Book Reviews on EducationNews.org

A new book by the former CEO of H&R Block shares what he learned when he dropped out of corporate life to do something tougher and more fulfilling. Stand for the Best reveals some hard truths about America, illuminates the joys of pursuing one's passion, and challenges the rest of us to give back to our troubled nation.

by Rafael Turner (Author)

He can rewire a Wii and restore a hard drive, but your kid has no idea how to heat up dinner or unclog a toilet. The good news: Two Canadian mothers have compiled a 500-page instruction manual for your clueless young adult. The bad news: As Tralee Pearce finds out, it may already be too late

By Andrew Ferguson
Bookshelf: At Harvard Business School: high self-esteem, regression analysis, New Age bonding games and a "booze luge."

BY JEROME R. CORSI, PH.D.

 In this thoroughly researched and documented book, THE OBAMA NATION: LEFTIST POLITICS AND THE CULT OF PERSONALITY (Threshold Editions; August 1st, 2008; $28.00), the #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry, Jerome R. Corsi, Ph.D., explains why the extreme leftism of an Obama presidency would leave the United States weakened, diminished, and divided, and why Obama must be defeated—and how he can be…

A teacher who is psyched about engaging struggling students learns that bureaucracy is more important than pedagogy.

Inside the Secret Garden attempts to provide a general account of state education. Like Chris Woodhead’s Class War, and Melanie Phillips’ All Must Have Prizes, its central and perhaps familiar idea is that schools are failing because their political guardians have subscribed to a romantic worldview that runs counter to the essentially conservative nature of education.

Surprise No. 1: America's public schools are actually improving, average scores inching upward despite increased numbers of immigrant and often poorly prepared children.

by Sueanne E. McKinney
Dr. Martin Haberman, now recognized as one of the leading scholars in urban teacher education, has once again captured the true essence of the "savage inequalities" that seem to overwhelm many of America's urban, high-poverty schools. Star Teachers: The Ideology and Best Practice of Effective Teachers of Diverse Children and Youth in Poverty, follows his nationally acclaimed book, Star Teachers of Children in Poverty (1995), and represents over four decades of research in the field.

A straight A-grade student who was told he couldn't become a doctor because of his spent criminal conviction has been offered an interview at a top medical school

Vallejo, CA – It has been a high profile year for autism. A severely autistic Minnesota boy was banned from church. An autistic kindergartner in Florida was voted out of class. A mother and her autistic son were thrown off an American Airlines flight at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. And another mother and autistic toddler were kicked off an airplane in Huston reportedly because the boy was repeating ‘bye, bye plane’ during the safety speech.

Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
 
You are currently championing a book entitled “Getting America Right.” What prompted you to get involved with this book and this cause? There were several things. Number one, I think it was important from the standpoint of continuing what Ronald Reagan began in the 1980’s in terms of getting America on the right track. Today, we have a situation where the federal government is getting bigger, taking on more things; at the same time the government is not very successful in the things that is should be doing, such as controlling our borders. Therefore it seems to me that this was a good time to address these issues.

RETIRED MARINE AND AWARD WINNING TEACHER INSPIRES OTHERS TO “WAKE UP” TO AMERICA’S PROBLEMS
PART AUTOBIOGRPAHY, PART EDUCATION AND OFTEN SHOCKING BOOK
As the bumper sticker says, “If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you read this in English, thank a Marine.” William C. Howey has had the honor and privilege to be both. In Howey’s new book, Hard Knocks and Straight Talk (Keller Publishing, April 2008), he details a life not for the feint of heart, from the front lines of combat in Vietnam to 15 years as a high school teacher.

Group claiming to create reading opportunities for kids may have turned down book because it doesn’t support affirmative action.
Los Angeles, CA - A new bilingual kids book is apparently "unfit" for the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) because it shows kids that affirmative action actually hinders their success. But the author of Joey Gonzalez, Great American (WND Books, ISBN 978-0-976726-93-7, March 2008) believes he understands why Bookends, a non-profit organization that provides used childrens’ books to LAUSD inner-city school libraries, has rejected his donation.

Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
Dr. Storey, you recently released the second edition of your book " The Road Ahead: Transition to Adult Life". What led you to write the first edition? My co-editors and I were looking for a text that was written more for practitioners (teachers and other support providers) rather than for other academics. We wanted a practical text where people could take the information and put it directly to use.