Until Today! : Daily Devotions for Spiritual Growth and Peace of Mind
by Iyanla Vanzant
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (14 August, 2001)
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Editorial Review

This book of 365 daily devotionals supports the time-honored adage, "Whyput off until tomorrow what you can do today?" The charismatic spiritual leaderIyanla Vanzant knows how easy it is to stay stuck in "old sentiments,resentments, beliefs, decisions, agreements, judgments, and ideas that may havebecome habitual." Through these devotions Vanzant hopes to show readers that theeasiest way to create change is to simply shift your attitude--today. "Weoften work so hard to get the things we want that we miss the fact that it isthe landscape of the inner world that stands between us and true happiness."

In the closing paragraph of each one-page devotional Vanzant names an old way ofthinking and offers readers a new attitude to try on "just for today." Forexample, Vanzant writes, "Until today, you may have believed that you had tostay in the painful hole of hurt caused by the loss of a loved one. Just fortoday, make a conscious effort and choice to cover the hole and move on." Somemight consider these devotions a fancy term for affirmations. Vanzant scoffs atthe notion. Time spent in devotion is not a "New Age trick through which you canimpose your will on God, the universe, or those around you," she writes."Devotion is the reverent, personal act of surrendering your will to the Divinewill." --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Inspirational, validating, & affirming!
This gem of a book is one of Vanzant's best works yet!

The book is broken down into twelve sections that each deal with a spiritual principal.(Example:January deals with Life, July deals with Understanding, September with Trust, etc.)The readings for each day are truly inspirational, validating, and affirming for all of God's children!At the end of the reading is an affirmation or thought/Meditation that you can focus on throughout the day!!(I usually write about it in my own personal spiritual journal, once in the morning and once at night....to see how I fared!)

If you are interested in growing as a person and a spiritual being, then this is the book for you!An excellent read that I have and will continue to recommend.

Everyday Meditation
I really enjoyed "Until Today."My first exposure to it was in a yoga class where the instructor would read it to us during final relaxation.Some of the daily meditations are a bit long and have LOTS of references to God which I personally don't have any problem with.Overall, a great gift along with some "plinky" music.

As always, Iyanla "Does the Damn Thing!"
The only words that can describe this sistah, is "Heaven Sent!"
From the moment I picked this book up, there was such a calm that enveloped my soul that mere words could not explain it. If one is truly looking to become more Peaceful, more Centered, more Focused, more Honest and more Spiritual, the daily meditations in this one will do that and more. Iyanla, May whatever you choose to worship continue to BLESS YOU because of your trials, tribulations and the courage to share you with the rest of the world, you are HEALING so many wounded SOULS, mine included. Excellent Job! Excellent Book! I think everyone should have one. Man, Woman, Black, White, Blue or Purple! Be Blessed My Sistah! ... Read more

Isbn: 0684859971
Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Devotional    3. Devotional calendars    4. English    5. General    6. Inspirational    7. Inspirational - General    8. Meditations    9. Personal Growth - Self-Esteem    10. Prayer-books and devotions    11. Self-Help    12. Spiritual    13. Self-Help / General   

The BAP Handbook : The Official Guide to the Black American Princess
by Kalyn Johnson Tracey Lewis Karla Lightfoot Ginger Wilson
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (05 June, 2001)
list price: $11.95 -- our price: $8.96
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Reviews (64)

Hilarious, true and I am glad this book was written
This book is hilarious and it perfectly encapsualtes what it means to be a BAP in America. During my BAP upbringing, I was mocked by both black and white classmates. The black students were ten times meaner to me. Each time I walked by they chanted: white girl and they repeatedly told me how unattractive I was.

If reading this book upsets you then you obviously need to get a life. Books like this one are supposed to be fun and lighthearted. This one definitely is.

Most forms of media and entertainment portray the negative shoot 'em up/pregnant teenager/cracked out african american. Other forms show black people shucking and jiving like minstrels. It's fantastic that these women took the time to write about the modern day black woman. Whether you fit into one of the categories or not, doesn't matter. The book shows that there is more to the black woman than the stereotype of a loud, gum popping, neck rolling hoochie named Bonquita. It highlights women with class. I loved it!

A Fun Read
This book is hilarious.I didn't stop laughing from cover to cover.I could relate to most of it, so I recognized that this book was not written as a "How-To" but more as just something that pokes fun in order to enjoy a good laugh.It is light-hearted and entertaining.You cannot take it too seriously or else you lose the purpose anyway.So if you are reading it to learn how to become a BAP, please stop right now!But you must admit, all of us know women who fit into each and every category!That's why this book is so great!It makes a fabulous summer/beach read.

Cute but really sends the wrong messages sometimes
This is a cute and lively book, but I really think that it is going to send very wrong messages to young women who are not wise to the world yet. I was blown away by the superficiality in the section that discusses engagement rings. If a man proposes to a woman with a ring that is less than a carat, he's basically worthless. Ugh!!! How horrible is that? There are a lot of wonderful men out here who will make great husbands, despite the fact that they are not spending more than they can afford on a diamond! As a point of fact, a relative of mine went temporarily broke buying his fiancee a two-carat diamond--three years later? They're divorced because they can't stand each other. I'm 33, so I have been alive long enough to know that money and "things" are not everything. A 20-year old may not get that yet. These women who wrote this book need to be more careful about the messaages they put out--women need to go for the substance of a man, substance and not just material goods in their lives--these authors are creating a new breed of golddiggers. ... Read more

Isbn: 0767905504
Sales Rank: 27658
Subjects:  1. African American women    2. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    3. Form - Essays    4. General    5. Humor    6. Social life and customs    7. United States    8. Upper class    9. Women's Studies - General    10. Humor / General   

A Beautiful Mind: The Life of Mathematical Genius and Nobel Laureate John Nash
by Sylvia Nasar
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (27 November, 2001)
list price: $16.00 -- our price: $11.20
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Editorial Review

Stories of famously eccentric Princetonians abound--such as that of chemist Hubert Alyea, the model for The Absent-Minded Professor, or Ralph Nader, said to have had his own key to the library as an undergraduate. Or the "Phantom of Fine Hall," a figure many students had seen shuffling around the corridors of the math and physics building wearing purple sneakers and writing numerology treatises on the blackboards. The Phantom was John Nash, one of the most brilliant mathematicians of his generation, who had spiraled into schizophrenia in the 1950s. His most important work had been in game theory, which by the 1980s was underpinning a large part of economics. When the Nobel Prize committee began debating a prize for game theory, Nash's name inevitably came up--only to be dismissed, since the prize clearly could not go to a madman. But in 1994 Nash, in remission from schizophrenia, shared the Nobel Prize in economics for work done some 45 years previously.

Economist and journalist Sylvia Nasar has written a biography of Nash that looks at all sides of his life. She gives an intelligent, understandable exposition of his mathematical ideas and a picture of schizophrenia that is evocative but decidedly unromantic. Her story of the machinations behind Nash's Nobel is fascinating and one of very few such accounts available in print (the CIA could learn a thing or two from the Nobel committees). This highly recommended book is indeed "a story about the mystery of the human mind, in three acts: genius, madness, reawakening." --Mary Ellen Curtin ... Read more

Reviews (256)

An Interesting Biography
I just finished reading this book and don't have an elaborate review to share, just a small one. I chose to read the book because I recently borrowed the film A Beautiful Mind from the library. I do not usually watch modern film, but the story sounded interesting, and indeed it was an interesting film, so much so I wanted to read about this man John Nash.

First, I was surprised at how VERY different the true story is from the movie story. It was hard to get used to at first...at first it didn't seem I was reading about the same man. For the real John Nash was quite different from the Hollywood John Nash. I still am wondering, why exactly this book is called A BEAUTIFUL Mind? Is it because he was a genius at math? Personally, I didn't find him beautiful in personality...he seemed very arrogant and proud in his youth. He did not have consideration for people, not even for the woman Eleanor, who bore him his first son, nor for his wife early on, nor for his 2 sons while they were growing up. It was indeed sad to read about his illness and what it did to him for all those years. But it was nice to see he was able to overcome his illness and he also mellowed in that afterward he seemed to be able to see beyond himself. That part pleased me. Looking at the photos of him now, he appears to be a very normal man, one you would pass in the street and never think he ever suffered with mental illness. I hope for the rest of his life, he can be normal and continue to look beyond himself and care for others.

I didn't feel the book was very well written. I have read lots of biographies and enjoy them. Like other reviewers have shared, it could have told a lot MORE about John Nash. I feel there was much more that could have been told...more insights and rememberances from his girlfriend and wife, his sons, his sister, etc. The story seemed a bit "sterile", didn't let us really get to know John Nash. This style can be understandable since the author is a journalist...journalistic writing tend to be "just the facts, ma'am". I suppose in ways I am thankful for this, epecially in relation to the topic of his "homosexuality". I certainly do not appreciate biographies that throw all the distateful details of people's sins out in the open. I find that offensive. I felt this author handled this topic and a few others with decency and I appreciate that. Actually, my opinion about Nash's interest in other men was perhaps more that he displayed the actions of a confused, immature young man who maybe could not quite express his feelings of deep friendship/appreciation of other men in a proper way. But then the beach episode and the arrest there, well it seems Nash was in sin there. But maybe his illness by then was affecting his ability to act in a normal right way. (And by saying this, I don't mean to excuse his sin if it was indeed sin.)

Still, with the factual writing style, I liked the book in that I learned some new things. I have never thought about the importance of mathematics before, esp. in the military, esp. in World War II.I learned a lot about Princeton College, about Albert Einstein, about the Nobel Prize, about schizophrenia and insulin shock therapy. I am not a math whiz...only went as far as algebra in school, so all the math talked about was way over my understanding. And like others shared in reviews, I too never really got exactly WHAT John Nash got his Nobel Prize for except, if I understand right, it was for Game Theory in relation to economics. I don't feel that the importance of Game Theory to economics was ever clearly explained in the book, unless in my simpleness/lack of understanding, I missed it.

I also watched the PBS video about John Nash. That was interesting too. I think I will take the book and the film of A Beautiful Mind like I do the book and the film The Sound of Music...as really 2 different stories. I can appreciate and admire the books for the TRUE stories, and I can appreciate the films for the quite different stories they portray.

In conclusion, I say I am glad I read this book. It was not a waste of time. I learned something. But I rate it only 3 stars because of the journalistic style and lack of real depth in some areas.

A beautiful read
This man's story is facinating. I read this after seeing the movie and it was wonderful.The book gives some deeper insight into his marriage and life as well that you'll enjoy.

A Beautiful Mind
John Nash's story is truly inspirational. I could not stop the audio until I got to the end!

John Nash, a mathematical genius, had many ups and downs in his life, including a diagnosed mental illness and various social problems that made his life painful and complicated. His Nobel-prize winning work occurred while he was writing his dissertation at Princeton. He was not recognized until later in his life for his ground-breaking contribution to "game theory".

His story is one not only of his incredible gift, mental illness and remission, but really one of personal victory. In the end, he learns to live in harmony with those around him doing what he enjoyed most.

One of my most recent favorites! ... Read more

Isbn: 0743224574
Subjects:  1. 1928-    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. History    7. History & Philosophy    8. Mathematicians    9. Mathematicians And Their Works    10. Nash, John F.,    11. Psychopathology - Abnormal    12. Scientists - General    13. United States    14. Biography & Autobiography / General   

Good Hair
by Benilde Little
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (07 August, 2001)
list price: $6.99 -- our price: $6.99
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Reviews (73)

Alice Andrews
I really enjoyed the book. I liked how it was a romance between two people who came from two different worlds. I really loved the main character Alice Andrews, because I could relate to the issues she went through in the story, and these are issues that us black women really go through. Issues in the story such as sexual abuse, low self-esteem, insecurity, and being hurt by men. And what I really liked is that even though Jack came from a well-off family and he cheating on Alice, he seemed like a man who really loved her regardless and he understood her, and he was letting her know that he wasn't going nowhere.

Not Great
I was bored with this book.The end was terrible, and the relationships never really evolved.The plot took place to late in the book, with nothing happening in the end.I don't recommend this book. If I would have paid more than $6.99 for this, I would have been mad.

I love this book! I love this book! I love this book!
I just finished this book in 2 days. It is a wonderful read. This author has a knack of talent writing, by which I mean she doesn't drag a story along, it moves at a fast and feverish pace. The characters are all new and exciting, her opinions of others are opinions that some people do have in this society. I loved all the characters and laughed my butt off. Some of the conversations the main charactere had were so real that I felt I was in the room. I could visualize every scene. I loved when Jack sat down at the table with Alice and Miles at the resturant like nothing was wrong and for once, Miles had absolutley nothing to say. I was gripped up on my couch reading to the bitter end and didn't want it to end. I cheered as I finished the book and wanted to see what she has coming next. Cheers to this author. She has talent and beyond.

Marlena Martin author of Poems For Surviving: Breakup, Abuse & Divorce ... Read more

Isbn: 0743218612
Sales Rank: 183503
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. Literary    4. Fiction / General   

In the Black: A History of African Americans on Wall Street
by Gregory S.Bell Gregory Bell
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (21 December, 2001)
list price: $24.95 -- our price: $15.72
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Reviews (9)

An Important Chapter In Wall Street History
I found the information in this book very informative and surprising that black participation in finance went back as far as it did.Stories of black stockbrokers and mutual fund salesmen in the 1950's to the investment bankers of today, records the slow but meaningful progress made on the Street in the last few decades. Hopefully, the progress will continue....

A Very Interesting Book
This book was an impulse buy for me, I have always had little interest in Wall Street but my son works in the securities industry so I thought I would read this for some background.I am very glad I did because I did not realize how deep African American history in the financial world is.I enjoyed the stories of people like Philip Jenkins and John Patterson, early pioneers who deserve greater recognition for their contributions.I think that this book is an important contribution of both African American and Wall Street history and does a good job of illuminating aspects about the history of finance that went unrecognized for far too long.

The first and best of its kind
This book fills in the missing pages of Wall Street's History. It documents how African-Americans overcame racism and other barriers to become successful in the financial securities industry. This should be part of every business school's curriculum. ... Read more

Isbn: 047140392X
Sales Rank: 308907
Subjects:  1. African American capitalists a    2. African American capitalists and financiers    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Black American Sociology    6. Business    7. Business & Economics    8. Business/Economics    9. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    10. History    11. Investment Finance    12. Investments & Securities - General    13. People of Color    14. Reference    15. Securities industry    16. United States    17. Black studies    18. Business & Economics / Investments & Securities    19. Investment & securities    20. USA   

Having It All? : Black Women and Success
by VERONICA CHAMBERS
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (21 January, 2003)
list price: $23.95 -- our price: $23.95
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Reviews (7)

Missing Stats to support claims
This book is an interesting read and I enjoy the women's stories the author chose to profile. However, I picked up this book with hopes of more key success techniques for black women hoping to attain the status of those mentioned in the book. Instead was an overwhelming reinforcment of captalism, consumerism and black women using white/western definitions of success.

Chambers however did pick a unique topic that is becoming very influential in Black American culture. But with lack of statistics, surveys and data to show numbers, many of the statements were more opinions and less factual.

For the sequel, I hope she emphasizes the techniques that move the women to the "top" and provides more numbers to give a broader view of middle class professional black women

Wonderful Book!
I must say that this bookd is long overdue.Finally a book that heralds the accomplishments of a sector of the population that has been constantly overlooked: black women.Throughout the book, the author discusses the age old question of whether it is possible to have it all.Judging by the women profiled in the book, its not only possible, but imperative!Granted some of the women felt that there was more that they could do or acquire, but a majority of them were qute settled and happy with themselves and their chosen lifestyles.
The book is an easy read, something that is difficult to accomplish in some instances with nonfiction.Chambers brilliantly weaves in self help strategies with colorful and interesting anecdotes.I would definitely recommend this book to every black woman out there.It provides a lift as you read and see just how powerful and accomplished black women are and continue to be on a daily basis in a world that only grudingly acknowledges them.

Black Women Are Having Their Cake and Eating it Too
Journalist Veronica Chambers has attempted to give readers a panoramic view of the successful Black woman's journey amongst a sea of self-help and other nonfiction books on similar subjects in Having it All. Drawing upon historical context along with interviews with an assortment of African American women, it appears she has favorably portrayed them in this text. Recent articles such as the Newsweek article about successful Black women's strides and challenges juxtaposed against the reported dismal picture of African American men's accomplishments give a short synopsis of the obstacles, fears and triumphs of having it all. This book digs further into the psyche of Black women, who Zora Neale Hurston has called " the mules of the world". But we have come a long way baby, as evidenced in the changing face of Aunt Jemima who has gone from an overweight, handkerchief wearing mammy to a perfectly coifed, smartly dressed intelligent woman that entertainment stylist B. Smith would be proud to honor.

Can Black women have it all? Over a five-year period Chambers spoke with such high profile women as Janet Hill, Starr Jones, and Donna Auguste along with others not as well known who struggle with the same doubts and concerns as their White counterparts but with the added burden of race. What is interesting is how each of these women define success. Some count having it all as having successful careers along with the financial rewards along with a satisfying marriage and children. Still others women measure their success by their careers strides only and do not feel the need to marry and/ or have children. But more times than not, they all find themselves straddling the line between the Black and White worlds. Some of these women are first generation college graduates from working-class backgrounds, others have parents who were the first to partake of the benefits of the civil rights movements, and still others come from affluent backgrounds of several generations.

Thelma Golden, former curator at the Whitney Museum and now a director at the Studio Museum in Harlem, talks about having a sense of entitlement, never allowing race to be a stumbling block. Robin Nelson-Rice, who has traveled and lived abroad in her career, talks of being worlds apart economically and education-wise from her family, and the author herself talks about constantly being asked for financial assistance by her extended family. Susan Fales-Hill, who is a legacy of affluence, regularly appears in Vogue and Vanity Fair society pages and cautions Black women to keep their options open when choosing a mate. Still another young woman who was raised by parents in the Black Power movement despairs of finding a Black man with which to grow old.

This was very well researched and written and like other exposes in the same vein including "Our Kind of People" by Lawrence Otis Graham, overdue. Chambers, who has been a staff editor at Newsweek and other publications, continually stresses that the women we see in these pages are not exceptions, but the norm, women we know and see everyday.I don't know if this book is so much about women who want or have it all as about women who have come into their own and have learned to negotiate their lives on their own terms. I would recommend it if only to reassure us that, yes we can have it all.

Dera Williams
APOOO BookClub ... Read more

Isbn: 0385506384
Sales Rank: 416322
Subjects:  1. African American women    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Case studies    4. Employment    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Success in business    9. United States    10. Women & Business    11. Social Science / African-American Studies   

The ITCH : A Novel
by Benilde Little
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (09 June, 1999)
list price: $12.00 -- our price: $9.60
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Reviews (85)

Not very good
I just finished listening to this book on tape, and I wasn't all that impressed.I expected something more.I think the end could have been a little better, but it ended really soft, not leaving you looking forward to her next book.

Cardboard Cutouts
This book is a dressed up version of what has become the sterotypical black turn of the century saga--the STW (Strong Black Woman) versus the (NGBM) No Good Black Man.

It's almost insulting-- when will our black female authors get off this tired theme?Do any Black women in their thirties KNOW any happily married couples?You wouldn't think so, according to Ms. Little.Even poor Natasha, the only one with a well adjusted family life, is doomed.Her life was just TOO darned PERFECT.

The characters in this book are thinly written, shallow, self serving, self pitying, detestable, nouveau riche BORES. One interesting omission: In The Itch,Ms. Little completely ignores the true Black upper-class: a group which has quietly existed since Reconstruction (and before), and began pursuing college education and upward mobility in the 19th century.She deals only with the Cristal swigging, label hound arrivistes, one or two generations removed from the ghetto. Uh uh. Rareified circles? NOT!!!

Where are Miles and Cullen NOW that the bubble has burst?

As for Abra and Natasha?Why, it's just Shug and Celie zoomin' downRodeo Drive in a Silver Porsche.

Not exactly a message of hope
Benilde Little returns in The Itch with a cast of bicoastal buppies whose lives are bankrupt in spite of stellar educations, turbo-power careers, great looks, and a lack for nothing material. They have all bought into the lie "what you have is who you are" or my favorite rendering, "what you got is who you is." They have all the trappings that we're brainwashed to believe will make us happy, but they all have holes in their souls because they live for nothing greater than glorifying self, a sure path to abysmal disappointment. The women in Little's story appear a little better than the men, but they're still after self-gratification, they merely choose procreation to achieve their ends while the men choose the traditional routes of sex, money, and power. No one seems to have a moral compass; one character in the story chants to himself "[think] only good thoughts" when he thinks he's on the verge of making partner at the firm, even though he just dumped his wife of 10 years for a model who's incapable of loving anyone other than herself (he just doesn't know it yet). The men are all womanizers ("dogs" and "players"). Through processing their failed relationships, the women emerge somewhat healthier for the moment, but the men remain lost and continue chasing their tails (and everyone else's).

The Itch made me grateful not to be a part of the MBA buppie world with its insatiable appetite for material consumption and never-ending quest for self-glorification. If your life resembles that of anyone in The Itch, I feel sorry for you.

It takes hope to scratch the itch; unfortunately this book does not provide any. ... Read more

Isbn: 0684854309
Sales Rank: 298310
Subjects:  1. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Literary    5. Fiction / Literary   

The 48 Laws of Power
by Robert Greene
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (05 September, 2000)
list price: $17.00 -- our price: $11.56
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Editorial Review

"Learning the game of power requires a certain way of looking at the world, a shifting of perspective," writes Robert Greene. Mastery of one's emotions and the arts of deception and indirection are, he goes on to assert, essential. The 48 laws outlined in this book "have a simple premise: certain actions always increase one's power ... while others decrease it and even ruin us."

The laws cull their principles from many great schemers--and scheming instructors--throughout history, from Sun-Tzu to Talleyrand, from Casanova to con man Yellow Kid Weil. They are straightforward in their amoral simplicity: "Get others to do the work for you, but always take the credit," or "Discover each man's thumbscrew." Each chapter provides examples of the consequences of observance or transgression of the law, along with "keys to power," potential "reversals" (where the converse of the law might also be useful), and a single paragraph cleverly laid out to suggest an image (such as the aforementioned thumbscrew); the margins are filled with illustrative quotations. Practitioners of one-upmanship have been given a new, comprehensive training manual, as up-to-date as it is timeless. ... Read more

Reviews (351)

Dangerous armamentarium - don't use it
...but in case of real need. That's the way I see such a book. None of us will ever easily reveal to make use of any of those amoral and sometimes immoral techniques, but the fact is that few people don't. Where are all those illuminated and gentle folks bearing always the maximum integrity whatsoever? Wouldn't it be cool to recognise and get protected from some common behaviours in others (and ourselves)?
I really appreciated the richness of short stories and quotes of this book, and I think that at 25 I'm enough of a grown-up for not turning into a cruel mis-antropous neglecting my best virtues for those who deserve them and for those I love.

Interesting and Informative!
I thought this book was both interesting and informative.Try it and judge for yourself.

This is not a book for the real world
This tone of this book is self-congratulatory, the writing is dense,and the overall book seems to be written for those powerless people full of resentment who sit in corners and hatch useless plots and fantasies.As a student of political philosophy, I picked up this book because it was supposed to be a modern masterpiece of the 'realpolitik' school of thought. What I found was a book at turns blustering, snide, full of braggadocio, and generally atrocious and useless.The author baldy, and badly, rips off classical authors like Machiavelli and Hobbes.This would be fine if he were actually creating something of modern value and relevance. But he isnt. This is a manual for mental masturbation by all those disatissfied puppies who wish revenge upon others around them but can never enact a thing. Save your money, and your time, and educate your mind: buy a copy of Machiavelli's timeless classic 'The Prince' and read in less than a hundred pages of tight, terse, pointed, classically poetic prose what it takes this author several hundred pages to foul up and make disatrously obscure. ... Read more

Isbn: 0140280197
Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Business/Economics    3. Careers - General    4. Control (Psychology)    5. Ethics & Moral Philosophy    6. Historical - General    7. History & Theory - General    8. Politics - Current Events    9. Power (Philosophy)    10. Power (Social sciences)    11. Social Philosophy    12. Social Psychology    13. Self-Help / General   

Trophy Man : The Surprising Secrets of Black Women Who Marry Well
by Joy McElroy
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (04 June, 2002)
list price: $12.00 -- our price: $9.60
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Reviews (15)

Muslimah Enjoyed and Encourages This book
As an orthodox Muslim, African American woman, and wife, I enjoyed this book.I found many of the teachings to be morally sound, moderate, realistic, and very truthful. "Modesty" "chasteness" "self-respect", and "spirituallity" as apart of thesearch for a spouse, and keeping a spouse. This book is great for women who were not groomed to be traditional wives and mothers, or who just lack the basic understanding.I did not find this a throw back to 40's or the 50's, and even if it were so, this wouldn't damage African American families becuase that time frame produced some of the greatest human beings on this planet unlike latter generations who have brought us to our current dieaster.She never discouraged education, work, or wealth for women, infact, she points out that is an asset to a marriage and family.Many of her interviewees were educated, and stable.If your serious, and don't have a clue, this book is a great start.

Can you Say "Women's Right"
This book attempts to push women, 50 years backward in their quest for equal rights.

You gold digger should instead, purchase a self-help book on "education, establishing wealth, and fame" for you're damn self.Instead of trying to leach off a Man.Women don't need to find a Trophy Man, they can become Trophy for themselves, and only require love and Trust form them Partners.Anytime you judge a potential partner partner, based on there wealth, or material processions (not on their character) you are prostituting.Which's makes you a HO.

Brothas Beware

Yeah, um...
I'm sorry, I must have missed the Waiting to Exhale party about the excitement of this book.The last time I checked, the ONLY way to make sure you have the right mate, rather he be a millionaire or working a 9 to 5 is to trust in God.This is a silly and juvenille waste of time. ... Read more

Isbn: 074321305X
Sales Rank: 445153
Subjects:  1. African American men    2. African American women    3. General    4. Interpersonal Relations    5. Love & Romance    6. Love / Sex / Marriage    7. Man-woman relationships    8. Marriage    9. Mate selection    10. Self-Help    11. United States    12. Self-Help / General   

Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives (5th Edition)
by John C. Hull
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (03 July, 2002)
list price: $156.00 -- our price: $156.00
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Reviews (45)

A good first step into the world of Quantitative Finance
The author has written a nice, lively elementary text on mathematical finance. This book can serve as a excellent launching point into the topic. For the next step in the reader's development, I recommend the very good intermediate level treatment by Bjork in "Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time" 2nd edition. As a capstone for advanced study, I recommend the advanced treatment of Musiela and Rutkowski's "Martingale Methods in Financial Modeling.

Hull starts out his 5th edition with several chapters on the basics of the derivative contracts in his study. The contracts introduced are forward and futures contracts, interest rate swaps, and equity options. The basic definitions of each contingency contract is given, as well as characteristics of the markets where these contracts trade. Some basic trading strategies are also studied.

The study of the option pricing model problem begins in earnest in Chapter 10. The section on one-step binomial tree model leads to a very intuitive description of risk-neutral valuation.

Chapter 11 introduces continuous time stochastic processes in a very intuitive setting. To avoid the hard-core Ito calculus, the author motivates the stochastic differential by considering difference equations. This is a nice technique and makes the material accessible to the beginner. The next highlight is a statement of Ito's lemma. This is not given in full generality, but only stated precisely as needed for Black-Scholes calculations. The appendix gives an intuitive motivation for Ito's lemma based on the multi-dimensional Taylor's formula.
This is a nice illustration as Taylor's formula is indeed a component of the formal semi-martingale based proof of Ito's rule. See for example Oksendal, "Stochastic Differential Equations" Chapter 4, or Karatzas & Shreve "Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus, Chapter 3.

Chapter 12 is devoted to the Black-Scholes-Merton theory of option pricing. The famous Black-Scholes PDE is derived via Ito's rule and application of a delta hedge. The author doesn't directly solve this PDE (via the standard application of the Feyman-Kac formula). Instead a nice proof of the option pricing formula is established in the appendix based on a simple log-normal distribution argument.

Chapter 13 discusses option pricing in for other contingency contracts. In Chapter 14, we return to equity options by studying the Greek letters. The reader discovers the Greek letters can be thought of as coefficients of the Black-Scholes PDE and learns some elementary hedging techniques.

Chapter 15 discusses implied volatility and volatility smiles. It is here that the astute reader gets his first indication that the Black-Scholes theory for option pricing may not be as robust or "true to market" as the reader may have been lead to believe. (The folks at Long-Term Capital Management learned this hard lesson rather publicly.)

A survey of topics of interest follows in the next handful of chapters. The material on value at risk, the GARCH volatility model and exotic options is somewhat superficial. The careless reader will come away feeling he knows quite a bit more than he really does.

Martingale theory is touched on in 21 and the Girsanov Theorem is alluded to, but these topics are really too complex and require too many prerequisites for proper treatment in the context. A general multi-variate version of Ito's Rule is stated in the appendix of this chapter.

The next section of the book deals with term-structure models and their applications. One-factor models are discussed along with the various limitations of each of these models. This gives a nice historical treatment. The Heath-Jarrow-Morton and Libor Market Model k-factor term-structure frameworks are introduced. Without the supporting martingale theory, the analysis of these models presented here is very limited.

The last several chapters of the text are very survey-like and breezily touch on topics such as credit risk, credit derivatives and energy derivatives. There isn't a lot of theory in these chapters at all, but at least the reader is made aware of the existence of these kinds of contingencies.

The book wraps up with a cautionary chapter in the form of lessons learned. The unwary reader might see all of the derivative-related train wrecks and say to himself "well, that won't be me". The problem is that it really might be you if you truly (and foolishly) still believe the equity prices always follow geometric Brownian motion. See Lo & MacKinlay "A Non-Random Walk Down Wall Street" for an excellent exposition into the limitations of the basic assumptions underpinning the Black-Scholes-Merton theory.

If nothing else, Hull's last chapter should convince you that maybe this isn't the only book you'll ever want to read in your study of mathematical finance.

The bible of derivatives
As the title of this review indicates, this is _the_ book out of many for financial derivatives. It is by no means the only thing you'll need, but it is a great book for a solid foundation in the subject. In short, this book should adorn every finance dork's library.

N.

A must-have on your shelf
Both academics and financial practitioners (particularly those who are involved in derivatives) must have a copy on their shelf. It serves as a useful reference to refresh any fading memory since it is quite comprehensive and covers practically the whole spectrum of derivatives.

For undergraduates, there is another version entitled "Fundamentals of Futures and Options Markets" which is highly regarded the standard text for any derivatives course ! ... Read more

Isbn: 0130090565
Sales Rank: 3071
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Derivative securities    5. Finance    6. Futures    7. Investments & Securities - Futures    8. Stock options    9. Business & Economics / Investments & Securities   

Our Kind of People: Inside America's Black Upper Class
by Lawrence Otis Graham
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 February, 2000)
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Reviews (230)

The Hoity Toity
A candid look into the lives and practices of an exclusive little known group, where formal and informal membership is not open to everyone. They've been around for some time and attend exclusive resorts such as martha's vineyard, venice beach(Md), and maybe still idlewild, attend schools such as howard, spelman, fisk, sc state, have exclusive clubs like the links, the boule, jack and jill, live in cities like, memphis, chicago, los angeles, ny and dc.Also known as the black bourgoisie, black anglo saxons, petite boogy, the talented tenth, the hoy foloy...and for those that are less than 21, popular.The kids attend camp at atwater during the summer months and just because you make big bucks and have a degree does not entitle you to their social cotillian balls...oh la la...pedigree is most important.

Riddled with Conflict , yetfascinating subject matter
I would highly suggest that anyone interested in reading this book check it out from the library as I did.I am about 60 pages in and I skip paragraphs at a time due to its repetitiveness.This is a healthy-sized book and I am not sure if I will be able to read it word for word.

As a brown-skinned 28 year old female, I am very intrigued by the subject matter because I was not raised to be privy of the light is right mentality.So I can appreciate the book's attempt to explain the background on people who hold these notions of color-consciousness to heart.The author does not delve deep enough into the whole light-skinned/dark-skinned issue as far as picking it apart and exposing it for what it really is, am issue of insecurity and self-hate of those who tend to look down on lower-class blacks.But let me stop there as I have not read the entire book, but that is the impression that I have gotten so far.

I was very excited to read this book as I am a big history buff, especially african-american history.I think from this point on in completing the book I will have to be aware that the author is more or less "one of them" and his perspective may be a little tainted because these are folks he grew up around who hid from and swept many issues under the rug just as he seems to lightly brush over them when discussing them in his book.I am sure I will be able to take a lot from it with that perspective.So far I have been able to learn more aboutorganizations that I had no idea existed, no doubt due in part to there exclusivity and secretive nature.I have heard of Jack and Jill and think that the premise of it is a good idea, but I was unaware of how snooty it could be. Geez the guy has to mention Jack and Jill 1,000 times in the first 60 or so pages I have read.Overall something can be taken from it despite the repetitive nature, the name-dropping, and the poor writing style.

Interestingly snobbish
Growing up in a lower to middle class neighborhood I wasn't aware of these lifestyles within my race so I was excited to read this book.I was intrigued by the groups and a bit envious of their exposure.For example I think the Jack and Jill organization is a great ideal as well as the Links and sending your children to the best schools you can afford.As I looked back on my own childhood I could see how beneficial this would have been in my life.I applaud those individuals who strive to excel in a highly recognized/respected professions like medical doctors, professors and CEOs.It is nice to see success having nothing to do with your dunking style or your running ability.

As I continued to read the book I started to get a feeling the author was vilifying those not in that circle.The snobbery continued as he talked about groups where one couldn't even imagine being a part of no matter what their current list of prestigious awards and degrees included, why, because they don't have lineage.I understand Mr. Graham is speaking from his own perspective but the picture became muddled under closer examination.In the end I felt like the "black elite" came off as african americans trying to make a name for themselves using the exclusive and arrogant rules previously outlined by the white elite in America.

I gave this book three stars because I think it is worth the read especially to those who never see lifestyles such as this in their own community, like myself.I would caution adolescents by telling them this is from the author's view.The book did however leave me inspired to take an interest in the children from my childhood neighborhood and expose them to sites and sounds less familiar to them while happily paying no attention whatsoever to the shade of their skin or the class level of their parents and this has proven to be agood learning experience and best of all, fun. ... Read more

Isbn: 0060984384
Sales Rank: 25126
Subjects:  1. 1975-    2. 20th century    3. Afro-Americans    4. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    5. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - Lifest    6. History    7. Minority Studies - Race Relations    8. Social Science    9. Social conditions    10. Social life and customs    11. Sociology    12. United States    13. Upper class    14. Wealth    15. Social Science / African-American Studies   

Wall Street on a Shoestring : Financial Success for Just $5 a Day
by Clare LA Plante
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 October, 1998)
list price: $12.00
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Reviews (4)

Wonderful book full of great common-sense advice
Ms. La Plante has taken a complex subject and explained it in such a simple and concise way.And she has included wonderful, common-sense advice.The first two chapters alone were worth the price.What a greatconcept, too.Most of us would never miss the $5.00 a day!Highlyrecommended!

Why should Warren Buffett have all the fun and success?
Why should Warren Buffett have all the fun and success?This book showsthat you don't need to be a millionaire to make money on Wall Street(though it does still help).A nice, step-by-step guide to investmentoptions for us ordinary souls.

Highly recommended. Smart, well-written, very accessible.
An excellent and impressive treatment of a complex subject. With all thehype about investing in the stock market (and with recent the market swingsup and down) it's great to have a basic primer that lays everything out inclear and easily understood language. I'm buying this book for my elderlymother, for friends who have wanted to try investing but have been afraid,and anyone intimidated by the jargon spewed by the financial media, whichassumes a level of knowledge and experience beyond the typical Americanconsumer. ... Read more

Isbn: 0380795205
Sales Rank: 1397636
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Finance, Personal    5. Investments    6. Investments & Securities    7. Personal Finance    8. Personal Finance - General    9. Personal Finance - Investing    10. Retirement income   

How to Become CEO: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization
by Jeffrey J. Fox
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (07 October, 1998)
list price: $16.95 -- our price: $11.87
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Editorial Review

Most books about career advancement are either weighty examinations about success in the workplace (e.g., How to Be a Star at Work and Working with Emotional Intelligence) or flippant, humorous takes on surviving the countless inanities of modern work life (e.g., Working Wounded). Jeffrey Fox's book, How to Become CEO: The Rules for Rising to the Top of Any Organization is neither. Instead, Fox presents 75 commonsense rules about successfully conducting your career.

Rules like "Know Everybody by Their First Name" and "No Goals No Glory" may seem obvious; others, such as "Don't Take Work Home from the Office" or "Don't Have a Drink with the Gang" may not. Each is accompanied by page or two of succinct and thought-provoking explanation. For example, for rule 27, "Don't Hide an Elephant," Fox writes, "Big problems always surface. If they have been hidden, even unintentionally, the negative fallout is always worse. The 'hiders' always get burned, regardless of complicity. The 'discoverers' always are safe, regardless of complicity." Wise and to the point, How to Become CEO will help just about anybody's career, whether you want to become CEO or not. --Harry C. Edwards ... Read more

Reviews (85)

Important for its unconventional but correct advice
This book is full of great advice that contradicts the conventional wisdom you hear.For example, advice about smoozing like don't go to parties or drink with coworkers, avoid traveling in company with your superiors so they can relax, and don't put in obviously long hours because it makes you look like you can't keep up.This is different than what I have heard and seen, but it makes sense.

I do disagree with the advice to take the highest paying job.I have made a couple of strategically bad decisions by taking more money instead of taking more responsibility=opportunity.But I can't think of any other nuggets of advice that I would not recommend.

Like another reviewer said, this is a great book to give to someone just starting their career--like a graduation present.There is so much junk advice floating around the business world, and I like this book because it makes sense and makes for a livable professional life.

A Good Gift for Someone Just Starting Out
This little book presents seventy-five lessons, or rules, for career success.The vast majority of the rules consists of short musings on people skills.Like most books giving advice on business and career success, the concepts are easily understood, but as always, are difficult to implement.Nonetheless, this guide to becoming the CEO offers a few precious nuggets of wisdom that anyone could use whether or not they have designs on becoming the Big Cheese or sitting in the top spot of any organization.

Several of the rules have relevance far beyond the boardroom.For example, Lesson 27- Don't Hide an Elephant- which deals with the impulse to ignore a festering and looming problem, sounds a lot like what the United States Congress (and more than a few presidential administrations) does on a routine basis.Other rules, such as Lesson 7- Never Write a Nasty Memo- can have painful personal relevance.I have committed the sin of violating this rule, with disastrous consequences.Please, whatever you do, don't break this rule.

From a business standpoint, I believe that lessons two, three and four, which deal with customers, are the most relevant.These three rules should remind you that if you have no customers, then you have no business being in business.

From a personal career advancement standpoint, the best lessons are Rules 40, 43, and 45, which remind us to listen, do our homework well if we want to be paid well, and most important, to communicate clearly and effectively by speaking and writing in plain English.

Managers and executives of all stripes should memorize Lessons 55 and 63 by heart, and live them every day at work.It really does pay to be on the constant lookout for good ideas, but one should never forget that once a good idea is discovered, realizing its potential is critical to success.

On a personal level, I believe everyone can get a lot of mileage out of Lessons 62 and 64.Lesson 62- Become A Member of the Shouldn't Have Club- contains a lot of truth.Though you may lament doing some things, they are often necessary to do in order to achieve a higher purpose.I can attest to the truth of the author's words from personal experience, `Each time you admonish yourself with "Gee, I shouldn't have done that', there will be ten other times when the results will prove that you should have.'

However, Lesson 64- Record Your Mistakes with Care and Pride- is probably the most difficult lesson for all.Many advise us not to live in the past and not to obsess over failures and mistakes.However, we can learn more from our mis-steps than from our successes, and we can use failure to grow and become better people.Granted, this hard to imagine when one is failing or has failed, but in retrospect, it can be a powerful learning tool if used.

As an aside, Lesson 51- Stay Out of Office Politics- is an insightful and brilliant analysis of too many workplaces.Setting rife with politicking signal for all to see that no matter how beneficial the work or activity may be, they do not count for anything in that particular environment.To escape this pernicious hell, simply prove your worth and demonstrate your ability by working, and soon enough, someone will tap you for a spot in a setting where your work, effort and results do count for something.

I personally liked Lesson 34- Go to the Library Once a Month- as it warms my heart.The public library is a wonderful institution, and contrary to what the generals, spooks, and politicians say, is the most vital asset to our national security, and as such deserves our continued and unhesitating support.

This book makes an excellent gift for someone just beginning a career.I have a niece who is just starting out, and I think I will pass along a copy to her.It just may prove to be one investment that pays dividends now and later.

Great little book that serves as a great reminder
As you probably know that this book is filled with tips/suggestions to make it to the top. Here are some of his tips:
* Get and keep customers for your company
* Make one good ally in your company every month
* Avoid staff jobs, seek line jobs
* Find companies inner circle, why are that inner circle, determine necessary credentials and get in there
* Work on projects that are visible or pet projects of sernior people. Ask people what are big problems are. Think it through, work on solutions, test them. Write up your proposals, and get proper distribution of your ideas.

|-POSITIVE-|
1.Easy to read and straight to the point
2.As I read, I saw where I was making mistakes in my past jobs and I saw his advice in others success.
3.A lot of it is common sense but that common sense lots of time is forget, great reminder, it is short so its easy to flip through the book for a nice reminder.
4.He offers tips not only what to do inside the business, but also what do with in your personal life, because that's where it starts. He even offers other books to read.
5.it contains that kind of information that I for sure will reread from time to time.

|-NEGATIVE-|
I can't think of negative, except maybe that a lot of it is common sense but even common sense is needed to make it to the top. ... Read more

Isbn: 0786864370
Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business/Economics    3. Career development    4. Careers - General    5. Careers - Other Specific Fields    6. Careers / Job Opportunities    7. Chief executive officers    8. Executives    9. Management    10. Vocational guidance    11. Business & Economics / Careers   

Probability and Statistics for Engineering and the Sciences
by Jay L. Devore
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (09 December, 1999)
list price: $103.95
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Reviews (25)

This book is horrendous
I am currently an undergrad engineering student taking a grad level statistics course using this book. The example problems in the chapters have nothing to do with the actual review problems, and the review problems themselves have parts A-ZZ. The "real world" problems do nothing to help the student understand the statistical method and how to actually apply the topics discussed. The problems also do little to further the understanding of the material

The material is presented in a confusing and obfuscating manner, meaning that to find anything relevant, you have to either look something up on google or find a friend that has taken the course previously do get anything done. There are also many review problems on topics that were only briefly mentioned in the text, and you have no idea how to go about doing the problem because the material was never explained.

This book deserves no stars.

Very good reference book, read carefully to learn concepts.
This book might seem to skim through all the contents but it's indeed really well developed. If you need to review for tomorrow's exam, you can find everything important in the boxes. If you are seeing the contents for first time, every needed explanation and deduction is available.

You can see that the math is done a little bit short, but nothing that you cannot figure out with a little bit of thinking (Weren't you studying anyway?).

I don't know why other people has been so harsh to this book, but I found it very usefull and I really learned from it. This book is slow read, if you don't read it thoughfully you won't get much of it. If you cannot recall simbols, it's simply because you didn't study it ;)



The are only three bad things. First, some problems refer to data from other problems, instead of printing the data again, which results confusing. Second, the language is a little awkward from time to time and a very technical, but once again, nothing that could not be figured out easily. And third, the book builds chapter over chapter. Terms are used throughout the whole book,and at the end of the book, you need to be familiar with everything before to understand. Anyway, I think it's more a problem of Prob & Statistics in general than of this book in particular.

Confusing presentation
This book presents many things in rather strange ways. For instance, the central concept of a probability distribution appears in a number of different "versions" which are likely to confuse beginners (distributions on the sample space, distributions of a random variable defined on the sample space, and distributions of functions of random variables (statistics) are discussed as if they were separate concepts). More than once the order in which the material is discussed is truly amazing. For example, the central limit theorem is discussed before the linearity property of the expectation is even mentioned, although the latter is an essential part of formulating the CLT. Many further examples could be listed here.

I do give the book credit for its effort of illustrating the material with real-world data sets. However, too little background (What exactly is measured? What is the context? Which results could be expected here?) is given in most cases, resulting in examples that convey little information beyond a sequence of numbers. In this sense I doubt the data sets are as instructive as the author claims them to be. I do not recommend this book. ... Read more

Isbn: 0534372813
Sales Rank: 237671
Subjects:  1. Engineering - General    2. Mathematical Statistics    3. Mathematics    4. Probabilities    5. Probability    6. Probability & Statistics - General    7. Science/Mathematics   

The Fast Track
by MARIAM NAFICY
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (06 October, 1997)
list price: $17.95 -- our price: $12.21
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Reviews (44)

Mind the Gap
Naficy's work is helpful for building a general understanding of these industries, the attributes sought in potential hires, and how to demonstrate these attributes.

Those serious about fast track careers should supplement their reading.This book was published in 1997 and is sorely in need of an update.To address your coverletters to Andersen Consulting would be a serious blooper (they are now Accenture).Although expensive, WetFeet publishes some phenomenal in-depth reports that are usually more candid and current.

the best prep book out there
I came from an Ivy school and got offers from Goldman and Morgan Stanley coming out.My junior year I was recommended this book by a college career counselor as the one indispensable book to own.I agree and have recommended the same to others asking me for advice.It won't get you the job on its own (internet research and calls with former/current employees are a must), but its explanations of management consulting and investment banking are hugely helpful for approaching the interview process.Vault and Wetfeet are fine but too specific -- an applicant who has read this book and understands the overall shape of these two career paths and the goals behind the recruiting process for each will be much better prepared for the rigorous post-college interview process.

Only for Ivy Leaguers
Like some of the others had mentioned, this book is more targeted towards students with degrees from elite schools.This book actually gave me further insight into how discriminating the hiring processes are.Basically, everything in your life that happens between the youthful ages of 18-22 will determine whether or not you can get into investment banking.

This industry ignorantly rewards people who succeeded during an age when they were barely out of their parents' watchful eye.Certainly, such Ivy Leaguers deserve credit for their achievements;but why must such ignorance exist?What about someone with a 4.0 from an above-average university (ie. Univ. of Wisconsin, UCLA, Miami of Ohio) who didn't attend an Ivy League school merely because they didn't exceed a 1300 on an SAT AT THE AGE OF 17????

In short, this book reaches a limited audience, and reveals how narrow-minded the recruiting processes of the industry are.After reading this book, I learned that if you haven't been perfect (or close to perfect) in your academics by the age of 18 or so, you can kiss a career in investment banking good-bye... ... Read more

Isbn: 0767900405
Sales Rank: 82542
Subjects:  1. Brokers    2. Business & Economics    3. Business consultants    4. Career Planning (General)    5. Career/Job    6. Careers - General    7. Careers / Job Opportunities    8. Investment Finance    9. Investment bankers    10. Vocational guidance    11. Business & Economics / Careers   

The Shape of the River
by Glenn C. Loury William G. Bowen Derek Bok
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (04 January, 2000)
list price: $26.95 -- our price: $16.98
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Editorial Review

Though the whole idea of racial preferences in higher education has become a flash point of controversy, neither side of the argument has had hard empirical evidence upon which to base its claims. This is precisely the kind of information former university presidents Bowen and Bok attempt to provide, by examining the admissions policies of several (unnamed) institutions and following the fortunes of their minority graduates over a period of years. What they find is certainly provocative--and if, in the end, Bowen and Bok still haven't answered the affirmative-action conundrum, they've taken a valuable first step toward providing some of the necessary facts for an intelligent discussion of the issue. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Solid facts supporting AA or slanted liberalism? You decide.
The Shape of The River continues the same liberal deception and dogma we have come to expect in the debate over affirmative action, and this helps racists of all stripes- liberal and conservative ones. See Sowell on the data.

1) The authors skew their results towards elite private colleges, that most black students don't attend. Their sample has 24 private institutions and only 4 state institutions. But in fact only 9% of blacks attend private institutions. In addition they are selective in their sample of actual black students. Two thirds of those sampled have one or more parents with college degrees- something not typical of the black college going population as a whole. With such a selective sampling it is no wonder the authors got the "results" they wanted.

2) The authors lump together blacks admitted with no special preferences with those admitted under lower standards, rather than separating them out so as to disguise the impact of AA. But in fact, as numerous other studies show, where black students are similar to their white counterparts, their graduation
rates have been similar. In other words they are cutting the mustard, just like everybody else. But where there are those admitted under lower standards, then there is a wide gap in graduation rates.

3) Several other studies contradict the author's conclusions and for some strange reason they will not make their base data public so that others can analyze it. As shown above, they lump together blacks enjoying no special preferences with thoseadmitted under such- disguising the impact of preferences. Their refusal to release base data (like any normal academic study would), suggests something fishy at work.

Some have used various items in the book to argue for the declining intelligence of the black population, based on the fact of high IQ black women having fewer children. But this is bogus. In fact the intelligence scores of blacks (along with other initially low IQ whites) have been rising for decades. As Thomas Sowell points out, it is the "norming" of IQ tests from their earlier baselines so that increases are reshuffled to yield a "normal average" of 100, that has concealed black
progress. When progress is measured from the original baselines, in fact, whole nations have experienced rising IQs, undermining the racist assumptions of so called "decline".

Some whites would like to assume that black folks can't learn anything unless they get some sort of "special help" or conversely, that black progress is due to "preferences." Either way, the presumption is something doled out by white people.
But back in the Jim Crow era, when blacks were blatantly and systematically denied opportunities open to whites, blacks were making progress without any "special" help or "preferences". All black PUBLIC schools like Dunbar High in Washington DC consistently produced test scores for decades above the whiteaverage. As far back as the First World War, black soldiers from northern states, places like New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Ohio scored higher on mental tests than white soldiers from southern regions like Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Mississippi.

By the way, the academic performance gap between Asians and whites is even bigger than the gap between blacks and whites according to Thernstroms' new book "No excuses". So white performance ain't anything to write home about either. People should remember this the next time they so easily point fingers at black people-- whether to condemn them, or "help" them with yet more deceptive and dubious "preferences."

Academic white Racism, Paternalism at it most Vicious Form
I have read the book twice.Truth often is stranger than fiction.The book is complicated but the central theses is that blacks "need" lower standards to succeed in school, jobs and life. Basically, it says they cannot succeed in life without me the arrogant, academic white liberal providing lower standards for admissions to college for you, the blacks.

The whole subject of differences in test scores, academic achievement is a touchy subject.White IQ averages 100 and Blacks IQ averages 85, a gap of 15 points.Many believe, that the difference will be less once equal opportunity is provided.These people believe in equal opportunity and believe "all races" have the ability to succeed.

Bok and Bowen basically comes and says they CANNOT succeed without lower hurdles, lower admissions criteria, the aid of white paternalism.Bok and Bowen have basically accepted the very notion that blacks are inferior to whites and they will never succeed without the white man support.It�s again the ideas of the "white man burden" to civilized the Africans in our midst.If this is not white racism at its worst.I have no idea what it is.Paternalism of liberal whites toward blacks is the worst form of racism possible.It is the "plantation mentality" at work again.If you behave toward the plantation master, I will invite you inside the master�s house and let you have the goodies.

There no way to get around it:Bok and Bowen are academic racists.... academic racists of the worst type because they believe intrinsically that blacks are inferior to whites and only through their "benevolence" will blacks succeed.I find this ugly, distasteful and objectionable.

For public universities like the Universities of California, Texas, Michigan, etc.It is well known for decades now that there is two-admissions process. One process is for Whites-Asians and another process is for Blacks-Hispanics.At the University of Michigan, Whites-Asians will be auto-reject at the 6% percentile of applicants.Blacks-Hispanics at 6% will be auto-accept. Berkeley has had a gap year after year of 250-350 SAT points between the two groups.The NYT published the SAT scores of white-Asians, in the 1200-1300 range, whereas blacks-hispanics were in the range of 900, under a thousand.It is no secret-open seceret now that public universities have two-admissions process based on your race.It's like there is two-universities, one for you and one for me.

The only reason I write this is that public universities are under public control and public scrutiny. Much of the data came out of Freedom of Information Act request.

Private universities meanwhile are not publicly obligated to release their admissions data.But here in this book, by the former Presidents of Harvard and Princeton, they are publicly admitting they have two-admissions process.If you are white, your application will be placed with other white applicants and if you are blacks, you will be competing against other blacks.

It's an open admission of a two-system admissions process with the blacks system of admissions with much, much lower standards. I would think this is a violation of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, but Bok and Bowen insists "the only way they can make it"

This white academic racism of Bok and Bowen reminds me of the separate drinking fountains of the old US South.One fountain for whites and a shabbier one for the colored.Bok and Bowen is here endorsing the white racism of the US South.White and Blacks cannot drink from the same fountain, Bok and Bowen is saying they cannot "compete" because they are just too dumb.
Instead of the KKK of the south promoting the inferiority of blacks, we have the President of Harvard and Princeton, respected academics, promoting the inferiority of blacks. I consider this academic racism the worst form of "hate" imagination because it is an intellectual, accepted belief that blacks are inherently inferior.

Needless to say, I find the white racism of Bok and Bowen shocking and objectionable. Moreover, they openly admit that Ivy schools have a two-tier system of admissions, one for me and one for you people will be shocking to many readers. Bok and Bowen even defends the two-system admissions process.. lower standards for blacks�.Shocking.

Please buy the book, read it, and judge it for yourself. Your opinion might be different than mine, but the white racism of Bok and Bowen is the racism of the worst imaginable type.... they have concluded and accepted blacks are inferior and they need a lower set of standards to go anywhere in life or college, with the white man help of course.If this is not racism,I have no idea what is.

Unscientific dribble
The authors of this book once again raise the question of whether those who work in the social "sciences" will ever allow their work to be subjected to the same academic rigor as the physical sciences. To wit, William G. Bowen is the head of the Mellon Foundation, which is in possession of the research used to justify the claims made in this book. In real science the data would be made available to anyone. In the case of this book, however, the Mellon Fundation will only make the data available under "special" circumstances:

"Requests for access ... must go beyond a general desire to recheck results; they should instead offer sound reasons for believing that there is a likelihood of error or misinterpretation in the work of others..."

That's a quote from the Mellon Foundation's guidleines to obtain the data. In other words, in order to get a chance to prove that it's wrong you already have to be able to prove it's wrong. Hmmmm....Not very scientific for these two "social scientists."

National Review's Melissa Seckora recently gained fame for disproving much of the data used to justify Michael Bellesiles' book "Arming America." Mr. Bellesiles reputation has come under furious assault for the falsification he used to support his book's thesis. Perhaps a similar fate awaits these 2 men, if their data ever actually becomes available. Perhaps if Mr. Bellesiles had been the head of "his own" foundation? (It is, of course, Mr. Mellon's money - I'm sure he's spinning in his grave.) ... Read more

Isbn: 0691050198
Subjects:  1. Education    2. Education / Teaching    3. Higher    4. History    5. Organizations & Institutions    6. Philosophy & Social Aspects    7. Education / Higher   

InStyle
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Good Magazine, but missing something...
The InStyle Magazine is a very good magazine whether you are into style or are hopelessly trying to understand the definition of the word.I will give InStyle this:they do not just cater to the Oscar-rich type stylish people.They also cater to the not-so-rich stylish people, and even if you are not as rich as the not-so-rich folks, you can take the basic principles in the magazine and go garage-saleing in style.You really can.Why?Because they usually look at every celebrity they're featuring and break down their method of style, from hair to makeup to clothing.The reason I say it is missing something is because they don't really give you the meat and potatoes.They don't really tell you HOW to apply the makeup or HOW to do the hair.They just give you basic guidelines, like what hairstyle and makeup looks good with what face type and what style of clothing best flatters what body type.If you're looking for ideas, subscribe.If you're looking for the HOW, don't bother.

There is plenty of articles about traveling style, Oscar/Red Carpet style, party style... all the styles you can imagine.The issues are usually thick, although you only get 10 per year.It is a feast for the eyes, but again, for the know-how specifics, it falls short.

If you are interested in just learning the basics of style, such as what clothing article looks most flattering for your body type or how to buy your clothing to ensure quality, or how to care for your clothing, I would highly recommend their book: InStyle: the Secrets of Style.There might be better books out there, but I haven't run into any.Once they cover the basics, the go step-by-step style, for each article of clothing.It is not a bad investment at all.If you pair their book with a subscription to their magazine, you are likely to develop a sense of style if you don't have one, and you'll become much more confident in developing your own style without having to depend on what others think is stylish.

Last thing:I like to collect clothing catalogs like Spiegel or Victoria's Secret or Eddie Bauer or companies that I am more likely to buy my clothing from in addition to reading InStyle.That way, I can come up with my own style using the articles of clothing that are actually available from my clothing retailer without having to go way out of my league to get a specific look or dress.

Instyle Is InCredible
If your looking for the ins and outs of celebrity fashion and lifestyle, this magazine has it all. It has great photographs of your favorite stars (and what they're wearing), interesting articles, and fantastic fashion and beauty tips. I look forward to reading this magazine every month!

My Favorite Subscription
I subscribe to a ton of magazines, and this is definitely my favorite. If you are looking for in-depth articles on different issues, subscribe to Vanity Fair (another great magazine). But, if you are looking for lots of celebrities, lots of fashion and beauty, and great tips, this is for you. What I like most is that it doesn't have all of those stupid articles on how to have sex, or how to trap and keep a man (i.e. Cosmopolitan). I think we all got past that content in high school? INSTYLE is a great buy!
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Asin: B00007IJX0
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Subjects:  1. Entertainment    2. Fashion & Style    3. Women's Fashion    4. Women's Interest    5. Lifestyle & Cultures (Guidance)    6. Beauty, Personal