The biography of The Quander Quality: The True Story of a Black Trailblazing Diabetic is co-aut
hored by the father and son team of James W. Quander and Rohulamin Quander. The significant story engages the reader in late life of James W. Quander (1918-2004) who was diagnosed with Juvenile diabetes shortly before his sixth birthday. He was also told by his physicians that he would live past ten.
His story is an inspiring tale of a human being put to the test on many levels. Medically, emotionally, physically, politically, and spiritually Quander met all challenges. With each new restriction or limitation he became more resourceful and more confident.At his time, insulin was new as were other forms of treatments for diabetes. Upon his parents’ advice, he kept his illness under wraps and called it the “big secret” for the next six decades. He lived a life of strict discipline, medical regiment, exercise, and mental determination. Even when he faced severe adversity such as racial discrimination, he persevered. The biography depicts Quander’s journey through life both personally and professionally.
He earned his doctorate degree in Economics and Statistics, worked for the Federal Government, and spent the lateral part of his life as a Catholic Deacon. Quander always needed to keep active.
James waited his 86th year to write his story with good reason. Some stories require time to flourish. Or seasons that need to pass before they can be remembered to their fullest. James W. Quander’s story is such a life.
I look forward to Rohulamin Quander’s next work documenting his distinguished family history from 1684.
In her first novel, Hot Water, Kathryn Jordan depicts a woman who wants to
escape her abusive marriage for a weekend and retreats to a luxury spa. So, she hires a gorgeous man through the Internet as her escort, buys sexy lingerie, and leases a red Lamborghini Murcielago to complete her fantasy. While at the resort, she goes by the name Julia Reeves and names her escort William.
The Hidden Springs Spa is a place of privacy and intimacy for its guests. For Julia and William, Hidden Springs opens and heals old wounds. Their intended encounter was supposed to be only sexual. However, their sexual, emotional and intellectual interaction leaves them questioning the possibilities of the future.Kathryn Jordan is a talented writer. One of her strongest points is her descriptive ability. Readers are transformed into the moment. Throughout Hot Water, Jordan gives amazing descriptive images of Hidden Springs. Readers are easily taken on a beautiful journey into a world of waves, sand, water, trees, and plush living. While the backdrop is glorious, the characters needed a little more highlighting. Jordan’s sporadic philosophic conversations between Julia and William begin to highlight their mental strengths. I was hoping for more conversational characterization development. Overall, her novel is provocative, intriguing, and a worthwhile read. I hope to see more novels by Kathryn Jordan in the future.
John Thompson pens his intriguing work entitled Trainride Elsewhere: The Fourth Collection of Misterpoet. Enticing his audience, he pleases the emotional and visceral senses which often evoke pain and pleasure. His poetry is sharp, precise, and, one may say, economically written. The words are carefully chosen to create distinct portraits and images for that one moment in time.
Naturalistic themes, not unfamiliar in Thompson’s work vividly appear throughout in stanzas and haikus. He playfully jots down ideas and thoughts of his surroundings; trees, leaves, willows, and metaphorically he relates them to human beings. Thompson sees the beauty in nature in both man and nature and the Oneness in the world and brings that into his poetry.
His haikus, in particular, are powerful: “razor, dances, / across skin: a red river--/waterfall thin.” Thompson explores human relationships, life encounters, and even tackles tragedies as 9/11 through beautiful poetry.
Sparking a somewhat new tone is that of unhurried attention to sensuality and motion. The words caress his images leaving his readers remembering his poems long after they have left the page.
A majority of the collection are written in haikus. The rest in poetic form vary a bit context. However, they do not stray from Thompson’s original playfulness with words. His keen desire and observational ability to recognize the connectivity in the world shines through in his poems.
Diet for a Dead Planet
Christopher D. Cook
The New Press
ISBN: 978-1-59558-084-9 $13.10
Christopher D. Cook’s latest book Diet for a Dead Planet offers the American public with a wake up call view of the food industry today. As an investigative journalist, he gives a complete overview of the socioeconomic and political ills facing food production. He begins the supermarkets and ends with the global agricultural market.
Cook inspects the multifaceted complexities which have arisen due to cheap labor, often exploited and without healthcare. He also depicts the plight of migrant workers, processed food, and pesticides manipulatively spread over crops with the able assistance of government subsidies. The findings are thorough, compelling, and difficult to ingest at times. However, they are warranted as he introduces authorities to backup his claims.
The statistics Cook presents are real, yet harsh. Yearly, 75 million Americans are sickened by the food they eat, while an estimated 67 million birds are killed by the millions of pounds of toxic agricultural pesticides sprayed on crops. Meanwhile, farmers that remain take home only about 19 cents per food dollar spent by the average consumer (this is in comparison to 37 cents in 1980 and 47 cents in 1952) according to Cook.
Cook closely examines every branch of the food industry. In doing so, he reaches a necessary reason for change. The socioeconomic, environmental, and political injustices currently practiced weigh heavily on ’s well being. Within each chapter, he goes into great detail explaining, expanding, and scoping the historical difficulties and how they adversely impact today’s food industry. Beyond that conclusion, Cook explains that unless a new solution, specifically changing how food is “made”, Americans will continue to spiral downward.
Cook clearly maps out the issues beleaguering and tormenting many workers in the food industry from farmers, supermarket employees to higher up executives. All problems such as exploited migrant workers, sickened Americans, corporate control, and government subsidies carry negative consequences for the future if nothing is done soon. In Cook’s last chapter, he outlines a solution which focuses on changing the role of the food industry in the future. This book is powerful in its own right. However, more pages need to be devoted to envisioning that solution than one final chapter. I hope to see more works from Christopher Cook. I recommend this book as a read for anyone who eats. This is also a book for anyone who wants to learn the truth about a topic in urgent need of active change and tired of complacency.
While driving she hits a stranger. Someone who appears to be from another century; the sixteenth century to be exact. Sir Dougray Fitzpatrick, Lord of Dunhaven’s history not much brighter than Aislinn’s, encounters each other with much suspicion. However, they are destined to meet. Sir Fitzpatrick, a widow, was told by a psychic he would meet a traveler who would help him set the future right.
Through their fights, turbulent battles, sometimes, humorous trickeries, and always wild adventures, Dougray discovers Aislinn to be a woman of great strength, heart, and love. Aislinn finds Dougray as a man of courage, bravery, and honor. Their beautifully told story keeps readers in constant suspense.
Nutt is an excellent storyteller with a knack for pace, rhythm and description. She conveys the story without giving away too much too soon with artistic grace. Lost in the Mist of Time is precisely where the readers will find themselves as soon as they turn the first page. It is truly a thrilling read.
reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
Virtual Assistant: The Series is a complete reference guide and more for new and experience Virtual Assistants. Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker have successfully touched upon all aspects being a Virtual Assistant.
They begin by defining a Virtual Assistant’s role, examine the skills and training required, where an individual may acquire such skills (and give links), what services a VA may provide, and how they may complement a VA practice.
Next, Ennen and Poelkner discuss the types of business entities in depth, offering advantages and disadvantages between sole proprietorship, partnerships, and corporations. They also give pearls of wisdom regarding naming a business and obtaining business license.
Ever essential is the business plan which they discuss in great detail and confer great strategies as to how to weave through financial and marketing obstacles. In Virtual Assistant: The Series, Ennen and Poelker also explore the diverse specialty services which a VA may offer, how to determine rates, and establish a web presence on the Internet.
Lastly, they present the readers with a glimpse of a day in the life of a VA. For each section, there are testimonials from other VAs, giving their opinions on the topic at hand. They also provide many resources for the readers to further research questions they may have regarding training, opening a small business, daily operations, or finding a support group among peers and colleagues (many listed in the appendix).
The book is extremely well written, organized, and easy to follow. It offers an abundance of useful information and wealth of advice in a meaningful way.
reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
At Miss Oliver’s School for Girls everything stayed the same. That is until the Board fired Marjorie Boyd their beloved headmistress. Unfortunately, she was ill-equipped as a financial manager to run Miss Oliver’s. So, the Board decided to bring in someone else. The next headmaster, Mr. Kindler, tackles the inadequately managed budget and faces the turbulent environment of Miss Oliver’s. Stephen Davenport writes Saving Miss Oliver’s: A Novel of Leadership, Loyalty, and Change in the spirit of intended for anyone who has experienced adolescence, high school, and education.
When Mr. Kindler arrives at Miss Oliver’s, only three options remain for the school. Recruit more girls, Enroll boys, or close Miss Oliver’s for good. Davenport writes from the perspectives of students, teachers, trustees, administrative staff, and parents. Throughout the book, twists and turns, some victories and disappointments occur.
The sense that an educational institution is immune from all outside problems is immediately lifted. As in any environment, Davenport also illustrates the inter-politicking between faculty and administration. Carefully crafted characters, each with their own set of dilemmas move the reader. A private school or not, high school is a difficult time for teenagers.
But, most probably most important about Miss Oliver’s is the reader identifies with the characters quite quickly the urgency of the situation. Davenport’s talent is in his ability to create an emotional bond between the reader and the characters. This book is a genuine read.
reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
In our contemporary age, many perceive American society as male-dominated and view women as traditionally submissive, less likely to succeed, and lacking certain abilities depending on the subject or topic in question. At least that is what conventional wisdom dictates for the adolescent girls growing up in America. In his latest book, Alpha Girls Dan Kindlon challenges traditional views and amasses new evidence that proves the opposite to be true.
In fact, Kindlon writes passionately about the need to define who “alpha girls” are, what characteristics set them apart from other non-alpha girls, and how they compare to boys. His findings include commissioned studies, interviews, and graphs. He studies self-esteem levels, college degrees earned (BAs, MAs, and PhDs), attitudes about education, careers, and relationships. His evidence is fascinating because today’s girls perceive their lives as filled with opportunities, not the restrictions that once hindered many women a generation before.
Alpha Girls are a newly defined phenomenon that is quickly sweeping the nation. Kindlon speaks well of this growing positive change. He embraces these girls as a beautiful tapestry of mentally, emotionally, and physically determined group that encompasses various abilities to accomplish anything they desire.
As the best-selling author of Raising Cain, Kindlon again comes to his audience with another intriguing study of questioning the gender perceptions of today’s female adolescence. His writing is quick, concise, and stimulating. The young women, now known as alpha girls, are sure to play increasingly key roles in changing the world’s landscape.
reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
Are There Any Good Jobs Left?: Career Management in the Age of the Disposable Worker
R. William Holland
Praeger
ISBN: 0-275-99044-3, $34.95, pp. 161
In our global community, many individuals experience career transition either by choice or more frequently these days by forced layoffs, downsizing, outsourcing, off shoring, and the ever increasing emergence of international economies such as and . What many individuals are beginning to feel for the first time is the impermanence of their employment and livelihood. In Are There Any Good Jobs Left?: Career Management in the Age of the Disposable Worker, Holland purposefully writes his book and explains “why” Americans have reached this point and how each individual can creatively succeed in each given situation.
His book is written two parts. The first is a background beginning with the 1940s and how WWII eventually impacted corporate . He focuses on white-collar positions from receptionists to presidents of huge companies. With the global economy expanding at a rapid pace, many individuals who thought they would have job security for a lifetime, were faced with “pink slips” and faced with having to relocate. He chronicles historical precedents on race and gender. By identifying how their roles continue to change in the workplace, he also alerts readers to pressing issues unsolved in the regarding minorities in the workforce.
The second part is a practical guide to career and job placement. He focuses on resumes, networking, interviews, negotiating, and concludes with a case study. offers suggestions and many resources about career transition. ’s book is a contextually enriching asset for many who find themselves in need of valuable career information.
Reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
Whether sitting in the Burnt Toast Café gossiping about who the newest stranger in town was, getting that last minute tool at the Eternal Hinge Hardware, or learning about the long history of Stumpton at Museum from the ever knowledgeable Betty Phelps Thomas, this town never lacked charm or a unique style of its own. In Encountering Stumpton: An Adirondack Tale, John Vesty writes an only too common story of the struggle between communities and government.
Stumpton is a small town, untouched in the Adirondack Mountains. The characters in Stumpton are lively, resourceful, and overall good natured. There is a strong sense of loyalty and belonging. Their devotion to Stumpton becomes apparent when the state agency wants to overtake the town through eminent domain.
When a state agency lawyer sees Stumpton for beauty it has to offers changes sides and helps the town, things heat up. He begins to use his knowledge against the state agency. Hence, the fight to possess Stumpton escalates.
Through imagery, humor, and precise dialogue, Vesty brings these characters to his audience full force. Stumpton grows on its visitors for all its natural delights and real human appeal. Encountering Stumpton: An Adirondack Tale is refreshing, entertaining, and clever.
reviewed by: Mona Lisa Safai
