Teaching Books

This book shows the heart and soul of the great Vivian Paley who I had the pleasure of meeting when she visited our graduate school class this spring. You'll find insight not only into the child's mind and how children can be educated, but how children (and as they grow to be adults) are damaged by exclusion. An inspiration for this Ph.D. student.

Mrs. Paley's premise is simple and built on two premises, the classroom is a public institution, and children do not have the right to exclude another child from playing with them. Because school is public territory, privacy does not exist, not in friendships, playtime, or stories. Students must include everyone in the public arena of school. Paley decides that her class needs YCSYCP. Please consider one outcome of YCSYCP.

Gender Typing. We must understand the class. This class exhibits two stages of gender typing; Pre-YCSYCP, and Post YCSYCP. During Pre-YCSYCP, traditional gender typing rules were in effect. Females play with dolls and boys conformed to Berk (2002). Charlie was assertive and aggressive in his play activities-playing Transformer and attacking the bad Transformer. Charlie preferred to play with other males. HE was a play boss and the one of the individuals that justified YCSYCP.

Post YCSYCP, Paley (pg 127) explains that the students switched from traditional roles to cross gender roles. She tells us that the students are no longer looking for exceptions to YCSYCP and now are accepting opposite sex roles. In this situation, cross gender activity should not necessarily be viewed as a positive outcome to YCSYCP. The student's have a need to be part of the group and YCSYCP, which demands total inclusion. As a result, students performed cross-gender activities due to a need to belong rather than a result of higher cognitive thought.

Teacher Influences. Paley's YCSYCP is troublesome because of the the underlying reason for implementation. Paley chose not to work one on one with problem students. Paley would rather listen to the moral wisdom that comes from the mouths of children; therefore, she created one rule to direct the class's behavior. As a result, the students did not learn effective conflict resolution strategies as advocated by Johnson and Johnson (1995) or the application of effective leadership principles. Leadership stresses your responsibility to those with more and less authority than you. Paley is working strictly on a "feel good" emotional level. She does not want children's feelings hurt. She fails to teach students how to handle sticky situations. Here is reality: the mission is first, never accept defeat, and never leave a fellow team member behind. These traits exist within the military and outside of the liberal ideologies. These concepts should be adapted to our classrooms. There is a distinct possibility that some of her former students are now champion homosexual rights or have become vegetarians and joined PETA to fight for animal's right with impassioned vigor.

Paley laments, "Can morality be legislated?" She continues to explain that teaching straddles the moral fence. We should question Mrs. Paley's idea of moral values. Please consider her background, Paley taught at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. This progressive school is built upon the influence of educator and philosopher John Dewey. Dewey also has exerted his influence upon society in two other areas. He signed the Humanist Manifesto. This document is a long range plan designed to remove God from our society. If you have never read this document, look it up and realize it's implications upon our society. Dewey also had ties with the early origins of the ACLU, which actively fights against moral behavior based on Christian tradition. Is Mrs. Paley one of the godless? Should we trust Mrs. Paley's moral judgment?

Mrs. Paley has authored several books and has won an award. Please be critical of this book, especially if you are selecting it for a class assignment. She starts with a lackluster short story premise and then proceeds, performing written self-stimulation to extend the tale to a tedious, fatiguing ending. The first rip in reality is excessive use of the narrative form, which makes up >90% of the book with an occassional observation included. The reader is left deciding if these are factual events or just the passing pondering of a humanist practitioner?

The second rip in reality is the incorporation of the "Magpie in fairy land." The fairy tale makes considerable sense if you immediately put Paley into the magpie's place. Unfortunately, this writing device is not needed, annoying and does not strenghten the story just adds excessive filler. This book would benefit from publication as a Readers Digest article-it should be condensed with the "Magpie in fairyland" sequence removed.

Very few things rate five stars. Check out Master of Puppets, Clockwork Orange, Ring World, Opeth, and Death Rides a Horse. Paley is a tepid writer: therefore, this book does not deserve more than one lackluster, tarnished, and monotone, star.

I picked up this book at my daughters' school parent lending library- a school that works hard to implement policies like 'you can't say you can't play' (YCSYCP) and it often works. It certainly works inter-age but problems remain between age-mates. I, too, was a rejected child many times and hate to see any child rejected.

The author teaches kindergarten in a Chicago laboratory school and is troubled by the behaviour of children who are excluded and the children who exclude. She explores the idea of setting 'YCSYCP' as a rule by talking to her student and to older students. The younger children have a lot of questions about how the policy will work, and the older children think that if it becomes a rule early on in schooling, it has a better chance of working. Interwoven with the text is a story that the author uses to illustrate these points to her kindergarten students.

After reading well into the book, I wondered about the author since the writing seemed so.... simple, and was surprised to read that she had been honored by the MacArthur Foundation for her storytelling in the classroom. I tried to read her interwoven story with a more open mind and found it to help a little in understanding the point of the story.

The changes in the classroom as a result of 'YCSYCP' were interesting since the children overall became more inventive and more welcoming, as the author hoped they would. The author was able to define changes she had made in her classroom- like eliminating time-outs- as part and parcel of 'YCSYCP'. I think the simple language worked for these children and could be a good starting place for even older children. As the children mature in their understanding of what happens when the habit of exclusion is broken, they will be able to step back and examine exclusion and rejection in more philosophical terms.

I think this book and others you can find like it are worthwhile as people search for ways to make schools more humane and functional for all students, not just the favored.

This book expresses what many of us know inherently, but Paley finds a way to say it, to bring it into your conscience, and to do it with a lyricism that is her writing "voice." It makes me wish she were my Kindergarten teacher...well, not really, since I still love my dear Mrs. Shabay and Miss Reezak!

If you're a teacher or a parent, the focus is on what is important about play, and most especially, the KINDS of play kids engage in. Makes me want to set up a "dress up" room in my house - - and I don't even have kids yet!

I picked up this book at my daughters' school parent lending library- a school that works hard to implement policies like "you can't say you can't play" (YCSYCP) and it often works. It certainly works inter-age but problems remain between age-mates. I, too, was a rejected child many times and hate to see any child rejected.

The author teaches kindergarten in a Chicago laboratory school and is troubled by the behaviour of children who are excluded and the children who exclude. She explores the idea of setting "YCSYCP" as a rule by talking to her student and to older students. The younger children have a lot of questions about how the policy will work, and the older children think that if it becomes a rule early on in schooling, it has a better chance of working. Interwoven with the text is a story that the author uses to illustrate these points to her kindergarten students.

After reading well into the book, I wondered about the author since the writing seemed so.... simple, and was surprised to read that she had been honored by the MacArthur Foundation for her storytelling in the classroom. I tried to read her interwoven story with a more open mind and found it to help a little in understanding the point of the story.

The changes in the classroom as a result of "YCSYCP" were interesting since the children overall became more inventive and more welcoming, as the author hoped they would. The author was able to define changes she had made in her classroom- like eliminating time-outs- as part and parcel of "YCSYCP". I think the simple language worked for these children and could be a good starting place for even older children. As the children mature in their understanding of what happens when the habit of exclusion is broken, they will be able to step back and examine exclusion and rejection in more philosophical terms.

I think this book and others you can find like it are worthwhile as people search for ways to make schools more humane and functional for all students, not just the favored.

Our district used to bring Dr. Sagor in for Action Research, and it was a great help. I spent seven years attending professional learning workshops, and would then incorporate that into action research inside my classroom. Dr. Sagor would work with me and other teachers to help us develop a plan for the year. At the end of the year I would write a formal paper, and lay out plans for the following year. It helped me to analyze my teaching and my students, and modify or change what I was doing in order to make my students more successful. I would focus on one topic for two years, and I completed eight years of action research. I feel that I am a better teacher for formalizing my research. This book was our guide, and it is very easy to follow. It takes time to complete action research, but a dedicated teacher would benefit from doing this at least once formally.

Excellent overview of the theory and practice of action research. This short book presents the tools and philosophy in a credible and practical way. It's useful for anyone interesting in research techniques that values the issues and perspectives of practitioners, especially classroom teachers.

Guiding School Improvement With Action Research presents a seven-step process for improving teaching and learning in classrooms at all grade levels. Using practical examples, and featuring research tools, and easy-to-follow "implementation strategies", educator Richard Sagor guides the readers through the process from start to finish, describing how action research can enhance a teacher's professional standing and efficacy while succeeding in settings characterized by an increasingly diverse student population. Guiding School Improvement With Action Research is highly recommended for students of education, novice and practicing classroom teachers, school administrators, school board members, education policy makers, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in educational practices and standards.

As a teacher, I found this book pretty usless. Overall most all education books are worthless nonsense as it's unlike teaching people but running a science lab. Yes, there are good things in here to some degree, but I would find some better way to spend my time to make my teaching better than read this, perhaps make up better lesson plans or a great simulation or power point...? Good luck. I suppose if you want to be a Dr. in Education you might reall like this book, but then please don't make me take anymore worthless classes in which I have to read things like this to keep my job. Thanks.

I ordered this book for a class I was taking. Amazon had a wonderful first-time buyers discount through the Visa card and it seemed like a perfect way to get my book. The listing for the postage said I had two hours to order for the book to reach me next day. The book did not arrive until four days later! In addition, I directed it to go to a different mailing address but it went to my home address. I didn't get the book until a week later! Another student in the class had the exact same experience with the same book, but hers never arrived!

The book itself is good. It gives ideas for lesson planning for phonics and vocabulary which have been pretty easy to follow and implement. It is an easy read.

Dr. Gambrell has done a thorough work in "Best Practices...." and the research is impeccable. I will be using this as my guide to literacy instruction for a long time.

This book gave a lot of tips for being an effective substitute teacher. It is chuckful of interesting tidbits to help newbies in the field. I particularly liked that the professional standpoint that it took on how to make a good name for yourself as a substitute teacher. It is a very positive book. It is easy to read because the writer does not talk above you or at you rather at your level. Nor is it like the typical self help books that tend to drive the reader into overload with all sorts of new information. I would say it is more along the lines of reasoning and wisdom when it comes to teaching children. I appreciated the perspectives that Barbara offered in her book. They gave a lot of food for thought. I enjoyed reading it.

I found the book to be very helpful - and it based on real experiences in the classroom as a substitute teacher.

I purchased this book for my sister. She was starting a job as a sub. She went in with the book in hand on her first day. She had a free period first and read some of the book. When she got to the first class that she had to teach, she implemented some of what she read immediately. She said it was "perfect timing". The book is great.

This is by far the best book to get you started or keep you inspired as a SUB. It has both serious and light-hearted advice that is practical and easy to implement. Lots of life lessons learned by the author are related in a simple way so that you feel as if you are chatting with an experienced teacher who is giving you all the best secrets they have. Loved it!

It is amazing that it has taken this long for someone to put together a "bible" for the substitute teacher. Without a doubt, Prof. Pressman has made a major contribution to the teaching profession. As someone that has been a teacher, counselor, adminstrator and education consultant, it is clear that this book needs to be required reading for anyone that plans to step into a classroom as a substitute. "BRAVO"

I brought this book for my 4 year old granddaughter, and she loves it. The pictures that appear in the maze make it easy to teach the concept of mazes. For example, the first maze has a hedge bordering all sections of the maze. My granddaughter understood following a path when I told her "you can't jump over or go through the hedge". She had so much fun that she just about finished the book in one sitting.

Purchased for my niece and she loves these mazes. Each page is double sided with an easy maze on the front and a harder maze on the back. She finds the harder maze a little difficult so I place numbered clues throughout the maze for her to follow.

She prefers working with the the pages out of the book, which you can do if you work on it a little. Instead of cutting, you can pull the front cover all the way back until the seam is exposed, and remove the pages one by one without ripping any pages.

My son loves these mazes. I've had great luck with all of the Kumon books. This one is really great for teaching pencil skills. It holds my son's interest and the book is structured to give a high success rate - staring with simpler mazes and progressing. I'm a teacher and I'm very impresed with this and all of the other Kumon books I've tried.

This book is pegged for children ages 3 - 5, and that seems about right. My three year old son had a blast working these delightful (and sometimes challenging) mazes. There are 80 mazes in the book, and there is a certificate of achievement at the back of the book.

Highly recommended.

My 3-year old grand daughter loves doing these mazes. It's geared for 3 - 5 year olds and she wants to try all of them. She can do about half but never gets bored.

While other authors such as Harvey & Goudvis, Keene & Zimmerman, and Tovani offer stronger strategy instruction, this book provides many practical, classroom activities to support strategic reading. Gallagher brings the perspective of a practicing teacher to the text, which makes his insights and activities realistic and useful. I recommend this text to teachers who are looking for support with content area reading in their classrooms.

I read this book last summer and then implemented the strategies when school started. The real challenge came when I started my sophomore classes on the novel A Separate Peace by John Knowles. We started reading it right after Thanksgiving and finished the book and literary analysis papers by the end of school in May. At first, my students thought the book was written in a foreign language because it sounded so strange to them. They hated the book and wanted nothing to do with it. By using all the techniques in Deeper Reading, the students came to really enjoy the book. When we finished reading the book in April, each student wrote a literary analysis on the book. I can honestly say that my students did not find it very difficult to write these papers because we had read, re-read, and thoroughly discussed the book for months. When they discussed the book with me or their peers, they sounded more like college students than economically disadvantaged 10th grade students with immigrant backgrounds. The part that was the hardest for me was slowing down to allow students time for mastery of the book, but just as the students adjusted to the book, I adjusted to the idea that we would only read one novel at a very deep level during the school year. By the last 5 chapters, the students could read the book independently, but we always had our class discussions before and after reading. By the last third of the novel, their understanding of the book was incredible. Many students confided that they had never really read a class novel before. All of the students were very proud of their achievement. This is an excellent book for any secondary teacher that wants to teach books beyond what the students could read by themselves.

I'm a 5th grade teacher who loves to teach reading and writing to my students. Over 12 years ago, I attended the Literature Project and the Writing Project in San Diego and learned many strategies for teaching my students to engage in reading and use writing in powerful ways. This book, written by Kelly Gallagher, a teacher leader in both those projects, moves everything I learned one step further. It emphasizes critical thinking when students read anything: from the symbolism and metaphors used in classical literature, to the bias used in journalism, and even to the propaganda techniques used in advertisements. It also emphasizes collaboration and truly thoughtful reflection, like asking oneself "What is left unsaid?" I believe we need more critical thinkers in our world and, if you open the pages of this book, you will find numerous practical ways to turn your students into people who think for themselves.

Deeper Reading is one of my favorite language arts resources. As an 8th grade teacher, I am constantly looking for ways to improve reading and reading comprehension in my students. Whether you are dealing with low ability, reluctant, or gifted students, the lessons Kelly Gallagher presents lead students to "deeper reading" in fiction and nonfiction text. (My classes are especially fond of his lesson on creating metaphors when analyzing characters during reading.) Our middle school bought copies of this book for the staff and created after school book discussion groups to encourage implementation of the strategies in this valuable resource.

This book is wonderful. In fact, it is the first one that I have ever written a review for--that's how good I think it is. It is practical and so clearly written. I love it and can't wait to implement the strategies.

I was very pleased with the purchase of this textbook. It was delivered promptly, and was in good condition.

Put together very well. The book is meant to be used in a classroom instruction setting, not for personal study and is the best class German book I have used yet. Covers basic-intermediate grammar and extensive vocabulary and listening exercises meant for a two-semester undergraduate course. Due to the course-oriented format, I would not recommend this book for individual study or as a reference.

I love to learn foreign languages and I enjoy the German language and culture very much. Some foreign language textbooks that I've come across, including the German ones, have been helpful and easy to understand. However, Kontakte is very, very poorly structured. Unfortunately, it's the only German textbook that's currently being used at my college. All the grammar pages, culture sections and classroom and communication activities appear to be misplaced in the book. The vocabulary list is also placed in an awkward position in each chapter. Unlike better language textbooks that are used out there, Kontakte does not list the conjugations of most irregular verbs that it introduces. There are some irregular verbs that are introduced in every chapter. They are usually found in the vocabulary section. This weird textbook is already overly priced and you have to spend even more money on buying books that provide conjugations of irregular German verbs. Additionally, the first few chapters of Kontakte goes way into depth in the German language too soon, confusing my classmates, peers and myself even more. Some of the activities in the book, which we've done so far, are time-consuming and somewhat advanced for our introductory German course. And, even the grammatical structure of some vocabulary words are too advanced for us to learn in our class because of how kontakte expects and pushes students to learn more than what they can handle and comprehend. Our tutors are not even happy with Kontakte because they get forced into explaining things that we haven't learned in our class yet. Our professor, who is a native speaker, is thinking about switching to another German textbook next year because of the difficulties in Kontakte that has caused her to give us a couple of take-home exams. We all believe that if we were using a different German textbook (that was more well-structured), we could have been speaking and writing much better German by now. It seems apparent that Kontakte's purpose is too make the learner struggle and not too make him or her speak German any quicker as it claims it can. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who's critical of Kontakte and that there could be even more students from different schools out there who are not satisfied with Kontakte. I just can't wait to sell back this awkward and worthless textbook. I am glad that I'm even finding some people here on amazon who are critical of the Kontakte textbook. There seems to be more complaints about Kontakte than positive comments about it. The grammar pages in each chapter don't provide sufficient details on the proper usage of the language. I'll take German at another college that doesn't use Kontakte because this book isn't beginner-friendly. On one side, two thumbs up for German! But on another side, two thumbs down for Kontakte! Shame on Kontakte for making a great and interesting language difficult to learn!

If you're buying this book just to learn the German language on your own then you're nuts. Borrow a set of Rosetta Stone disks from your local library. There are a dozen self study guides that are good for that. This isn't a self study book.

Now, I went to a local college and took German. Personally, I liked this book. But this book was required for class. I had no choice in the book. However, I think that the only good way a person will learn a language is in a class room setting. This book gives you all the tools. Also, if you get the workbook and CD set you'll be pretty set for learning basic German. I studied this book, did all the exercises, and can still speak basic German. It also helps to join the college (university) German club and hang around the coffee shops sprecken deutsch. Also, invest $6 and get one of those verb study guide sheets. It's worth it at exam time.

This book was a requirement for my German class. Fact, I was able to get the book from Amazon at a fraction of the cost that those thiefs at the college book stores charge. Also, if you want to sell your book back you can do it here at Amazon.com . You pay less up front and get more back at the end. That's called being smart. You are a college student. Act smart and get your textbooks from Amazon.com. It saves money.

Tschuess!

I got this book for my first German book in college. This is currently my third year and I am still referring to it sometimes. Everyone in my class still uses their copy. I certainly recommend this book as a great way to help with a beginner learning German.

The central point of "The Great Omission" seems to address the concern that many churches are simply content to having professions of faith in Jesus Christ instead of letting the profession of faith be the first step in the lifelong process of discipleship.

This is certainly a valid point as the churches I have been a member of consistently have an average weekly attendance of around 50% (give or take a few percentage points). Many people are simply content to believe they can get their fire insurance and can live pretty much the life they want instead of submitting to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, many churches seem to be content to cater to this mentality instead of having stricter standards of membership. In other words, a person should know what being a Christian really means (discipleship, time involved, price we have to sometimes pay for being a true Christian, etc.).

The Great Omission contains 20 chapters and around 225 pages and addresses this issue. While each chapter had some good points, my personal favorites were:

Chapter 6 - Spiritual Formation in Christ Is for the Whole Life and the Whole Person.
Chapter 9 - Living in the Vision of God.
Chapter 12 - Spiritual Disciplines, Spiritual Formation, and the Restoration of the Soul.
Chapter 18 - Invitation to Solitude and Silence.

One consistent theme I have read in Willard's books is the great need for us to periodically disengage from the world and retreat to a place of silence and medidation with the Lord. The result is that we come back refreshed and ready to engage our world more effectively for Jesus Christ. To that I can say "AMEN"!

While "The Great Omission" is an easier read than Willard's other titles, you will still be challenged and think about what the author is saying.

Read and be encouraged. Recommended.

The Great Omission is a collation and summation of many past works by Willard. In that it brings them together in one concise book, this is quite helpful. In that no new ground is covered, readers of past books by Willard may be a tad disappointed.

It's time for the church to make disciples and not just converts. Willard's book makes a complelling case for the church to begin doing just that. The book is a collection of previous work and it tends to repeat itself but the central message is clear. There is more to the gospel than saying a prayer and walking the aisle.

Imagine the impact on the world if Christians began acting like Christ. Willard believes that the practice of solitude and scripture memorization are key Christian disciplines that will yield more Christ-like Christians. Both are attainable to the average Christian.

This is an important book for church leaders.

Dallas Willard's "The Great Omission" is a well-written and powerful work on a subject that the Western church has chosen to ignore for over a century. Our bend towards easy-believism in the American church has caused us to ignore what our Lord commanded us to do. Rather than seeking to make disciples, we have sought to follow our own path of watered-down half-hearted commitment to the gospel of our Lord. Willard's words resonate with Bonhoeffer's demanding call to biblical discipleship in his classic "The Cost of Discipleship". He challenges us to follow the example of our Lord and to obey His call to each of us. This is a must read for any who are earnestly desiring to seek to lead the church towards proper course of biblical christianity.

This book is a collection of Dallas Willard's articles, lectures, and essays regarding the main idea expressed in his book THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY - that as Christians we should focus on being "disciples" or "apprentices" of Jesus, allowing God's grace to develop Christ's nature in our lives and internally transform us to bear fruits of holiness in response to our salvation. We do this by saying "yes" to God, accepting His Gospel grace and submitting to Him as Lord, intentionally setting aside time for regular solitude, Bible reading, meditation, prayer, etc. and seeking to conform all our thoughts and actions to Christ's nature. As such it is a much more dynamic version of "What Would Jesus Do?", without becoming a legalistic "law" that we follow artificially.

The chapters are short, easy to read, and the repetition on the main idea helps one to understand it and absorb what Willard is saying. If you found THE DIVINE CONSPIRACY a little challenging, this book expresses the main ideas in a little easier format. I also enjoyed the many references to other books and resources that Willard used to develop his ideas, I plan to read some of those also.

Reading this book just makes me exremely anxious... I don't know why.. Maybe its because it just talks about a bunch of stuff that I'm already aware of.. i would rather opt for an interesting story that shows this rather than a bunch of essays. However, if you're into trade and want to sharpen up your knowledge on it, this book is for you.

After reading this book and writing this review, I considered reporting it to the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commision, because this book is dangerously boring! I found no new information relevent to anything important. In addition, I believed that certain parts were extremely repetitive, and the topics were dull. The AP teachers may find this book interesting, however, they obviously do not care how their students will react to reading such a dry group of essays. I would highly not recommend this book to anyone, and if you do have to read it for AP World History, good luck.

The authors have written a book with a clear-cut agenda--to force American students to recognize and overcome their evil "Eurocentric" biases. (The word "Eurocentric" too often today is code for racist.) While I do agree that there are other histories, other perspectives, trashing Europe, Europeans, and by extension Americans, to build up an argument for knowing about the Chinese, Aztecs, and Africans fails to impress. This book is the textual equivalent of shouting the loudest to gain the greatest attention, and that very hyperbole makes for a very bad book, both from reading and teaching perspectives. Furthermore, Pomeranz, who studies China, seems to be under the impression he's the only one who knows anything about China and the rest of us are totally ignorant on the subject. Anybody who has read ANY Jonathan Spence or Patricia Ebrey or John King Fairbank knows better--in every sense of that world. For India, read PJ Marshall, Barbara Stoller, or Richard Barnett; Africa, John Thorton and Linda Heywood, Philip Curtain, or David Northrup. Frankly, THE WORLD THAT TRADE CREATED is a polemic, not a history. One would more profitably spend time with Curtain's THE WEST AND THE WORLD.

Fun reading for those that enjoy economic history. The problem is that it is impossible to know what is real.

For example, when talking about the euro, they say that by 2003 "pesos, francs, and marks had become things of the past." That is, Messrs. Pommeranz and Topik confuse pesos (used in several Latin American countries) with pesetas (the vanished Spanish currency). A superficial mistake, no doubt, but one that any well-informed student would avoid making. One can only wonder about the world the authors invent, or get superficially or deeply wrong, when they travel further into the past.

Written by college professors, "The World that Trade Created" tries to sound like a textbook, but is in reality a fictionalized novel that uses history as its vehicle.

Warning sign: there are no footnotes. The book contains thousands of quotes and factoids, but the authors give no indication where they came from. This intellectually dishonest technique keeps the reader from determining for themselves whether the "facts" presented are reliable, unreliable, or made up.

Yes, sometimes stuff is simply made up. Example: "Remote Andorra is now in the center of the world." (p.214) This is just nonsense masquerading as fact. I could find no similar description of Andorra anywhere else. Every other account I found calls Andorra "remote", the opposite of central. Andorra is not alone in offering tax advantages or relying on tourism, so it cannot be central metaphorically. Here and elsewhere, the authors simply make a fanciful statement as if it were fact.

"The World That Trade Created" is at best a loosely organized, fictionalized version of trade history. If you want a revisionist view of history told in People Magazine format, this is the book for you.