Lady Books

A NEAT review of Chicago history in the 50's (when I was in high school!) A great story -- well written and facts fairly presented. I have read it from the library, but am glad to have a copy of my own!. Thanks.

It's so sad to read about what happened so close to home 50 years ago. I read excerpts from this book to my 7th grade students each year after Thanksgiving, and you can always hear a pin drop. They always want to borrow my book after I read to them. In fact, my first copy got so worn that this is my second copy. This tragedy reminds us all how sometimes there has to be a tragic loss before change is made.

A realistic account of the events that happened on the day of the fire and the events leading up to it.

This was a fascinating book. I bought it to read on a trip, because of the excellent ratings. We were stuck in a plane on a runway in Dallas for 6 hours. The wait seemed much shorter, because I was thoroughly involved in reading this book.

I highly recommend it.

There are some hard parts to get through describing the fire, but you'll appreciate the Chicago history, the history around the event, what it did to the surrounding neighborhood and how it changed fire codes in the U.S. and likely the world. Your children are safer today because of what happened to these kids.

The book also made me replace all of my smoke detectors!

I read this book and I was not impressed.
It seemed very weak on spiritual "meat".
Not to mention, it was not well written. It seemed to jump around quite a bit.

If you are new to the faith, the book may be of use.
If you are a more seasoned sister or brother, you will probably put the book back on Amazon.

Wonderful book...it's a must read for anyone trying to obtain an intimate relationship with God, themselves, and their significant other!!!

Awesome Book! A must read for those of us searching for a deeper relationship with our Savior! Highly Recommended!!!!

This was a really good, easy-reading book. It's surprisingly insightful being written by a man. It's a book that speaks to the single woman hoping for a mate, as well as the married woman. I gives insight on how to understand how men think and feel and what they need, as well as how women feel. It challenges us to understand why we're have broken hearts and disappointments and how to become more whole.

T.D Jakes has written a book that every woman should read. Each page gives tremendous insights into the needs of a woman. Quite surprising to me, was that it was written by a man. I believe though that he was inspired by God - the Creator of women.
I have bought several copies to give to women I minister to from prison. There are golden nuggets within each page which will bring insight, love and healing to the reader. It's a good read for men, but may be a bit hard to understand all the emotion that is involved within it's pages.
I cried often and when I finished the book, I felt loved by God.

My daughter was reading this book for her government class and I started reading this. I could not put this book down. Even my husband started reading Lady President. This unique tale of international intrigue and political double-dealing is almost right out of todays headlines. President Marie Arcola is a tough, well created character and a role model for the women in our nation. I am going to bring this one to my bookclub and I hope to see a sequel soon.

The ladies from my book club stumbled on this Lady President novel over their summer reading from two of their teenage daughters. My gosh! The way this story is told is as if the author could see the future. The situation in Iraq and Iran, the events from last September, the incidents in Washington, D.C. President Marie Arcola is very much a mirror of what women are going through in todays world. I am a manager of a big company and I can relate to the stereotypes in this novel. Many of my friends who read this book were surprised about the certain prophecies touched upon in this fast-paced story. And we are only two years away from a Presidential election.

I had to pick a bunch of books to do my government paper. Lady President was one of the books. My teacher said it was great for a fiction but since there has not been an America woman president I could only use it for entertainment purposes. Still this book was the talk of my class. And I did my paper on other women in American politics. My older sister and my mom read Lady President and they loved it. They thought President Marie Arcola was a strong, tough character. We also liked Senator Ttrevor Thomas and the other characters. Someday this story might be true or a story like it. I will be going to college in two years and plan to go into education. I know for a fact there is politics in the field of education. I think this book educated a bunch of my friends and I about America with a woman president.

I am doing a high school paper about women in politics and I read Lady President. It is difficult to understand why women have to struggle in this country and I can identify with President Marie Arcola as she tries to get the generals and senators to cooperate and let her do her job. My teacher brought up this idea of an American woman president in class and the class was divided. Some of my friends read this book and were impressed. My government class has learned alot about other countries from this story. Especially Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. And the way the Taliban treated women. I think Lady President is ahead of its time and we hope to see another book with President Marie Arcola.

I am a San Francisco professor on Sabbatical. I was talking with my daughter about this extraordinary Lady President novel and I have brought it to my sisters attention. We were in New York City during the summer and two weeks after September 11th. Part of my teachings deal with how books and movies mirror our inner egos. In Xavier Carbajal's Lady President novel a tense dramatic statement is introduced for the future of America. Right off the bat, this author causes chaos: America has its first woman vice president and she wants to quit. Vice President Marie Arcolas life is near perfect. She has a wealthy, loving husband, two beautiful children and is ready to relax into a life of writing childrens novels. But terrorism makes the mark. My sister read this book a few months ago and she told me it was like walking through a maze of mirrors. I noticed this author wrote a Jules Verne sequel called Captain Nemo and another work on Edgar Allan Poe. Those other works are very different from this novel. I am curious as to how this author had the intuition to create Lady President. Although Hollywood and other writers have attempted to invent America with its first woman president, they will never come close to what Lady President has to offer. There is a sense of primal fear intertwined with every page. The author takes the lady president and asks us "What do you think? How is America with a woman president?" Now, since my daughter and I read this novel, my sister read it again and brought some interesting theories to light. My husband also read this novel and introduced a totally new revelation of Americas future: all the soldiers, the call to duty and the sacrifices made to fight true evil and our country now becoming a fortress. Mr. Carbajal left the end of this story with us wondering. We still have dozens of unanswered questions. I hope to see a sequel to this marvelous story.

This is a great manual for older boys suffering from puberty. I'd say 18 and above. I have 2 young boys and I'm saving my copy for them to read when old enough. I thought it was respectful to women and pretty true from the female perspective! Way to go Colin.

I began reading this book thinking that it was going to be totally sexist and vulgar. My mind wasn't very open to what I was about to read, but once I started, I found myself laughing and agreeing with a lot of the things that Colin writes. He nails the wants and needs of most women right on the head and even proceeds to explain the ways of women to the average clueless male. The book is a quick and worthwhile read. If you don't find yourself laughing at something on every other page, perhaps you should lighten up and get a sex life. Mad props.

my sister and i both read colin's book. it was both funny and educational. since its written in the male perspective i had a real learning experience. i even read some out loud to my boyfriend!! thanks for the help, and the great read!

This would be a great book for a guy in their teenage years, if however you are older than this I think that you will find this book childish with many chapters that are of no help whatsoever.

Most of the scenarios are school-based and there are chapters on zits, farting, and other teen-issue things.

Many of the techniques that the author puts across will most likely only work on teenage girls, for example the author says that to let a girl know you are interested in her you should make a stupid funny face at her.

In the author's idea for the first date he suggests that you take the girl to a fast food place (which we don't have here in NZ) that I'm guessing is like Burger King. I don't think a 30 year old woman is going to be very impressed if you take her to such a place on a date.

As I said there are chapters on zits, farting, and is your little man normal, etc which again are really of only use to teens.

I found the author's writing style to be rather annoying too, with lots of comments, afterthoughts, and attempts at being funny in brackets throughout the text that really breaks the flow of it.

If I was to rate this book on the amount of usefulness I (in my late twenties) got out of it I would give it 1 star. Realizing that this would be more useful for a teenage guy it gets an even 3 stars. The more accurate title for this book would be "A new Girls' Boy".

(Other than the cover posted - mine was much livelier), this book is really pretty good.

Helps guys who lack the confidence to approach and date women on a consistent basis.

Unfortunately this book, like many others in this vein, still hold onto the old saw in providing 'pickup lines' to initiate interest in the opposite sex. Pickup lines, no matter how clever or nuanced, don't work. Why? Because they are usually crude or insulting. Field tested routines are much better to convey the eight components of attraction and showcasing men's best qualities.


- Razr

This author is one of my favorites and here has produced another masterpiece. It's hard to imagine that Ivy won't stay in the mind of the reader for a long, long time. She steps off the pages of the book as a very real and fully-formed person who has wonderful perception, insight and depth to her character. She never leaves home but lives more fully than many a globe trotter because she LIVES every day. In that way she fulfills the enormous potential she had as a child even without adding conventional achievements to a resume. I absolutely loved this book and Ivy!

This is a great novel by one of America's most talented living Southern writers. Written in epistles, this novel is poignant and memorable. Fair and Tender Ladies is the only book that has made me cry in recent years--a must read.

This is just an excellent novel by a fine writer. In all honesty I'm sort of at a loss here so I'll just say that you should read this book. You'll thank all of us who have recommended it to you.

Oh, I heard Lee Smith interviewed and she's really worth hearing. She's funny, self-effacing and smart.

I love Ivy Rowe; especially the child Ivy whose words and observations make me smile and sometimes laugh out loud.
While I know some readers find adjusting to the letter-style of this book a little difficult, I found it a compelling read from the first page. I wrote lots of letters as a child, so perhaps that is why this style seems so natural to me.
I was most impressed with Ivy's words and style of speaking - this is exactly what Ivy does; she speaks through her letters because they are written exactly the way an Ivy Rowe would speak. It was very interesting to see how there are subtle changes in Ivy's words, phrases and spelings as she gets older and reads more.
I cried when Ivy hears the bell for the last time: I rarely cry when reading and I read a lot.

I'll admit that I haven't finished reading this novel yet, and I'm going to try to grit my teeth and get through it. However, I'm finding that Ivy is getting on my nerves, and I'm at about the middle of the book. At first, her childlike observations were appropriate because she was . . . well, a child. However, this gets to be ridiculous as she grows older. I mean, she's starting to seem like a simpleton. I know she doesn't have much education, but even with that in mind, she wouldn't be so child-like. Ater having gotten pregnant once out of wedlock, she starts an affair with another man. Where was her concern about getting pregnant again??? Also, what's starting to annoy me is that she keeps referring to herself as "ruined," but there is barely any outside societal manifestation of this. She is not shunned by anyone, and the man that she grew up with and eventually marries doesn't seem to think anything of marrying a woman who had a child out of wedlock and openly carried on an affair with some hot shot in town. I do not think it would be acceptable during that time for a young woman to openly carry on a sexual relationships like Ivy did. I'm not saying that women didn't have pre-marital sex, but I'm saying that it wasn't done so openly. I hate when authors put contemporary mindsets on people in historical novels.

Overall, this book is engaging at times, but I've started to dislike the protagonist more and more as I continue reading.

Update 6/28/08 - I finished reading this, and overall, I do think that its a worthwhile read. Also, I think the author is talented. I must say, though, that the novel was depressing. It is definitely one that will make you cry at the end, not because of any specific tragedy. It's sad because it so clearly shows us how swiftly life passes. This book is good, but in a way, I wish I hadn't read it because it is not uplifting (I guess you just have to be in the mood for this kind of novel).

I found a lot of the info in this book was also in the Lord of the Fading Lands - I am hoping the Queen of Soul and Song will simply carry on the story instead of repeating part of it.

I've been in search of fresh, riviting historical romance novels, but couldn't find anything (recently) that captured my attention. Then I found C.L. Wilson's tairen series, and WOW!

I couldn't put the books down... my only frustration is that book 4 hasn't been released yet (ough!). I can't wait to find out what Mrs. Wilson puts out next.

This is one of my favorite trilogies. It really is a great story. This is part II of the book,so be sure to read Lord of the Fading Lands first. I really like both characters, and C.L. Wilson does a good job at wrapping us into the story until you really feel for both of them. I'm going to have to make this part of my collection!

This story picks right up where Lord of the Fading Lands left off, and is just as good. Definitely need to read the first one to understand what's going on in this book. The action keeps moving as we're introduced to new characters and getting to know the main characters (good and evil) more in depth. I can't wait to find out how the story of Ellie's "real" parents plays out! This book also brings into play more of the politics that is going on between the different cultures, specifically the fey and celearians, but we also learn more about the eld and the mages. In the midst of it all, Rain is still romancing Ellie in hopes she'll accept their bond as lifemates. Finished this book in just over a day, I couldn't put it down, as I was swept up in this new world. I love that the main characters are discovering each other and don't always do everything perfectly. Ellie has finally come to terms with the idea that she has magic within her, and while she doesn't understand how she can possibly save the fey and tarian, she's willing to try despite her fears. Rain, who hates the mage, has to come to terms with the fact that Ellie has been mage marked. I am desperately waiting for my copy of King of Sword and Sky to arrive (I have it on hold at the library and also ordered a copy from amazon, I need it now!). I don't know how I'll be able to wait until June for the Queen of Song and Soul, which will be bittersweet as I can't wait to find out what happens, but will be so sad for this story to come to an end! All I can say is read this series, you won't be disappointed!!

The Tairen Soul Series (Paranormal- Fae Fantasy/Medieval Romance):

Lord of the Fading Lands

Lady of Light and Shadows

King of Sword and Sky

Queen of Song and Souls (March 2009)


As with the first book in this series ("Lord of the Fading Lands"), I finished the last pages of "Lady of Light and Shadows" with anxious anticipation of starting the third book. C.L. Wilson had me enthralled from Chapter six to the very end. I'm ranking this book with 4.5 stars, because the first 100 pages or so were slow. I skimmed them a bit. I'm guessing that it is because I read the books back-to-back, rather than waiting a few weeks between them as readers would have when they were first released. Those pages are also necessary for people who hadn't read the first book. For me, it was boring and I really wanted to see the story continue where it had left off at the end of book one. (Time line wise, it actually does pick up right where book one left off. But pace and excitement wise, things are slowed down to remind or inform readers of things that happened in book one.) The story truly begins to move around chapter six, then you will find yourself as ensnared as you were with book one.

Book three, here I come.........

Important Note:
This series is an ongoing story. You will want to read them in order. Here are links so far:

Lord of the Fading Lands

Lady of Light and Shadows

King of Sword and Sky (Tairen Soul)

Queen of Song and Souls (March 2009){Link not yet available}

I was looking forward to reading Eryk Hanut "The Road to Guadalupe: A Modern Pilgrimage to the Virgin of the Americas". When it arrived I was surprised to see that the title on the cover was "The Road to Guadalupe: A Modern Pilgrimage to the Goddess of the Americas". I was disappointed and confused why the book had not been presented with its true title. Why the deception?

As I began to read the book it became clear that Mr. Hanut's take on the miracle at Guadalupe was coming from more of an occult or New Age interpretation. On the inside flap of the cover it says how Mr. Hanut "travels deep inside the occult religiosity of Mexican Culture." He quotes from the "Dictionary of True Magic", "Brujeria: A body of religious and folk magic practices that blends Roman Catholicism and the Aztec goddess faith. It has been influenced by other traditions, such as spiritism, Santeria, voodoo, Wicca and ceremonial magic... Brujeria is centered around the worship of Our Lady of Guadalupe."

This not the true Lady of the Americas. The genuine Our Lady of Guadalupe told Juan Diego:""Know and understand well, you the most humble of my sons, that I am the ever-virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the earth."

Jesus Christ on his cross gave us His Mother to be Our Mother. Mary is the New Eve. She is the perfect Disciple of the Lord. Her power is in her humility and obedience before God. She does nothing on her own but is in perfect harmony with her Son and Saviour. This is who Our Lady of Guadalupe is is spirit and truth. To settle for anything else is to miss the mark.

This book is just AMAZING- I bought it with "Blessings of Guadalupe"by the same author, and i am really thrilled and impressed by the beauty of this talent; I am sure that Eryk Hanut's name will shine in the history of writing; Buy this book and you will acquire the same belief; His metaphors, sense of prose and lyricism are just matchless- Can't wait for the next book of Eryk Hanut!!

This was a terrific read for anyone interested in La Virgen. I wish all the books about her delivered like this one.

What a thoroughly delightful book. It was an informative and fun weave of history and personal journey. And funny! There were parts which are still causing me to laugh. This book is a treasure.

This book is just superb! And I mean- SUPERB!!!!!!!!!Poetic,funny, acerbic- and so full of wisdom. I like his style- so irreverent and so deep at the same time. I will reread it often and will give it around.
I strongly recommend it- you got the point, right?
I met Eryk Hanut once- many years ago. I attended an opening for his artwork in Virginia Beach. I was with a friend (who was already sick and has died since)who admired and praised one of Mr. Hanut's Art pieces . She told him so and joked that she couldn't afford it; He left us and came back with the framed photograph that he had just took off the wall- and gave it to my friend. That's the kind of man he is.
Long live authors of his talent and originality!

Pat Summits insights and coaching knowledge is the best. Better yet is her ability to tell a story. Great reading. Must read for all coaches.

Coach Summit is without a doubt the absolute best college basketball coach-male or female ever. And she doesn't even have to throw chairs. My hat's off to her and her program. Talk about integrity, work ethic and understanding of the game. Her book shines as a testament to her abilities. You have a lot to learn, Geno.

"Raise the Roof", along with "Reach for the Summitt", is a must read for anyone with an interest in collegiate sports, particularly women's basketball. It gives you an insight into the world of Lady Vol basketball and a deeper appreciation of why the Lady Vols phenomenon is more than just a team or a basketball program. It gives you an awareness of why Lady Vol basketball is more aptly described as a tradition. It also gives you a feel for why in Pat Summitt's world losing is rare, unacceptable, and necessary, all at the same time. The book is a testament to why her players adore her and why they choose the Tennessee way and tradition rather than play elsewhere. Candace Parker, arguably the best player to date to wear the orange, remarked recently, "I came to Tennessee because I was one of those people lining the court [for an autograph as a 7th grader] to see coach Summitt and the Lady Vols [during a Depaul-Tennessee game]... To be a fan of women's basketball is to be a fan of Tennessee. And that's a responsibility that we have to represent our school. It's something we don't take for granted." You get to feel why every loss by the Lady Vols is a grief session. You get to feel why Chamiqua Holdsclaw, arguably Tennessee all-time most prolific scorer, wept inconsolably after a loss in her last game in the orange. The book is also a monument to what one woman from a humble beginning with an unwavering passion to succeed has helped to guide a generation of women to excel as individuals while ultimately doing, in the Tennessee way, that which is for the greater good of the team and by extension preserve the Tennessee tradition. You will come away with a sense of why Pat Summitt is the ultimate motivator in women's basketball today.

Raise the roof is very good. i have read the book so many times that the front is about to come off. I love coach summitt and the lady vols. This is a book that i would like to be buried with. The stories are great and the season was the best i ever saw. GO LADY VOLS!!!!

Loved it! Loved it! Loved it! Pat Summitt is genuine, frank, and honest in her emotions and actions toward her life, her teams, and her family. What a ride!

this was a very good book, very well written and rich in spiritual matter. it contained a few deaths, which i would much rather it didn't. however, it was tender, without being overly romantic and had a good plot. also, it deals with a lot of very modern issues, which was really helpful. i intend to read it again, as i do with only the best books.

Charlotte Lamb has made a mistake that will change her life forever. A mistake that her father the vicar refuses to forgive, a mistake that causes her sister to despise her, a mistake that sends her to a temporary home for unwed mothers. The man who contributed to her situation, Edward, had no intention of doing the honorable thing by marrying her, not when he could marry her cousin and gain a fortune. She is alone in this world, until she meets an old suitor, Dr. Daniel Taylor, who is battling his own demons. Daniel is married to a woman who suffers from manic depression due to her pregnancy. He loves his wife and remains faithful to her, but still has feelings for Charlotte. Charlotte is unable to keep her darling son and makes the ultimate sacrifice that any mother would dread to make: she gives away her son to the very man who so cruelly slighted her. Meanwhile, Mrs. Taylor gives birth to a little girl who they name Anne. His wife is unable and considers it beneath her to nurse her daughter, so Charlotte steps in as the baby's wet nurse and nanny. The awkward situation continues even a little while after his wife does better, at least until Charlotte feels that it is time for her to move on. She takes a different position as a wet nurse for another couple but doesn't hold that occupation for very long. Mrs. Taylor is pregnant again and in a drastic attempt to return to her country, she dies. To help her old friend, Charlotte returns to caring for Anne as if she were her own daughter. When the proper time of mourning passes, Daniel proposes to Charlotte, but she refuses because her soul still needs healing after what she experienced. A few years pass, Edward's wife dies and it only makes sense to him that he should make Charlotte his wife, that way she could finally be a true mother to her son.
I swear, no matter how many times I read "The Lady of Milkweed Manor," I always end up crying like a baby. Then ending is bittersweet and everything you could hope for for Charlotte. The Christian message is subtle and not at all preachy. While Charlotte loves her son with all her heart, she regrets her mistake and is humbled through out the story. In the flashbacks she is shown as a carefree and innocent girl, after her "fall" she matures into a strong, independent young woman. I also admire the character Daniel Taylor; here is a man who loves and is attracted to another woman other than his wife, but there is no place in the story where he cheats on his wife or treats Charlotte with any impropriety.
Julie Klassen's newest book, "The Apothecary's Daughter" is out in the bookstores now and I eagerly am waiting (not so patiently) until I can read it.
http://thestorygurl.blogspot.com

I enjoyed this book so much, and have thought about it even after I have finished it - and being a mom of 2 with a full time job that is saying a lot! The history of wet nurses is interesting, but not overally detailed or graphic. It fit well with the theme and story line. You will love Charlotte and other characters that are woven wonderfully into this story. It also talks about post partum depression from the view of that time period. Again, interesting and fit with the story. I am so excited to read her second book in January! SPOILER - for the reviewer who wrote about a hole in the story line concerning Daniel's wife: the reader is aware she took her own life by drowning in the ocean. The reader knows she is dead and time does pass before Daniel proposes to Charlotte.

In Regency England, Charlotte Lamb, a proper vicar's daughter, has committed the ultimate social disgrace by becoming pregnant out of wedlock. Turned out of her home and shunned by her family, Charlotte goes to a lying-in hospital to avoid the shame of anyone else finding out her secret. But once there, she is at first stunned, and then reassured, to discover that her one-time suitor, Daniel Taylor, is now a physician at the facility. Can the romance between the two be rekindled, despite Charlotte's fall and Daniel's manic wife?

Ms. Klassen has penned an exquisite first novel that echoes the era of Jane Austen in both setting and style. Charlotte is humbled by her disgrace, yet manages to persevere through several difficult choices. I particularly enjoyed the milkweed theme which was woven throughout the book, and the statements taken from actual texts of the day that begin each chapter. This novel engaged me from the first page, and I can highly recommend Lady of Milkweed Manor to anyone who delights in Regency romance.

Thanks to The Historical Novel Society for bringing this book to my attention!

I read an audiobook and the main thing that attracted me to it was the narration of Simon Prebble. I didn't really know that it falls into the category of Christian books since it would've probably avoided it, but nevertheless I'm glad that I decided to read it.
It is a very clean book with no real passion or sex scenes (I'm a big fan or Moning, Kleypas and Balogh), so to me it did not really read like a romance. But then again, I don't know anything about the Christian romance genre so this might be the standard.

If you read it with no expectation of romance in mind and want to read about unwed mothers in that time, you will enjoy it. Be prepared for a well researched book with many details on nursing and births. The plot is unpredictable and the story is very easily read.

***spoiler***
However, I felt that some explanations were missing such as how did Daniel Taylor's wife actually die. It felt that in one chapter she was fine (depressed yes, but fine), and then all of the sudden she was dead. There is also no reaction on Taylor's side- how did he feel about this wife dying? The first time that the reader finds out that she is dead is when Taylor asks Charlotte is she wants to be his wife. And how did Charlotte feel about his wife's death? This hole in the plot really bothered me and it felt as if a huge part of the story is missing.
***end spoiler***

Overall, it is a good debut and I will actually consider reading another book from this author in the future since I like her writing style and her themes. I just won't expect the usual romance stuff in it.

This book is a very good resource for those who want to know more about Marva Collins and what she was able to do for so many. It is a wonderful resource for teachers

Originally published in 1982 (revised and re-published in 1990), this book tells the story of who Marva Collins is, starting with her childhood and what contributed to her becoming the person she is. The book explains her start as a public school teacher and dealing with the negative politics of schools, then about how and why she opened her own private school where she was freer to use her own teaching methods including the ability to have full control over the curriculums and books she wanted to use.

While working in the Chicago public school system she held her students to a higher standard and taught more difficult material than the school felt was necessary. She felt that children would rise to the level of the teacher's expectations. In times of civil unrest regarding black and white relations, she felt that children from the "ghetto" are indeed teachable. Even the students who have been labeled as having numerous disorders (by school staff) or who are said to have been unteachable, indeed are teachable.

This book tells the story of what Marva Collins believed, the general philosophy is clearly explained. Why she feels a return to the classical education method is a good idea, including why rote memorization of math facts and some other information is explained. She believes a liberal arts education is right for all children of all races and income levels. Her anti-progressive education stance is explained. What specific content she taught and why is there. A good amount of information is given about why she believes that intensive phonics education is necessary and good for all children (and avoiding the look-say / sight reading method). How she taught Shakespeare to young children and her use of the classics and other, more difficult older books is covered. (This is not a curriculum guide for school teachers or homeschoolers to read and copy her method.)

What is not stated that was clear to me is that Collins is a truly brilliant person who used her own knowledge to make many connections within the classroom. Her teaching methods do not rely only on use of certain curriculums but rather depend on the teacher having certain knowledge from their own education and then using that in classroom discussions to make connections between the books and facts that the children were using and what they were learning. In order to teach in the exact way that she does, the teacher must have a foundation of education present, specifically a good liberal arts education herself. Collins realized this was an issue when she first began hiring teachers to work in her private school.

Collins also criticizes many teachers who she feels are uneducated and blames them for not only setting low standards and looking for easy ways to teach but for not being able to have the type of discussions that she has with her students. Collins comes out being quite harsh on public school teachers. Collins' blames teachers for being a main cause of the breakdown of public education. She thinks that some are products of inferior educations themselves, leaving them ignorant and uneducated without a strong foundation from which to teach from. She feels there are teachers who don't know how to teach, who are then subject to various educational fads that clearly are not working (i.e. the look-say method of teaching reading). She also condemns teachers who have low standards about children's abilities as being the issue, feeling children will rise to the level of their expectations.

This is the first book written about Marva Collins. It is a good read to get the beginning of the story and the general background of her theory. She has a second book if you are left wanting more "Ordinary Children, Extraordinary Teachers" is the title.

"Marva Collins' Way" would be of interest to educators who like to read success stories of teachers who do things differently, those who want to or like to buck the status quo or try to stand up to `the education machine' to do what they think is right and best for their students.

Teachers and others interested in charter schools or private schools who have different standards for their students would also like this book.

Anyone interested in the topic of the history of American education or education reform would enjoy this as well.

This will appeal to anyone concerned with the education of inner city, low income level minority children and their experience in public schooling.

Lastly homeschooling parents may learn a thing or two about standards in education and expecting more from students.

At the very least the book is a good read that is inspiring. At its best it may influence you, in whatever role you have with children or education, to raise the standards and to stand up to a failing system in whatever way is applicable in your life.

How I came to read this book: Two years ago a local classical method homeschool support group leader recommended the writings of Marva Collins to me to provide encouragement for having high standards in educational content for children, even young children. I was going through a time when I was being pressured by some homeschooling parents who feel that education should be dumbed down and that little should be expected of elementary grade children. Later another classical homeschooling mother/ blogger whose writing and opinion I respect credited Marva Collins' books as providing inspiration for her educational model for the very same reason. I decided to obtain a copy of Collins' books and I read her first book this month (finally).

The Marva Collins story is an inspiring story of a teacher who was passionate about teaching and excelled through the odds set against her by the school system.

marva collins is such an idol and inspiration for me. she is so full of morals and has a brilliant answer for all of life's problems. get this book if you want to hear the most intelligent things from the most intelligent human being walking the earth! she is HIGHLY underrated as an educator and everything! i really needed to find her b/c as she says, "in this slippery world we all need something to hold onto...." thank you Marva, I love you and God bless you!

I read about 70 pages of the book and unfortunately lost it during my travel. I will be buying this book again. Marva is an extraordinary teacher who has taught me at my middle age that NO CHILD CAN FAIL TO SUCCEED in school. She has achieved this with such re-sounding success that one would want to have a teacher like her for all children in the world. I have no words to express how great the feeling is when you know that every child has all the potential to succeed.