change Books

This book was used as the principal text in a graduate management course. It offers a good overview of the evaluation process and a step by step process to either evaluate your organization, or create an evaluation process.

This text is a phenomenal resource on evaluating programs. This was a required text for a recent class that I was enrolled in for graduate school. It has all the information you would need regarding the background/context of evaluation, designing evaluations, and utilizing collected data. This book is also clear and concise.

The greatest resource that I will use the most is the information on forming surveys and questionaires. There are a lot of great examples (of everything, not just surveys) throughout the book. It provides many contextual likert scale surverys. This will always be helpful to look back on because of the wordings and phrasings used in surveys. Creating an effective survey is extremely tough; but, with the help of this text, it can be a lot easier to both conduct and understand.

The faculty member at my institution said that she agreed that this was the best book on the market for program evaluation. I tend to agree with her because it has a huge amount of information and it is easily accessible and easily referenced. It has some images and diagrams that are informative and moderately pleasant to look at.

If you are going to be evaluating programs and don't know where to start or you just need some reference materials for creating surveys/questionaires then this book is for you. I could also see this book as a valuable resource for someone who is on the other end (having a program evaluated) simply for the fact that it will help with vocabulary/nomenclature when communicating with the evaluators.

Russ-Eft and Preskill have produced a first class book on evaluation that will be a constantly used reference on the bookshelf of any trainer, performance technologist or change agent who buys it. They begin with the history and theory of evaluation, presented in a very readable manner. Even their statistics section is easy to follow and apply! The section on the design and implementation of evaluations is packed with job aids, easy-to-apply tools and techniques, and guidelines on everything from running focus groups to sampling procedures. As a corporate evaluator I have been waiting for a book with this broad but in-depth coverage for years. Every aspect of the work of the evaluator is covered, and it is clear that the authors are both personally experienced in this field as well as widely read in the evaluation literature. Preskill and Torres' Readiness for Organizational Learning and Evaluation Instrument (ROLE) is generously included with instructions on administration and scoring, as well as an extensive bibliography for those who want to dig deeper into the subject of evaluation. This book is a must for those who are seriously committed to assessing the effectiveness and impact of interventions in organizations.

The subtitle correctly indicates what Russ-Eft and Preskill's primary objective is: To present and explain "a systematic approach to enhancing learning, performance, and change" throughout any organization, regardless of size of nature. They succeed brilliantly. The material is presented as follows:

Part I: Background and Context of Evaluation (Defining Evaluation; The Evolution of Evaluation; Evaluating Learning, Performance, and Change Initiatives; and The Politics and Ethics of Evaluation Practice)

Part II: Designing and Implementing the Evaluation (Focusing the Evaluation; Selecting the Evaluation Design; Choosing Data Collection Methods; Observation and Archival Data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Individual and Focus Group Initiatives; Sampling; and Analyzing Evaluation Data)

Part III: Maximizing Evaluation Use (Communicating and Reporting Evaluation Activities and Findings; Planning, Managing, and Budgeting the Evaluation; Evaluating the Evaluation; and Strategies for Implementing Evaluation in Organizations)

The authors then provide a comprehensive audit mechanism (with specific directions) in an appendix to the three-phase system: "The Readiness for Organizational Learning and Evaluation Instrument (ROLE)" developed by Hallie Preskill and Rosalie T. Torres. For those in need ot supplementary resources, a substantial References section is also provided.

Here is a brief excerpt: "Evaluation can be viewed as a catalyst and opportunity for learning -- learning what works and what doesn't work, learning about ourselves and the organization, and learning how to improve what we do in the workplace. As such, it can provide new understandings and insights into our programs, processes, products, and systems. Furthermore, evaluation can provide us with the confidence with which to make decisions and take actions that ultimately help employees and organizations succeed in meeting their goals." The authors agree with countless others that the future success of organizations will be dependent on their ability to build core competencies within a context of collaboration. They suggest that to develop support for evaluation as a knowledge-creating enterprise, "we must create a market for it. If we think about evaluation as a means for learning and attaining knowledge, then it becomes integrated into every organizational effort --from product development to program design to process reengineering to systemic change." They then suggest seven specific strategies when introducing or expanding evaluation practice. Throughout the book, they also include 60 Figures (e.g. "Guiding Principles for Evaluators") and three Tables (e.g. "Typical sections and contents of comprehensive written evaluation reports").

Who will derive the greatest value from this book? Obviously, decision-makers in organizations in need of "enhancing learning, performance, and change." Presumably that includes all organizations. Also, I highly recommend this book to all consultants now involved with organizations which have the same need. Presumably that includes all of their clients. Finally, I think this book will of immediate interest and eventual benefit to anyone who has only recently embarked on a business career. They will soon realize (if they have not realized it already) that the nature and extent of what they learn, how well they perform, and how effectively they initiate or respond to change will determine the nature and extent of their career success.

With the possible exception of Peter Drucker, no single source can possibly serve all of the needs of any one organization. For that reason, to those who read this book, I presume to recommend a few others: Fitz-enz's The E-Aligned Enterprise and The ROI of Human Capital, Maister's Practice What You Preach, O'Toole's Leading Change, Senge's The Fifth Discipline and The Dance of Change, Katzenbach's Real Change Leaders, O'Dell and Grayson's If We Only Knew What We Know, and just about anything written by Warren Bennis.

Maybe I should have known better because the audio book is only two CD's but I was disappointed that it's not the entire book on CD. These two CD's contain a fraction of information from the book. I think the book is so full of essential information that the audio CD's only contain a small piece of the author's subject.

It's not that the information insn't correct, but it certainly isn't insightful. This seems like a mental exercise for a professor who just wants to get his name in print. Right away you're in trouble becuase he has you go through an exercise and then rate your optimism to see if this book could help you. if you are low on optimism, you need this book, if you are balanced, you need this book and if you are very optimistic, you still need this book.

My view, try to see things from others perspective and find out what your unique service and contribution is to a given situation and ulitmaley your whole life. The rest will fall into place.

If you are interested in how optimism can be learned, Seligman's book/CD is a great resource.

I received this book about a year ago and I think it is the best self help book on the market. It has been fantastic and has helped me so much by giving me scientifically proven techniques to change the way I look at events or situations.

I use to read a few self help books to stay positive and ended up giving them up as I found they never gave me any help and where filled with 'take care of your self, your precious' and `say these nice things to yourself and you will have a better life'. I suppose that is all well and good but at the end of the day it never really helped me or changed anything. They could never snap me out of a downward spiral however the techniques in this book can. This book gave me concrete ways to help myself in situations where I get emotional or upset and it is something that will always need to be worked on but if you do it then it gets easier and you are in more control and you are a more rational and effective person.

The book is easily understood even though alot of it is scientific and best of all the principals are backed up by studies so the book has validation. All of the principals are pretty basic and leave you feeling `well of course' however they really do help and like most books it brings your attention to things you may already know, but may not apply. If you enjoy going to psychologists and raking up all the bad events of your life and leave with no way to help yourself in these emotional times when you are alone, then you may not appreciate this book. While it is great to get help, it is important to get the right help and understand why something may not be helping you. Cognitive therapy seems to put the responsibility back on the individual, while you may not have chosen the way you choose to perceive your life (usually from parents) it is your responsibility to change this and to make the long term commitment to change.

I have also read 2 other books by Martin Seligman and I also found these great. It is not essential to read all of these books but I found Learned Optimism so interesting, and that I got so much out of reading it and using the techniques that I wanted to see what was included in the other two books. The other books hold similar material however go into greater detail in other ways like talking about the angry person and why they are like that etc... I would recommend any of these books to everyone as there is something there for all, it would probably be best though to start with Learned Optimism.

I haven't gotten all the way through it, because there are alot of assignments, where you have to stop the CD. I usually listen in my car, so it's taking me a while to finish. I'd recommend buying the book too, which I haven't purchased yet.

If you've ever wondered what's wrong in the organisation you work for, why results are poor, why departments can't work together, why the best people keep leaving and why the rest feel helpless and miserable; this is the book for you. It's an academic text and the author draws strongly from her own research in several different organisations, some of whom she cannot name so gives them her own names - have fun guessing who they are. Of particular value is the section on roadblocks to managerial innovation, or how to prevent organisational success. A definite gift for your boss, but first erase all your comments like "that's us!" or "we do that!" because there will be plenty.

This book was meaningful to me because it documents the relationship between an open organizational environment, individual employee productivity, and innovation.

_The Change Masters_ was written in 1983, and since that time organizations have become much more focused on issues of transformation, but I think employees of most companies will still recognize their organizations in these pages-- and not necessarily in the positive ways.

This book was written in aid of waking the entrepreneurial spirit of the employees of large corporations and looks closely at the ways that this can be either stifled or made possible.

Clearly written from a wealth of experience, Kanter draws on case studies of companies for whom she has worked. That experience is further supported by citations from academic research and a great deal of very strong analytical thought.

Take a Nap was exactly what I was looking for. A very good, simple explanation of the stages of sleep and what happens in each stage; answers to common questions; several mini case studies of people in various situations and how they worked the proper amount and type of sleep into their schedules.

I loved the book - it was worth every penny spent - enjoyable read, interesting stories intertwined, great educational tool to promote good sleep, health, wellness and especially to eliminate stigmas about napping. Thank you Ms. Mednick.

This book is not for you if you already know a lot about sleep research AND you don't feel at all guilty about the idea of taking a nap when you're dragging. Also, as one reviewer pointed out, it won't give you a magic plan to make your boss decide that naps are actually good for the company; it's not everything to everybody. BUT... I'm in love with this book anyway!

I listened to Dement's book "The Promise of Sleep" a few years back on tape, but never thought about how little attention there is to daytime napping (as opposed to nighttime sleep and sleep problems). If you're sluggish and crave pick-me-ups (chocolate, caffeine, etc.) in the afternoon, this book may be the "ah ha" moment like it was for me. How come we exercise, take supplements, practice "sleep hygiene", try not to eat carb-laden lunches, and more, but we never think about taking naps? Why not give in, rather than fighting the urge?

I've been trying afternoon naps for about 3 weeks now, and for me, it's been like hitting the "reset" button on the day and getting a fresh start. It really seems like the missing piece; it's weird that it's so simple (and yet so culturally forbidden). I can't wait to tell my doctor what a difference such a simple solution has made.

The only trick is figuring out how not to wake up groggy, which the book doesn't cover in great depth. I'm looking forward to checking out the author's postings, and also reading "Power Sleep" by Maas (which gets pretty good reviews), to see if they add details to this book's impassioned plea and conscise intro.

The writing style is really lively, and typos are blessedly absent. It's a refreshing change from the self-published books these days in which the author thought he or she could save money by skipping an editor, since he or she can write "real great," thank you very much!

Finally, for what it's worth: The author comes across as someone who would be inspiring to be around; one of those people who has fallen in love with science and with using it to make the world a better place. Aside from the personal impact the book can have, it's just encouraging to know that there are people like that out there.

The book provided a simple overview of the stages of napping and some sample plans for incorporating naps into your day. There was too much time spent on justifying napping for my taste (I'm already a believer) and not enough concrete information about how to plan your nap around individual schedules.

HOW THIS BOOK HELPED ME:

This book has made a big impact on how I view my study time. Medical school is difficult and exhausting. If I attend all my lectures, eat three meals day, maintain good hygiene, commute to/from the university and get 7 hours of sleep, I only have 3 hours on the weekdays to study. I used to hardly be able to keep my eyes open during that study time and I couldn't remember anything I studied.

After reading Take a Nap! Change your life, I have the skills to use napping as part of my study routine. I used to feel guilty when I napped because I thought I was wasting valuable study time. I was just too tired to study. Now I plan naps into my study schedule and it is amazing how much better I recall everything. My test scores in Pathology have improved an average of 8 points since I started napping and my scores keep improving despite no other changes to my study routine. If you subtract out my naps, I'm actually studying less but getting better grades! As I prepare for my USMLE Step 1 Board Exam, consolidating memories and enhancing recall is especially important. I now consider napping a study skill and regular naps are part of my board prep study schedule. Naps have truly changed my life.

HOW THIS BOOK CAN HELP YOU:

I recommend this book to all students, but especially medical students. A career in medicine means long hours and years of sleep deprivation. This book will help you understand why naps are essential for peak performance on tests and review highlights of sleep research. You will learn what stages of sleep are most important for recalling massive amounts of detail and how to maximize those stages of sleep in your naps. You will learn the essential skills of napping for maximum memory and how to create a personalized nap for your individual needs.

Most importantly, the knowledge you gain from this book will also improve your ability to provide quality patient care. The vignettes emphasize how naps can improve all aspects of life. I can already see how naps would be a beneficial part of a therapeutic plan for patients with anxiety, obesity, depression, sexual dysfunction, headaches, sleeping disorders, diabetes, substance dependence, or heart disease.

A WELL ORGANIZED, EASY, QUICK READ WHEN TIME IS A PRECIOUS COMMODITY:

I know that it is hard to find time for recreational reading in medical school. Fortunately, your time investment will be well rewarded by way naps will change your life. The book is written in succinct short chapters so you don't even have to use a bookmark. You'll be amazed how easy this book is to read. It is especially refreshing after studying dense med school textbooks such as Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, Seventh Edition.

Take a Nap! Change your life has very reader friendly lay-out. It is printed in good sized font with attention to white space. Figures are clear and simple to understand. Important concepts are bolded. It is easy to navigate for specific information as well.

I highly recommend this book. I hope that you will start napping and benefit from this book as much as I have.

I bought Lisa's book the very same night I was dumped. I found in reading the first couple pages that I had a friend who seemed to read my mind and know exactly what I was going through and feeling. Not only that, but it gave me perspective and made me laugh....something that's hard to come by when your heart is newly broken. The advice is funny, modern, and practical. This book became my breakup handbook and I'm so glad I found this insightful and fun book.

the vendor send several e-mails notifying me of their sending of the product. It came securely packaged, in excellent condition and given my state of mind (I SO NEED this book) in a timely fashion

I mean who wouldn' t want to buy this book with a title like that..Add some candy on top and I am no longer singing the blues....just by the title alone you have healed me from future heartbreaks. Thank you for empowering women to dig deep, cry hard and then move on. That is what it is all about. Girl Power...Thanks Lisa for your heart....I Know you can't be having any more heartbreaks from the book you have written.

I've been through many breakups. After one of my very first breakups, with the girl I thought was my soul mate, I was devastated and heartbroken. I can't describe how awful I felt other than to say that it was like having a loved one pass away. It took me a long time to get over that breakup. I wish I would have had this book to help me through those sad and dark times.

After another breakup I made the mistake of not cutting off contact with the ex. We got back together, broke up, got back together, etc. It was an awful emotional rollercoaster with twists and turns that wreaked havoc on my psyche. I wish I'd had this book then to help me through those insane times.

Throughout all my breakups my friends and family were there for me (Thanks guys and girls) but their help lacked something and I always felt like no one knew what I was going through and what all these breakups meant. I didn't feel there was anyone who could guide me though the process and help me get some clarity and insight into my breakups.

All I have to say is thank you. Thank you Ms. Steadman for sharing your wisdom about breaking up and how I can use my breakup experiences to move on UP. I now get it!!!!!!

As the book says, "breakups are significant because the ultimately teach us about ourselves". I now understand that I can use my breakups as an opportunity to learn about what I really want out of dating. I've been challenged to take a negative, a breakup, and turn it into a positive, an opportunity to grow and learn.

Lastly, thanks for the "target rich" environment dating tip. I now have a better idea of what I want in a woman and where we might meet.

Yours Truly,
Juan

This book is too simplistic and tries very hard to laugh at a bad situation. It almost feels like a parody of "He's Just Not That Into You" in some ways. When I had heard about this book I misunderstood and thought it would have solid, cutting edge advice, but was greatly disappointed with the tongue in cheek humor. To sum it up, if you want to laugh about your situation, this is the book for you. However, if want solid answers that are above a 10th graders level of intellect, find another book. This book is not for a mature woman (unless you are trying to laugh).....too cutesy.....

Leading Congregational Change is an excellent read for all pastors taking their congregations to a new level of health and vitality. About half way through the book one realizes too much to soon may be expected from the laity. Change is a process. It takes patience. Within these pages is perscribed the value of patience and process when leading a congregation through change. A quick read. I highly reccommend it.

This book does not offer simplistic answers to a complex issue. Instead, it provides tested, seasoned directions, discussions, and examples for leading congregations to a "preferred future". It's a must read for every church leader.

This book is an excellent answer to the question, "how do we transform declining congregations into Christ-like bodies that display the power of the Gospel in our communities?" [page 1]

Jim Herrington and James Furr of this author triad are great friends of mine in ministry. Readers should take time to abosorb the spiritual and strategic wisdom of these two guys along with the third author, Mike Bonem.

For congregational leaders and congregational champions who are looking for a solid change process that has been well tested by practitioners, this is a good book to add to your collection.

Judicatory leaders will especially want this book as it was written from the perspective of reinventing how a local denominational organization helps its congregations to transform.

For congregational leaders and congregational champions who feel they already know the process they like to use for change and transition, this is a book that at least they must reference. Too many processes do not adequately address the spiritual and relationship vitality that is so well addressed by this book.

As the General Supervisor of the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel in the United States, I am constantly looking for leading edge thinking to resource our 5,000 licensed ministers. The authors of LEADING CONGREGATIONAL CHANGE are much more than just brilliant theorists or students of change theory. They are practitioners who have successfully piloted their recommended change process and offer this excellent book to help leaders in congregations seeking true and lasting change.

LEADING CONGREGATIONAL CHANGE recognizes the complexities and difficulties in bringing real change to established congregations. No quick fix or limited approach produces the fundamental changes needed to position many established congregations for future vitality. The authors apply current change theory to the local church in a sequential and understandable way.

I purchased multiple copies of this book and distributed them to Foursquare District Supervisors across the U.S., recommending that they encourage pastors in their regions to use this excellent resource.

This book is a guide to psychological manipulation of the church, geared toward leaders that want to move the church in a different direction whether it is scriptural or not. If you are resistant to what they want to implement, this book will instruct them on how to fool you and draw you in, even using false flattery and kindness as a tool. If you are not easily taken in they will ostracize you, making you appear to be the problem and perhaps even recommend you leave. Deception and cunning are key words here. If church leaders will stoop to the levels suggested in this book, they are not led by God, but by their own flesh and are not worthy of term 'leader.'

In my effort to learn about climate change, I found it admittedly very difficult to read the lengthy IPCC reports (e.g. Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis), so it's wonderful to have Dessler's and Parson's short, inexpensive book to give a guide to the findings of the IPCC, as well as to explain some of the politics in a calm, rational way. I think that any citizen genuinely interested in this topic should try to become familiar with the actual IPCC findings.

What is the IPCC ? What have they concluded ? How uncertain are the conclusions ? How have the policy makers reacted ? What are the scientific criticisms ? These issues are explained in this nice compact book. A very good aspect of this book is that it conforms to the standard practice of scientific argument: it shows data, describes theories (models), discusses how the theory fits data, explains the uncertainties, and (importantly) cites references. When looking into this subject, I suggest the reader beware of books or articles that are primarily "expert opinion" with no, or very little, reference to actual data.

The only reasons I didn't give 5 stars are: a) I would have liked it if the book could have covered the 2007 edition of IPCC report (maybe they will update it ?), and b) The book has a somewhat dry, academic style which probably will not make it very popular with a mass audience, hence limiting it's impact. At least it's short, though. Perhaps when they update it they can bring in a science writer to improve the style.

This is a good very good review of science and policy of Global Climate Change without bias esotheric science or paragraphs going nowhere.

Recomended to the reader who wants to make up their own mind. The book will find a use in introductory survey coures in High School and College.

More graphs and diagrams would have been helpful, although they are available to those scanning the internet.

How does science work? And how do politics work? How does it all fit together with the data that has come from various sources all over the planet - and is climate change real? All these questions are addressed in an easy read, very neutral. The authors take a firm stand on the issue finally, from a scientific perspective, and the result is clear: Yes, it is real, and it is coming at us, while politicans are incapable and totally overwhelmed by the problem. It is a new kind of threat nobody can deal with, thus we ignore it. Too much for us. Surprising to read from two high profile, Ex-NASA scientists from the US themselves. Alerting at the same time. A must read to be up to date with the debate or quickly get an overview. Stefan Klose - University of Ulm - Germany

I was disappointed in the writing. The book reads like a scientific treatise. The authors write, "This tangling of positive with normative claims, and of explicit arguments with unstated assumptions, obstructs reasoned deliberations on public policy." (p. 22.) OK. No doubt this is true. It borders on common sense and needs to be said. The problem is that, for the non-scientific person to whom this book is addressed, such language obstructs understanding. We don't talk that way. I gather that the authors are keen to be as objective and sound in their discussion as possible. Certainly this is commendable. Do they need to speak in these kinds of terms in order to be objective? Do they need to speak in such language in order to convey these basic concepts? Not to the degree they have done so. I give the book only four stars because I was anxious to learn more about this topic, and I was annoyed when an "accessible primer" is made unnecessarily difficult. I'm not planning in taking a degree in the subject.

The book takes a logical stance from the development of observations in science to a political conclusion and what to do about climate change. This is two books. One is the science of global warming and climate change. The other is about politics.

The science side is abbreviated. The authors avoid an in-depth discussion and rely mostly on correlations for explanation. A graph on page 74 is stunning. It is a better match than Gore's correlation from An Inconvenient Truth. I had only hoped that the authors had talked about laboratory results of experiments on greenhouse gases.

The politics side is wordy and a bit predictable, although Dessler and Parson do a good job in making a very logical and well-developed case.

I had to read this book for a class, but I actually ended up enjoying it. As others have noted, it's a very quick read. But the pages it has are packed with excellent insights and observations gleaned from a number of studies and surveys. The ADKAR model is solid, and even if not followed to the letter will still give you the basics of what you need to consider when planning for and implementing change in an organization.

All the project plans in the world won't lead to a successful change if the people affected are neglected.

The key to change managment is communiation. A point jeffrey illustartes perfectly in his book.

Very helpful to any organisation or individual who is struggling with the concept of communicating change.

This is neither a great nor bad book on the subject of change management. It is written in a succinct way and is therefore a quick read. If you are reading a number of texts on the subject, you won't go wrong adding this one to the list, but make sure you read some others alongside it. It does make a number of good points (particularly about senders and receivers of messages), but the examples aren't as powerful as other texts I have read.

This book is essentially an expanded PowerPoint presentation, and I mean that in the best possible way. It is direct, to-the-point, practically applicable, and based on a solid change model (ADKAR). Note that it is a mere 90 pages or so of text, so it is a quick read. If you are a consultant or looking to apply change management principles tomorrow, this is the perfect book for you. The case studies are, however, laughable. One has to do with someone wanting to repave a parking lot and hasn't gotten the buy-in of all the surrounding business owners -- hardly the strategic change some of us are faced with managing.

The environment in which organisations operate is very dynamic, forcing firms to continually adapt and modify themselves to enable them to survive and prosper. Such an environment requires that managers are adequately equipped with change management skills. This book equips readers with the basic skills and knowledge required to manage the change process sensitively and effectively.

This is a small and well presented book on change management. It provides advice and guidance to change agents and managers involved in the change process to enable them to cope with the initiation and implementation of change in organisations, departments or teams. The book gives practical advice and techniques on managing all aspects of the change process.

The author did a good job of using several interesting and useful case studies which are very helpful in reinforcing the message. The reader is advised to particularly consider the people side of change to ensure that the process is a success.

I thought this text was a great introduction to Chinese history. It is easy to understand the concepts, and it allows the reader to ease in.

However, for anything other than the very basic, you need something more. Bare bone facts offered in this book MUST be a foundation for greater literature. Chinese authors provide a necessary compliment, especially with all of the emerging non-fiction and memoir literature.

I suggest The Family by Pa Chin, The Poetry and Stories of Lu Xhun, Good Women of China by Xinran Xue, and Falling Leaves by Adeline Yen Mah (just to get started)to understand the culture.

This is a readable history of China, though it lacks depth. It was grateful for it in my history class because I wasn't all that interested in the subject. That should speak volumes to readers who ARE interested in modern Chinese history. As a text book it was problematic because of the infrequent use of dates to accompany the narrative. Wouldn't you think mentioning the date of an event would be useful in a HISTORY book? The narrative chugs along and you find yourself flicking through the pages trying to figure out when in the timeline of Chinese history you are reading about. Good maps, good analysis of events if lacking a bit of depth and nice use of conversational language to convey the history. I would recommend this book for the casual reader of Chinese history.

This is the required textbook for my History of China. The book has many unique features that I truly enjoy reading though it does lack of depth and clarity of dates. First of all, as a historian, Schoppa, with his staggering feats, presents us the modern history of China (including the Qing Dynasty) from a neutral way of view with minimum prejudice. It's comprehensive up to 2005 or so. It's a scholarly and well-written piece of works. Don't expect to read like a chronological presentation of events but a literature. The only thing that I would suggest for improvement is the use of Chinese words right next to certain important events like the Marco Polo Bridge Incident known to the Chinese as (7-7 Lugou Qiao Incident), Beijing Spring (Democracy Movement) known to the Chinese as June 4th Movenment, etc. This can make the conversation of American and Chinese students easier. When I mentioned Marco Polo incident to my Chinese friends, none of them knew what it was until I described it in detail. Another thing is the date, as mentioned by the previous reviewer. However, the confusion caused by the infrequent use of dates has the effect that a reader will have an intuitive understanding of Chinese politics and cultures but not so much as history (which takes into account of dates). Final thing--depth! Overall, this is an excellent textbook for a modern Chinese history class.