adulthood better than anything.

Bethany Hamilton's first-hand account of the full-on fight to keep surfing is worth the read all the way. This teenage autobiography would interest even the least likely of readers, Bethany's story is so amazing. I recommend Soul Surfer to anyone of any age.

-C. Edwards

A positive review from a teenage girl.......2006-01-03

This was a wonderful story, written by Bethany Hammilton herself. It is very discriptive when describing the events on the day of the attack, and also talks about her life afterword. This is a book that is very hard to put down once you start it. It is a very quick read that is very injoyable. Bethany talks alot about her religion and how she believes that God has helped her and the He has a plan for her life. I highley recomend this book.

Average customer rating:

Soul Surfer: a True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting To Get Back on the Board
Bethany Hamilton
Manufacturer: MTV Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7FG7M

Book Description

With a New Appendix of Excepts from His 1865 Diary.

Edited by Thomas D. Cockrell and Michael B. Ballard.

Born the eighth child in a wealthy Mississippi plantation family in 1843, David Eldred Holt joined Company K of the 16th Mississippi Regiment in 1861 and served in the Virginia theater throughout the Civil War. Late in his life, at a time when many former soldiers, both Union and Confederate, were reliving their memories of that event, Holt penned this memoir, recounting the idyllic life of an affluent southern boy before the war and the exhilarating, sometimes humorous, often terrifying experiences of a common soldier in camp and battle. This new paperback edition has been expanded to include Holt's never-before-published diary entries from the last year of the Civil War.

Customer Reviews:

Huck Finn joins the Confederacy!.......2003-01-09

I've read about a dozen or so soldier memoirs/diary accounts, and this one ranks as one of the poorest. I find most of these have a generic nature to them - seems like if you've read one, you've read them all! Mr. Holt wrote this in his latter years, so Goodness knows how the years have treated his memory of things, although a fine editing job by Cockrell and Ballard keep things on the straight and narrow. Much of the memoirs involve Holt's escapades that have little to do with the war effort. Lot of it reads like a Mark Twain tale, with Holt often relating some of the hijinks and sit-com like situations he experienced as a soldier.

One of the best books I've ever read.......2000-01-29

Holt really conveys the attitudes, feelings, deep convictions, and courage displayed by those who fought in the war. (Not only on the Rebel side, but also on the Yankee side.) He also goes into some of the other reasons besides slavery, that caused the South to secede. Very well written and extremely interesting. It makes you feel as if you're right beside Holt following him as they go down in history. Also shows how life for the Confederate soldier was awfully harsh in the latter part of the war. Holt doesn't have shoes and is walking through snow along with men who are dying of starvation. Holt entertains readers by detailing what he and his group would do for fun, ie., sneaking away from camp to meet girls, etc.

I knew Holt was in the 16th Miss. Co. K. I was hoping it would mention Co. H where my relative fought, but it didn't.

Holt leaves for the war as a boy, but returns a man.

Great book. I highly recommend it.

Holt takes you with him through the war.......1999-05-18

Holt's memoirs are entertaining as well as informative. This book becomes hard to put down as you read. Very good details of life in the Army of Northern Virginia. He gives the "personal" side of the war so often left out by other memoirs. Reading this book was like having Holt tell you the story himself. Excellent.

One of the best Civil War memoirs.......1998-01-05

Few memoirs are both as entertaining and informative as this one. It is similar in many ways to "Co. Aytch" by Sam Watkins, the memoir quoted so heavily in the Ken Burns PBS series. One especially valuable aspect of Holt's reminiscences is that they begin well before the Civil War and afford a glimpse a pre-war life among the middle class in Mississippi. The editors have done a fine job of annotating the memoir, identifying individuals and events as well as pointing out Holt's occasional errors. As with most works of its type, the book deals more vividly with the happenings in camp and on the march between battles than with the battles themselves. Its chief weakness is that Holt wrote his memoirs many years after the war, so his recollections are inevitably tainted by things he learned afterward. It is recommended for any reader interested in the Civil War.

Book Description

In a series of mock lesson plans, the author of the incomparable Memory of Fire trilogy provides an eloquent, passionate, funny, and shocking expos of our first world privileges and assumptions. From a master class in "The Impunity of Power" to a seminar on "The Sacred Car"-with tips along the way on "How to Resist Useless Vices" and a declaration of "The Right to Rave"-he guides us through a world unevenly divided between abundance and deprivation, power and helplessness.

Customer Reviews:

English teacher gives this book a B.......2007-06-27

Modeled on a textbook, Eduardo Galeano's "Upside Down" is an expose of a Southern world hidden (by design and spin) from view of the affluent North. While Galeano's writing style (as always) is brilliant in its description and sarcasm, the fact that "Upside Down" reads like a textbook (complete w/tangential information/anecdotes in boxes interspersed w/in the text) detracts from its power. Topics don't flow smoothly into each other; rather, like an overworn transmission, the next topic clunks into place.

Many other reviewers didn't appreciate Galeano's "sermonizing", but I actually thought the book picked up when the author injected some of his ire and pathos, rather than abstractly reporting facts of the misery and hopelessness which many of our fellow human beings suffer on a daily basis. I felt like he was speaking on my behalf.

Defnitiely not a cheery read, but an enlightening one. Galeano speaks some hard truths that many in the North would rather not hear (The oppression/abuse of common workers; the gluttony of desire that unchecked Capitalism has created; corruption as a way of life in many parts of the world; the hyposcrisy of the "Friends of the Environment" who also happen to be the biggest polluters; et al).

Far Left, Well Done, Worth Reading.......2007-01-12

When I bought "Upside Down: A Primer for the Looking-Glass World" I thought I was buying another of the author's books, a compendium of short stories. Instead, I received a non-fiction primer of observations about how the world works, seen from the Marxist point of view. I am not sure that the author comes from a poverty stricken background -- typically, Marxist writing comes from upper middle class, well-educated persons with bad attitudes. Galeano is obviously a fine writer, in any event, and this book is well-executed around the concept of a series of lesson plans for teaching the reader about the political and financial arrangements that prevail, and about their consequences for human life. Upside Down is well worth reading for anyone of any political persuasion who is open to being informed about how the world may look to persons in the Southern Hemispere, in the shadow of the United States. The illustrations are compellingly macabre skeletal drawings, appearing throughout the text.

eh..........2006-05-30

My senior year i had to pick this book for an economics project... bad choice. I do like how there are boxes placed every so often with little stories/parables/facts etc. thats pretty nice i'll say, but the rest is repetitive bi***in, depressing, whining information that does interest me in the least. i think i'm better off going and reading some harry potter books.

Powerful book..........2006-04-03

Like most of Galeano's work, this is a powerful book. This is so, because it goes to the point, with no hypocrisy and no fear. It is a description of our reality in the third world and in my case, Latin America. He is very clear regarding our worst problem: the corrupted political class that we have to suffer. These gangsters that we have in Govt' in almost every country are worst than the foreign corporations...because they are stealing from their own people..but this we forget....because our second big problem is : bad memory...
Good reading, powerful stuff...

ashamed to be "upside down".......2004-06-04

Upside Down is a shocking and passionate documentation of the world's injustices that our "upside down" First World society has turned our back upon. This book will not merely evoke sympathy and remorse, but will leave you screaming for change. I found myself drawn especially to Galeano's dark humor and satirical, poetic style. Galeano's fiery language left me speechless. However, at times I did become glazed after reading list after list of facts. I found that the most inspirational and telling portions of the book were the rare asides and anecdotes in which individuals' stories were recounted. Galeano shows us the bleak reality that we have accepted- a reality where children toil from dawn to dusk to stay alive- a reality where power is driven by security, money and terror. This book will make you ashamed to be privileged.

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books