Cunningham Reviews

In the airport recently, I picked up the Los Angeles Times and came across a review of this delightful book, which will appeal to movie buffs, history buffs or anyone whose family experienced the Great Depression. I quote from Jonathan Kirsch who wrote the review: "The next time a 1930s gangster flick called 'Kid Galahad' shows up on cable, take a close look at the guy in the spectacles and the fedora standing next to Humphrey Bogart. 'If you are familiar with many B movies of the late '30s or '40s,' writes Joan M. Cunningham, 'you would probably recognize my father's face, if not his name.' Joe Cunningham was one of the character actors who are the unsung heroes of old Hollywood, and his brief but memorable career is detailed in an unabashedly sentimental memoir by his daughter. Joan Cunningham recalls a childhood on the margins of Hollywood." The review goes on to highly recommend this fascinating book about the other side of Hollywood during it's Golden Age. I picked up the book and couldn't put it down.

Just returned from a tip to California where I learned about the Hollywood moguls who founded the movie industry. What a joy, when I returned, to discover this little book--the other side of the coin--that told what it was like for families to live and work amoung the famous in Hollywood of the 30s and 40's. The author takes you back with her to walk the streets where Jackie Cooper was her neighbor and little girls adventured out to get a peek at the big studio lots. You feel the highs of dining at Chassens when dad has a bit part and the lows of moving to a smaller house when bits are sparse. A love story from a daughter for her father, forever a featured player in her life.

A delightful read. I was transported back in time to an era of "B" movies as seen in the lives of the players, a family that shared love, and tough times with humor and strength.

With over ten years as a primary, intermediate, and junior high teacher, I have read lots of education books. This may end up being the book that helps me the most in helping improve myself as an educator, and in helping the school improve itself. This book was jam-packed with great ideas of what truly makes a good school. "Schools That Work" is geared for both principals, teachers, and anyone else in the education field. After reading this it makes for a great reference book. The book is well organized into the different components that make a good school. Also, it has great book, magazine, and web resources throughout the entire book. In short, buy this book without hesitation--it is that good!

Allington and Cunningham provide excellent insight as to what all schools need to ensure quality instruction to students. This book is a must for all educators, especially administrators. I am a Special Education teacher and a graduate student. I refer to this text often.

With over fifty combined years of experience between them, educational researcher/ consultants Richard Allington and Patricia Cunningham have many ideas to offer in their new book, Schools That Work: Where All Children Read and Write. The book is a natural follow-up to their first collaborative effort, Classrooms That Work: They Can All Read and Write. It is lengthy, but highly engaging, and offers practical, research based ideas for those who envision and want to work toward moving their school or school system toward being one where all children become literate. Because American society has changed, and is changing, at such a rapid pace, Allington and Cunningham contend that the current organizational structure of schools, while being well intentioned, is outdated. Existing structures do not effectively meet the needs of all children, especially those who are at the highest risk of school failure. Therefore, they believe that educational interventions that offer "more of the same" will not work to fix the inadequacies in today's schools. Because many schools are stuck, looking toward traditional solutions, huge amounts of federal and state money are being poured into educational programs such as developmental kindergarten, transitional K-1 classes, retention, and remedial, resource and bilingual programs that aren't effective in helping all at risk learners learn to read and write. Throughout the twelve chapters of the book, examples of effective large and small-scale school restructuring efforts in real schools are described. These descriptions are very helpful in illustrating the authors' key points. Models such as the Coalition of Essential Schools, Success For All, the Accelerated Schools Model, Reading Recovery, School Power and Schools for the 21st Century are included. Chapters of the book are organized around central themes of school organizational plans such as instruction, professional roles, allocation of time, parent involvement, assessment and curriculum materials. I will briefly summarize these chapters to give an overview of their content. In the chapter on curriculum, Cunningham and Allington offer many ideas for getting real reading material into the hands of children. Popular methods of literacy instruction are also described, but it is clear that the authors do not believe there is one best way to teach reading and writing. Instead, they advocate for quality instruction delivered in a multifaceted approach. This position is similar to that taken in Best Practices in Literacy Instruction, edited by Gambrel, Morrow, Neuman and Pressley, a resource text for teachers of literacy. Allington and Cunningham then go on to describe essential components of quality literacy instruction. One of the important points of the book is that "good schools are a collection of good classrooms" and that the job of everyone who works at a school is to support and enhance classroom instruction. An important point is made that while most instruction for at risk students slows down the pace of instruction, what is most effective is accelerating their learning through more and better instruction so that they are able to catch up with their peers. Concerning the issue of how instructional time is used; a chapter is devoted to describing effective classroom management practices that maximize the amount of time available for actual reading and writing. Innovative ways of creating more instructional time such as allowing teachers to work on flexible schedules opens up the possibility of students receiving extended amounts of instruction before and after school, in Saturday School and summer school. In the chapter on assessment, strategies for evaluating literacy programs and progress are given. Ideas for utilizing authentic assessments such as observational records, writing samples, narrative comments, interviews, self-evaluations, portfolios and anonymous student testing are presented.

Because schools can change only as fast as the instructional practices of teachers change, Allington and Cunningham devote a chapter to advice for supporting the professional development of teachers. The authors believe that systems need to allocate greater amounts of their resources toward professional development, as well as offer administrative and collegial support in order for teachers to remain life long learners who continually develop new areas of expertise. As our changing society affects schools, it affects families too. Most children now come from single parent families or families where both parents work. Because the authors believe that schools cannot be fully effective without parent support and involvement, ideas for improving parent outreach programs are described. Innovative ways to improve communication between schools and families, involve parents in school decision making processes, and create family literacy programs and interagency family support services that help break cycles of illiteracy and poverty are provided. A chapter is set aside for offering additional ideas for developing the literacy skills of special populations of children, such as those with learning disabilities and those who speak English as a second language. In another chapter, a tour is given through a hypothetical school that reflects some of the basic themes in the book. Readers are then prompted to take a tour through their own school and look for examples of effective practices they would like to see more of, as well as ineffective practices they would like to see decreased. The final chapter of the book offers some relief to the reader, who may at this point be overwhelmed with the scope and scale of school restructuring that needs to be done. Allington and Cunningham caution, though, that there are no quick fixes in education, and that successful reform efforts are done gradually with the long view in mind. Restructuring often begins with a small group of people, or even with one person at a school. Is that person you? Do you believe that all children can learn to read and write, and would you like to help them do so? If you think so, this book could be an invaluable resource that gets you thinking about large-scale changes by starting small. Read it and pass it along to someone in your school, as someone in my school passed it along to me. Who knows what might happen next?

First hand accounts of nearly anything except war, violent crime and weather, are scarce as hen's teeth for much of our history -- except of course for the lives of the endlessly quoted rich and famous. What Margaret Buchholz has done here is to collect an extraordinary range of first hand accounts from two centuries of observers concerning their visits to, occupations at, and thoughts about the New Jersey seashore. It may be easy to discount as mere anecdote, but historians and ethnographers turn again and again to the unimpeachable witness of those who actually lived in(as opposed to wrote opinions about) real places and real times. Hurrah for Buchholtz for finding, preserving and sharing such precious documents! The fact that this is a delightfully easy book to read only adds to the pleasure.

Visitors have been coming to the New Jersey shore for relaxation and recreation for 200 years. Some things have changed during that time. Not only did people at one time wear woolen "bathing costumes" in the ocean, they could rent them if they didn't have their own. (Yuck!) Before the Garden State Parkway was built, people experienced inconvenience and downright hardship to get to the shore. And yet, I also realized, reading this book, how little people at the seashore have really changed: Over the course of 200 years, people "bathed" or swam in the ocean or bay, held parties, ate their fill of seafood, walked the beaches or boardwalks in sunlight or by moonlight, went fishing and crabbing and hunting, flirted and otherwise had a good time--just as they do now. What I most like about the book is not just that it gives the reader a glimpse of the seashore over the past two centuries but also insight into the people who came to the shore, in their own words: What they thought about, what they hoped for, what they valued, how they lived, and how they played.

Through the words of those who have lived the history of the Jersey Shore, the authors have captured the essential spirit of this unique part of America. The people and their stories are fascinating. It was a real pleasure to read this book. Highly recommended!

Dr. Cunningham takes us on an autobiographical journey with the animals in his life from four years of age through his ups and downs of veterinary school and into his work as a nighttime emergency vet. In a forthright style he describes the tribulations of his life as a young veterinary student trying to follow both the system and his conscience.

A gentle soul, with a level of devotion and love for his patients beyond the call, he regales us with stories about "One Step" the one legged cockatiel, and tugs at our hearts us with the story of his beloved Boston terrier "Pug."

This is a great book for all animal lovers, easy to read and hard to put down, I finished it the afternoon that I got it, with warmth in my heart and tears in my eyes. Thank you Dr. Cunningham!

One of the best books I've ever read! Not only comforted me in a time of grief, but also made me laugh. Very talented author!

Thank you so much for giving me a copy of your book. I can't express how much it helped me with the loss of Sophie. Nobody really understands how difficult it is to lose an animal family member unless they have experienced the closeness that Sophie and I shared. Few people have as deep a relationship with their " pets" as we had. It helped me greatly to read about your love for your animals. It made me unde4rstand that I am not alone in loving my animals as much as I do and in the immense sorrow I have in losing them.

I could not put down this book. Cunningham has a most magical way of making the veil between the story and characters of her tale and the huge archetype--in this case the 1st woman, Lilith--absolutely transparant. But she does this without turning her characters or their struggles into cartoons. Everything here is real, and larger than life simultaneously. Especially if you are a woman, and you wish to re-member your wild, pre-patriarcal roots, Elizabeth Cunningham will, I hope be as great a powerhouse experience for you, as she has been for me.

I could not put this book down. Usually I only read on the bus to and fro work, but I found myself reading this at dinner and staying up to read before bed.

The imagery was beautiful and the character development honest and believable...I want to read everything by this author now!

Originally, I had taken A Wild Mother out of the library. Read it in 2 days. Then I bought the book so I could read it again. Elizabeth Cunningham is wonderful. Read & bought her other book - Return of the Goddess as well. Her books speaks to that wildness in all women and makes them feel free.

Alexis Cunningham, has delt with this subject with great humility with warmth and understanding, this will be a great book for any child who is grieving to read
Thank you

If there were a Nobel Prize or an Academy award for the category covered by this book, this author would surly win. Nothing else I have read, or read about, address the subject like this book does. It is truly a gentle, loving and simplistic way to treat a complicated subject. I strongly recommend it for families with children that must deal with the tragedy of losing a loved one.

Alexis has dealt with an almost impossible subject beautifully. Not only will it help children but it will also help adults understand what a child is going through. It is simply written but a powerful tool. Thank you Alexis Cunningham for writing this book!

This learning resource is an excellent addition to any developers' library of materials. It has clear, practical advice on how to develop effective coaches as well as a collection of fine exercises. The exercises are mostly based around real life practice. Too often these kinds of collections are full of exercises that look fun to do but are disconnected from work. This pack does not fall in to that trap. The exercises are graded - from easy to use to those that are more advanced. However the authors give very clear guidance on how to use them and show some examples of how the exercises could be put together to create workshops on different aspects of coaching.

I would recommend this pack unreservedly. It meets a real need - organizations desperately need to develop the coaching capability of their managers and this material will really fill a gap in the market.

I have found this material very valuable for developing managers as coaches. The big plus for me is that the exercises are mostly based around real work. I find that managers do not like artificial exercises that seem too disconnected from real work. Also the provision of the material for use in workshops is first rate. Finally I liked the fact that the authors have given guidance on how to put the materials together to produce a coherent workshop.

This is an excellent resource for trainers. It has many original exercises as well as clear guidance on what to do with the matierla. Also the introductory material gives a clear jargon-free explanation of the value of coaching. It is the best on the market, as far as I can see.

Combinaorial Optimization is one of those rare books that is an instant classic. The authors weave a readable fabric of intuition and theory that is unmatched in this exciting discipline. The choice of topics covered begins with two fundamental optimization problems, namely, the minimum spanning tree and shortest path problems. Next, maximum flow and minimum cost flow problems are discussed, followed by matching problems, polyhedral issues arising in combinatorial optimization, and the famous traveling salesman problem. The text concludes with chapters on matroids and NP-Completeness. The exposition on these topics is very well written and the proofs are rigorous. There is a terrific blend of theory, algorithms and applications without overwhelming the reader with computational details. The authors also do a good job of developing an accurate historical perspective of the material, most of which evolved during the time period 1955 to 1995. The book is suitable for an upper-level undergraduate, or a graduate course. The exercises are very well thought out and are at an appropriate level. I have taught undergraduate courses in combinatorial optimization for over 10 years and have always struggled to find an appropriate text. My problem has now been solved.

This book was thoroughly written by great-minded Masters. It is well-organized in their topics and presentation. However, the book details is unbalnced, some chapters are overwhelm the data, and some others are insufficient. By the way, I graded this book a Very Good one. Worth Reading !!

A good introduction to Combinatorial optimisation and integer programming.

Especially recommended are the chapters on minimum weight matching and the TSP.

This book helps children make the transition in reading poetry from the beloved Dr. Suess to reading more sophisticated writing. My children loved the rhymes, and related to the stories. Like Robert Louis Stevenson in A Child's Garden of Verses, Langston Hughes captures childhood in his verses. Many current writers of children's poetry appeal to children using gross stories of bodily functions and gum in the hair. Langston Hughes gives kids more credit than that, but still appeals to children. What kid hasn't wanted to look down on "those stuck up clowns" in real life? This book was entertaining, and made my children want to hear more from this author.

This book is a wonderful tribute to one of America's finest poets. The book appeals to both children and adults. The poems are whimsical and fun. In my own classroom, the children list these poems as some of their favorites. The art work inspires my students to achieve as much as they can in their own art work. The introduction and afterward provide the reader with a history of the Harlem art's movement and Langston Hughes' contribution to this movement. The information provided could be shared with children, however it is written for advanced readers. Overall, this book is one of the most well thought out books that I have seen.

Although I enjoyed this book as a Langston Hughes fan, I was not sure that the children's artwork and Hughes' poetry would be appreciated by children. However, my 5-yr-old clearly responds to the rhyming text and enjoys the art. I've overheard him reciting lines from this book by memory. The rhythym is soothing and the children's art is charming. This is not Hughes at his most profound- (couldn't he have chosen "walrus" to star on the "w" page instead of a white mouse?) and does not teach kids much about the alphabet ("m" is for monkey, but we never hear that word in the poem, instead the monkey's name- "jocko"), but it will appeal to their sense of rhyme and whimsy. I'm leaving it 5 stars because of the beautiful art and catchy poems.

A little bit about the life of Virginia Woolfe. She lived in the country and was crazy and her husband didn't understand it and they argued a lot but she was very independant and she had a siter and before she died she drownded herself.

Woolf's first novel, THE VOYAGE OUT, undoubtedly takes its plot from proto-Victorian satirical literature, most notably Jane Austen to whom Woolf alludes directly in the novel several times. This allusion is usually specifically referenced to Austen's last novel, PERSUASION, which follows Anne Elliot's second-chance at love despite the fact that she has reached the age of thirty and is therefore virtually unmanageable. Woolf obviously draws a parallel between Austen's Anne and her own heroine Rachel; both are old enough to know the ways of the world, Anne much more so than the naive Rachel. These ways of the world include both the machinations of society and the expected union between man and woman. Yet both Austen's and Woolf's heroines cannot seem to properly fit into their respective milieus. While Anne's intelligence and wit set her apart from the others in her social circle, it is Rachel's passivity and refusal to view the world except in terms of her own musical and idealistic notions that ostracize her from the start in Woolf's novel.

Following a typical bildungsroman structure, Woolf sets her novel in South America, where a group of English tourists have taken up rooms at a hotel for a vacation in the hopes of becoming more 'cultured.' The result, under Woolf's pen, is an absurdly wicked satire touching upon colonization, the snobbery of the British upper-middle class, the link between the political and the sexual (as depicted in the character of Evelyn Murgatroyd), and the state of socially-acceptable gender roles. Whereas Austen's satiric wit was more subdued and controlled due to the time period in which she wrote, Woolf's runs rampant on every page. Though rather than appear authoritative, despite the third-person narration, Woolf allows each character to show their own flaws and misgivings through their actions, speech, and thoughts.

As Rachel 'matures' in this environment, she slowly begins to see the corruption that lies in the world at large; her only moments of peace seem to come when she is either playing the piano or else considering the union of land and sea and sky, a union that symbolizes the idealistic collective solidarity necessary for a nation (and an individual within society) to function. Her engagement to Terence Hewet seems to arise suddenly (though, with reference to the plot, not unexpectedly) as though Rachel, having witnessed other men and women pairing off, felt she too must follow suit. Ironically enough, Hewet and Rachel seem to make an ideal couple: Rachel's musicality is nicely juxtaposed against Hewet's leanings toward literature and novel writing.

Some critics have argued that Woolf was playing with plot, character and stylization in THE VOYAGE OUT, and thus conclude that the rather abrupt ending (which finds Rachel succumbing to an almost psychotic/hallucinatory, and quite deadly, illness) was Woolf's way of 'modernizing' the proto-Victorian plot. Instead, it seems clear that, since Woolf satirizes without cease throughout the novel, her satire also extends to the very tradition, structure, and plot from which she was borrowing. She seems to be asserting that the uneducated and unworldly woman is unprepared for society and its harsh realities and, due to the absence of proper upbringing, education, and discussion (for so much of the novel invokes a sense of silence, of what is not said), it is society itself which is to blame for this. Also, on the other hand, Woolf seems to imply that this same uneducated, unworldly woman might possess the imaginative and speculative qualities necessary to bridge the gap between the 'Victorian world' and the 'modern world.' Rachel's 'sacrifice' in the novel proves that if the world does not change then the individual cannot change; therefore, most importantly, the two entities (the aware individual and the slowly-blossoming society) cannot exist simultaneously.

THE VOYAGE OUT is an essential book in the Woolf canon and, with the recent appearance of the first version of the novel, the unexpurgated manuscript MELYMBROSIA, should be read alongside Woolf's other works with the same degree of seriousness. Though a first novel, this work sets the stage for Woolf's satiric, feminist, and experimental voice. Following a fairly linear narrative, THE VOYAGE OUT does indeed show some of the stylizations and subjective characterizations that would eventually transform into the stream of consciousness style that we associate with Woolf's work. A challenging and provocative read, THE VOYAGE OUT set the stage for Woolf's literary career and began immediately to address and challenge the societal norms which Woolf herself felt had been left too long in the dark, unexamined.

--Reviewed by kris t kahn, author of ARGUING WITH THE TROUBADOUR: POEMS

Rachel Vinrace, a young woman not quite acquainted with the ways of the world, accompanies her aunt and uncle (the Ambroses) to South America, where she eventually falls in love with a young aspiring writer. Swirling around this tale of doomed love are the many other characters who all influence each other and are themselves influenced. Most of the novel is about Rachel, but Helen Ambrose is equally central to the story, as a comparison to her niece and in her own internal voyage. Chronicling the inner lives of her characters, Woolf, in her first novel, explores the awakening of first love, the influences of men (and the culture they have control over) upon women, the confusions we as human beings have in our daily communications with others. Originally entitled "Melymbrosia", "The Voyage Out" went through many revisions as Woolf claimed language for her own uses and effectively began a new literature (for her time), where the internal life and the interconnectedness of humanity are the central themes.