Reviews (4)

Heavily padded, but some good basics
Rather tedious reading because of so much obvious padding to get the page count up to 500... I would estimate that there are 200 pages of real content here. There is a long explanation of what actions the trigger on a gun initiate, in order to be sure we understand what an Oracle "Trigger" is through a long analogy. This is a typical example of where a text is padded out to aparagraph to explain a concept that could have been done in a sentence. Authors should respect the reader's time and attention. Some of the coverage is very thin and the seams show on the revision for the 9i. We I reviewed the book and noted the highlighted passages, I realized how thin in content this actually was.

Still a good first read for a new DBA, but the Wessler or Dawes or even Ault are better, more detailed and ultimately more useful.

Not for beginners
As a programmer with experience in MS SQL Serer, this book appealed as a first introduction to Oracle. Unfortunately, too much space has been dedicated to complicated and unnecessary detail.For example, early chapters go to great detail of setting up the SQL Plus utility, interesting, but frequently I found myself skipping page after page that I didn't need as a beginner and there's no way I would remember.As a beginners' book, it's disappointing to find installation of the database pushed all the way back to chapter 7, and with that the chapter starts by saying that a full coverage of installations is beyond the scope of this book!If installing the database is not important for beginners, what is?Final word, this book isn't for beginners.

Reviews (9)

You would have to walk in her shoes to understand
It is ironic yet predictable that most of the people who don't "get" this book, tend to be individuals who are either not female, African American or both.Jill Nelson wrote an honest critique of the experience that many African American women go through when trying to attain the proverbial golden rings in corporate America.I am sorry some folks could not relate or understand Ms. Nelson's book because the points she brings up are true and still reflective of the socialogical culture most African Americans live in today--approximately twenty years later.The patriarchal blindness that many in this culture experience that prevents them from understanding or relating to another individual or cultures experiences is sad yet expectedThe best that Ms. Nelson and other writers like her can do is just tell the story and let those who get "it" get it.

Were some of her experiences hard to hear?Most definitely.Were the experiences unique to her?Absolutely not.Ms. Nelson says on in chapter 2, that she has been doing the standard Negro balancing act which is "blurring the edges of [her] being so that they [white people] don't feel intimidated."There are few African Americans, I would venture to guess, who haven't experienced this feeling at one time or another, yet it is virtually impossible to communicate this experience in a way that is understandable to someone who hasn't had to always be "aware" of how they are perceived and how those perceptions can affect other African Americans as well.Ms. Nelson does an excellent job explaining these details and if some people are still clueless, well, it's through no fault of her skill as a writer.

Keep on shedding a spotlight on these issues Ms. Nelson.There are a few out there who are truly looking for the light.

Nearly 10 years later and Nelson's words still ring true....
Volunteer Slavery is STILL the book! Family, friends and coworkers are probably sick and tired of hearing me raving about the revealing, blistering and gossipy tell-all memoir! It's been nearly 10 years since the book was published, but I still regularly reread certain passages when I need inspiration, a good laugh, or a clearer understanding of the journalistic imbroglio with which I frequently have to deal with--after more than 15 years in the business!! Celebrate the anniversary of the BEST book EVER written about what it's REALLY like being a black journalist on the plantation...the newsroom at a daily newspaper!!

An insightful book.
As an African-American journalist, I found Jill Nelson's book to be very real. Those who criticize the book because Nelson strikes them as naive are missing the point, on at least two levels.

In the first place, thoughshe naturally gets into certain generalities, the book is primarily aboutHER experience. It's not intended to be a handbook for reporters who areclimbing the corporate ladder. Given her past, and her particularpersonality, this is the story of how she happened to react to a specificset of circumstances. How one judges her actions should be different fromthe way someone judges the book itself.

And secondly, to the extent thatthe book does have a larger intent, it calls for the dismantling of anoutrageously unfair system. Should we all just accept the status quo, andfind clever ways to navigate our way past pettiness and stupidity, orstrive for a sane alternative?

Editorial Review

As with most books written by politicians while in office (or at least aiming for one), Living History is, first and foremost, safe. There are interesting observations and anecdotes, the writing is engaging, and there is enough inside scoop to appeal to those looking for a bit of gossip, but there are no bombshells here and it is doubtful the book will change many minds about this polarizing figure. This does not mean the work is without merit, however, for Hillary Clinton has much to say about her experience as first lady, which is the primary focus of the book. Those interested in these experiences and her commentary on them will find the book worth reading; those looking for revelations will be disappointed.

Beginning with a brief outline of her childhood, college years, introduction to politics, and her courtship with Bill Clinton, Clinton covers a wide variety of topics: life on the campaign trail, her troubled tenure as leader of the President's Task Force on National Health Care Reform, meeting with foreign leaders, and her work on human rights, to name a few. By necessity, she also addresses the various scandals that plagued the administration, from Travelgate to Whitewater to impeachment, though she does not go into great detail about each one; rather, she seems content to simply state her case and move on without trying to settle too many old scores.

Reviews (10)

The Real Truth Will Eventually CATCH UP
I am not afraid to look the reality of colorism in the eye and acknowledge that it does exist within the black community. It is my greatest hope and dream that someday the dark skinned black and the light skinned black will be seen as the one family in the future. I want so much to love the lightskinned sister and brother as my own reflection and not be divided from them or made to feel that one is treated better than the other, but sadly, that day is not here and this book bravely and powerfully illustrates that point to the fullest.

I am a medium brown colored woman, my mother was very dark skinned and I have witnessed the evils of skin color prejudice all my life. In most situations, it was Black Men who were prejudiced against myself and the women around me beccause of our coloring. These men felt no shame or limit in their racist intra-family prejudice and measured their entire lives by how many light skinned or white women they could attain and how light brite their children could come out. It's everywhere and anyone who denies it is both a fool and a liar.

That is why I highly recommend THE BLACKER THE BERRY by Wallace Thurman. There is no truer portrait of the self-hatred among our people than the one extolled in this book, and what makes it even sadder is that this book was written in the 1920's. So that only shows how deep this kind of evil runs.

Lately, I have become very interested in this subject and I have searched for other books that explore this subject with intelligence, honest, beauty and wisdom and I have found several that I consider to be classics on the subject of Colorism.

(1) MARITA GOLDEN'S book "Don't Play In the Sun" is definitely the most modern up to date book of the bunch. It expertly weaves the story of her life experiences in the 1960's Black Power movement with the current struggles of women like Serena Williams and India Arie to find their way in the world, even in the midst of being shunned and ignored by the black community itself. The book's analysis of the Hollywood casting system and the "Mulatto Follies" of BET and MTV is priceless.

(2) "The Bluest Eye" by TONI MORRISON is by far the most riveting and painful book that I have read on this subject of colorism. I believe that her book, more than any mother, gets to the psychological and historical root cause of the problem and exposes the mode in which we pass the problem on generation to generation. The destruction of an innocent black girl named Pecola Breedlove will leave you heartbroken and shocked as you see the bold naked truth unfold right before your eyes. You can't ignore this book, because the story being told is the one that you are all too familiar with no matter what color you are.

(3) "Flesh and the Devil" by African novelist KOLA BOOF is another deeply powerful book that examines colorism, but not out in the open. This book is unique in that it focuses on a very enchanting love story between a Black Prince and Princess and follows their reincarnations through history as they struggle to find their way back to each other. Through detailed moments in black history, both in Africa and the United States, the provocative author highlights the way that black people originally viewed their beauty and humanity and then juxtuposes it against the way they see themselves now in the modern world. The result is nothing less than devastating. I love this book so much, because the storytelling is so rich and the depth is so sweeping and grand. Anyone who loves good writing and is proud to be descended from the Black race will find themselves literally changed forever by the powerful images depicted in this very poetically moving story.

(4) "The Color Complex"--VARIOUS AUTHORS, is a very simple, straight forward analysis from a sociological point of view. Much research and statistical facts are used to illustrate that our communities are infested with these issues.

(5) "The Darkest Child" by Dolores Philips is another great novel that shows us the poor blacks who live under the poverty line ingesting these complex social hierarchies based on color and how they not only expose their children to them, but force the entire community to live by the "color code". Everybody is used to it from slavery and the system goes on and on unchallenged. In this book, Tangy Mae, the darkest of 10 children by the white-looking mother Rozelle, struggles to find her dignity and confidence in the midst of her evil light skinned mother inflicting one horrid abuse on top of the other. One thing I will say for the evil white-looking mother, Rozelle, is that she treated all of her children hiddeously and with contempt, from the whitest to the blackest. But she killed the child who was born looking like Tangy Mae and that spoke volumnes. This book is a very real metaphor for what goes on. Very real.

priceless!
I believe this book should be in every school and college library in the country.This book discuss everything about the black/white interracial relationships, the obstacles, the laws, media portrayal of such relationships, as well as custody battles over children from monoracial relationships as well as the continuing battle over transracial adoption.

Mr. Kennedy has done an excellent job in making his book a blueprint for those who want to know the history behind IRs in America.

Editorial Review

The story of bad behavior--fanaticism about small debates, gender-disguised "Netsex," the spending of other people's money on vast phone bills--has been told by others. In The Cybergypsies: A True Tale of Lust, War, and Betrayal on the Electronic Frontier, Indra Sinha tells the same story in a British context where the poverty and uncertainty of the Thatcher era made everything that much more intense and obsessive. This is also the story of the near collapse of the author's marriage: he withdrew from his wife or dragged her off to meet Net chums who never showed up--or showed up and never introduced themselves.

Reviews (13)

short, but funny
even though this book took me an hour to read, it was quite funny.Cedric is the King of Entertainers!!

It was ok
Ced gives his take on the entertainment industry, race relations, and growing up. Most of the material, you can catch in his stand up comedy routine. I throught the book was good, for the most point, but at times I think he did too many ... of a lot of his topic, but if you like his stand up routines, you will like the book.

Reviews (28)

Very serious book yet funny too.
This book was about Arika's suffering with manic depression in a family who denied it.Her sister tells the story from her perspective which at times is sad and then witty.Take this book, sitdown, read it and really understand that mental illness is REAL.

Tragic, Emotional
Rikki Moore was the popular, smart, beautiful sister who always achieved, but inside her mind, there
was another side to Rikki that most people didn't see. Stacy was the over weight little sister standing in the shadows of her her sister. Stacy always came to her sisters rescue and the only one who was so burdened with the effects of her sisters " storms".
When Rikki is hospitalized from attempting suicide their mother still doesn't want to face that her daughter is mentally ill.
Stacy covers her sisters behaviors and in doing so ruins Stacy's marriage. When Rikki's devoted husband
can no longer control her or her outburst he wants a divorce. Stacy is left once again running to her sisters rescue.
When Matt Rikki's husband mysteriously disappears, Stacy finds the clues that don't add up straight but
still keeps her sisters secret. This novel is powerful! A family suddenly shattered by tragedy. A sister torn from her own life while trying stay ahead of her sisters " storms".
Tragic, Emotional.

Reviews (9)

A Good Story Told Well
This is a wonderful story about a southern family.It is a good yarn that is told well.Nothing more or less.

One of the Best Books I;ve Read All Year
After finishing Scott Morris' Waiting for April, I was left with the distinct feeling that I had just read work in a writing style that is entirely unlike anything I've read before. It has gusto, with such phrases as the "gauzy noise of night," playfullness, sharp sincereity and an unusual rectitude -- anyway, it was devoid of the gamesmanship I feel in of a lot of pseudo-joyful postmodern writing. I'm really writing this reveiw to respond to the last one I read. I think the writing/language matched the hyped-up nature of the story. And so much happened -- if suicide, murder and false identity aren't enough drama, I'm not sure what would be. I would say more but wouldn't want to give away too much.

Reviews (4)

Another book with inflated amazon.com reviews
This book isn't terrible, but it's hardly authoritative.It's a straight rehashing of the basics of newswriting, no doubt taken mostly from journalism textbooks.The advice isn't bad, but it's given with little flair, and the writing examples (from the author's own clips) are dull and uninspiring.

It's like an extended high school report -- the author is obviously not an expert on the subject, and she pieced together information from better books to make this one.But even on those terms, the book doesn't succeed, because the advice is spotty and unconvincing.

Write, Edit, Revise and Rewrite...
...The golden rule of writing. This book is short, sweet and to the point, easily read and digested. The title explains exactly what you get. If you're an aspiring magazine writer, get it.

Isbn: 185703421X
Sales Rank: 2023759
Subjects:  1. Writing & editing guides   

Editorial Review

Reviews (22)

Deep? No... But Not The Kiddie Pool
Eric Maisel turns in a decent effort here-- one that is worth a read. He as an easy, readable style and an obvious love of the craft. Not much in the way of brand-new insight to be found in these pages, however... except for a few goofy exercise straight out of the therapist's office (Mr. Maisel, in addition to being a writer, is a creativity therapist or something along those lines).
Nonetheless, the ideas he does retread - respect the craft, nurture your ideas, etc.-- bear repeating. And let's face it, even a single fresh perspective on an old truth can be valuable.. and you're apt to find at least a couple here.

Bringing Ideas to Fruition
"Deep Writing" has one goal: to get your writing projects off the ground and onto paper. Dr. Maisel doesn't do you the disservice of promising that if you only follow his seven steps everything will be simple and easy. He shows his sample writers stumbling and falling as well as succeeding, and he shows them changing direction, taking their time, and engaging in other realities of the writing process. It is important to him that we understand the realities of the writing process, not that we believe his method is a cure-all.

The first step is as easy as quieting your mind and allowing yourself to think. It's also as difficult as quieting your mind. Simple? Yes. Obvious? Yes. But in my experience, it's the obvious things we often miss in life. Maisel presents an exercise called TIPS (Themes, Intention, Plan, Steps) that will help you make your first steps toward actually working on your project, and another exercise that will help you connect theme and intention.

Another chapter deals with choices pertaining to marketplace and ethical concerns. Maisel presents arguments on both sides of the issue. Do you aim your work at the marketplace to make more money? Do you stick to your guns and write what you want regardless of whether anyone will want it? Is there a happy middle ground? He gives us the tools we need to decide for ourselves which goal is more important to us.

He continues on to discuss more issues of the process of writing, evaluating the work, feeling comfortable with the work, and doing what's necessary. Maisel provides a checklist of requirements writers can meet in order to help themselves, and some brief exercises to help with that goal.

"Deep Writing" is not a huge book, but it does pack a pretty good punch. It might not have massive reams of advice to convey, but the simple principles it does present are ones that can make a big difference in your writing. This book does get into a certain amount of touchy-feely psychobabble, but even if you're a bit skeptical of such things (as I tend to be), you might find it useful. If you ever have trouble sitting down to work, if you ever find it difficult to move from idea to product, this book could do you a lot of good!

Reviews (501)

Mixed Feelings
I read The Little Friend because I had already finished Secret History and really liked it. However, I had a mixed reaction to this second novel. I liked the character development and the depiction of life in the South of the 70's, and I was impressed with the pace of the book. Oh, it wasn't fast paced! Actually, it moved slowly. But I find Ms. Tartt very skillful at making me take the story at her intended pace rather than at my own. I have no idea if others find this to be true, but I became convinced early on that Ms. Tartt was not going to allow me to hurry.

In retrospect, I enjoyed almost everything about the book, except the ending. I was disappointed as I read the final pages. It seemed that Ms. Tartt found no resolution to her plot, that the novel just stopped. I have read other novels wherein specific events or circumstances were left to my imagination, but the ending to The Little Friend was jolting.

The Little Friend is a Good Read.
12 years have passed since the murder of a small child and still there are no answers to this mystery.Enter Harriet, the now 12 years old and the sister of the murdered little brother is set on finding the killer.Along with her partner and pal Hely they secretly go about their investigation with the Ratcliff family already their suspect.The Ratcliff's are a family with a history for trouble thus convincing Harriet that they are the prime suspects.Dragging along Hely she goes deeper and deeper and finds herself in serious danger, involved way over her head.

Harriet's Mother has been distraught and bedridden all the years since the murder.With nobody to take care of her but her good hearted maid and her relatives, four woman who are terrific characters that Tart has created.Harriet's Grandmother and her three great aunts.Ladies of the south, old ladies each with a very strong personality.Harriet struggles with her family, with her secret search for justice with the infamous Ratcliff boys.

What I like about this book is the story is well written, the characters are terrific.The story takes you into the south of the 1970's and pulls you into a great plot.

Reviews (10)

Deeply disappointed...
I read the preview in a Black Ink newsletter and I HAD to have this book. The preview chapter I read was so entertaining. But the rest of this book was [weak]. I'm sorry, but I really tried to like this book. There are 289 pages in this book and I got to 252 pages TRYING to like this book. I figured, "I bought it, might as well read it". I just can't take it anymore. #1 The book reads like a map of Chicago. I am from Chicago so I really didn't need to hear all these unnecessary directions to suburbs, neighborhoods, expressways, etc. And if I was a tourist, I would STILL be annoyed because it's like "Get to the point and stop bragging about the city, woman!" #2 There's fiction and then there's junk. This book was so extremely unrealistic to the point where I was just shaking my head. #3 The main character was just too [...] to feel sorry for her. I don't believe anybody screws up their life THIS bad. This book was just [...] and I am so disappointed.

...happily ever after...
SilkyDreamGirl is a definite must have. Cris Burks has a way of making the characters so real you immediately become emotionally bonded to them. I found myself at times saying aloud, "oh no he didn't," whenever the main character, Katie went into detail of how her husbands wronged her. Although I didn't agree with the fact that it took four husbands and an Internet relationship to make her realize that she was overweight and needed to make herself her first priority, I am a sucker for the happily ever after.

Cris Burks has an amazing way of story telling and was always right on time with her one-liners and ole wives tales. -DD

Reviews (27)

BEFORE YOU GIVE THIS AUTHOR YOUR MONEY...
[...]
He basically uses his hatred of Liberals as an excuse to say or do any selfish thing he wants. Here are excerpts on his reaction to global warming. "The fact that Liberals really don't like extremely large SUVs made me decide to buy the largest one on earth" and "They say that if an SUV runs into a small car, the small car loses. If they truly wanted to save lives, they'd yell to reduce small cars! When I heard what SUVs do against smaller vehicles, I thought, "That's the kind of car I want my wife in with as much metal safely guarding her as possible!" and "The kind of car you drive should be your choice, but they only like choice when it's a choice to murder unborn babies. They don't want you to have choice in the car you drive."-- That's only Perry's selfish take on global warming, just read his racist teachings and his gay bashing. If you even give 2 cents for the planet you live on, don't give this creep your money because he's using it for a truly disturbing agenda.

Waste of intelligence
I checked out this writer's personal website (where he promotes his books as well) and this writer is, in fact, racist and incredibly self-centered.I can not support a writer whose views are so hateful, regardless of his book's subject-matter.I can not get pass the first page for thinking of the hate behind it.Hopefully he will learn to free his mind (and website) of hateful clutter soon before more people suffer as a result of his convictions.

Reviews (5)

a good collection
Breaking Ice is a collection of short stories from well know authors some more so than others, but all the stories were worth the read

Great Stories!Excellent introduction of new writers.
Short stories are my favorite literary genre and these are excellent!The many, varied female voices - in particular - are eye-opening and engrossing; the subjects are pertinent and realistic.The lives, thoughts,moods, and experiences of people of color are portrayed with finesse andgreat literary skill.This book introduced me to many new writers whosurely deserve to be read. I would highly recommend this book to the studyof African-American Literature in universities world-wide.

Reviews (50)

Lukewarm
I was expecting much more from the woman that I listen to on the airwaves daily. Wendy's book was lackluster at best and I know she has it in her to do better, much better. There was nothing there, nothing substantive. I was disappointed.

Trinice S. Moses
Mt. Holly, NJ

Loved it!!!
I loved the book.I read a side of Wendy I never knew.I am also from New Jersey, northern New Jersey and I liked being able to relate to what she was talking about.As far as her not 'dropping names', you can't just put people's names in your books without them signing a release allowing you to do so.So, that is why names weren't 'dropped'.If you know anything about books you would know that!!! Over all I think the book was very good, I love autobiographies and I felt this was a good one.I wish she would have been able to go into a little more detail regarding the situation with Hot 97.

Reviews (3)

FANTASTIC! A MUST READ!!
This book is an amazing portrayal of african american love from the 1800's to present day. The letters are extremly powerful and make me cry everytime i read them. Not just a gift for valentines day, its a gift for anyday! you must get this book!!!

Excellent!
This is one of the BEST books i've EVER read!!! It was beautifully compiled and each letter was selected carefully. Its definitly a MUST buy!!!!!

Reviews (22)

Awesome
Somebody's Someone was the book I was looking for. It made me feel as though I can be somebody even if I don't have anything. She was able to take close to nothing and make it something. I am waitng for the next one.I also want to just say Thank you.God Bless Ms. Louise
Bye-4-now

One Helluva Story
Triumph of the spirit! I hope the author gets all that she deserves in life and God knows she desereves better than what she came from and went through. It is hard to believe that we still treat children as we did in the beginning of the new world: as though they are meaningless and insignificant. I recommend this book to all who want a reminder of how precious we all are even when we have no one to REALLY love us. This story speaks to the grace of God's presence in a little girls life.

Insightful!
The memoir Somebody's Someone, provided insight into an experience many of us are uncomfortable imagining and even more, acknowledging that it exist. Regina Louise truthfully does not write a "feel good" or "happy ending" book for readers to walk away from unaffected. On the contrary, she challenges the reader to face the reality experienced by a child when they are discarded by their parents and unwanted by their family. Although this talented author vividly depicted her life for all to read, I dare to say that no words could ever accurately describe her journey through life. I struggled to finish this book due to the realism and authenticity that Somebody's Someone represented. The only encouragement I received in reading this book was knowing that this little girl I was reading about evidently fought her way to success and did not allow what many would perceive as defeating circumstances to define her life.

Reviews (17)

I Love This Book
This book is a tribute to the author's mother Josephine Premice.To Susan Fales-Hill, she was a superstar and devoted mother and wife.She chronicles how her parents first met and married despite the racial climate of the time period.The Fales created a world for themselves to protect their children and show the public that they can be a couple despite what society thinks.
What I like about this story is that it gives black women a sense of pride in themselves.Josephine and her friends took pride in their appearances even when things weren't in proper alignment.They managed to make it through good and bad times.
This is a time-honored book that will relate to black mothers and their daughters.

Hungry for More -- Diahann Carroll Next, Perhaps?
After reading this book, I was hungry to know more about Josephine Premice, to hear her smoky-timbred voice.I bought the soundtrack to the Broadway musical "Bubbling Brown Sugar" just because I was hungry to match her voice, some still existent piece of her, to all that I had read about her in this book.There was a certain duality about her that the book captures in an unflinching manner -- her independent woman of the world/working entertainer in Europe life before her marriage, and her later frustration with being financially dependent on a white husband of blue-blooded means who had "fidelity challenges" but who was also the loving father of her children. This book is inspiring because it demonstates how one supposedly "too dark" African American woman of Haitian descent was able to stake her claim in the entertainment world of the fifties and beyond.Despite numerous instances of racism and rejection in her profession, she lived her life as her own self-possessed fabulous self, for herself and, I think moreso, for her children.My hope is that Ms. Fales-Hill will turn her next efforts towards biographies of her mother's friends such as Diahann Carroll and Lena Horne.Their lives as African American entertainers in spite of the industry and as "fabulous people" represent a side of the African American world that seldom sees the light of day, but should.