Product Description
Life hasn't always been so kind to Julia Roberts - the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. Paul Donnelly takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride, from the success of "Pretty Woman" to the high-profile flop "Hook" and the re-establishment of her reputation with Notting Hill in 1999, through to her Academy Award for Best Actress for Erin Brockovich and her surprise wedding in 2002. "Confidential" also lifts the lid on Roberts' sensational personal life - a life that has put her in the headlines more often than her movies. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Julia Julia Julia
A great book and one that gets under Julia's skin. We are all governed by our hormones and our work is obviously part of this. Julia's love life has been covered very heavily because it impacts so greatly on her work.
If you only read one book on Julia read this one!

Don't consider this book!!
What can you say about a book, in which all of Julia's former boyfriends and her ex-husband and "almost-husbands" and "actual" husband are listed and the whole thing is called "Boyfriendography" (according to "Filmography")? I have never read anything more disrespectful about Julia, than this book! And the whole story is called "confidential" - although Julia hasn't been involved in the making of this book at all... After you've read it, you know why! To relate the quality of her movies and especially her way of acting in them to the number of people who went to see it at the cinema (the so called "success"...) and, even worse, to the relationship with her boyfriend at the time when the films originate, is kind of sick! The whole thing is not worth the paper it is written on. Even the photographs in that book don't make it worthwhile to buy it. On the one hand, they are only in black and white and on the other hand you can find all of them or similar ones elsewhere - and then you are not confronted with sentences, meant to "explain" the pictures in a way like "Julia with soon to be ex-boyfriend..." I find this book absolutely sickening!!! So if you are a fan of Julia and you want to save your stomach, don't buy this book!!! I regret to ever have done so... But now I threw it into the paper waste - and believe me - it doesn't deserve more!
... Read more

Product Description
Julia Roberts represents a return to the glamour of the great Hollywood stars of another era.Fans flock to her movies, and she's a staple cover subject of People magazine and every entertainment show imaginable, but her real life has only been seen in tabloid glimpses until now. James Spada has gone back to Julia's beginnings in Athens, Georgia to unearth fascinating facts about her family and her early dating life.And he's followed her career from movie to movie-both on screen and behind the screen-to show fans what the private face of Julia really is.

As an artist, Julia has changed dramatically from the talented but sheltered girl who found fame first with a role in the independent movie "Mystic Pizza" and became the exuberant star whose "Pretty Woman" delighted audiences everywhere before becoming an Oscar-winning actress capable of taking on the toughest roles.As a person, she's grown from a skittish and gangly girl moving through relationships with co-stars to become an assured woman making her own bold decisions about how to live her life.

Julia will delight fans with its level of detail and fresh information, as well as its thoughtfulness about the life and career of a truly vibrant and complex star.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Great book on Julia =-)
This is a very good biography on Julia. Packed with tons of info and good pictures. If you're a fan of Roberts, this is the book for you. Definitely worth it!

Julia's life.
When I read this book I realized that her life was very complicated. Julia's father died at an early age, when she was about 9. Her only brother Eric, did not get along and still does not talk with their mother.

Her mother remarried a man who abused them, especially Eric. There is one sister, Lisa and they have a step sister Nancy, (Motes). Neither of them were interviewed for this book.

Eric Roberts was interviewed and expressed his anger about his mother.

Julia seemed to be looking for a father figure, with many of her relationships being with actors.

If you are a fan of Julia's, I would recommend this book.

Hopefully, her happiness will last with her present husband.

Good luck and best wishes to you, Julia.

Very detailled!
Beginning with the birth of her father James Spada is writing about the life and career of Julia and her family. This is indeed very interesting to read - and it is written in a very gripping way, but it is irritating, that this all happens without an official agreement of Julia herself. The main emphasis of this book is on Julia's private life and the sources the author names for this are persons who surround Julia or would like to do so - Julia herself didn't seem to be ready to contribute to this book with statements from her behalf. This is the biggest drawback of this book and one should blame that on the author. Because, what gives him the right to write detailed things even about Julia's love life, when he never has spoken to herself? Only the fact that the book became very extended (almost 500 pages) leaves space enough for Julia's work in movies - the things we actually love her for. Less private stuff (and so something which is none of ones business!!!) would have been better! Merely the stories that tell something about Julia as a human being are interesting. For instance when she saved a car driver, who met with an accident, or the story when she danced with a fan in sort of a pub... These stories are wonderful to read, because they show, what a great and normal woman Julia has kept to be over all times - in spite of all the trouble with paparazzi and with authors who feel they have the right to write even books about her, without having talked to her a single once. Summary: just still recommendable, but you're left with a very bad taste after reading...

Revealing!
This book is highly enjoyable and a page turner if you are intrigued by Julia Roberts. It starts at the beginning growing up in a family separated with anger and distrust. It goes on to show her moving out of Georgia and living with her brother Eric and sister Lisa in New York. It talks of how she broke into acting and fame. It really gets into her relationships with men and her interactions with male co-stars. After reading this book I have a somewhat different view of the actor. I used to wish I had her life and envied her tremendously. It seems like she has difficulties with men, possibly falling in love with love and when it begins to get deep and intimacy is the next step forward, things start to get rough. It seems like anger and distrust keep coming up in her life and at least in her relationships with men. It does not really go into many female friendships, touching on Susan Sarandon and her sister Lisa. The author does a good job of tieing his research together to make a cohesive picture of Julia. He had a little bit of help, from private sources and her brother who send emails of info to him. It is interesting to me as to why she and her brother are still estranged. It seems as if something big must have happened to create such a chasm. It also seems as if Julia has followed her mothers and Eric's abandonment of each other on in her own life, I think this is sad. I see her as an open, say what's on your mind person, yet this may be because she is a hot commodity and can do this without as many repercussions as some of us have to contend with. If she was getting shunned for this behavior, and maybe she has, I don't know if it would be so quick to happen. It seems like an exciting life but with addiction of some kind having to be there is it really being enjoyed as completely. Is love being enjoyed completely if both partners can speak the truth without fear of some form of abandonment. Oh well, I had alot of thoughts come up from reading it and am grateful. I am glad I read the book. I do not feel the envy that I had once felt and see Julia as much more human, which I would think the author would want you to walk away with.

Lisa Nary

Balanced biography of a superstar
As a typical movie fan, I had to idea what was behind the appealing, beguiling screen presence of Julia Roberts.I only saw the incandescant smile and the undeniable charm of this young actress.James Spada has done his homework and he uses multiple sources to put together the story of this complex, often insecure woman.In the early part of the book, the reader learns that Julia's parents created and directed a children's theater in Atlanta, Georgia.They were some of the first people to cross the color line, and their clients included the four children of Martin Luther King.Julia's father was charismatic, but troubled, and ran the gamut from charming to abusive.Her mother had her own problems and was unfaithful to her husband.Julia and her estranged brother seem to hold divergent opinions about their parents, but clearly this was a dysfunctional family.Spada chronicles Julia's school days, during which she considered herself an ugly duckling.He follows her during the lean early years of her acting career and traces her meteoric rise from a walk-on part in "Firehouse" in the mid-80's to her first big break in "Mystic Pizza" in 1988 and "Steel Magnolias" in 1989.During this time Julia began the pattern of pursuing men, falling in love with them, and then leaving them which repeated itself countless times in her life.The book continues through the 2003 release of the "Mona Lisa Smile" and the projected 2004 sequel to "Ocean's Eleven".Although there is no evidence that Spada spoke directly to Roberts, he manages to assemble a lot of information which he shares with the reader.This book shows all sides of Roberts, some which support her charming on-screen persona and some which are a lot less charming.Kudos to him for a job well done. ... Read more

Product Description
The Troll longs for a goat - but has to make do with fish for supper instead. Meanwhile, Hank Chief and his pirate crew are digging for treasure - but it seems they've sailed to the wrong island. Again. Watch the fun unfold as these two worlds collide in a richly inventive, gloriously comic tale from the creators of the highly acclaimed "Tyrannosaurus Drip". ... Read more

Product Description
In our modern dislocated society many are searching for a church experience that offers true Christian sharing, nurturing, and discipleship, in addition to teaching and worship. For many such people the answer is found in the home church: a small, committed group of often diverse people who meet together in homes to pray, eat, sing, study, and share their lives.

The Church Comes Home is a handbook for those interested in home churches. It is both visionary and practical. It describes how home churches can be formed, how they should grow, and how networks of home churches can develop. It examines issues-for example, how to make decisions; how to determine doctrine; how to include children, singles, elders; and how to reach out to the community at large-and offers practical suggestions for their resolution. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

a practical, down to earth guide for house churches
The Church Comes Home is certainly worth the purchase given its practical down to earth guide to how to organize House Churches and address some of the diverse issues associated with this simple organic structure of the body of Christ

Good ideas, unnecessarily limited perspective
In general, I would credit the authors with doing a remarkable job of describing the need for committed relationships within the church for it to function as Christ intended.And the greatest strength of the book is the stories that they tell to share with us the successes and struggles that various house churches have experienced over many years.Those stories are very real and express the significant growth and value of house churches.

My problem with this book is the notion that house churches are the only place for real relationships to develop.The caricature that they portray of small groups in more traditional churches is full of generalizations and simplifications.They have chosen the worst of small groups and shown them to be the norm.If I were to choose between the small groups described in this book and a house church, I would also think that house churches are the only way to go.

However, small groups have the potential, when done well, to offer significant vitality in the life of a traditional church.Quality small groups, led by capable leaders, can retain many of the wonderful attributes that the authors describe from house churches.And there are many wonderful benefits from a traditional church that are totally lost within the framework of house churches.These attributes of contemporary church life are totally and inappropriately discarded as useless.

Ultimately, I think that the authors fall short by assuming the primacy of their approach.Though I am pleased to learn how God is working through house churches to minister to so many people, I do not appreciate (or agree with) the suggestion that this model needs to ultimately replace traditional church life.

I intend to utilize some key insights that I garnered from this book to implement them within the context of our small groups.And I will continue to thank the Lord for blessing me with an awesome church family, which allows me opportunities to connect and serve with people at our house within our small group but in so many other life-giving and transformational ways!!

Insights Into House Churches
I read this book along with Frank Viola's book "Rethinking The Wineskins" and I found this book to be a bit more easier to follow and more practical. While Viola's book seem to have an heir about it that said "I'm ticked off at the established church and here is why" this book simply offers the reader a candid look at the New Testament model of house churches and how the Bank's are seeking to follow the NT pattern. Bank's is a scholar. You will find in this book a man who loves God, loves people, and teaches the truth of Scripture clearly. If you have read books on house churches and have walked away with a bit of skepticism (as I have at times) than buy this book and you will find that Bank's is truly a brother in Christ who only desires to be like Jesus.

Critical questions about the nature of the church
A practical survey of the house church movement.Without bitternesstoward traditional models of church, Banks introduces a refreshing modelfor the household of faith which has its roots in the first century.It isa radical concept for many American Christians because it stands in suchstark contrast with the more individualistic, consumer driven model forchurch which has takencenter stage in Western Culture.

Great Basic Information About House Church
Robert and Julia shared from experience when they wrote this book.It is so refreshing to read a book that is about real life, rather than just thetheory and doctrine of how house church ought to be.The varioustestimonies are really insightful.

If you are contemplating leaving theinstitutionalized church, this book would be a good place to start yourjourney toward relational fellowship in the home setting. ... Read more

Product Description
Pastor Rick Warren’s The Purpose-Driven Life has been both a commercially successful best seller and a widely influential book in the Christian community. As a rejoinder to the fundamentalist assumptions of Warren’s book, Robert Price, a biblical scholar, a member of the Jesus Seminar, and a former liberal Baptist pastor, offers this witty, thoughtful, and detailed critique. Following the concise forty-chapter structure of Warren’s book, Price’s point-counterpoint approach emphasizes the importance of reason in understanding life’s realities as opposed to Warren’s devotional perspective. Price, who was once a born-again Christian in his youth, is in a unique position to offer an appreciation of the wisdom that Warren shares while at the same time challenging many of his main points. In particular, Price takes issue with Warren’s use of numerous scriptural quotations, demonstrating how many of them have little to do with the points Warren is trying to make. An important section of the book shows that the popular evangelical notion of "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ" is utterly without any scriptural basis.Besides criticism, Price also provides many persuasive arguments for the use of reason as a tool for developing moral maturity and an intelligent, realistic perspective on life’s highs and lows. Ultimately, the reason-driven life offers a healthier, alternative approach to wisdom and motivation, says Price, than the simplistic answers and feel-good emotionalism at the heart of Warren’s prescription for life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

This is a very important book
This is an amazing book that fully analyses the psychology of Christian Fundamentalism.I have not yet come across such an intelligent, thorough and well organized approach that completely discusses the currently ubiquitous trappings of Evangelical Christianity. Price makes his case in straightfoward language that is convincing in the very first chapters, offering a delightful new approach that is so spiritually appealing, he subtly offers a marvelously new world view in its stead. He is not a crank, or even annoyingly intellectual, although his book is a work of extensive scholarship.I marvel at his knowledge of Christianity, philosophy, and other world religions, and his simple delight and curiosity for life, living and people.It is the intelligent philosophy that he offers in place of Evangelical Christianity that in fact shows Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life" for what it is--a dead philosophy of fear and self-preservation.I challenge anyone who counts themselves as "born again" to read this book seriously and not have a change of faith.

DECONSTRUCTING ANOTHER PUFF EVANGELICAL "BEST SELLER"
Price does a masterful job of deconstructing the assumptions and leaps of faith that is found in the evangelical publishing world; where depth of thought is shunned in favor of bold assertions of faith.I thoroughly enjoyed this book.It is also a good introduction to the flimsy world of constructs that the evangelical worldview rests on.While reading this book, it took me back to the 70s when I hungrily devoured all the best-selling books cranked out by evangelical publishers.Now, I see these same tomes in used book stores; I flip through them and shake my head at the simplistic views they present.At the time, I though such books were spiritual "deep" and profound. I wish I had had someone like Price back then who could have helped me to work through the layers of theology that otherwise took me years to discard.

Excellent Analysis of the Psychology of Fundamentalism
As always, the first thing I read were the negative reviews. After reading Price's work, it is obvious that neither (although one freely admits this) actually read the book. Price is a Biblical scholar, not a theologian. He is very open about being a nontheist, refers to himself as a humanist, and sings in his church choir. The reason? Unlike most people, when it comes to the Bible, this guy really knows his stuff! Therefore, Price does not feel the need to 'throw the baby out with the bathwater'. Price loves the Bible, loves going to church, and laughs at those of us who feel like we have to pick a side.

However, this is not what the book is about; it is a critique of the tenets of modern, Christian fundamentalism. First, the idea that the purpose of everyone's life is to worship the god of the Bible! Next, he breaks down the 'us v. them' mentality by addressing the issue of denominations. To paraphrase Price, everyone wouldn't fit under the same roof anyway. After that, he continues on to the myth of the inerrant Bible. This is where Price makes, in my opinion, his most astute observation: the scriptures have been copied, translated, and come from a culture and era that are far removed from our modern world. Therefore, there's no way to avoid interpretation.

Finally, throughout the book, he discusses the downright wishful thinking that is at the heart of fundamentalism and how it stifles the personal growth and maturity that lead one to wisdom - spiritual or otherwise.

Solid
This book is a hybrid, of sorts. On the one hand it serves as a direct response to The Purpose Driven life, very clearly and effectively rebutting claims that a fundamental Christian life is the only happy one. On the other hand it gives an independent guide to living a fulfilled, meaningful life from a completely secular angle. I recommend it.

Healing after The Ministry
If you have ever been disillusioned by God's representative, the church...this book articulates what you have gone through. Using Rick Warren's book, the most popular read for the surburban white american christian movement, Robert Price deals with hard issues left in the wake of church leaders. Price's book is a resource! The first 15 chapters are by far the best commentary on the modern christian movement I have ever read. Wish I had this information years ago.A must read. ... Read more

Product Description
Does every second wife look like Julia Roberts? Lu Klein certainly doesn't, and her life is anything but glamorous. When she married a man with children, Lu had no idea that she was also marrying his shrewish ex-wife, Beatrix. And Beatrix had no idea that making a new home with her second husband would mean welcoming her wicked teenage stepdaughter, Liv. And Liv's mother Roxie had no idea that so many new and exciting boyfriends could make her long for the stable life she and her ex had too eagerly left behind.

In this tightly interconnected collection of ten short stories, author Laura Ruby chronicles the progress of Lu, Beatrix, Roxie and their various steps and exes as they take the perilous plunge into the maelstrom of the so-called "blended family." Both ruefully funny and wickedly insightful, I'M NOT JULIA ROBERTS offers finely-observed, honest and affecting takes on kids, stepkids, divorce, remarriage...and the movie Stepmom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

A book for women in "blended" families
I bought the book because I liked the title and the cover art.I probably should have read the plot description inside the front cover because I'm not really in the target audience for this book.

It's a darkly humorous book about life in a "blended" family and all the drama and chaos that can come with it.The book contains several stories about couples that are so intertwined there is a family tree at the beginning.I had to refer to it several times to keep the players straight.Rather than being just one narrative novel, the book is set up to tell the stories of several different people who are biological parents or stepparents and sometimes both.The primary narrator is Lu, who married a divorced man with 3 boys and joint custody.

As others have noted, the title refers to the movie "Stepmom" where Julia Roberts's character marries a divorced man with children but she doesn't have to deal with the ex-wife very long because she gets cancer and dies.Lucompares her life to that movie and notes that real life as a stepmother isn't like the movie.

This book is probably best enjoyed by women who are part of blended families.As a single person, it was probably more troubling than humorous.

You're Not Julia Roberts and I'm Not Impressed
I picked this book up at a book exchange, and I admit that it was mostly due to the intriguing title. I will preface this review with the comment that I don't normally read 'chick lit', so this may color my opinion of this novel.

"I'm not Julia Roberts" was awash with too many points of view and too many characters. There were so many characters, in fact, that the author found it necessary to provide a 'Family Tree' and 'List of Characters' at the beginning of the novel and it was certainly needed to keep track of everyone. This probably should have been a clue to the writer that something may have been amiss with the story.Even with this 'cheat sheet', it was still a chore to remember which character was married, divorced, related, a child, or a friend of whomever else. When I was about a third of the way into the book I thought I had it all sorted out and felt that if I started reading again from the beginning, things would make more sense. However, the story wasn't interesting enough to make that kind of effort. And I found as I continued to read that I still had to refer to the 'Family Tree'. Too many times the flow of reading was interrupted just to try and figure out who was related whom.

Each chapter focused on a different family or character, with a different POV. However, the author sometimes mixed POV within the chapter and even within individual paragraphs. One minute I was reading something written in first person and then it would abruptly change to third person and then back again. This only added to the confusion. There seemed to be a main character (Lu) and family (again, Lu's) that the author meant to make the focus of the novel, but this was only truly evident by making the first and last chapter from Lu's POV. In between, we got vignettes (vignette being the key word here as so often these chapters were isolated 'slices of life' that didn't relate to the other chapters) about the other families' and characters' lives. If there had been some cohesiveness to all of this, it would have been fine, but there didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, nor timeline for it all. In school one is taught that every story should have a beginning, middle, and end and that each story should develop, build to a crisis, and then resolve to a conclusion - a sort of 'bell curve' if you visualize it graphically. This story had none of that. There were a lot of conflicts, but no build, no peak, no real denouement, at least for all of the characters presented. For me, the novel was like a first draft with a lot of free-writing that could have been edited and pulled together into a cohesive novel with some extensive revision, but was just left 'as is' and printed for quick release.

One particular chapter that I found very lacking was called 'Dear Psycho' about a third of the way through the book. It was made up entirely of letters and emails sent between a few different characters that seemed random and out of place with the rest of the book. To top it off, they were in reverse order! One read the response to a particular letter or email before reading what prompted it. Very confusing. I still don't see the purpose in inserting a chapter of this style into an otherwise 'regularly written' novel. It can be done - another book, 'E', that I've read, and thoroughly enjoyed - was written as a novel entirely made up of inter-office emails. That author made it work. But he wrote the whole book in that style. He didn't throw it in in the middle of something else. In 'I'm not Julia Roberts' it was just a random anomaly that did not work - especially when presented in a backwards order.

Perhaps this writer was attempting to find her voice by breaking all the rules. It can be done - great writers do it all of the time - but it fell flat here. I haven't read any of Laura Ruby's other work to compare, but after this experience, I don't have any desire to. It was all that I could do to finish this novel. I kept thinking I'd find the reason for the style of writing and that I'd find the story eventually. Sadly, I never did.

Teeming tale!
Too many characters in this book - so much so that the author had to put not only a 'family tree' at the front of it but also a 'cast of characters'.It was a good job she did too as I found myself referring to it more often thatn I would have liked.Perhaps that was the point.How complicated divorce and remarriage is but I would have like to know more about less people.
Too confusing and crowded.Leave it.

Good read but confusing at times
Ultimately, I enjoyed this book but at times it became difficult to keep track of who was who!All of the husbands, exes, and kids started to just kind of meld together!The story was an interesting look into divorce, the world of step families and the effects on the children.I very much enjoyed the character of Lupe and found her to be funny and realistic.Not my favorite book in the world but entertaining none the less.

Don't buy, this is a library book
Not one you would read again. A lot of writers can blend multiple storylines together nicely, this is an exception. Too confusing and while realistic, nothing new. Save your pennies. ... Read more

Product Description
Real-Life Reader Biographies present the lives ofcontemporary role models for young readers. These are the stories ofreal men and women who, despite many obstacles, followed their dreams.

Though her parents operated a workshop for actors andplaywrights in Atlanta, Georgia, in the 1960s, nothing else about herpast would seem to fortell that Julia Roberts would become one of thebiggest box-office draws in Hollywood history. In fact, she alwayswanted to become a veterinarian. But her older sister, Lisa, and olderbrother, Eric, both wanted to act. Eric Roberts was already making aname for himself in 1985 when Julia moved to New York City and joinedLisa in pursuit of an acting career. It was Eric who got Julia herfirst film role in Blood Red. Her first substantial film role was inMystic Pizza (1988) followed by Steel Magnolias (1989). Her launch tofame, however, came in 1990 when she was cast as Vivian, the HollywoodBoulevard hooker in Pretty Woman. A mere five years out of highschool, Julia Roberts won a Golden Globe award for best actress inPretty Woman. According to Julia, her life since then has been a fairytale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Nice, but too short
A decent biography for juveniles but far too short for anyone else (only 32 pages). Try Gary Fuller's biography about Julia (The Julia Roberts Story) if you're looking for something longer and better.

Perfect for fans in the 10-12 age group.
We gave this book to our 11-year-old Roberts fan for Christmas and she loved it.Cutting edge biography it isn't, but for younger fans of Ms. Roberts, it provides plenty to identify with and a few surprising facts. ... Read more

Product Description
A look at the life and career of Oscar–winning actress Julia Roberts, one of the biggest box–office draws in Hollywood history. ... Read more

Product Description
This updated second edition of the best-selling Strategies for Differentiating Instruction offers practical strategies that allow all students to learn at appropriately challenging levels and make continuous progress by focusing on their various levels of knowledge and readiness to learn. Written in a teacher-friendly manner, the book presents strategies that can be used in any classroom to ensure that each student’s needs are met.

The second edition features an additional chapter on academic success; a revamped Developing and Assessing Products (DAP) Tool with an improved performance scale and new levels, plus new DAP Tools for a variety of products; an 8 1/2″ x 11″ format to ease reproduction of templates, lessons, surveys, and activities; and new lessons and activities for each differentiation strategy.

Designed specifically for teachers who are new to differentiated instruction, this book offers sound, practical advice for preassessing students, implementing differentiation strategies, and managing and assessing student learning. This book is filled with the essentials teachers need to know in order to differentiate instruction and address all students’ needs, interests, and abilities. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Every classroom teacher should have this book!
Strategies for Differentiating Instruction - Best Practices for the Classroom (2nd edition) is a fantastic resource for teachers of all grade levels.It explains why differentiation is a good idea, gives clear instructions on how to differentiate, and offers numerous tools to streamline planning and implementation of differentiation strategies.It is sure to be an asset to any classroom teacher, andespecially those who work with a population that includes gifted students.

Authors Julia L. Roberts and Tracy F. Inman state that teachers can enhance the learning experience of their students by, "Allowing each child to learn on an ongoing basis...and go on to say ,"differentiation allows continuous progress for ALL students!"Utilizing this guide, teachers can assist each student in learning at their own pace and appropriate challenge level.A powerful analogy is presented in the book's first chapter, " It is no more fair to require every child in one grade to wear the same size of shoe than it is to provide one set of lesson plans for children who read at various levels. "

This guide contains many helpful diagrams. Page 14 has a ladder model of levels of academic success.Many gifted students end up getting stuck at level one.According to Susan Assouline, quoted in appendix A,they do not learn the lessons of work ethic, study skills, and time management, among others. Dedicated teachers who encourage students to challenge themselves can make a tremendous impact on our most able learners.

Levels of Academic Success

1: gets good grades with ease
completes assignments with little effort

2: earns high grades on assignments that challenge
completes assignments that require effort

3: learns with satisfaction and joy
student is on way to becoming a lifelong learner

Another great feature is the guide's wealth of reproducible worksheets.These include a multiple intelligences checklist, an interest survey, Bloom's taxonomy chart, Think Tac Toe project pages, Venn diagrams, and more.Kids like to be involved in planning their own learning, and these tools will assist the instructor in finding ways to optimize the educational experience of each and every child.





... Read more

Product Description
A Self-Renewal Program for Any Woman Who Has Ever Been a Mother.

During pregnancy, a woman dedicates nine months to nurturing a new life. She comes to understand a whole new level of commitment, excitement, self-care, and unswerving dedication. Now life coach Julia Roberts (that's the other Julia Roberts!) shows women how to apply those lessons they once learned in pregnancy to launch another brand new life--their own! Mother of Re-Invention is a 9-month program that guides women through reclaiming their power, focus, and motivation in order to discover new goals and bring them to fruition.

Structured in three "trimesters" that feature a total of nine different lessons, Mother of Re-Invention offers various "labors" (journaling exercises and other prompts) to help readers reclaim their time, find their center, and discover new ambitions. As with pregnancy, it can reap big changes in a relatively short timeframe. A woman can revamp her approach to her relationships and her work, and create a whole new life!

In the tradition of books such as Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way and Martha Beck's The Joy Diet, Mother of Re-Invention offers readers a structured yet inspirational way to be the woman they've always wanted to be. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Book All Moms Need to Read!!!
Motherhood to Otherhood is a perfect book for any busy mom.

Moms tend to put everyone on the list except themselves. Author Julia Roberts has put into words practical ways we, as busy moms, can put ourselves back on the list, and take care of us, making us better moms and wives.

She discusses unpregnancy, and how to use what you have learned as a mom in other areas of your life.

And she tells us napping is not a crime...

Thanks, Julia! I needed to hear that!

This book is a keeper. One I will read time and time again, and apply her practical tips to my daily life.

And now, I am off to take a nap! Zzzzzzzz.....

Blessings-
Trish Berg
Book Reviewer, Author, Mother of 4, Sanity Seeker
www.TrishBerg.com

Rattled: Surviving Your Baby's First Year Without Losing Your Cool

The Great American Supper Swap - Solving the Busy Woman's Family Dinnertime Dilemma ... Read more

Product Description
A new biography of the top female box office star in the world. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Julia Roberts Pretty Superstar
Hard to put down.Very informative about Julia Roberts life and movie career.If there is anything you want to know about her, this is the book for you.It is also current and up to date on this superstar.

This book is really enjoyable for fans
Fans of the Pretty Woman will find this modern day fairy tale very inspiring: the small town girl has become Hollywood's most durable superstar, the one and only superstar of the nineties...This book providesgreat info and behind the scenes looks at Julia Roberts...It's like a hugearticle that covers everything from Julia's birth to the making of ErinBrockovich. ... Read more

Product Description
This entertaining little book contains scores of thoughts, opinions, witticisms, and insights on two of the necessities--and greatest pleasures--of life. Included are humorous comments by Samuel Johnson ("A cucumber should be well-sliced, dressed with pepper and vinegar, and then thrown out.") and Henny Youngman ("My grandmother is over eighty and still doesn't need glasses. Drinks right out of the bottle."); incisive remarks by George Bernard Shaw ("Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life.") and Mark Twain ("Eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside."); along with hilarious and frequently thoughtful advice from Robert Morley, G. K. Chesterton, W. C. Fields, Julia Child, Andy Rooney, Marilyn Monroe, Elsa Schiaparelli, and a host of other writers, humorists, and celebrities. Arranged according to subject (alcohol, cheese, cooking, fruits and vegetables, diet, hunger, etc.), this delightful collection will be welcomed by public speakers, speech writers, and general readers. Dover Original.
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Customer Reviews (1)

A fun bargain read.
I paid a buck for this slim little book and loved it.If you find yourself at a loss for words when you are raising your glass in a toast to good friends, this book will give you some inspiration.
Here's a nibble:"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading."--Henny Youngman.
And, "When I was a child my family's menu consisted of two choices,take it or leave it."--Buddy Hackett. ... Read more

Product Description

“This book’s broad overview can help an organization choose a set of processes, policies, and techniques that are appropriate for its security maturity, risk tolerance, and development style. This book will help you understand how to incorporate practical security techniques into all phases of the development lifecycle.”

Customer Reviews (1)

A disjointed rehash of earlier material
The Addison-Wesley Software Security Series is generally a great collection, with titles like Software Security: Building Security In (my rating: 5 stars), Rootkits: Subverting the Windows Kernel (my rating: 4 stars), and Exploiting Software: How to Break Code (my rating: 4 stars).I particularly liked the first of those three (SS:BSI), which I reviewed last year.I felt Gary McGraw wrote "a powerful book with deep truths for secure development."Software Security Engineering (SSE), by a collection of authors, pales in comparison to SS:BSI.You can skip SSE and stick with SS:BSI.

I started reading SSE very closely, underlining key concepts and looking for important ideas.About halfway through the book I realized it was mainly a collection of ideas from other sources.Very rarely do I read books that successfully present a dozen approaches to the same problem.What usually happens (as is the case with SSE) is the reader is left reading overlapping material and fragmented points of view.Frequently I found myself wondering "so what am I supposed to do with this?Where do I start?What approach matters?"

It is especially problematic when a book contains articles essentially republished from magazines.Each article author needs to frame the problem to make sense for the short period during which he has the attention of the reader.That works for a stand-alone article, but it doesn't work when all of these previously stand-alone articles are collected in one book.I can accept a book published as a series of independent works, with an editor overseeing the affair.I can't accept a book published as a single work, with magazine articles inserted at various intervals.It's incoherent and confusing.

Still, I found a few ideas interesting.Page 79 (a reprint of a 2004 IEEE article) says "Security is an emergent property of a system, not a feature. This is similar to how 'being dry' is an emergent property of being inside a tent in the rain. The tent keeps people dry only if the poles are stabilized, vertical, able to support the weight of wet fabric, and so on. Likewise, the tent must have waterproof fabric that has no holes and is large enough to protect all the people who want to stay dry. Lastly, all the people who want to be dry must remain under the tent the entire time it is raining. Whereas it is important to have poles and fabric, it is not enough to say, 'The tent has poles and fabric, thus it keeps you dry!'"

Page 73 (a reprint of a 2006 Build Security In article) says "When security requirements are considered at all during the system life cycle, they tend to be general lists of security features such as password protection, firewalls, virus detection tools, and the like. These are, in fact, not security requirements at all but rather implementation mechanisms that are intended to satisfy unstated requirements, such as authenticated access."

Page 59 (another reprint of a 2006 BSI article) says "Software can be designed and developed to be extremely secure, but if it is deployed and operated in an insecure fashion many vulnerabilities can be introduced. For example, a piece of software could provide strong encryption and proper authentication before allowing access to encrypted data, but if an attacker can obtain valid authentication credentials he/she can subvert the software's security. Nothing is 100 percent secure, and the environment must be secured and monitored to thwart attacks."

Pages 39-40 say "In software systems that include acquired or reused (commercial, government off-the-shelf, open-source, shareware, freeware, or legacy) binary components, application defense techniques and tools may be the only cost-effective countermeasures to mitigate vulnerabilities in those components."

Page 35 says "Maliciousness... makes the requirements of software security somewhat different from the requirements of safety and reliability.Failures in a reliability or safety context are expected to be random and unpredictable.Failures in a security context, by contrast, result from human effort (direct, or through malicious code)."

If you want to read a good overall book on software security, read McGraw's SS:BSI. ... Read more

Product Description

The keeping of journals and diaries became an almost everyday pastime for many Americans in the nineteenth century. Adeline and Julia Graham, two young women from Berrien Springs, Michigan, were both drawn to this activity, writing about the daily events in their lives, as well as their "grand adventures." These are fascinating, deeply personal accounts that provide an insight into the thoughts and motivation of two sisters who lived more than a century ago.Adeline began keeping a diary when she was sixteen, from mid-1880 through mid-1884; through it we see a young woman coming of age in this small community in western Michigan. Paired with Adeline's account is her sister Julia's diary, which begins in 1885 when she sets out with three other young women to homestead in Greeley County, Kansas, just east of the Colorado border. It is a vivid and colorful narrative of a young woman's journey into America's western landscape. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

History worth reading
History is best told in the words of people who lived it - people like Adeline and Julia Graham.
Edited by Janet B. Coryell and Robert C. Myers, the Graham sisters' diaries, Adeline & Julia, span a six-year period in the late 1880s and provide a fascinating window into their Victorian-era lives. Adeline speaks more directly in her adolescent revelations, while Julia's diary recounts a hard-spent year spent homesteading the prairie in Kansas.
Both young women share an independent streak. Addie didn't hold with the typical expectations for the women of her time. She loved skating and horseback riding, and was crushed when a saddle her father bought her came without a "leaping horn," needed to jump fences.
Julia, for reasons never fully explained in her diaries, broke even more with feminine tradition and left Michigan at age 23 with her cousin, Belle, to homestead land in Kansas. They lived in what would become the town of Tribune in Greeley County with three other young women in their "Palace Hotel," a dug out shelter from which they offered travelers a meal and a place to sleep.
Addie is the consummate storyteller, while Julia's entries are more to the point. What emerges most from Adeline & Julia is what they have in common: a sense of determination and independence, a freedom to speak their minds, a willingness to stand up for what they believe.
That's history worth reading.

local history to me
I just want to commend Ms. Coryell and Mr. Myers for this excellent piece of local history. I live in Berrien Springs and enjoyed reading of "Adam's" adventures. I've not made it to the Julia part of the book yet (hesitant because her entries seem a lot less literary) but it's so cool to read about someone who grew up here like I did, only a hundred years earlier. This book has also made me more aware of my own journal, which I hope will someday be made into a book as well.

Note from the editor
I ran this manuscript by my two nieces in Kentucky before we finished to be sure they could understand the definitions of 19th-century terms, and so they could tell me what still needed explanation.We wanted to publish a work in women's history that young girls today could enjoy--and they liked it pretty well (at the ages of 12 and 15). I hope that parents and young girls pick this up to find that the issues that young girls face haven't changed much in some ways--Adeline worries about school, boys, and what to be when she grows up!Lots of information about games kids played, books they read and fun that they had in olden times.Julia's diary covers the five months or so she spent proving up her claim to a section of land in Greeley County, Kansas, along with four others (All known in the town lore as the "Greeley Girls").They had a blast! surviving one of the worst blizzards in Kansas history (sweeping snow from the INSIDE of the house), rescuing travelers and serenading them with songs. Enjoy!

Note from the editor
I ran this manuscript by my two nieces in Kentucky before we finished to be sure they could understand the definitions of 19th-century terms, and so they could tell me what still needed explanation.We wanted to publish a work in women's history that young girls today could enjoy--and they liked it pretty well (at the ages of 12 and 15). I hope that parents and young girls pick this up to find that the issues that young girls face haven't changed much in some ways--Adeline worries about school, boys, and what to be when she grows up!Lots of information about games kids played, books they read and fun that they had in olden times.Julia's diary covers the five months or so she spent proving up her claim to a section of land in Greeley County, Kansas, along with four others (All known in the town lore as the "Greeley Girls").They had a blast! surviving one of the worst blizzards in Kansas history (sweeping snow from the INSIDE of the house), rescuing travelers and serenading them with songs. Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
Profiles the popular, Academy Award-winning actress who has been called "the most powerful celebrity on the planet" and "America's best movie star." ... Read more

Product Description
Julia Roberts is a superstar with a world-famous smile. What is the story behind the smile? How does a girl from a quiet town find the big lights of Hollywood? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Could have been better
This book was very informative on the movies Julia Roberts has starred in, but didn't penetrate into her life.It lightly brushed her personality and I didn't come away from reading it feeling like I knew her any better than I already do.As a biography, I feel it did a poor job.It merely scraped the surface of her life. ... Read more