Northeastern Seashore Life - Labrador to Massachusetts: An Introduction to Familiar Plants and Animals (Pocket Naturalism Series)

Book Description

The Pocket Naturalist card is a pocket-sized, folding card which provides simplified, easy-to-use reference to what everyone should know about familiar plants, animals, and natural history. Maps are included to highlight prominent sanctuaries and outstanding natural attractions. Every card is laminated so that it is waterproof and practical for use in the field. This card highlights over 100 of Northeastern North America's most familiar marine plants, sea stars, shellfish, crabs, fishes, birds, and marine mammals.

Book Description

Hikes varying from half-hour strolls to full-day adventures, this guidebook is for everyone, including families.

Customer Reviews:

Not always reliable and maybe outdated.......2004-02-23

The book is written well and very attractive.
But it is unreliable and potentially dangerous. For example, it encouraged taking a regular car (and driving carefully) on a road the National Park Service says is only good for SUVs or ATVs. This was risky advice. It was hard to find some of the trailheads the book mentioned, though that might simply be because this year 2000 book might already be out of date.

Average customer rating:

one of the better ones out there but not the best

Pragmatic, accesible and entertaining writing guide

few techniques many examples

Required Reading!

Excellent

Master Class in Fiction Writing: Techniques from Austen, Hemingway, and Other Greats
Adam Sexton
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fiction | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
Writing Skills | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Reference | Subjects | Books
General | Foreign Languages | Reference | Subjects | Books
Look Inside Nonfiction Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
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All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Reference | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Plot & Structure: (Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish) (Write Great Fiction)

Reading Like a Writer: A Guide for People Who Love Books and for Those Who Want to Write Them (P.S.)

Write Great Fiction: Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint : (Techniques and exercises for crafting dynamic characters and effective viewpoints) (Write Great Fiction)

Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide from New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School

Story Structure Architect: A Writer's Guide to Building Dramatic Situations and Compelling Characters

ASIN: 0071448772

Customer Reviews:

one of the better ones out there but not the best.......2007-01-12

This was a good value for the amount of advice offered. However it didnt improve my fiction writing significantly --- maybe because I like completely different styles and novels than what Mr. Sexton chose as examples. I dont regret buying, but will probably donate to charity after rereading.

Pragmatic, accesible and entertaining writing guide.......2006-11-02

I stumbled on this book browsing in B&N and couldn't put it down...so I bought it, read it and later even enrolled in a course. Most useful writing book I've encountered including those by Eudora Welty, Natalie Goldberg, Anne LaMott, Steven King, Orson Scott Card, Lawrence Block, Sue Grafton, Noah Lukeman, Lou Stanek, Marcia Golub, Robert Olen Butler and Francine Prose. All those folks had interesting and helpful things to impart, it's Sexton's book I turn to when I get stuck...which is why I was perusing the writing section of B&N that day to begin with.

Sexton's unique approach is the reason "Master Class in Fiction Writing" stands out. In each chapter he "workshops" a different book or short story written by a GREAT writer (instead of just anybody who can afford to pay tuition.) What originally drew me in, for example, was his discussion of the descriptions in John Updike's "Rabbit, Run." I admire Updike almost as much as Nicholson Baker (see "U and I") but Sexton showed me that his descriptions add up to more than the sum of their respective parts. He showed (by way of Updike) how good description is an integral themetic element, not poetic diversion. (BTW, he'd never inflict you with a phrase like "integral themetic element" which just shows you why I needed this book.) Anyway, when I revise now I know exactly what to keep and cut because I better understand how to measure its contribution to the overall work.

Didn't some of those other writing books make a similar point? Well sure, but Sexton got it to penetrate my brain. Both his own prose and prose examples resemble good description: concrete, specific, precise and original. I also valued the chapter on literary style because he brought out how Hemingway's voice is NOT merely a matter of short staccato sentences, but based on long compound sentences and a distinct diction too. That may sound abstract but when he breaks "A Farewell to Arms" for you, you'll be able to gauge where your work falls on a stylistic spectrum (giving appropriate credit to John Gardner, btw) and whether that suits your purpose.

The greatest strength of this book however is the immensely useful discussion of point of view. Nearly every "how to write" book touches on this topic, but the explanation in this book is where "Master Class" pulls away from the figurative pack. In two chapters Sexton not only gives a taste of the many flavors of 1st, 2nd, 3rd person (did you know there is more than one way to do 2nd person?) and omniscent but he helps you match them to the type of work you are writing. Again, I've read many, many discussions of POV that use cameras etc...but Sexton's gave me new insights into whether the strategy I'd chosen was appropriate for the interior life of my characters as well as the timescale of my novel.

"Master Class" is also a good read despite it's somewhat forbidding title. As writing books go there's relatively little jargon, but lots of humor. Perhaps because Sexton doesn't seem to have any particular axe to grind its inordinately accessible. Well, that's not quite true. He does insist that if people can be taught brain surgery they can probably learn (by reading great writers) how to write better fiction too. So if you find yourself getting frustrated with writing workshops save yourself a few hundred dollars next semester and read this instead. It's -- forgive the cliche -- like having your cake and eating it too.

few techniques many examples.......2006-10-13

I am not writing in English and try to learn some fiction writing skills. This book has cited many literay fiction and is a good source for you to find fictions good at dialogue, etc. But it provides very few techniques and you have to read the referred literature to know how to write a dialogue. I jumped many paragraphs. I also can not agree with the author on what attract the readers. Sometimes I feel the opposite about certain classics. Other books I am reading provide me with many techniques such as Techniques of Selling Writer and Immediate Fiction.

Required Reading!.......2006-08-09

I read MASTER CLASS IN FICTION WRITING and wanted to go back and reread every work of literature I ever loved. I would get twice as much out of my old favorites reading them from the perspective of a writer, the authors themselves. Sexton uses the works of Austen, Hemingway, Joyce, and Morrison, among many others, to demonstrate how to write like a genius of the craft - even if, as he states, you aren't one, but merely sensitive, intelligent, and hard-working. The premise of MASTER CLASS - that writing can be learned - is heartening.

Sexton's passion for and knowledge of literature, his humor in it all and his ability to laugh at himself (he's a writer, too, after all) make MASTER CLASS both constructive and entertaining; think being in a class taught by a teacher everybody loves and respects. I learned and I laughed reading MASTER CLASS. And since Sexton seems to have memorized every classic ought to be read, it is a great save on time for those of us who have forgotten what A farewell to Arms is about or don't feel like getting into Faulkner. In this `class' the instructor does the work for you, giving the answers on how to structure a sound story, create `round' characters, keep plot in motion, and make the most of description, dialogue, point of view, voice and style - until, of course, the real work of writing your story begins. But Sexton makes sure you're prepared for that.

MASTER CLASS IN FICTION WRITING is a must read, and not just once. I will return to it each time I sit down to write a new story, the way I reference yearly my mother's unfailing instructions on how to cook a turkey before tackling the almighty bird. A fiction writer's gift to give is a good story; one would like to see it in print. With discipline and years of work, there's a chance it can happen. Sign up for Sexton's book, MASTER CLASS IN FICTION WRITING, and it's a near guarantee.

Excellent.......2006-07-27

Sexton's book, Master Class in Fiction Writing, is well-organized, clear and concise while being very entertaining. This isn't your college lit class but you'd wish it were. Each chapter takes you through a different work (reprinted) with Sexton using the example to demonstrate different aspects of fiction writing. A 'class' like this could run to the purely academic but Sexton is a very entertaining writer and it's difficult to stop reading at the end of each chapter. If you are interested in learning more about writing in general and/or improving your own writing, you will get a lot out of this book and enjoy yourself while doing so.

Average customer rating:

japanese crest

Traditional Japanese Family Crests for Artists and Craftspeople (Dover Pictorial Archives)
Isao Honda
Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Asian | Regional | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Clip Art | Graphic Design | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
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Japanese Design Motifs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series)

Japanese Crests CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art)

Traditional Japanese Crest Designs (Dover Design Library)

Elements Of Japanese Design: Handbook Of Family Crests, Heraldry & Symbolism

Japanese Emblems and Designs (Pictorial Archives)

ASIN: 0486422739

Book Description

Over 1,700 compact, graceful designs — a traditional part of many Japanese family histories — are featured in this handsome, versatile collection. Depicting plant, leaf, animal, and fan designs in circular motifs; astronomical images, and more, the authentic, royalty-free crests are ideal for use as spot illustrations in a variety of graphic projects.

Customer Reviews:

japanese crest.......2007-09-21

I am sure the book is good for some, but it wasn't what I was hoping it would be.

Traditional Japanese Crest Designs (Dover Design Library)

Average customer rating:

Traditional Japanese Crest Designs
A good reference for the genre with over 500 crests.

Traditional Japanese Crest Designs (Dover Design Library)

Manufacturer: Dover Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Decorative Arts | Design & Decorative Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0486252434

Book Description

Over 500 royalty-free stylized motifs. Nature, abstracts, geometrics, more. Striking designs for logos, spots, other graphics.

Customer Reviews:

Traditional Japanese Crest Designs.......2000-08-17

A nice but short selection. Well laid out by types. I have bought other books with 5 times more designs.

A good reference for the genre with over 500 crests........1999-01-26

45 pages with about 12 crests per page make this book a useful reference tool for designers and others. Each page takes a subject such as mountains, plum blossom or ivy and demonstrates the variety of crests that have been made for each theme. The book lacks any information about the significance of each of the themes which was it's biggest failing. Otherwise it will probably have an interesting life as part of my book collection and become a useful resource.

Japanese Traditional Patterns: Implements and Structures, Geometric Patterns, Stylized Patterns, Court Patterns, Family Crests

Average customer rating:

Japanese Traditional Patterns: Implements and Structures, Geometric Patterns, Stylized Patterns, Court Patterns, Family Crests
Motoji Niwa , and Sadao Hibi
Manufacturer: Graphic Sha Pub Co
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Proven ways to overcome performance anxiety

Whether you're new to dog sports or an experienced dog handler, it's quite common to experience mild to severe performance anxiety during competition. Now, with Conquering Ring Nerves, you can face and overcome your anxiety through an easy-to-follow, successful program.

No matter what's going on inside or outside the ring, Diane Peters Mayer shows you how to calm yourself, stay focused, boost your self-esteem, and give a blue-ribbon performance. She uses a multidimensional approach developed during her years as a psychotherapist and anxiety specialist, complete with exercises and techniques adapted from such areas as sports psychology, yoga, and physical fitness. You'll discover how to ground yourself and compete from your "core", and take advantage of quick stress busters and ways to loosen and energize your body. Packed with proven tips to find success and have fun in the ring, Conquering Ring Nerves is your one-stop guide to overcoming competition jitters and becoming the handler of your dreams.

Reveals how to achieve peak performance under pressure in all dog sports, from agility, obedience, and confirmation to Rally-O, freestyle, and more
Features illuminating, real-life ring nerves stories
Explains how to stop being afraid, set goals, and reach them
Includes a Training Diary to keep yourself on track during training and competitions
Offers further reading and resources lists to build upon what you've learned

Download Description

How dog handlers can overcome performance anxiety when competing

The AKC reports that more than 2 million entrants compete in events they sanction yearly, and thousands more compete under the auspices of other dog performance sport organizations. Designed for competitive dog handlers who experience mild to severe performance anxiety, this one-of-a-kind guide offers a complete desensitization program to help conquer competition jitters. Written by a psychotherapist who specializes in anxiety disorders, the book features illuminating real-life ring nerves stories and comes packed with proven tips and techniques to help handlers calm their nerves and achieve peak performance under pressure.

Diane Peters Mayer, MSW (Doylestown, PA), is a psychotherapist specializing in studying and treating anxiety disorders, including performance anxiety and self-defeating behavior.

Customer Reviews:

Wow! What a great book!.......2004-04-11

If you get nervous in competition, this is the book for you! Diane goes step by step on how to combat the dreaded Ring Nerves. In this book, you'll learn how important breathing is, how to create a safe space and distance yourself from your fears, how to be in-tuned with your dog, improve your self-esteem, focus on your goals and how to stretch. This is a wonderful book -- I highly recommend it.

Book Description

Filipino martial artist Amante Marinas Sr. brings the seldom-seen origins and techniques of a dozen weapons of the Philippine Islands together in one place in Pananandata: History and Techniques of the Daga, Yantok, Balisong, and Other Traditional Weapons of the Philippines. Not since Dan Inosanto's out-of-print classic The Filipino Martial Arts has one book encompassed so many different aspects of the arts of the Philippines. Marinas uses clear instruction and step-by-step photos to teach readers the fighting techniques of such weapons as the dikin (ring), hawakan (Philippine tonfa), latiko (whip), blowgun and tabak toyok (nunchaku), tracing these weapons from their origins as tools in the rural farmlands and demonstrating their deadly effectiveness today.

Book Description

The first comprehensive look at the many uses, from historical to pharmacological, of vascular plants found in the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada of California and Nevada is the longest continuous mountain range in the United States. Covering about 20 percent of California's land base and part of western Nevada, it offers an exceptional variety of topographic relief and environmental conditions that allow for a high diversity of plant species, many of them endemic to the range. The Sierra contains over 50 percent of California's total flora, approximately 405 plant taxa endemic to the Sierra, and 218 taxa considered rare.

Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada inventories the flora of the entire range, including comprehensive descriptions of the plants; their traditional uses as food, medicine, or for making tools and other utensils; and their habitat; plus "quick keys" to help identify similar species. The authors' introduction describes the natural history and ecology of Sierra Nevada plants in terms of plant communities and life zones, addressing the impact of such variables as climate, elevation, soil, and precipitation. They also outline the basic principles of ethnobotany, the role of plants in nutrition and human medicine, the classification of plants, and methods of collecting plant specimens and protecting rare species. The plant descriptions are accompanied by line drawings of each major species, and the book includes a table of Sierra Nevada habitats and their associated plants, along with a list of threatened, endangered, and sensitive plant species found in the range. Wild Plants of the Sierra Nevada is an essential guide for botanists, outdoors aficionados, and anyone interested in the intricate connections between plants, their environment, and our human species.

Customer Reviews:

Save your money..........2007-01-30

I am very disappointed in this book.

From the Introduction: "Common names for plants can be misleading and do not always distinguish among the species. Additionally a plant known by a common name in one region may have another common name elsewhere, leading to further confusion. However, common names have been retained because they are generally of more interest." Then the book presents the plants alphabetically by common name. Of course this presumes that I even *know* common names for plants I know by botanical nomenclature.

Clearly I was wearing botany blinders when I read the description, saw, "an essential guide for botanists" and thought it might be a good addition to my library. It should be called "Eating the Plants of the Sierra" because it is all about the ethno botany, hardly bothering to offer more than a few one-line descriptions of a "key characteristic" to help you realize that out of a particular group of related plants, some are edible, some are not.

It's ironic that Amazon is pairing this book with Weedon's "Sierra Nevada Flora"; while "Wild Plants" acknowledges that "various keys are adapted from several sources, including ...Weedon.", what the book does NOT report is that there are direct remarks in "Wild Plants" that are almost identical to remarks made by Weedon; about Snowplant (Sarcodes sanguinea): Weedon says, "Stalks edible when cooked like asparagus; however this plant is rare and protected by law."; "Wild Plants" says: This fleshy plant is edible when prepared like asparagus. However, this is a protected and rare plant..." adding that you should only eat one in a emergency! I'm still trying to imagine being stuck in a bad situation with only my stove, a steamer and some hollandaise!

IF your primary interest is in learning about native uses of plants, this might be a better book than I realize. Aside from just about everything seeming to be a cure for toothaches or some sort of bleeding, I also learned this "Interesting fact: Small-flowered collinsia was used to make a horse run fast and was used externally for sore flesh." So I guess if you are on a slow horse, bleeding, and happen to ride by some small-flowered collinsia (and recognize it), you are going to be in luck.

Ready to snack on something from the carrot family? Cautiously go through the ways to prepare delicious Lomatium ("Caution: SOME species were too resinous to enjoy") but don't stop short of reading about Poison Hemlock (described but not illustrated) which is described as "a painless way to die!"

The book actually mentions that some plants are rare, then goes on to suggest that if you want to try eating them you should do so with moderation. "If you decide to harvest plants, it is important to harvest them with wisdom and respect."

Bottom line: this book, with misspelled plant names (a few found so far), minimal identification information, and that odd common-name thing, is not worth $40 unless you are a pharmacist.

Average customer rating:

Wildflowers for the Botannically Challenged

Sierra Nevada Wildflowers
Elizabeth L. Horn
Manufacturer: Mountain Press Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Gardening & Horticulture | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0878423885

Customer Reviews:

Wildflowers for the Botannically Challenged.......2000-08-30

This is the book for those of us who want to be able to identify wildflowers in the Sierras. The format makes it easy to find the wildflowers in question. An added bonus is the description of where each plant grows. As a avid hiker, mountain biker, and artist who lives in the Sierras, this book will stay in my daypack!

Wildflowers of the Sierra Nevada and Central Valley

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Wildflowers of the Sierra Nevada and Central Valley
Laird R. Blackwell
Manufacturer: Lone Pine Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1551052261

Book Description

A photographic guide to 200 wildflower species from the Central Valley near Sacramento, west up to the peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains. Each species has at least one photograph, a description and notes on its distribution, native and modern uses and similar species.

Wildflowers 3 the Sierra Nevada (Wildflowers)

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Wildflowers 3 the Sierra Nevada (Wildflowers)
Elizabeth L. Horn
Manufacturer: Touchstone Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0911518401

Trees Of The California Sierra Nevada (Trees of the Us)

Average customer rating:

Good Laymans Guide

Trees Of The California Sierra Nevada (Trees of the Us)
George A. Petrides
Manufacturer: Stackpole Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books

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ASIN: 0811731669

Book Description

For wilderness travelers and backyard naturalists alike, the sheer number and variety of North American trees can make identification a daunting task. For those who have struggled to distinguish the Pacific Yew from the Redwood or the Quaking Aspen from the Fremont Cottonwood comes Trees of the U.S., a user-friendly series of field guides. Ingeniously organized to allow for easy reference, each book in the series offers complete coverage of a given region of the United States and includes detailed and accurate illustrations of each species. Best of all, these guides are compact and lightweight, making them easy to throw in a pack and take along on a hike or camping trip.

Customer Reviews:

Good Laymans Guide.......2007-07-08

Great for the occasional hiker strolling thru the woods and wondering, "i wonder what kind of tree that is"? good illustrations esp. illustrations of bark(which are usually hard to draw). spend a couple of bucks, it will make you hike a whole lot more interesting.....

Sierra Flower Finder a Guide to Sierra Nevada Wildflowers (Nature Study Guides)

Average customer rating:

Sierra Flower Finder a Guide to Sierra Nevada Wildflowers (Nature Study Guides)
Glenn Keator
Manufacturer: Nature Study Guild Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0912550090

Average customer rating:

Pictures AND Information!
Clear, easy-to-use guide with great pictures!

Sierra Nevada Wildflowers
Karen Wiese
Manufacturer: Falcon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 1560449810

Book Description

The Sierra Nevada region is a land of alpine lakes, ubiquitous mountains, and meadows filled with a seemingly endless variety of wildflowers. This full-color book contains beautiful photos, easy-to-understand descriptions, and interesting facts about more than 230 wildflowers frequently encountered in this spectacular region. The species are arranged by color and plant family to aid in quick identification. Take this guide along on your next hike through this majestic mountain chain, which encompasses Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon National Parks. Our durable cover allows you take this field guide through any weather you may encounter in the Sierras.

Customer Reviews:

Pictures AND Information!.......2005-04-27

It's obvious the author of this book knows what she's talking about! In our exploration of the Sierra Nevada we've come across a multitude of flora, but never before did we know what it was. In this book, Karen Weise provdes beautiful photographs along with a complete description of the flower, it's blooming period, habitat/range, and her comments, which include the genus of each plant. Owning this book, I find no need to search for any others. I buy this book for my special friends who share the Sierra Nevada with the flora found there!

Clear, easy-to-use guide with great pictures!.......2000-07-13

This field guide to the wildflowers of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California -- one of the FalconGuide series -- is terrific. It first introduces you to the geology of the region, defining the types of habitat for the plants, and describes how to identify the plants, including wonderful, careful line drawings of types of leaves and flowers. The book itself is organized by color of the flowers (so the chapters are "Blue and Purple Flowers," "Red and Orange Flowers," and so on), which makes identifying them easier, since their most obvious characteristic comes first. Each of the 230 wildflowers included in the book has a picture and a description, habitat locator, and comment from the author. In addition, the book is very sturdy and well-produced, with excellent photographs of the plants and a strong binding. And here's a neat design feature: the corners are rounded, so they'll never become dog-eared. Up until now on hikes I've admired wildflowers in the abstract; this book makes it easy to appreciate more of what you see.

Sierra Wildflowers: Mt. Lassen to Kern Canyon, (California Natural History Guides (Paperback))

Average customer rating:

Sierra Wildflowers: Mt. Lassen to Kern Canyon, (California Natural History Guides (Paperback))
Theodore F. Niehaus
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Flowers | Field Guides | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0520025067

California Spring Wildflowers - From The Base Of The Sierra Nevada And Southern Mountains To The Sea

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California Spring Wildflowers - From The Base Of The Sierra Nevada And Southern Mountains To The Sea
Philip A. Munz
Manufacturer: Univ. Of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IW3HL4

Average customer rating:

CALIFORNIA SPRING WILDFLOWERS From the Base of the Sierra Nevada and Southern Mountains
Philip A. Munz
Manufacturer: University Of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O7JREE

Customer Reviews:

A must read!.......2007-10-01

A very rivetting and hard-hitting collection of essays! A must read for anyone interested in social issues and the African American experience in America.

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