Law Books

I am crazy over this series ... i think that this book had to be the most mouth dropping one ... i almost feel like zoey can't write these books fast enough ... i feel like i can identify w/ every character on one level or another ... zoey dean delivers everytime you read one of her books

I've been following the A-List novels since they came out a few years ago. There were tons of these book series floating around--the rich, cliquey girls who seemed to be mean and exclusionary--there were the Gossip Girls, the Clique... you get my drift.

Of all the books of that sort, A-List was the one that caught my eye. I followed it religiously for a while, but I got to one particular book in the series and almost gave up on it. The name-dropping and overall snobbery frustrated me to the point that I almost didn't give a flying ice cream cone about Anna and Ben or Dee's increasing psychosis.

Dean has redeemed herself with this last one, though. The characters are proving to be much more dimensional than first thought, and although they still tend to get themselves into outrageous situations, they are handling them with class and the kind of assertiveness I wish I'd had as a teenager. I really enjoyed this last book and I am looking forward to the "next juicy A-List novel."

Gabriela R. 5/11/07

Heart of Glass, Zoey Dean, ISBN: 0-316-01096-0

If you like Drama, Fashion, and Love then the Heart of Glass is the book you want to read. The main characters are Anna, Sam, Cammie, and Dee! Anna and Cammie got arrested for trespassing on a beach estate, but since their dad's hired really good lawyers they only got community service. Which is to help plan a charity fashion show. Since Anna started hanging out with Caine. Cammie decides to go and hang out with Ben hers and Anna's ex-boyfriend because Adam is camping and she just wants to have a little fun! Cammie finds out what really happened to her mother.

Sam suspects that Poppy her step-mother is cheating on her father the famous Jackson Sharpe so she gets her friend Parker to flirt with her so she can see if Poppy would really cheat. Anna and Cammie have to work with a girl named Champagne on the fashion show, but everyone says that she is a thief! Anna see Caine at a place call the Firehouse dancing on stage with no shirt on, she figures out that he is just like Ben always keeping secrets from her! But Ben is determined to fight for Anna!!!

Right before the fashion Show a dress is missing, everyone thinks it is Champagne but Cammie is on the case to find the real thief...will Sam find out if Poppy is really cheating on her dad... who will Anna choose Ben or Caine?

I really liked this book it was a page-turner because you want to see what will happen next. I recommend this book to girls 11 and up because this book talks a lot about fashion and girl problems!

[...]

If you like Drama, Fashion, and Love then the Heart of Glass is the book you want to read. The main characters are Anna, Sam, Cammie, and Dee! Anna and Cammie got arrested for trespassing on a beach estate, but since their dad's hired really good lawyers they only got community service. Which is to help plan a charity fashion show. Since Anna started hanging out with Caine Cammie decides to go and hang out with Ben hers and Anna's ex-boyfriend because Adam is camping and she just wants to have a little fun! Cammie finds out what really happened to her mother.

Sam suspects that Poppy her step-mother is cheating on her father the famous Jackson Sharpe so she gets her friend Parker to flirt with her so she can see if Poppy would really cheat. Anna and Cammie have to work with a girl named Champagne on the fashion show, but everyone says that she is a thief! Anna see Caine at a place call the Firehouse dancing on stage with no shirt on, she figures out that he is just like Ben always keeping secrets from her! But Ben is determined to fight for Anna!!!

Right before the fashion Show a dress is missing, everyone thinks it is Champagne but Cammie is on the case to find the real thief...will Sam find out if Poppy is really cheating on her dad... who will Anna choose Ben or Caine?

I really liked this book it was a page-turner because you want to see what will happen next. I recommend this book to girl 11 and up because this book talks a lot about fashion and girl problems!

In the last book in the A-LIST series (American Beauty: An A-List Novel (A-List #7)), the gang had finally graduated while discovering some juicy secrets. Cammie had discovered more information on what really happened to her mother. Sam was finally reunited with Eduardo, and Anna met Caine, who was nothing like her boyfriend, Ben. And Ben's dirty little secret wasn't a secret any longer.

The A-Listers are back again in HEART OF GLASS, and this time with a little twist.

Anna and Cammie have to work together - that's right, together - on a charity fashion show. But they got off easy, since this little community service project was the result of getting caught trespassing on a celebrity's estate. No worries, these two can work together, right?

Anna and Caine are getting a little closer, while Ben doesn't seem to worry so much. While Adam and Cammie are trying to make things work, we're hoping that opposites really do attract. Sam is still trying to adjust to living with Poppy, and maybe trying to get rid of her at the same time, while making sure nothing goes wrong with her and Eduardo. And Dee, well, she's Dee, trying to get back on her feet.

The gang is back and it's going to be one sizzling summer.

Eighth in the series, HEART OF GLASS is still filled with secrets, lies, and plenty of drama. The best thing about this series is that the material is never old and it still keeps you guessing and on the edge of your seat. The cast is still great and you just love Anna more and more after each book. Lets just say that HEART OF GLASS is more appealing than another episode of a certain teen drama on a new network - at least I'm experiencing something I haven't seen before!

Reviewed by: Randstostipher "tallnlankyrn" Nguyen

Eighteen-year-old Danielle has been moving around her whole life. Town to town. House to house. But for Dani, it's not just a matter of moving into a new home. It's a matter of living life on the run. Dani and her mother are thieves, and leading a life of crime is all she knows --- until they enter the small beach town of Heaven, where their not-so-traditional lifestyle finally catches up with them.

Dani's father introduced her mother to "the fine art of burglary" when they were young. As an infant she joined them on jobs. When she was five her father was arrested, only to bust out of prison two years later. But that did not mean the family reunited. Instead, Dani and her mother were left to provide for themselves doing the only thing they knew --- stealing. Specifically, silver from wealthy homes.

Dani has had so many different names and fake identities she's not even sure who she really is. Plus, she has never gone to school because they don't stay anywhere long enough. "Mom says I haven't missed anything by not going to school, that I know how to read and write and figure out our percentage from a sale and, `that's more than most people know, baby. Some kids go to school and leave not knowing how to write their own name. You can do that and you can tell plate from sterling just by looking at it. That's education.'"

When Dani and her mother reach Heaven, however, things are different. While wandering on the beach, Dani meets Allison Donaldson, a girl her age. Allison warms up to her automatically and treats her like a friend, sharing gossip about boys. At first Dani doesn't know how to act, but then she realizes that maybe Allison is just being friendly. Then, Dani becomes acquainted with Greg --- another local who she unwillingly finds adorable. However, she learns that Greg has the worst of all professions. He's a cop!

As Dani's summer in Heaven unfolds, for the first time ever she begins to question the lifestyle that she and her mother lead. And more importantly, she starts wondering what she, the real Dani, wants out of life.

As in her other novels, author Elizabeth Scott (BLOOM, PERFECT YOU) does a great job creating realistic teen characters. The story is told at an enjoyable and pleasant pace, and the events seem to unfold naturally. The setup of the book is very unique and presents an entertaining read while allowing us to feel for individuals who are living a far from normal way of life.

--- Reviewed by Kristi Olson

This out-of-the-ordinary, but believable story is narrated by eighteen year-old Danielle, whose mother is a thief. Dani has a thieving father, too, but he dropped out of the picture after he was apprehended and sent to prison. For all of her life, Dani has been on the run with her mother, a silver thief who steals silver place settings from wealthy homes. Dani never went to school, never had a friend or a date; her life is devoted to aiding and abetting her mom's thieving activities and striving to gain the intimate attention of her superficial parent. These two operators seek out Heaven, a small town of wealthy families, to do their dirt, but accidentally, Dani meets and is befriended by Allison, the daughter of the family they intend to rob, and she responds to Allison's genuinely open and sincere personality. She also becomes attracted to Glen, a cute guy she meets in the food store. Small town being what it is, they run into each other frequently and explore their very likeable relationship. Too bad he's a policeman! The reader will identify that Dani has led a life of abuse and neglect, and hopes that she will break free, with Glen's encouragement, from her life of unconditional obligation to her selfish mother. A good read about a teen's struggle for independence in this unique setting.

Danielle has been stealing things for as long as she can remember. She travels from town to town with her mother, robbing the rich of their valuable silver. That's how she ends up in Heaven, a beautiful beach town where many rich people vacation. But there's something different about this city. Danielle can't seem to keep a low profile. She becomes friendly with a talkative girl named Allison and starts falling for a cute guy named Greg.

But the job isn't as easy as all the other jobs Danielle has done. She has to steal silver from the Donaldson's, but that would mean stealing from Allison, the first person Danielle has ever called a friend. And Greg turns out to be a cop. Danielle is torn between her loyalty for her mother and her yearning for a normal life.

Stealing Heaven was an amazingly well-written novel. I got the sense that I really got to know all the main characters, and I felt a connection to Danielle, even though Thievery is not my life. But there is some much more to Dani than just being a thief. She is clever, careful, and above all things loyal. She often sacrifices for her mom, and although her loyalty to her mother sometimes gets in the way, I loved how at the end, Dani finally gets what she wants.

I loved how the ending was neatly wrapped up and made me feel hopeful. I also like how most elements of this book can be applied to anyone who feels out of the ordinary sometimes. I can honestly say that I fell in love with this book. I definitely look forward to reading more of Elizabeth Scott's novels, and I highly recommend buying this novel.

[...]

I loved this book! I had heard tons of good things about it, and it definitely did not disappoint. I think that Elizabeth Scott's novels just keep getting better and better. I've read all of them so far I think and I've liked all of them a ton so I'm really glad that Stealing Heaven was able to keep up that good-ness streak for me. I really liked how all of the characters were really in depth and relatable. The story put a girl whom we could all think of ourselves as being into a situation that none of us could imagine being in. I think the author portrayed the most normal and sincere teen girl in a beautiful way. You could see all the things that she was feeling and going through as she was put into many different situations. I also adored the character of Greg. Seriously though, what's with all of the perfect and utterly unreal guy characters?! It just makes me ache whenever I read about these flawless guys, the likes of which I believe do not exist in the real world. Even though Greg's character was realisticly unattainable, you can't help but love guys like him anyways. I think the thing I liked the best about the book though was the whole flow of the writing. Nothing was rushed and the story moved at a perfect pace. I loved being able to read about the events through Dani's eyes and I think that if the book hadn't been narrated by her it wouldn't have been as good just because she had such a fluid and relatable voice. I think the only teeny thing that bothered me was that in the end, the issue that Dani and Allison had with each other wasn't wrapped up like I would have liked it to have been. Other than that, Stealing Heaven was perfect; from the beginning sentences to the adorable ending. It's a perfect summer read.

Reviewed by Neha Kashmiri (age 13) for Reader Views (7/08)

"My name is Danielle. I'm eighteen. I've been stealing things as long as I can remember."

The three short sentences on the inside of the cover flap draw you into the story like an old friend to an adventure. Danielle's life hasn't ever been normal. She and her mother have moved from town to town for as long as she can remember. But what they do in these towns is what matters. They steal silver, their drug of choice, from mansions and rich houses. Her father did it, before he was caught, her mother does it, and it's what she knows how to do. The question is "Is it what she wants to do?"

Dani doesn't think that the sleepy coastal town of Heaven will be any different from any other place they've hit, but in fact it changes her entire life. She feels at home in the small beach town. Allison Donaldson, a nice, talkative girl, tempts Dani with friendship. Then Dani meets Greg, a cute boy that shows up everywhere, who makes her heart flutter and who, inadvertently, gets her to reveal her real name.

As Dani starts to question her job as a thief, she finds out that the next house they've targeted is the Donaldson's--Allison's house--and that Greg is a cop, who she can never have a relationship with.

"Stealing Heaven" is a captivating coming-of-age novel that everyone who reads it will love. Elizabeth Scott's writing is natural and funny, I seriously want to get my hands on "Perfect You," and any of her other books. She really lets you get into the mind of her main character. Dani's situation is unique and impossible to relate to but you end up doing that anyway. If you want a quick, funny and captivating read, "Stealing Heaven" by Elizabeth Scott is highly recommended.

As we contemplate the dawn of the computer age, the rivalries between the mainstream media and bloggers, the rise of the security state and telecommuting, perhaps a case could be made that the American Revolution occurred in an antique and irrelevant land.
Not so, not so! Meyerson's Blueprint is very timely. While his title is a clever play on Coolidges "Make the World Safe for Democracy"and others have accused Blueprint of attempting to `pound modern square pegs into olden round holes' I saw his approach as quite cohesive in this regard. Many of the elements that percolated through society at the time of the American Revolution challenge us now--Only the cast of characters has changed.
Indeed, so evocative were Blueprint's observations of the era, it might be interesting to read it in an historical setting, such as Independence Hall in Philadelphia or on the grounds at Monticello, Jefferson's home. The portraits of Hamilton and Madison were well drawn. Liberty's Blueprint gives many details of the times, the issues, the reasons why The Federalist were written, as well as the dynamics between its authors.
Such details as these are presented:
The original purpose to which the Federalists were circulated--to assist in the passage of the US Constitution of 1787 (and the opposition there-to!).
For instance, Patrick Henry's disdain for the thing (a new tyranny).
The authors desire for anonymity (!)
Madison's exhaustive study of democracies ancient and modern-(confederations don't work as without central authority, petty rivalries rue the day).
All these are telling details.
While the book stands up well on its own, it has piqued my interest for further study. I'm now off to get hold of a bound copy of The Federalist Papers.

This book gives the wide-ranging back-story of the creation of The Federalist Papers. Meyerson provides a well sourced view of the process behind the fight for ratification of the Constitution. The book is not too dry, with plenty of anecdotes relative to the relationship between Madison and Hamilton. A good all-around read.

Why read the book when the author doesn't know the the U.S. Constitution established a representative republic and not a democracy?

In a nice blend of history, biography, and legal analysis, law professor Meyerson examines the dynamic, though short-lived, friendship and literary collaboration between two of the Constitutional Convention's greatest minds. The Federalist is considered America's greatest work of political philosophy, although it was a polemical work that presented only one side in New York's intense ratification debate of 1788 ("Brutus" was the brilliant but now-forgotten champion of the anti-Federalists). Madison, who later became principal author of the Bill of Rights, ironically thought the first Amendments of little importance, but essential for placating the anti-Federalists; one of the most frequent complaints of the Constitution's opponents was that the charter had no bill of rights. While making the case that the Federalist Papers are important as a guide to the Constitution, Meyerson shows that they are not holy writ, not an infallible guide to the intent of the Founders, and at times not even internally consistent. Still, they are the best record we have of what the Founders may have meant by the sometimes elusive language of the nation's charter. On balance, Meyerson has produced a thoughtful and absorbing guide to the Papers and the great thinkers and turbulent times that produced them.

During the summer of 1787, Alexander Hamilton began a series of essays designed to convince reluctant voters in New York to ratify the newly-proposed United States Constitution. He enlisted the aid of John Jay, who soon became ill and made limited contributions to the series. In the autumn of 1787, Hamilton turned to his old friend, James Madison of Virginia, who was serving in Congress in New York City at the time. Madison agreed to collaborate on the project. The result was the collection of essays known as The Federalist Papers. Although conceived with a specific temporal goal in mind -- the ratification of the Constitution -- The Federalist Papers has become, together with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution itself, a revered statement of the American political experiement. The work remains studied for its defense and explanation of American constitutionalism and for its insights into government and human nature. It has deservedly become a timeless classic.

In "Liberty's Blueprint" (2008), Michael Meyerson gives a readable overview of The Federalist Papers, including its authors, creation, and content. Myerson is a Professor at the University of Baltimore School of Law who uses The Federalist Papers to teach courses in Constitutional Law. His students are fortunate to have him as a guide.

"Liberty's Blueprint" is intended for the lay reader. The sections of the book in which Myerson discusses The Federalist Papers and its use or misuse in current judicial decisionmaking seem to me to a sidetrack to the main purpose of the study. In his Preface, Myerson explains that he had several goals in writing the book. The first goal was to present the most important teachings of The Federalist Papers to a modern audience and to show how "wise and educated men" were able to engage in "rational political debate" in supporting or in criticizing the proposed Federal constitution. There is a deep sense in Myerson's book of the importance of both wisdom and rationality in conducting political affairs.

A second goal of Myerson's study was to use The Federalist Papers to show how and when the views of the Framers should be used in constitutional interpretation. He engages in discussions of "originalist" and "non-originalist" theories of Constitutional interpretation to arrive at a "partial originalist" position in which the Constitution might be interpreted in an originalist manner with The Federalist Papers as a guide while the Bill of Rights and the Fourteenth Amendment might require a different manner of interpretation. His treatment of interpretive theory is somewhat out of place in this book and takes away from his study of The Federalist Papers itself.

Myerson's third goal in his book was to "explore the lives of the authors of The Federalist and shed light on the unusual personal bond between Madison and Hamilton." Myerson here succeeds beautifully. The first half of his book is a twin biography of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison and how they came to cooperate in producing their masterwork of political thought. The two Founders were much unlike. Hamilton was born out of wedlock in the Carribean and rose through his own efforts to become the confidant of George Washington and a power of the commercial interests of the new Nation. He was also a notorious womanizer. James Madison was quiet and diminutive but to the manor born as part of the Virginia aristocracy. Madison was scholarly and intellectual but also a shrewd partisan politician. The two men had become friends well before the Constitutional Convention. They both were somewhat disappointed with the Constitution that resulted but put aside their disagreements with the final product to work agressively for its ratification. Following the ratification of the Constitution and under the administration of President Washington, Hamilton and Madison's personal friendship disintegrated as the two became bitter political enemies. Hamilton's Federalism and Madison's Republicanism became prototypes of political divisions that continue in the United States. Myerson's story of Hamilton, Madison, and The Federalist Papers makes compelling reading.

The final goal of Myerson's study is to show that the ultimate falling-out of Hamilton and Madison teaches that "it is folly to ignore the wisdom of those with whom one disagrees." Hamilton and Madison each have much to teach. Unlike Hamilton and Madison, contemporary Americans would do well to learn from those with whom they disagree and to work together. Hamilton and Madison did so in The Federalist Papers with results that transcend the enmity that later developed between them.

Besides the story of Hamilton and Madison, Myerson succeeds well when he gives a short, close reading of Madison's Federalist # 10, which has become the most famous essay in the collection. He also offers an excellent concluding chapter on The Federalist Papers and its views on human nature. The authors recognized the frailties of human beings and the passions, emotions, and tendencies towards self-centeredness to which they were subject. They tried to channel these frailties in creating a workable form of government. But they also recognized the possiblity of education, virtue and disinterestedness in human endeavor. These qualities too they tried to utilize in both creating and explaining the American experiment in government.

Readers who are new to The Federalist Papers will find Myerson's book an excellent introduction. A good step after reading this book would be to turn to some of the excellent Amazon reader reviews of The Federalist Papers. Then the reader may be inspired to explore this work of American political thought for him or herself.

Robin Friedman

I got the book just in time and it was in the promised condition. I would buy from this vendor again.

I have one major point of contention with this author. What I will be referencing is found in her field notes on ODD and chapter seven. I believe that Ferguson is arguing that psychologists are not fairly diagnosing African American students, and labeling them with disorders like ODD without taking into account the external circumstances. She points out that African-American males are disproportionately in special education. First, she says that D'Andre is a part of a growing number of adolescents diagnosed with a personality disorder. She says "the APA goes to pains to underscore the origins of the disorder as within the individual and not the result of external circumstances." She also says that "diagnosticians are instructed to discount the social environment and reject any claims on the part of the individual that external forces have contributed to the problem." She then goes to to say that we need to look at the unreasonable circumstances that led to D'Andre's actions, unreasonable circumstances she feels the psychologists ignore. The reason I bring up this as a major point of contention is because she has all her information incorrect in this section. Often when I am confronted with psychology information in my education classes I asked one of my friends for clarification of the matter. I believe she is a highly qualified person to comment on anything psychology related. I talked to her about the author's claims about ODD and she was amazed at the backwardness of the information.

First, the author claimed that D'Andre was a part of growing number of adolescents diagnosed with a personality disorder. My friend said that is is impossible to label anyone under 18 years old with a personality disorder and that any psychologist who would do so would lose their license. Perhaps the author misspoke and meant to say that D'Andre is a part of a growing number of adolescents with behavioral disorders. Second, these are quotes from the DSM, "judgments about personality functioning must take into account the individual, cultural, ethnic and social backgrounds in providing any diagnosis." The last quote that I feel goes against what Ferguson suggests is, "Anti-Social P.D. appears to be associated with low socio-economic status and urban settings. Concerns have been raised that diagnosis may at times be misapplied to individuals in settings which seemingly anti-social behaviors may be a part of protective survival strategies. In assessing anti-social traits, it is helpful for the clinician to consider social and economic context in which behaviors occur." I bring this point up because the author characterizes psychologists as part of the problem, but the actual writing suggests something else. She indites the APA in a conspiracy to help place labels of personality disorders and ODD on African-American students. She also very blatantly twists quotes from the DSM and APA writings. I will give her the benefit of the doubt that perhaps the school psychologist at Rosa Parks school was doing what she claimed, but she applied that to all of the psychological field.

Her inclusion of the ODD section and her comments suggest that she is spinning information to fit her preconceived hypothesis and also makes me suspect of other conclusions she draws. By how big of a deal my friend is making it suggests to me even further the inappropriateness of Ferguson's comments. I do admit though that this is a small portion of the book but I felt the attention to this detail needed to be made.

There were good points in the book, but I highly suspect some of her conclusions.

When do the black kids take responsibility for their behavior? How can the school help them to do this? To be sure, it is shameful for schools to overly punish black youngsters. At the same time, what does one say to black youngsters who devalue school or use it as an avenue to act out certain stereotypes or cultural dilemmas--when the acting out is self-destructive.

We are caught in a cycle of acting out what Richard Wright called the "Bad N*****" archetype--that is, Bad Thomas, who did not care if he was beaten or lynched, and who remained unbowed before "white" (that is, illegatimate) authority. His heroism was in remaining unbowed.

The author would have done better by searching for the bilateral influences (cultural, stereotypical, archetypical, and developmental): that is, how being "tough" (read: a "hero" on one side, "bad," "unbowed" on the other) affects school personnel. Having done that, she could then make recommendations about how to extract ourselves (both children and adults) from this two-way morass of two-way screwy, self-destructive behaviors and reciprocal archetypes, Bad Thomas on one side and Simon Legre on the other.

Bad Boys, a social science book, is about how African American males are perceived in the school system by school faculty. In this book told by Ann Arnett Ferguson, she follows some eleven and twelve year old boys who are labeled as "unsalvageable", "troublemakers", or "schoolboys." Boys that were labeled "unsalvageable" meant that there is no hope for them and that they would probably make it into the court system at a young age and be lucky to make it to high school. The "troublemakers" were identified as those who got into trouble. The "schoolboys" were those who were labeled as doing well. This book shows how African American boys were looked upon in the school systems.
This book has many good and many bad points in it. The fact that it is written kind of like her own journal was something that I saw as helpful. It made it an easy read. Interviewing the parents and children also made it something easy to read. The interviews were what I though made it the most interesting. It was fun to see what the parents were saying to their kids and also what the kids thought.
The interviewing that she did was good in some ways and in other ways I think she could have improved the book by doing a little more interviewing. What I mean is that when she did interview the children she seemed to do well. However in my opinion I think that if she would have done a little more interviewing with the teachers and the parents then it would have helped her research. I know that this book is about the African American students, however if she would have let us know more of the opinions of the parents and or teachers then I think this book would have improved. When she talks about the teachers in this book she is always talking about how they sent the kids to the office or how they let this kid get away with something but not another one. Most of the time the kids that were labeled the "troublemakers" did not get much leeway on messing around like some of the other kids did. I did like how they interviewed some of the parents. I also believe that if she would have interviewed some of the white kids to see what they thought and how they viewed the African Americans then it would have been a little more interesting.
The interviews in the part "The Real World" made the story come to life. I think that the interview that she did with the parents made us as the readers understand what their home life was like and how their parents were raising them. The interview with Terrence's parents gives us an idea of how home life is in this neighborhood. Terrence's parents want him to succeed in life. They want him to know that everything he does reflects who and how he acts as a person. Terrence's parents want him to know that even the way he dresses reflects on how people are going to look at him and view him. This interview lets us know that the parents really do want their kids to succeed and don't want to see them failing or in trouble.
One thing that I though should have been different were her little field notes. Many of the times they could have been incorporated into the chapters. I had no clue why she had to make them as extra side notes. In some cases in the book it would have made more sense to put them in when she was talking about that subject. Also on the side notes sometimes they seemed to drag on a little too long. For example, in the mothering field note I think that she could have cut out a bunch of that. I know that she made it feel like a conversation but I felt like much of the conversation was repetitive. I think to make things easier in this situation she could have made it shorter by summarizing what the mother was saying.
One other thing that needs to be addressed is the fact that this book was the fact that it looked like Ann was looking for the kids to be troublemakers. She did not go into this book with an open mind. I think she went in with a closed mind and a preconceived notion that African American males are troublemakers. You can see in the way that she writes this book that she already believes that African American children get treated different then other races.
All in all this was a decent book. There are a couple of thinks that could have been done to improve it. If the interviews were a little more diverse and she would have went at going to do her fieldwork with an open mind then she could have produced a better book. Don't get me wrong though the way it was written like a journal and the interviews with the parents did make it a good book. There however is always room for improvement.

I was excited to begin reading this book and to learn how the school system unproportionately suspended and disciplined African American males. I was not expecting to learn how the author related the concept of masculinity and discipline into cause and effect paradigm. Even though this class and other sociological classes have taught me to think for myself, ask questions, and expand on concepts presented to me, I am in agreement with the theories and evidence that the author, Ann Arnett Ferguson, presents in her book.
The book begins with an introduction of the community that Rosa Parks Elementary School belongs to. Ferguson is conducting her research here for her doctorate. She has many forms of observing and gathering data needed for her thesis. Sometimes she is a "fly on the wall", a quiet observer. Other times Ferguson is more involved in participant groups, tutoring, and one-on-one interviews. She gathers the most information and insights through her interviews with the children that attend the school and their families. She credits the interview sessions as a valuable way to let the children ask her questions, gain her trust, and for her to develop a deeper understanding of her own strengths and weaknesses and those of her interviewees.
After observing the pupils of the school in the hallways, after school tutoring sessions, and inside the classroom, Ferguson makes an important discovery that becomes the foundation of her research. Her breakthrough came when she stumbled upon two small rooms in the school. These rooms provided discipline, punishment, and seclusion for students who were not following the classroom or school rules. The first room, used for minor infractions, was known throughout the population of the students as "The Punishing Room". The other room was reserved as a place for students who receiving in-school or after-school suspension, anywhere from one to three days. This space was called "The Jailhouse". Files with children's names on it were stored in these rooms to document that more frequent visitor's deviant behavior. While observing the caliber of students in these two rooms, it does not take long for Ferguson to see two important details: the students who are often in trouble are usually African American and male. Teachers that were interviewed notice this discrepancy as well but cannot offer any well substantiated reasons why this occurs. Over the course of her three years of research at Rosa Parks Elementary School, Ferguson comes up with evidence to explain this phenomenon.
Ferguson argues that rather than simply internalizing the negative labels bestowed on them by teachers and school personnel, the African American boys look critically at schooling as they dispute and evaluate the meaning and motivation behind the labels that have been attached to them. In a school were students are judged by their class, race, and gender, many negative labels and stereotypes are presented to students. It is up to the individual if they want to internalize these beliefs or prove the stereotypes wrong. A major conflict that lies within the male gender is that they feel compelled to exert and portray their masculinity. Their "reputations" center around whether they are "hard" or "soft", and this is very important to their self esteem and self worth. "[...] kids recoup a sense of self as competent and worthy under extremely discouraging work conditions. Sadly, they do this by getting in trouble" (Ferguson, 22). The author continues by arguing that sex as well as race are powerful markers of difference, and can be used as explanations as to why children act they way they do. Each race and gender category has different and unique expectations on how children should act and be disciplined. The expectations from family, friends, and school personnel commonly conflict and cause confusion and deviant behavior on the part of the children.
Ferguson's arguments are coherent and well-researched opinions on why school discipline minority male children in a stricter form than most of the student body. I especially agree with the author's ascertain that teachers can be held directly responsible for perpetuating negative predictions about a student's future. On page 227 Ferguson strengthens this point by saying, "[...] school personnel made predictive decisions about a child's future based on whole ensemble of negative assumptions about African American males and their life-chances". The beginning of the book cites examples of white and black teachers referring negatively to a student's chance of staying out of jail. Ferguson states that most boys she interviewed did not see themselves this way. Rather, they portrayed themselves in a positive light. This is one point that I disagree with. Ferguson states that she does not give much merit to the labeling theory. I hold the belief that when teachers voice the grim options of students, they perpetuate a self-fulfilling prophecy that harms that student's self esteem and contributes to their "need" to act out in school.
At the end of the book in the chapter labeled "Dreams", Ann Ferguson states that the inclusion of Black English would benefit the students who come from families where this language is spoken. She argues that this would lessen the hostile environment and feelings of disattachment that many African Americans face. Ferguson believes that this would increase the valuable social linguistic environment of the school and provide validation for black students, especially males. I am not sure I agree with this plan. I can see the value of the learning Ebonics and promoting it in the school system, but I also believe that learning proper English is more valuable for students, because it helps them to get jobs and succeed more in the future.
In conclusion, Ferguson's book is a valuable tool in discerning the unequal disciplinary action that plagues most schools. Understanding the mindset and background of male African American students will benefit teachers, school personnel, and more importantly the students' chances for success.

This is a must read/own book for those invovled in reality based training (RBT). One of the best training components/tools for law enforcement/military is RBT, however, as "sexy" and as exciting as RBT seems, it is critical that training personnel understand the responsiblity for providing efficient, effective, SAFE!!! training. Kenneth Murray's book covers the major facets of RBT and how to execute safe and productive traininig.

Though I have not had the pleasure of attending Murray's training sessions via Armiger Police Training Institute, I did complete Simunition's training certification. There is no question that the fundamentals regarding SAFETY and goal oriented training detailed in Murray's book are universal.

If you are a firearms/defensive tactics instructor, you definitely need to read and own this book.

Insightful book on combat and preparation for combat. Well written. Easy to read.
I've read Dave Grossman's On Combat and this is a great book for more on that topic.

This is a great book at RBT and also a lot of fun to read. Being a simulator engineer it gives me a good understanding of the customer (police, military) side. I am looking forward to the second volume.

On the downside the book lacks structure - not in the content but in the formatting. Shallow table of context (no numbering of titles, no visual hierarchy of titles, no Index).

If I had to have only 5 books on police and military training this would be one of the five. well written, concise, very well thought out. this is a book you will return to over and over again. augments well with real live training.

I can honestly say this is one of the most complete RBT books I have touched to date. Every aspect of saftey is covered. I'm actually reading it for the third time now and still collecting more information I missed the first 2 rounds. It is not the complete be all of a RBT program but it is a must as part of your RBT library.

I bought this because I already owned the superb Boston's Gun Bible which is stuffed full of mostly irreproachable tips on weapons ownership.

It's hard to critique this book, however. In fact, I hope I never need to know any of this stuff. I'm betting it will come in handy and that I will regret not having fully assimilated its concepts. As I'm a geek and not exactly a people person, I would have considerable trouble finessing some of the social situations (i.e.: interaction with government employees) discussed in here.

Looks good, however. The lack of the fifth star is a) because I can't judge the quality and b) I probably can't do some of what is suggested.

About half way through you might think that Boston is being redundant at
times but I have decided that he is conditioning you to automatic non thinking responses when you find yourself in a "situation" with one of the many storm troopers in our country. Get this book and read it twice! It may keep you out of jail especailly of you are a legal firearms owner.

This was a great book for many different kinds of people, ranging from those who want tips on how to avoid traffic stops to those who want a full gamut of privacy measures during police contact. It is full of great advice and things one doesn't normally think about. Learn how to effectively, safely and legally deal with police to save you trouble and them hassle. Engaging, quick read - highly recommended!

This is a fascinating book written no doubt by a lawyer - and the content of it is basically a law school criminal procedure outline. The cases are accurate and it is very relevant and up to date. THe rule of this book is avoid the system at all costs - the system being "the man" - never even talk to a police officer. If you get get caught up in the American penal system & are ask to do repentence in a "penitentiary" - you will forever have a criminal record & will never have gainful employment. This is a good book for any lay person who wants to know "what his rights are" when he gets pulled over - in one sentence - you have no rights - and with the patriot act - I'll say it twice - you have no rights - dont talk to the man - buy a radar detector - avoid all confrontations with the law ..the stakes today with low cost commercial background checks is that you will loose your ability to earn a livly hood - and possibly even get killed or raped .. it is a sad commentary on the legal system. Why do you think that many fugatives now choose to shoot it out with the law when apprehended - the penal system is hell on earth.. they aint going back. The worst hypocracy is public defenders - they get paid $200 per head - now how you gonna get justice when they just wanna get paid ? Most public defenders consider their clients as slimebags anyway - & just plea bargain whether or not you are guilty - you will never get a "probable cause analysis" for $200 ..

Very well written with many law references and background. BT really did his homework and offers many examples of police opression from his own personal experience. BT is obviously well educated and has a very smooth writing style. This book is a "must read" for all African Americans and anyone else who is tired of being harrassed by or afraid of the police. Also contains many warnings of things to come that will make more law abiding Americans think that they are criminals. Shows the trend of current police forces to make working Americans the enemy and extort as much money as possible out of the common tax paying citizen rather than spend thousands of dollars trying to arrest and convict the real criminals.

As I knew her and her husband personally before and during their divorce, this venom does not surprise me. She is and always will be self-promoting and insecure. Do not believe that she was simply a victim and that her poor ex just "had it coming". Her career and talents are completely overblown. How sad to reduce your marriage to simple revenge and greed.

This book is amazing and every woman going through divorce should have a copy in her night table. It is a lifesaver and in my opinion the best book out there on divorce. I learned tips that even my divorce lawyer didn't tell me. I wish I had read this book even earlier because the pre-divorce plan the author sets out is probably some of the best advice I have heard. Even if you are thinking about divorce and want to protect yourself in your marriage, this book is extremely helpful. I was surprised at how much useful information was packed in the pages. I give it an A+.He Had It Coming: How to Outsmart Your Husband and Win Your Divorce

He Had it Coming is a wonderful planner - it lays out in clear and easy language how to prepare and plan for a divorce. The checklists are most helpful - from whether you are ready to leave him to what records you need to copy first. Part psychology and part law...one complete how to. Excellent.

It sounds like Bookman is an Angry Man and had a very bad divorce. I
read the book and I am a man and I thought the complete opposite of
what he said. Despite the title, the book is actually promoting
husbands and wives to get along, and was surprisingly good. It says for
the wife to be nice to the husband so there is always open
communication, especially when children are involved. As far as what
the author wrote about the advice huritng kids-- again I can't see
where he's coming from. It seems like the book is showing how to
improve dynamics, even through a nasty divorce. Even though I tried to
dislike the book, I actually wish the author would write the same book
for us guys. It was really easy to read and understandable and the tips
seemed insightful for the women.

This book is clearly aimed at increasing rather than reducing conflict in already problematic situations. Wirse off - the recommendations, when children are invloded, are likely to harm children in the short term and long term.

A friend provided this book to me and I had a hard time getting through it. Clealry aimed at - get all his money.

If you need advice on divorce, as a woman or a man, pick a book which provides solid advice in your best interest, your children's best intrest and does so with some dignity.

My book arrived within five days of placing my order, which was wonderful because I started class the very next day. There was some writing in it as described, but I don't care because it's a book, and as long as I can read the text, that's all that's really important. Anyway, the book was in great condition, it was the right edition, and it's easy to read. Thanks for the great service!

This book is a great example of the passive exploitation of the college textbook market. Publishers have perfected the art of having an expert slap together material that is not elaborated upon enough for advanced students, or which repackages information that can be obtained cheaply (or freely) elsewhere. Then the publisher can charge a grossly inflated price for the book, encourage professors to require it for students, then keep the price high by forcing scarcity in the marketplace for those same students who are forced to buy a copy at any cost. This particular book will only ever be purchased by college students in communications law, most of whom can get 99.9% of the knowledge herein for FREE. Here's the rub - this book is almost entirely made up of reprints of court case documents, which record the rulings and reasonings of judges. But if you are a college student - that is, a member of the only possible market demographic for this book - then your college probably offers free or inexpensive access to database services (such as LexisNexis or WestLaw) that compile this information for scholars.

In this book, the "author" Zelezny has supplied a brief introduction that is so brief as to be useless. Then each chapter has an introductory page that features a paragraph on the overall topic, followed by a list of one-sentence descriptions of why each of the selected cases is of interest. Then the court documents for each of the cases are simply reproduced (with some omissions that enhance brevity but damage full learning), and only a handful of those cases are supported by any explanatory introductions or conclusions from Zelezny. In short, Zelezny just barely tells you why he's reprinting information that is free elsewhere. Instead of buying this completely extraneous book, the student would be better served by simply learning which cases are considered classics in communications law, then reading the cases (plus their supporting documents to boot) on the computer network offered by the campus that holds the class that requires this book. Guess which one costs less. [~doomsdayer520~]

"Must-have" if you're interested in law or law school bound...Superb reference and learning book (there is also a Study Guide -- harder to find); you'll keep this book for years of use! If you take a Criminal Justice course, this is the text you should hope the prof demands. It is truly the best out there. Yes, it's pricy - but worth every dollar.

the book was not described accurately. Pages were marked with pen and yellow highlighter through out. Selled said it was in excellent condition.