Kompass Singapore, 2002

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Like having a consultant at your side

Secrets of Affirmative Action Compliance, Seventh Edition
William H. Truesdell
Manufacturer: The Management Advantage, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1879876450

Book Description

THE #1 AAP REFERENCE FOR FEDERAL CONTRACTORS!
How to write your plan narrative, prepare your statistical reports and manage a compliance review, all in one concise reference book. The latest in 2006 federal regulations from the U.S. Department of Labor.

If you are a vendor or supplier to the government, you may be required to have a written Affirmative Action Program. If you fit into any of these categories, you need the new seventh edition of Secrets of Affirmative Action Compliance:

50 employees and $50,000 or more in total contracts;
Any bank, regardless of employee number, with $1.00 in the federal reserve system; Any employer, regardless of employee number, which is a transfer agent for U.S. Savings Bonds. (Credit Unions, often.)
Any construction contractor with federally assisted construction contracts in excess of $10,000. Federal regulations have changed! If your current AAP doesn't address these new requirements, you will not be in compliance. (41 C.F.R. 60 changes effective 2/06/2006) You need ... Secrets of Affirmative Action Compliance.

Easy to use book with numerous forms and checklists.
Gives you federal regulation requirements and then shows you how to meet them.

It couldn't be simpler...or less expensive.

Save thousands of dollars by preparing your own AAP documents.

Save thousands of dollars by preparing your own 16-step construction contract affirmative action specifications. Order your copy today!

If your organization has chosen to do business with federal, state or local governments, this book is going to be invaluable to you. Most government contractors (vendors and suppliers) are required to have a written Affirmative Action Program for minorities and women. Two additional written AAP documents are required for Disabled and for Veterans. This book shows you how to meet all three requirements in one document. Use the checklists to conduct your own internal compliance review so you can detect problems before they are pointed out by compliance officials. Use the diagrams, flow charts and forms to both understand and implement your own affirmative action programs as you determine they are necessary. Help your organization meet legal requirements.

2006 Regulatory Impact is Staggering!

New regulations specify the definition of "Job Applicant." While the EEOC and OFCCP definitions don't agree (as yet), contractors are obliged to abide by the OFCCP version. And, the record keeping requirements are staggering in their impact on contractor organizations.

It's all here, in our latest edition of the book contractors have come to rely on for its accuracy and common sense suggestions for meeting federal requirements. Get your copy today! Just add Census data.

Customer Reviews:

Like having a consultant at your side.......1999-09-22

This book is a terrific help to anyone responsible for affirmative action compliance. I was going to spend over $5000 for a consultant before I found this book. Now I have this godsend of a "consultant" in book form, and I have the answers I need for now.

For big problems I'd still hire a consultant (probably the author of this book) but for routine stuff it's all in the book.

Average customer rating:
Secrets of Affirmative Action Compliance, Sixth Edition
William H. Truesdell
Manufacturer: The Management Advantage, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1879876396

Book Description

This is the sixth edition of the best-selling guide for federal contractors. It guides service and supply contractors through the process of developing a written Affirmative Action Program that will be compliant with federal regulations. This new edition also contains detailed information for construction contractors so they can complete their written 16-step AAP. This volume contains everything a contractor will require in the preparation effort except for U.S. Census data. And, it tells how to get that data from state data centers for only a small copying fee. Once you use this book, you will never again be without it.

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Sensible, Specific, and Caring Advice

Her Corner Office: A Guide To Help Women Find A Place And A Voice In Corporate America
Trudy Bourgeois
Manufacturer: Brown Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Leadership | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Motivational | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
General | Sociology | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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The Hybrid Leader: Blending the Best of the Male & Female Leadership Styles

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers

The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century

ASIN: 0974459712

Book Description

A personal road map to professional success, this book features real corporate stories and lessons that provide personal development models and professional growth strategies. The author, Trudy Bourgeois, is a former senior corporate executive. Much of the insight that is included in the book is rooted in the formula that she used to break the glass ceiling and become one of the first African-American vice presidents in the consumer goods industry.

Customer Reviews:

Sensible, Specific, and Caring Advice.......2004-03-25

What's with the corner office? I recently read another book in which Lois P. Frankel explains why "nice girls don't get the corner office." Probably not until World War II were most adult women in the United States allowed to combine full-time employment with marriage and/or parenthood. Even then, many of the women relinquished their jobs to men after the war ended. They, their daughters, and their granddaughters were again strongly encouraged to accept the role of a subordinate, deferential, compliant, cooperative, "Stepford-ish" role in the home, in the community, and even in the workplace.

According to Frankel, "Attempts to act counter to this socialized role are met with ridicule, disapproval and scorn." She goes on to observe, "Whether it was Mom's message -- 'Boys don't like girls who are too loud.' -- or, in response to any angry outburst, a spouse's messages -- 'What's the matter? Is it that time of month?' -- women are continually bombarded. with negative reinforcement for acting in any manner contrary to what they were taught in girlhood. As a result, they learn that acting like a 'good girl' is less painful than than assuming more appropriate behavior for adult women (and totally acceptable for boys and adult men.)"

In this volume, Trudy Bourgeois offers "a guide to help women find a place and a voice in corporate America." Presumably for many of those who read this book, her advice will help to achieve those objectives. The book is sensibly organized and well-written. In her Introduction, she offers four practical suggestions as to how to get the most out of her book. I presume to add a fifth which I think is more important than any of the four: Be totally committed to achieving your objectives (whatever they may be) and to investing as much time and energy may be required of you (whatever barriers and obstacles you may encounter). Success demands an effective collaboration of heart, mind, and soul. I agree with Henry Ford: "Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right."

Bourgeois includes a number of reader-friendly sections (e.g. exercises in which to record responses to key points within the text) while urging her reader to purchase a notebook or journal whose sole purpose is to accumulate whatever thoughts, feelings, anxieties, dreams, fears, goals, etc. the reader may have, first while reading her book and then, especially, when attempting to apply Bourgeois' advice...and not only in the workplace. Presumably Bourgeois shares my admiration of what Eleanor Roosevelt once said: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

I have a few minor quibbles. Yes, yes, I realize that Bourgeois uses the corner office as a status symbol. However, the challenge for any executive (male or female) is to become indispensable to her or his organization. More often than not, however, that will not be accomplished in a corner office; rather, "where the action is." Specifically, offsite working closely with clients to serve their needs, solve their problems, and strengthen relations with their customers. Down on the shop floor (or its equivalent) helping associates to strengthen their skills and increase their productivity. Out in the marketplace evaluating the competition, looking for the earliest signs of emerging trends (i.e. paradigm shifts), and cultivating prospective new clients.

Who will derive the greatest benefit from this book? Although it was written primarily for women, I think anyone -- male as well as female -- above the age of (let's say) 16 will find substantial value in it. Also, many men in senior-level executive positions will welcome Bourgeois' guidance because they also want to help women "find a place and a voice in corporate America." I also highly recommend this book to another group: male as well as female students now preparing for -- or only recently embarked on -- a career in business.

... If my daughter were to read this book and then ask me what my own career advice to her would be, here it is: "Don't stop with a corner office. Own the building!"...

Book Description

No matter how far from home we go, refining our palates, leaving behind family cooking for more sophisticated fare, trading up from iceberg lettuce to arugula, from meatloaf to paté, from Velveeta to brie, we all have a special place in our hearts-and our stomachs-for our families' deliciously basic, special home recipes.

Born of the culinary traditions of the two very different sides of actress Pamela Hensley Vincent's Jewish-American family and her husband Duke Vincent's Italian-American background, The Jewish-Sicilian Cookbook recaptures, with charm, humor, and tasty and do-able recipes, the gastronomic nostalgia of two families that could be very much like any of our own.

The sixty-four recipes in this charmingly appointed cookbook range from quick salads to hearty stews and run the gamut from typically Jewish (Yetta's chicken soup and latkes) to the quintessentially Italian (Duke's Special Spaghetti). Some of the recipes represent the best of traditional modern American food, such as Manny's Hamburgers and Jack's Chef Salad, radiating a special feeling of mid-century cooking and eating, with a Fifties sensibility that goes down as deliciously well today it it did then. The common ground of all family food traditions is "Food is Love," and this principle is irresistibly at play as Pamela Vincent recounts heartfelt anecdotes, describing fond memories of meals with loved ones, while sharing her favorite family recipes with all the enthusiasm of a favorite cousin presenting a cherished recipe on a much used recipe card. From a predawn breakfast of buttered matzoh and coffee with her grandfather to pasta night with Duke, The Jewish-Sicilian Cookbook will inspire readers to revisit fond food memories of their own as well as create new ones.

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Quick to Quilt Coasters
Jeanne Stauffer
Manufacturer: House of White Birches
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Quilts & Quilting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1592170986

Book Description

What to do with all of those scraps of fabric left over from larger quilts? It's time to make coasters. Look inside for designs for all seasons of the year.

Book Description

This book is the biography of the woman in Mahatma Gandhi's life. The incredible woman known simply as "Ba" -- Mother, to millions of people in India, her story untold until now. Together since childhood she knew the flaws and human frailties of the man behind the legend. Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, and his wife Sunanda, spent almost thirty years gathering the material for this book, which discloses personal facts and details never reported in any other Gandhi biography. Also contains never before published photographs.

Customer Reviews:

A moving story..........2001-12-27

A good attempt by Arun Gandhi to tell the world more about *the woman* behind the succesful Man,Mahatma.But its more an account of Gandhiji's life and then and there he sheds light on Kasturbhai Gandhi which I am sure anybody would know by reading "My Experiments with Truth" by Gandhiji.But its still a good biography to read about the Gandhi family.

Very Insightful and informative.......2001-09-14

This is the first book I read that focuses on the life of Gandhi and Kasturba, and not on the political situations of the time. It talks more about how Gandhi and Kasturba handled different and often difficult decisions they made during their lifetime.

This book talks a lot about how Kasturba endured and supported Gandhi's extreme ideals ( simplicity of living at any cost).
It was a continuous struggle for her to strike a balance betn. following Gandhi's ideals and providing the best possible care and tutoring for her children.

The focus on truth at all costs (even at the cost of disowning their eldest child - Manilal) shines thru in this book.

I wish there was more about Kastur.......2001-01-05

I liked this book, but there wasn't enough in it about Kastur. There are virtually no quotes by her in the whole book. It is mostly a narrative about the life of Mahatma and then talks about her in his life here and there. I still enjoyed it, though, as the story of their life and times is amazing and inspiring.

Wonderful Book.......1999-06-11

A wonderful and important book that tells the story of Kastur Gandhi, the wife of Mahatma Gandhi. It is important that people know that Gandhi's wife played a part in helping to - peacefully - gain independence for India. I have met the authors and they are wonderful people.

The Forgotten Woman The Untold Story of Kastur Gandhi, Wife of Mahatma Gandhi

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The Forgotten Woman The Untold Story of Kastur Gandhi, Wife of Mahatma Gandhi
Gandhi Arun and Sununda with Carol Lynn Yellin
Manufacturer: Ozark Mountain Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000UET88G

Average customer rating:

Memories of a time gone by

Growing up in New Jersey

If You Love Me You Will Follow

Stories of an Irish Family

If You Love Me, You will Follow - A WONDERFUL BOOK!!!!

If You Love Me You Will Follow
Fran Girard
Manufacturer: Booklocker.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Mid Atlantic | Regional U.S. | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1931391947

Book Description

This is a story of an Irish couple and their infant daughter coming to America shortly after the turn of the 20th century. Why they came separately, makes this story unique.

The trio settled in Shrewsbury, N.J. and raised seven children and had a positive impact on the lives of their grandchildren. These were the days when families stayed together as a unit and shared laughter and tears.

The author recounts his memories of growing up as a member of this family and relates how they and he survived the Great Depression and World War II.

"Mom" and "Pop" Ahern sent their only three sons into the battles of Europe and Asia and waited for their safe return. In the meantime, they prayed and adhered to the premise that "life must go on". After all, they still had to help their grandchildren get through these difficult times.

In these days of uncertainty, we are witnesses as to how this family coped and how they enjoyed each other's company. You will shed tears of joy and sorrow as you look on as an interested bystander as they played practical jokes on each other and embraced each other with moments of sadness.

All of our emotions will be tapped while reading this family biography. It is a love story of the best kind of love; unselfish love of those who give their love while expecting nothing in return.

Customer Reviews:

Memories of a time gone by.......2007-06-08

If You Love Me You Will Follow is a heartwarming tribute to a warm and loving family. The author's obviously cherished memories make for humorous and sometimes tearful reading. The title story alone vividly describes the adventurous spirit of the immigrant ancestors of many of us.Many of the episodes bring to mind events long buried in the mind of the reader. An interesting,attention gripping read!

Growing up in New Jersey.......2002-10-28

"If you love me you will follow," by Fran Girard, is a charming, simply written memoir of growing up in New Jersey during the Depression and World War II. The story behind the title is alone worth the price of admission. The story testifies to the incredible moral courage and adventurous spirit of an Irish woman and of the forgiving love of her husband. Any preacher would be happy to plagiarise the story for a wedding sermon!
As FG tells the tale of his extended family you begin to feel that you know each one of them personally. They are ordinary folk who make no great splash on the public stage but who lead lives of integrity and love during tryine times for the USA.FG did not invent the phrase "The Greatest Generation" but he grew up with some of its members. New Jersey readers especially will identify with FG's loving descriptions of the quotidiana of family life. (Reviewer's Note: I grew up during the same period as FG, and, like him, was a devout movie-goer. My screen hero was a long (wrongly)forgotten actor called Dana Andrews. He starred in some of the great Hollywood classics, like "Laura." In his book FG mentions only one actor by name - Dana Andrews - twice!)
FG does not gloss over the difficult periods that every family knows. Nothing is more harrowing than the dinner-table scene played out between the fifteen year old FG and his father. Not many father-son relationships could have survived the incident. I hope that reading this book will inspire others to write down the story of their families.To find out how it's done, read "If You Love Me You will follow. Patrick Connor

If You Love Me You Will Follow.......2002-01-04

The magic in this book is the tug at the reader's heartstrings as one's own childhood memories are evoked through the telling of the author's family story. With a masterful control of detail and setting, Mr. Girard draws the reader into each episode. Then, having drawn us in, we take a wonderfully poignant journey through the fun and foibles of a family that is both ordinary and extraordinary. This is truly delightful reading for all but especially for the generation who lived through the 1930's and 1940's and for those of us who are their children.

Stories of an Irish Family.......2001-11-20

Being of Irish descent,I found the book very interesting. Most of all,the memories the author has of his early family life. When I started to read it, I couldn't wait to read each chapter to see what else the family did. I felt like I was part of this family going through each episode. The cover of the book is very eye catching as well as appropriate under current world conditions. I hope this author will continue with additional books.

If You Love Me, You will Follow - A WONDERFUL BOOK!!!!.......2001-11-18

I just finished reading "If You Love Me, You Will Follow", by Fran Girard. It's a wonderful book depicting the life of an Irish immigrant family during the 1930's and 40's in Shrewsbury, NJ. Mr. Girard takes the reader back to a more simpler way of life and after reading it, I felt like it was there!

Everyone feels a need for "home", "family" and "love" especially during these turbulent times. This book builds on that - in every chapter you see these themes as you get to know each member of the Ahearn family, from the patriarchial "Mom" and "Pop" Ahearn to the new generation that would lead us into World War II and ultimately the "baby boomer" area.

If you want to get to know what hopes, dreams, struggles and joys an immigrant family experienced, then get this book! It makes you feel good to be an American and will make you realize how important family is.

Average customer rating:

old, classic, useful

Critical Path Methods in Construction Practice
James M. Antill
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Decision-Making & Problem Solving | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
Surveying & Photogrammetry | Civil | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
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CPM in Construction Management (Pro Engineering)

ASIN: 0471866121

Book Description

An updated and revised edition of the standard work on the use of critical path methods (CPM) in the construction industry. Describes the mechanics and procedures of CPM in construction planning and works control and demonstrates its application to large and small projects alike. Emphasis is not on the mathematics--the stress here is on the solution of problems commonly encountered in construction practice.

Customer Reviews:

old, classic, useful .......2006-10-11

Antill and Woodhead clearly expose the step-by-step development of PERT/CPM in a way that the technique can be easily understood. Classic examples such as the construction of Sidney Opera House highlight the applicability. The chapter devoted to acceleration is a must.

As any book from the 60s, computational tools are not addressed, but it is not a problem. The point is that this highly recommendable book is to be read to those who want to master the fundamentals of CPM.

Critical Path Methods in Construction Practice 3rd Edition

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Critical Path Methods in Construction Practice 3rd Edition
James M. Antill & Ronald W. Woodhead.
Manufacturer: John Wiley & Sons
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SZ9828

Average customer rating:

Excellent collection of interviews with Zhang Yimou

Zhang Yimou: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers)
Yimou Zhang
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Entertainers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1578062624

Customer Reviews:

Excellent collection of interviews with Zhang Yimou.......2005-09-28

This book is a precious collection of interviews with the great Chinese movie director, Zhang Yimou, whom we should be grateful for having been generous in donating some of his time in answering questions from a long queue of various film critics, journalists, and academics from all over the world who were fortunate enough to get a hold of him personally in candid, frank, and honest one-to-one conversations.

These interviews give a thorough first-hand insight into the genious of perhaps one of the greatest movie director in our times, whose world-acclaimed achievements include towering movies such as 'Red the Raise Lantern', 'To Live', 'Not One Less', 'Happy Times', and amongst a few others...

When speaking about his movies, Zhang Yimou speaks with a characteristically clear, concise voice and with a wide open heart. He has shown great ability to eloquently and articulately express his thoughts which come straight out from the words of his own mouth, giving us a direct insight to his ideas and personal philosophies. In these interviews, he speaks with a very personal and passionate voice, answering and making counter-arguments to his interviewers' questions and assumptions.

From the interviews, Zhang Yimou shares a wide-ranging views about what he intends to convey through his movies -- the various multifaceted aspects of modern and ancient China, namely Chinese culture and tradition, its people and their lives in different distinct periods of Chinese history...

Overall, this book a valuable source for studying and understanding the director himself and his works.

Becoming a part of life: an interview with Zhang Yimou. (Interview): An article from: Cineaste

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Becoming a part of life: an interview with Zhang Yimou. (Interview): An article from: Cineaste
Robert Sklar
Manufacturer: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Performing Arts | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B00092SFS8
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Cineaste, published by Cineaste Publishers, Inc. on January 1, 1993. The length of the article is 1661 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: Zhang Yimou, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker from China whose works include 'Red Sorghum,' 'Ju Dou' and 'Raise the Red Lantern,' claims his film 'Codename Cougar' has not received international attention due to its transformation into a third rate commercial venture by the censor board. Zhang Yimon is also credited with being instrumental in fostering ties between Chinese and Taiwanese filmmakers, and is a good friend of the Taiwanese film director Hou Hsiao-Hsien. His new film 'The Story of Qui Ju' has been described as different from his earlier works as it reveals influences of Italian neorealism and old Chinese cinema.

Citation Details
Title: Becoming a part of life: an interview with Zhang Yimou. (Interview)
Author: Robert Sklar
Publication: Cineaste (Magazine/Journal)
Date: January 1, 1993
Publisher: Cineaste Publishers, Inc.
Volume: v20 Issue: n1 Page: p28(2)

Article Type: Interview

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Zhang Yimou : Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Ser.)

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Zhang Yimou : Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Ser.)
Frances (editor) Gateward
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RGDGK8

Average customer rating:

Very well written

it's the real story

Searingly honest and poignant

Parents who created an empire but gave their kids nothing

Parents who created an empire but gave their kids nothing

Fourteen: Growing Up Alone in a Crowd
Stephen Zanichkowsky
Manufacturer: Basic Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Family & Childhood | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
Memoirs | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0465094015
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Book Description

The haunting story of a boy who couldn't find any room to breathe until he left his thirteen siblings behind and withdrew to the world inside his head--only to emerge forty years later, still alone.

Born eighth in a family on its way to becoming almost twice that size, Stephen Zanichkowsky immediately learned that his life was to be no Cheaper by the Dozen romp. Instead, he and his siblings fended for themselves to avoid the wrath of their father and the heartbreaking emotional distance of their mother. Silence and terror ruled. A brother was taken away by the family one day, never to return. A sister was born with a mental deficiency that was never explained. As the years went by, each child left home as soon as he or she turned eighteen, creating unaccustomed "space" by skipping the others' weddings and graduations.

With artless narrative style, Zanichkowsky embarks on a journey back to the family's Lithuanian Catholic roots in Brooklyn and follows its members on a tortured climb to suburban comfort that, for him, culminates in his escape from home and the draft. Along the way, he seeks answers to lifelong questions: Why was his father so angry and uncontrollable? Why did his parents continue to have children when they didn't have enough love, patience, or money to spread around?

Forty years later after leaving home, Zanichkowsky reaches out to his siblings--most of them divorced or living alone--and discovers a group of people still learning how to form relationships with others. In the process, the boy that once retreated into his own world emerges, whole and self-possessed.

From Fourteen:

I was born into a system with an established order, with people cemented into positions long before I got there. As I got older, the biggest kids gradually filled me in with things I needed to know, as if I were a new hand at the factory and needed to learn which drawers certain tools were kept in. They showed me where the shoe polish was kept; how to fry an egg (because on Sundays we could have our egg fried or scrambled if we didn't want clucked); where to put my laundry in the basement. I learned about Mom's miscarriages, because all the rest of us resemble a line of ducks and outsiders sometimes asked about the three-year gap between Rita and Jane. The bigger kids told me about our religion, our relatives, our nationality. When bath night was and how often to change my underwear. (No one, however, had an answer as to why all the girls had the same middle name: Marie.)

Customer Reviews:

Very well written.......2007-08-29

I come from a fairly small family--3 kids and one mother and one father, compared to the author's family. I love the genre memoir and this book is a fine example of a great memoir. The author address the whole family not only his siblings but his parents too. I was sorry when the book ended; I got to know the authors family--almost better than I know my own.

it's the real story.......2004-07-12

Without pity or too much drama, Stephen Zanichowsky write the story for every one of us who grew up in a large family. The book works as a form of his own therapy, but inspires me to face what happened to me, even just for my own benefit of trying to understand or make sense of what happens in a family in which the parents are overwhelmed by too many children, too little resources, and too many human failings. Reading Zanichowsky's story reminded me of my own experiences, many memories that have been buried. I wonder about Zanichowsky's siblings--how they felt about this book. It would take amazing courage to write this book, and a great deal of forgiveness from all of the siblings to publish the real story of their growing up.

Searingly honest and poignant.......2004-05-07

This is a marvelous book. He writes of abuse and degradation without feeling sorry for himself. He tries to understand without resorting to justification or pity. I'm sure it took him a lot of therapy to get to the point where he could create this book, but it was money very well spent.

If anyone wants to read more about the neighborhood he grew up in, I recommend "Spider Stumbled" by Frank Paul Venis.

Parents who created an empire but gave their kids nothing.......2004-02-25

This story may involve the uniqueness of growing up among fourteen sibs, but it sure isn't a "Cheaper by the Dozen" story. This is an adult's survivor story about his unrequited quest to be loved by his own parents.

Poor Stephen Zanichkowsky never had a chance. As the eighth child out of fourteen, he had a childhood of missing out on most of the things kids need. Money was mostly tight until family fortunes changed later on. As you would expect, the kids were sick of doing endless chores, of living in cramped living quarters, of eating canned goods, and of being surrounded by dirty diapers. Such complaints soon seem trivial, as you read Stephen describe a childhood devoid of any emotional nurturing. Stephen's only memories of communications with the folks involve them belittling and bullying him, if they communicated at all. The young, fragile, defenseless kids grew up in fear of their evil father. Father was mostly absent, when he wasn't brutally beating his kids with a stick for corporal punishment. Mother was equally evil, although Stephen describes her in terms of being overwhelmed. This is a much kinder description than Mother deserves, as you find out when you hear how one night, helped by the family priest, she drops off her most bullied and victimized child at a mental institution. She offers no explanation to the other thirteen sibs about his long term diappearance. The brood soon learns to do anything to avoid the brutality of their parents. They have no hesitation to deflect blame on another sibling. Since Stephen's horrible parents are religious zealots, it is also only a matter of time before Stephen is zapped of his faith in God.

Stephen vents, "therapy style", and at times it gets long winded, but you forgive him because you become surprised. As he vents, it is obvious that he knows very little about child abuse. Clearly his therapists have failed him. As is very typical of victims of child abuse, Stephen offers excuses. Basically he says: " Mother was worn out from all the kids. She was just overwhelmed. When she beat us, sometimes for no good reason, she meant well. We were bad..." It is astonishing that he is completely unaware that he has what many institutionalized orphans experience. He has attachment issues. He has no memories of warm physical contact with his Mom, something vital for emotional stability. No wonder he is groundless, and so alone, despite having so many sibs.

Again, you are surprised as he describes how some of his sibs deny his descriptions of what happened and how he repeatedly insists that it did happen. Of course it happened. Of course the sibs were in denial. You suspect even worse things happened to the daughters, one of whom had special needs. There is no doubt in your mind that all were abused and neglected emotionally. You want to send the author an E-mail, urging him to read more about abandonment, neglect, and abuse of children. You write a review at 2 am for Amazon.com, the moment you finish the book. You hope he'll see your review soon. You hope your words will give him the feeling of a tight hug. Stephen deserves that hug.

Parents who created an empire but gave their kids nothing.......2004-02-25

Poor Stephen Zanichkowsky never had a chance. As the eighth child out of fourteen, he had a childhood of missing out on most of the things kids need. Money was mostly tight until family fortunes changed later on. As you would expect, the kids were sick of doing endless chores, of living in cramped living quarters, of eating canned goods, and of being surrounded by dirty diapers. Such complaints soon seem trivial, as you read Stephen describe a childhood devoid of any emotional nurturing. Stephen's only memories of communications with the folks involve them belittling and bullying him, if they communicated at all. The young, fragile, defenseless kids grew up in fear of their evil Father. Father was mostly absent, when he wasn't brutally beating his kids with a stick for corporeal punishment. Mother was equally evil, although Stephen describes her in terms of being overwhelmed. This is a much kinder description than Mother deserves, as you find out when you hear how one night, helped by the family priest, she drops off her most bullied and victimized child at a mental institution. She offers no explanation to the other thirteen sibs about his overnight absence. The brood soon learned to do anything to avoid the brutality of their parents. They have no hesitation to deflect blame on another sibling. Since Stephen's horrible parents are religious zealots, it is also only a matter of time before Stephen is zapped of his faith in God.

Stephen vents, "therapy style", and at times it gets long winded, but you forgive him because you become surprised. As he vents, it is obvious that he knows very little about child abuse. Clearly his therapists have failed him. As is very typical of victims of child abuse, Stephen offers excuses. Basically he says: " Mother was worn out from all the kids. She was just overwhelmed. When she beat us, sometimes for no good reason, she meant well. We were bad..." It is astonishing that he is completely unaware that he has what many institutionalized orphans experience. He has attachment issues. He has no memories of warm physical contact with his Mom, something vital for emotional stability. No wonder he is groundless, and so alone, despite having so many sibs.

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