As a classroom teacher I read with interest that Hayes notes the fulfilment of that need is complicated by learning standards established at the state level that are written as if all children are confident in standard English usage. Hayes states what teachers have known for years; every standardized test, whether a state or national instrument is principally a reading test. If the test taker is not a skilled reader, with a broad vocabulary filled with standard English words, then the test taker is going to face problems with the language used in the test; including words like determine, summarize, select and more.
Category: Non fiction reviews
A review of The Twelfth Raven by Doris Brett
One ordinary evening when Doris Brett and her husband Martin went out dancing, the normally super-sharp Martin became confused. After struggling to put sentences together, an ambulance was called, and, in Doris’ own words, “so it begins.” Martin ends up having a massive stroke, suffering extensive damage to the left frontal lobe, which leaves him unable to talk, walk (never mind dance) and eat on his own.
A review of Neanderthal Man: In Search of Lost Genomes by Svante Pääbo
Svante Pääbo does a good job explaining difficult concepts to the average reader. I could not grasp in detail how he did his work, but he explained it well enough that I understood it and felt comfortable with it. His book is not only a scientific treatise on his work in developing the genome of Neanderthal Man, it is also an interesting autobiographical account of his experiences in his career in anthropology and with the many scientists he worked with.
Dogs & Devotion by The Monks of New Skete
Some of the beliefs held by the community are shared in this small work with the readings provided in the form of meditations the Monks hope will lead the reader to a more abundant life.
A review of The Man Who Couldn’t Stop—OCD, and the true story of a life lost in thought by David Adam
In The Man Who Couldn’t Stop, David Adam provides a compelling history of mental dysfunction, its various treatments and cites numerous cases of the miraculous and downright bizarre. But far more than being a book filled with facts and figures, this is a story about Adam’s own battle with OCD, which began early in his childhood. No one understands the effect OCD has on a life quite like a sufferer, and it’s this unique insight that sets this book apart from others of its ilk.
A review of And there was Light by Jacques Lusseyran
Some books should not be read with other books. Or the other book will not compare favorably. Some books remind the reader of why books are read in the first place – because they open the eyes and heart to new worlds that the reader had never dreamed of. Some books remove the cap from our head, and open the top of our skulls. And There was Light is such a book — at least in the first section. But for some, it might be the second section. It depends.
A review of The Upright Ape: A New Origin of the Species by Dr. Aaron G. Filler
Dr. Filler proposes a fascinating new hypothesis about the evolutionary development of apes and humans. He is well qualified on this subject. He has degrees in anthropology and in medicine and is both a respected anthropologist and a world famous neurosurgeon specializing in spinal disorders. An anthropologist friend asked his opinion about a twenty-two million year old fossil that eventually became the inspiration for The Upright Ape. Filler easily recognized the fossil as the mid lumbar vertebrae from an ape-like animal that stood upright, and the fossil dates from a time fifteen million years earlier than any paleontologist would claim an upright posture for a hominoid.
A review of It Starts With The Egg by Rebecca Fett
In my view, this is a must read for those who want to get pregnant naturally and are having some difficulties, for those undertaking IVF, and for those who have experienced multiple miscarriages. I could not put this book down, riveted as I was to the simple explanations of complex science. I now find myself informed and empowered regarding the reasons and possible solutions for my infertility. It all makes much more sense now, knowing that whilst nutrition is important, infertility is so much more than diet.
A review of Wolves at Our Door by Jim and Jammie Dutcher
Wolves are usually viewed as very dangerous animals, yet dogs domesticated from wolves are known as man’s best friend. Jim and Jamie Dutcher’s Wolves at Our Door gives an insight into what wolves are really like. Inspired by the Endangered Species Act of 1967, the Dutchers, in 1990, decided to set up the “Sawtooth Wolf Pack” on the edge of Idaho’s’ Sawtooth Wilderness. Jim wanted to film a documentary about wild wolves similar to his three earlier documentaries: Water, Birth, the Planet Earth, and A Rocky Mountain Beaver Pond, and Cougar, Ghost of the Rockies.
A review of Juicing, Fasting, and Detoxing for life by Cherie Calbom
Interestingly, considering its title, this book contains more information than juicing information, although juicing is its primary focus. The title and the table of contents do not convey the wealth of information about general detoxing. If one reads enough health books, one discovers that healthbooks and diet books often tread the same paths. Thus, this book has chapters dealing with such issues as parasites, GMO-foods, massages, toxic emotions, vitamins, and heavy metals. But this book seems like the best of all health books.