Nineteen Minutes: A Novel

Nineteen Minutes: A Novel
Average customer rating:

A must read for mature teens and adults!

too real, is it really fiction

Absolutely amazing, stereotypes or not

WWWWOOOOWWWW!!!

Never would have been the judge

Nineteen Minutes: A Novel
Jodi Picoult
Manufacturer: Atria
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743496728
Release Date: 2007-03-05

Amazon.com

Best known for tackling controversial issues through richly told fictional accounts, Jodi Picoult's 14th novel, Nineteen Minutes, deals with the truth and consequences of a smalltown high-school shooting. Set in Sterling, New Hampshire, Picoult offers reads a glimpse of what would cause a 17-year-old to wake up one day, load his backpack with four guns, and kill nine students and one teacher in the span of nineteen minutes. As with any Picoult novel, the answers are never black and white, and it is her exceptional ability to blur the lines between right and wrong that make this author such a captivating storyteller.

On Peter Houghton's first day of kindergarten, he watched helplessly as an older boy ripped his lunch box out of his hands and threw it out the window. From that day on, his life was a series of humiliations, from having his pants pulled down in the cafeteria, to being called a freak at every turn. But can endless bullying justify murder? As Picoult attempts to answer this question, she shows us all sides of the equation, from the ruthless jock who loses his ability to speak after being shot in the head, to the mother who both blames and pities herself for producing what most would call a monster. Surrounding Peter's story is that of Josie Cornier, a former friend whose acceptance into the popular crowd hangs on a string that makes it impossible for her to reconcile her beliefs with her actions.

At times, Nineteen Minutes can seem tediously stereotypical-- jocks versus nerds, parent versus child, teacher versus student. Part of Picoult's gift is showing us the subtleties of these common dynamics, and the startling effects they often have on the moral landscape. As Peter's mother says at the end of this spellbinding novel, "Everyone would remember Peter for nineteen minutes of his life, but what about the other nine million?" --Gisele Toueg

Book Description

In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can bake scones or get a tooth filled by a dentist; you can fold laundry for a family of five....In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world, or you can just jump off it.

In nineteen minutes, you can get revenge.

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until the day its complacency is shattered by a shocking act of violence. In the aftermath, the town's residents must not only seek justice in order to begin healing but also come to terms with the role they played in the tragedy. For them, the lines between truth and fiction, right and wrong, insider and outsider have been obscured forever. Josie Cormier, the teenage daughter of the judge sitting on the case, could be the state's best witness, but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. And as the trial progresses, fault lines between the high school and the adult community begin to show, destroying the closest of friendships and families.

Nineteen Minutes is New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult's most raw, honest, and important novel yet. Told with the straightforward style for which she has become known, it asks simple questions that have no easy

answers: Can your own child become a mystery to you? What does it mean to be different in our society? Is it ever okay for a victim to strike back? And who -- if anyone -- has the right to judge someone else?

Customer Reviews:

A must read for mature teens and adults!.......2007-10-07

This isn't normally the type of book I would read but I'm glad I picked it up. It wasn't always easy to get through. Ms. Picoult is a good writer but the subject matter was difficult. It definitely helped the reader empathize with someone that had been bullied throughout school. Not that there is ever any justification for what the main character did in the book (as in real life) but I do believe that parents, for the most part, are in the dark as to how their children behave at school. Sometimes I'm not sure they care-as long as their kid is popular and not the victim. I almost felt like purchasing the book for every school teacher in our town! Most teachers have lost touch with their empathy muscle towards their students. When my son was being bullied and didn't want to leave class with the other students, the teacher told him to 'not be a wimp'. We've spent the last week looking for alternative schools from the public school system. The school system is so concerned about how they 'rate' educationally they seem unconcerned about how the kids are doing emotionally.
I can see this book being made into a movie. If it is, I hope it's done well, in a way that will affect positive change. It has the potential to do so.

too real, is it really fiction.......2007-10-07

I read this book a few months ago after the VA Tech. shooting it was just coincedental it came out too close to the time. But, also my son is a senior in his HS. This book was very hard for me to read because of the topic.
It was eary it also because the child was so close to my son's age. The author was talking about 9/11 and the child was the same age and put into prospective.
The story about a boy who has been bullied every since he was kindergarten. The boy was good friend to his parents friend until he showed a weapon. The parent freaked and did not want him hanging with her daughter. He stayed friends in secret until high school. She became popular and wanted to be in the in-crowd, he felt rejected. He then went to the school and shot everyone in sight. The story goes back and forth in time to explain all person's involved why this happended.
This is a very good book. But very hard if you have a HS student.
Do teachers sit back and do nothing. Or do we the parents have to insist something has to be done. Why is it some kids just hope it will stop and others just snap. The book had a lot to say just like her other book sister's keeper. This book should be read by everyone that is associated with schools. The parents, teachers, students, etc.
Great book club read.

Absolutely amazing, stereotypes or not.......2007-10-05

I don't have much to say that hasn't been said in all of the other glowing reviews of this book. Mostly what I have to say is a comment on the criticism I've frequently seen about this book, that the characters are too stereotyped.
The fact of the matter is, the sympathetic characters in this book - the ones you feel for throughout the story, and cry for at the end - are NOT the stereotypes here. Peter is someone you can understand and relate to - you get his family dynamics, why his parents became so lost in raising him despite their best intentions, and how Peter's only mistake in growing up was always being *just a little bit* different. He's not your stereotypical 'nerd' with tape on his glasses, getting straight A's, and a member of the chess club. He tries to fit in at times, even participating in making fun of other uncool kids - yet at times shows wisdom beyond his years in recognizing that maybe that's not worth the price he has to pay in feeling even worse about himself.
Rather --the stereotypes in this book are the popular kids - the jocks, the pretty girls, etc. And the fact of the matter is, these stereotypes are VERY MUCH alive and real in high schools. The kids at schools that bully others do very little to humanize themselves to their victims, so Jodie Picoult quite brilliantly does very little to humanize them either, effectively making them much, much more accountable for their actions, and making us see them the way their victims do. These are kids that, plain and simply, are old enough to know better. These are kids who have parents who will turn a blind eye to the fact that their children are being cruel, and say 'kids will be kids,' while their kids' victims suffer silently and the administration turns a blind eye. Yet when something tragic finally happens - the bullies' victim finally fights back, no matter how misguided their attempt at revenge - the parents blame everyone but themselves and their own children. Jodie Picoult hearbreakingly shows that too many high schools' policies on bullying have not evolved along with the insanity that guns, MySpace, & IMing have made kids capable of. Bullying is no longer about knocking the nerd's glasses off in the hall because he raised his hand one too many times in class today, or stealing his lunch money every once in awhile - No, the stakes are now much, much higher.
I recently heard Jodie Picoult speak and was extremely impressed by her commitment to actually going out and addressing this problem - she has visited many high schools where students had read the book to discuss it with them and discuss ways to address bullying. I really and truly believe that this book should be required reading in every highschool - the country would be a much, much better place. Yet quite tellingly - Ms. Picoult said that her book has actually been banned in at least one high school. When will we learn?
Out of the 6 books of hers I have read, this is by far my favorite and, if it's not already clear, has left a very lasting impression on me.

WWWWOOOOWWWW!!!.......2007-10-05

What a great book! I could not put it down! I read it in a week. I love Jodi Picoult books. She writes awesome.

Never would have been the judge.......2007-10-04

I found Picoult's novel engaging, disturbing, and riveting on many levels. This book should make every parent of a teenage - whether a popular kid or an outsider - look very hard at their child's life. It is that good and that realistic.

It is excellent in all but one respect. There is no way that Judge Cormier would have heard this case. None whatsoever. In the real world, she never would have been assigned the case in the first place. As a lawyer, I have seen the inside of many courtrooms and judges are recused for far less than this. This one incredibly important detail very nearly negates all the good in this story.

Nonetheless, the message in this novel is important. Watch your children. Talk to you children. They are not necessarily the people you think they are. They are not necessarily the people THEY think they are.

Organizational Behavior & SAL CDROM Pkg (12th Edition)

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Organizational Behavior
A classic reference for OB

Organizational Behavior & SAL CDROM Pkg (12th Edition)
Stephen P. Robbins , and Tim A. Judge
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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ASIN: 0131890956

Book Description

With its conversational writing style, cutting-edge content, current examples, the three-level integrative model, dialogues, and technological learning tools, Organizational Behavior remains the global book, used by more readers interested in the topic than any other since 1979. The 12th edition retains all of the best features of the previous editions, yet adds much more: contemporary issues and research have been included into a seamless, whole, and comprehensive tome. Many topics are comprehensively covered, but on the whole, this book is written in a conversational, easy to read style. Topics include: management functions; the social sciences; helping employees balance work and other responsibilities; improving people skills; improving customer service; motivational concepts; communication; power and politics; conflict and negotiation; culture; and stress management. Globally accepted and written by one of the most foremost authors in the field, this is a necessary read for all managers, human resource workers, and anyone needing to understand and improve their people skills.

Customer Reviews:

Organizational Behavior.......2007-09-30

This was my first experience ordering a College Textbook on Amazon. I ordered a brand new book and CD and was very pleased to receive my order in time for my class. Most important I was able buy a brand new textbook at a used textbook price. I liked being able to provide my credit card information to an Amazon rep by phone rather than send it over the Internet. I plan to use Amazon again for my future requirements.

A classic reference for OB.......2007-07-01

Recently I took a course about Organizational Behavior & this was the course textbook. It's a reasonable choice for an introductory course. I found it easy to read & informative. However, the accompanying SAL CD-ROM was disappointing - I didn't think it was worth the effort.

Bottom line - I would recommend it.

Average customer rating:

Organizational Behavior (12th Edition)
Stephen P. Robbins , and Tim A. Judge
Manufacturer: Prentice Hall
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0132431564

Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court

Average customer rating:

A terrible disappointment...
In A Class By Itself
Decent book for non-lawyers
Fascinating
Valuable Insights but Lacking on the So-Called "Liberals"

Supreme Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court
Jan Crawford Greenburg
Manufacturer: Penguin Press HC, The
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ASIN: 1594201013
Release Date: 2007-01-23

Amazon.com

With its closed chambers and formal language, the Supreme Court tends to deflect drama away from its vastly powerful proceedings. But its mysteries hold plenty of intrigue for anyone with the access to uncover them. In Supreme Conflict, Jan Crawford Greenburg has that access, and then some. With high-placed sourcing that would make Bob Woodward proud, she tells the story of the Court's recent decades and of the often-thwarted attempts by three conservative presidents to remake the Court in their image. Among the revelations are the surprising influence of the most-maligned justice, Clarence Thomas, and the political impact of personal relations among these nine very human colleagues-for-life. Written for everyday readers rather than legal scholars, her account sidesteps theoretical subtleties for a compelling story of the personalities who breathe life into our laws. --Tom Nissley

Crawford graduated from the University of Chicago Law School, and was a legal affairs reporter for the Chicago Tribune and Supreme Court correspondent for PBS's NewsHour before becoming the legal correspondent for ABC News. We had the chance to ask her a few questions about Supreme Conflict:

Questions for Jan Crawford Greenburg

Jan Crawford Greenburg Amazon.com: How hard was it to get the access to justices and clerks that you had for this book? Does the culture of the Court promote that kind of openness about their deliberations?

Jan Crawford Greenburg: Hard! And let me tell you it took some time--they weren't flinging open the doors of their chambers for the first few years I was covering the Court. It takes awhile to build relationships and trust, and I was fortunate enough to do that during the dozen years I've been covering the Supreme Court. As for openness, I think the culture of the Court instead promotes anonymity and privacy. The justices aren't like the people across the street in Congress, or down Pennsylvania Avenue in the White House. They don't hold press conferences or solicit media coverage of their views. They speak through their opinions. I was fortunate that they also chose to speak with me for this important book about the direction of the Supreme Court and its role in our lives.

Amazon.com: Harry Blackmun's notes must be a treasure chest for Court historians. Could you describe what you found there?

Greenburg: A treasure chest is an understatement. Harry Blackmun took extraordinarily detailed notes--almost breathtaking in their scope and level of detail. (He would even write down what lawyers were wearing when they'd appear in Court to argue a case.) He recorded the justices' comments during their private conferences--when they discuss cases--and he took down their votes. And he kept all the key memos and letters that the justices would send back and forth when they were discussing a case. It was a tremendous window into the Court's inner sanctum, during some of the most pivotal years for the institution.

Amazon.com: One of the biggest revelations of your book is your characterization of Clarence Thomas as far more influential, even in his first year on the Court, than he's usually given credit for. Could you describe what his role on the Court has been?

Greenburg: Clarence Thomas has been the most maligned justice in modern history--and also the most misunderstood and mischaracterized. I found conclusive evidence that far from being Antonin Scalia's intellectual understudy, Thomas has had a substantial role in shaping the direction of the Court--from his very first week on the bench. The early storyline on Thomas was that he was just following Scalia's direction, or as one columnist at the time wrote, "Thomas Walks in Scalia's Shoes." That is patently false, as the documents and notes in the Blackmun papers unquestionably show. If any justice was changing his vote to join the other that first year, it was Scalia joining Thomas, not the other way around. But his clear and forceful views affected the Court in unexpected ways. Although he shored up conservative positions, his opinions also caused moderate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to back away and join the justices on the Left.

Amazon.com: Not every Supreme Court confirmation is a battle, even when the Senate and the President are from different parties. What separates the candidates who sail through from the ones who get put through the wringer?

Greenburg: The recent appointment of Samuel Alito shows a justice with a clearly conservative record can get confirmed--and even pick up some votes from Democrats. Maybe the secret is developing a reputation as a fair and nonpartisan judge on a federal appeals court. At his hearings, liberal and conservative judges who had worked with him on the appeals court testified in his behalf, as did his law clerks--some of whom were self-identified liberals. Alito was the conservative counterpart to Clinton nominee Ruth Bader Ginsburg. She had been an outspoken advocate for liberal causes (including the ACLU), but she'd developed a reputation as a fair and thoughtful judge on the federal appeals court, garnering respect from both sides.

Amazon.com: How much do Americans know about how their federal courts work? What should they know?

Greenburg: Most Americans, understandably, think about trials and drama when the issue of the courts is raised. But the appeals courts--and the Supreme Court--remain mysterious, even though those courts have an enormous impact on American life. The judiciary is one of the three branches of government, but its decisions take on outsized importance at times. It can provide a vital check against abuse of individual rights by government--but it also can usurp the role of the people when it reaches out and takes on issues that more appropriately belong in the purview of the other branches.

Amazon.com: Even though you show how our expectations for where new members will take the Court are so often wrong, I'll ask you anyway: What do you expect in the next few years from the Roberts Court?

Greenburg: To be more conservative than the one led by Chief Justice William Rehnquist. John Roberts himself is a solid judicial conservative who believes the Court has too often taken on issues that belong in the realm of elected legislatures. He is advocating a more restrained approach, with greater consensus among the justices. In addition, Justice Alito replaced key swing-voter Sandra Day O'Connor, the Court's first female justice. O'Connor's vote often carried the day on the closely divided Court--and she typically sided with liberals on social issues like abortion, affirmative action, and religion. Alito is more conservative, and I expect to see the Court turn to the right on those and other issues.

Book Description

Drawing on unprecedented access to the Supreme Court justices and their inner circles, acclaimed ABC News legal correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg offers an explosive, newsbreaking account of one of the most momentous political watersheds in recent American history.

Over the past decade, the central front of America's bitter culture wars has been the titanic battle over the composition and direction of the United States Supreme Court. During that period, no journalist has been closer to the action on the ground-the ideas, the politics, the personalities, the gamesmanship-than ABC News correspondent Jan Crawford Greenburg. Now, in Supreme Conflict, Greenburg draws on all of her formidable reportorial resources to give a brilliant, vivid, astonishingly unvarnished account of the struggle for the soul of the highest court in the land.

Greenburg picks up the plot with the Rehnquist Court, which, despite having seven Republican nominees, proved deeply disappointing to conservatives hoping to reverse decades of progressive rulings on key social issues. She reveals for the first time the real story behind a series of failed Republican nominations that enraged the American conservative movement and left it seething with frustration and resolve not to squander future opportunities. Enter: George W. Bush and the setting of the stage for a full-blown conservative counterrevolution. Supreme Conflict contains entirely fresh perspectives across the entire sweep of its story, from the conservative movement's early fumbles with the nominations of justices Anthony Kennedy and David Souter to its crowning successes with the appointments of justices Roberts and Alito. The book breaks news in its revelations about the effect of Chief Justice Rehnquist's illness on the process; on the truth behind Harriet Miers's disastrous nomination and how it was really scuttled; and on how decades of bruising battles led to the triumph of the conservative agenda with the appointment of two of its leading judicial exponents. Through the entire dramatic story, rich in character and conflict, Greenburg never loses sight of the gargantuan stakes in this struggle, the opposing ideological agendas at play.

The story Jan Crawford Greenburg tells is that of the fulcrum event of our time, the massive coordinated campaign to move the Supreme Court in a very different direction, to a more limited and restrictive role in American government. A masterpiece of old-fashioned gumshoe reportage, rich storytelling, and penetrating analysis, Supreme Conflict will be the definitive account of the most consequential shift in the use of American judicial power in almost one hundred years.

Customer Reviews:

A terrible disappointment..........2007-10-08

I thought, considering the book's title and that this reporter touted her access to nine justices, that this would detail the inner dynamics and interpersonal relationships of the justices and their clerks, like The Brethren. Instead, it was a laborious and too-detailed factual account of process the Executive and Legislative Branches used to select this court.

I see strong bias on the part of the author, who as a reporter, hopes to keep "inside access." She veritably fawns over Alito, in an effort to ingratiate herself with him and his family while, in contrast, she trashes the reclusive Souter, and the presumably uncooperative Kennedy.

Only 20% of this book was worthwhile reading.

In A Class By Itself.......2007-09-30

In all respects -- writing, research, organization, balance -- this is the best book on the Supreme Court. To be sure, there'll be other (and perhaps better) books written on this always fascinating institution. For now, however, it positively towers over its competition. I've read (and enjoyed) them all -- Woodward/Armstrong's, Toobin's, Rosen's -- but Jan Crawford Greenburg's "Supreme Conflict" is, to reiterate my title, in a class by itself.

Highly recommended.

Decent book for non-lawyers.......2007-09-27

Most legal reporting in the mainstream media stinks. Either non-lawyers miss the point of cases, or lawyers fail to translate that point to a level where the average person can understand. "Supreme Conflict" is an exception. This book focuses more on the personalities and dynamics of the justices, and on the nomination and selection process, than on particular cases. The tales of how certain people are selected for the Court, and how they mesh with the other justices once they have arrived, are interesting glimpses into a world rarely seen by outsiders. Some reviewers point out, rightly, that "Supreme Conflict" does not hash out particular cases in detail. But that's not the kind of book this is.

Other reviewers contend "Supreme Conflict" is too sympathetic to the right. That leaves me scratching my head, given the account of how Bush Jr. picked Harriet Miers as a nominee. True to form, Bush Jr. got some kind of gut feeling and couldn't be talked out of it by reason, and you see what that got him. We also see the mechanism of how the great right-wing spin machine is deployed for, or against, particular nominees. None of this is particularly flattering for Republicans.

This is a good companion to "The Brethren," by Bob Woodward, a similarly-good popular level book about the Supreme Court of an earlier era. Most libraries will have this book, and it is worth checking out if you're interested in the Supreme Court but not so interested as to add "Supreme Conflict" to your permanent collection.

Fascinating.......2007-09-06

Do not start reading this book if you have to go to work or to school the next day. I read it in two evenings because it was so interesting.

Greenburg is to be congratulated for getting interviews with so many of the judges and for doing so much research and confirmation. The interest builds, and the final chapters on the Roberts, Miers, and Alito nominations are riveting, even though we know the final outcome. But what we didn't know is all the behind the scenes work.

I think Greenburg was fair to the justices and to those in the White House involved in the nomination process. She tells what they did well and what they did poorly. And some of the mistakes were monumental (Bush believing Sununu when he said that Souter was a conservative, for instance). Just from reading the book, it would be difficult to guess Greenburg's own political leanings.

Many things are surprising in this book. Justice O'Connor did not really know much about constitutional law when nominated. Clarence Thomas influenced Scalia's vote more than vice-versa during the first term. And liberal Democrats, more than anyone else, are responsible for Roberts and especially Alito, two conservative white males, being on the court.

Valuable Insights but Lacking on the So-Called "Liberals".......2007-08-09

I don't know who Greenburg's sources are, but this is a highly readable "behind the scenes" account of the political maneuvers that have influenced the selection of U.S. Supreme Court Justices from Reagan's appointees through the present. Her insights on Kennedy's jurisprudence and on O'Connor's, Roberts's, and Alito's confirmation hearings are particularly illuminating.

Greenburg is on less stable ground when it comes to the so-called "liberals." Only one chapter is devoted to Clinton's appointees, Ginsburg and Breyer, even though their selection can be seen as relative triumphs for the liberal to moderate vote that rejects the kind of judicial activism that radical conservatives like Scalia and Thomas uphold (and which Roberts and Alito tacitly support, unfortunately).

Greenburg also constantly reminds us that George H.W. Bush's appointment of David Souter is seen by many conservatives as one of the "biggest political blunders" by a Republican president in the twentieth century. While that may be true, among conservatives, I would have liked Greenburg to analyze Souter's appointment and subsequent rulings more even-handedly. Souter, in fact, is a traditional New England Republican who doesn't believe in legislating religious and moral issues from the bench. In my estimation, it's not that Souter is or became "liberal" but rather that the Court has become, under Rehnquist and now under Roberts, especially conservative, even radically so.

Still, Greenburg's book is a great survey of recent Supreme Court history and necessary reading for anyone who continues to deny the influence of politics on the shaping of law in this country.

Average customer rating:

A different ending than what I thought..
not bad
Now what I expected...
A Fast-Paced Thriller
Good Read

Judge & Jury
James Patterson , and Andrew Gross
Manufacturer: Little, Brown and Company
ProductGroup: Book
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Release Date: 2006-07-31

Book Description

Senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante is closing in on the notorious mob boss The Electrician, when the scheduled sting goes spectacularly awry. Two FBI agents are dead, the boss is wounded, and Pellisante vows the Electricians next move will be from a jail cell. Andie Echeverra, a part-time actress and a single, full-time mom, is assigned her next role as Juror #11 in the landmark trial against Mafia Don Dominic Cavello. Everybody is on edge. No one has ever crossed the man whose orders have made entire families disappear. Though Cavellos influence extends across blue uniforms and black robes, the case should be open-and-shut. But the legal system fails with devastating results, and Nick and Andie are the only ones left to seek justice. To stop the Electrician, they must take matters into their own hands. They are the judge and jury now. James Patterson spins an all-out heart-pounding legal thriller that pits two people against the most vicious and powerful mobster since John Gotti.

Customer Reviews:

A different ending than what I thought.........2007-09-15

I never could of imagined the the ending to turn out like that.And no im not giving away the ending,But i dont feel the ending had closure to it.It didnt give the reader a sence of closure.I will give this book a 4 star,it wasnt to bad of a book.It was good clear up untill the end.....Book owl

not bad.......2007-08-12

I am new fan of Patterson, this was a great book! I don't like books that are very scary, like one of the Cross books I read, but this is not like that. Very good story and I enjoyed it very much.

Now what I expected..........2007-07-06

I was very disappointed with Judge & Jury. I like James Patterson books but his writing seems to be getting worse with each book. It mainly seems to be the books that have a "Co-Author" that I find are not written well. And I know that James Patterson can write so much better than this.

So I recently visited the website of Andrew Gross (www.andrewgrossbooks.com), James Patterson's "Co-Author" on Judge & Jury to find out a little more about him. I found a couple interesting bits of information that I thought James Patterson fans might like to know before purchasing another one of his books that have been "Co-Authored". Upon meeting James Patterson, Andrew Gross said that James Patterson had several projects he wanted to write and NOT ENOUGH TIME TO DO THEM. And then Andrew Gross goes on to say that James Patterson comes up with the outline for the book and then passes it on to Andrew Gross. It sounds to me like the only part of James Patterson that is in Judge & Jury (as well as his other "Co-Authored" books, I assume) is that he came up with the story and the outline but the book was written entirely by the "Co-Author". This is definately going to make me think twice about buying another James Patterson book that has "Co-Authors" name on the cover with his. Mr. Patterson, this is a very sad way to let your fans down and lose some along the way. I hope that you go back to writing books on your own.

A Fast-Paced Thriller.......2007-07-04

Judge and Jury is a thriller that starts off and never lets off. This is the story of Nick Pellisante, an FBI agent who has been tracking mob boss Dominic Cavello. At Cavello's niece's wedding, Pellisante arrests Cavello, but loses 2 of his agents.

From here on out, we have a Legal thriller that has you on the edge of your seat the entire time. The one complaint I have about this book was that the final section felt rushed. Maybe it was just me, but this really annoyed me. This was my first Patterson novel. I have read 5 of his novels since then.

Good Read.......2007-06-25

Not Pattersons best, but defintiely worth your time. It takes about 100 pages for the story to really get going, but once it does, its a good thrill ride that is typical Patterson. I would recommend this to any Patterson fan, or fan of suspense novels. Good beach read. Read it in 2 days on the beach.

Average customer rating:

Very good for learning
Excellent intuition BUT A POOR BRIDGE TO THE DREADFUL GREENE
carter makes me not-so-afraid of metrics...
A Nice Beginner's Textbook

Undergraduate Econometrics
R. Carter Hill , William E. Griffiths , and George G. Judge
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Econometrics | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0471331848

Book Description

This book explores econometrics using an intuitive approach that begins with an economic model. It emphasizes motivation, understanding, and implementation and shows readers how economic data are used with economic and statistical models as a basis for estimating key economic parameters, testing economic hypotheses and predicting economic outcomes.

Customer Reviews:

Very good for learning.......2004-02-16

This book is a shortened version of "Learning and Practising Econometrics (1993)", which itself is a shortened version of "The Theory and Practice of Econometrics (1982)".

Hill's "Undergraduate Econometrics" instills understanding by slowly going through derivations and principles, while at the same time motivating econometric analysis by referring to economic situations where it can be used. Much better than Gujarati (which tends to be a "cookery book" rather than giving an integrated treatment).

The book both motivates the student and takes them through the steps and methods they will need to adopt in further econometric studies, and always provides a good reference (often to one of the parent books mentioned above) when it omits proofs and other details.

The only weakness of the book reveals what is (to my mind) an unhealthy preoccupation with estimation issues, as opposed to those of data quality. As people like Granger have consistently pointed out, the real issues in 21st century econometrics have to do with what sort of data we have, and what methods are most appropriate in different situations. Despite this, Hill et al almost exclusively dwell on the identically and independently distributed (iid) specification. However, I should point out in the book's defence that this preoccupation is shared by most other introductory (and graduate) textbooks on econometrics.

The book's good points far outweigh these weaknesses. Finally, the second edition has some updates, and discusses such developments as time series econometrics. "Undergraduate Econometrics" should definitely be purchased by anyone wishing to learn about modern empirical methods.

Excellent intuition BUT A POOR BRIDGE TO THE DREADFUL GREENE.......2004-01-19

This book is the best book to use for the very first course in econometrics. It takes you by the hand to teach you all you need in terms of the basics.
I only give it 4 stars for two reasons. First, while this book is non-mathematical (and I agree with that) it should have nonetheless appendices that make use of matrices and differential calculus.
Second, this book is extremely expensive.
This book can easily earn 5 stars if in the next edition it contains appendices that will create a bridge towards intermediate econometrics. A more reasonable price would also be welcomed.
Overall, this is the best book to use for a very first course in econometrics.
BUT BEWARE: THIS BOOK IS A POOR BRIDGE TO THE DREADFUL GREENE!!!!THE BEST BRIDGE IS "LEARNING AND PRACTICING ECONOMETRICS" BY THE SAME AUTHOURS OF "UNDERGRADUATE ECOMETRICS" I.E. HILL, GRIFFITHS, AND JUDGE.
By the way, for those that are looking for a good substitue to "Undergraduate Econometrics", you have "Basic Econometrics" by Gujarati.

Thank you,

carter makes me not-so-afraid of metrics..........2002-01-02

this is one of those econometrics (i'll call it "metrics" from now on to save on typing) books which you know has to cover alot of the slow, boring stuff which lecturers expect students to know by the time they take metrics options and hated by undergraduates. having said that, this book does it quite well. one thing i hate in metrics texts is dense mathematical proofs. especially proofs which assume the reader knows other proofs intimately. this book nicely avoids that, dropping in an adequate and useful amount of proofs, especially the Gauss-Markov Theorem and a proof of why OLS estimation outshines any other method in simple regression analysis. the book does this without being overwhelming - in my opinion, mathematics has to be appreciated through discussion and argument, which Hill et al do quite admirably. Also, metrics is about interpretation of results, not just calculating them, and this book keeps that in mind very well from beginning to end. The reason i gave this book 4 stars is simple. when i was doing my last minute cramming for exams, i was able to move through the book quickly and easily, whilst still appreciating the main points, the big picture, and also the subtleties of more advanced topics like GLS, moments-based estimation and distributed lags in a short space of time. the book also comes with useful end-of-chapter "should know" points and problems. the best thing about the problems is the "real-world" nature of the tasks, often drawing on real-life data and economic intuition. using that data and being able to become comfortable with computer techniques is the most vital thing to a beneficial study of metrics. i found gujarati's "basic econometrics" a nice companion to this book (but then again everyone likes gujarati to some extent), but mostly i was satisfied with this book as a stand-alone manual to second-year metrics studies, good for laying the foundations for studies in topics like maximum likelihood estimation and financial econometrics. oh, and it's small and not too heavy. good for carrying around to classes all day!

A Nice Beginner's Textbook.......2000-03-03

This book begins with simple concepts and gradually introduces more complex methods at a pace that is very comfortable for self-study. It also can be used in a one-quarter course for undergraduates who have had basic courses in calculus and linear algebra. However, it doesn't give all proofs for the statistical theorems in the text.

Average customer rating:

Laughable
The King of Thrillers Strikes Again
Sophomoric and Silly
Good Read
Change

Judge & Jury
James Patterson , and Andrew Gross
Manufacturer: Warner Vision Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0446619000

Customer Reviews:

Laughable.......2007-07-10

I feel sorry for Mr. Patterson, but I've never seen such a poorly written book, full of clichee: the tough FBI agent, the attractive woman that falls in love with him, the evil mafioso.

Nothing new in this book. Nothing. So, why did Mr. Patterson write it? Please excuse me, but quantity never makes out for quality.

The King of Thrillers Strikes Again.......2007-06-09

I like to think of James Patterson's novels as comfort food for the brain. The incredibly short chapters makes reading a breeze and no one writes a thriller as well as he does. His Alex Cross novels are my favorite, but he has shown that he can create fresh, new characters with equal ease.

A mob boss named Dominic Cavello is going to trial for muliple murders and the jury has already been selected. One of the jurors is Andie DeGrasse, a single mother and actress. Andie doesn't want to be on the jury but her attempts to get thrown off fail and she finds her world turned upside down as a scheme to free Cavello and help him escape unfolds. I don't want to say any more and spoil all the fun.

Patterson's books are not the most cerebral reads, but they are fun and easy to get through. As a reader, you can close your eyes and envision the scenes unfolding before you as you turn the pages as a breakneck speed. If you love the typical Patterson book, this one won't disappoint.

Sophomoric and Silly.......2007-05-01

This book is embarrassingly bad. The characters are shallow, the dialog is absolutely laughable, and the plot is hokey in the extreme. I cringed and winced my way through the book, the whole time wondering how on earth such a novel made it past an editor and into print. Truly a disappointment.

Good Read.......2007-04-30

A change from the usual JP Thriller however a very intersting read right until the very end. This book brings up a lot of emotion and personal issues with love, grief, loyalty etc which we can all identify at least in part - Very good read would be happy to recommend - i think any reader would get a lot from this book

Change.......2007-04-18

This book is a change from what I normal read and I gobbled it up. I finished the book in two days. The story is captivating about a single mom who is raising her nine year old son while she is struggling with her acting career. She ends up being picked to be on a jury to convict a crime boss for over a dozen years of dirty deeds. This is a story about revenge, true love, and betrayal. A highly recommended read.

Average customer rating:

Student opinion
Staffing Organizations
Great Concept but Outdated
An in-depth exploration of the Staffing function
A Solid Human Resources Recruitment and Staffing Guide

Staffing Organizations
Herbert G Heneman III , and Timothy A Judge
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Compensation
Employee Training & Development
Employment Law for Business with Powerweb card
Strategic Compensation (4th Edition)
Labor Relations and Collective Bargaining: Cases, Practice, and Law (8th Edition)

ASIN: 0072987227

Book Description

Heneman and Judge’s Staffing, 5th Edition, is based on a comprehensive staffing model. Components of the model include staffing models and strategy, staffing support systems (legal compliance, planning, job analysis and rewards), core staffing systems (recruitment, selection, employment), and staffing system and retention management. Up-to-date research and business practices are the hallmarks of this market leading text. In-depth applications (cases and exercises) at the end of chapters provide students with skill-building and practice in key staffing activities and decision-making. A comprehensive running case involving a fictitious retailing organization provides even greater opportunity for in-depth analysis and skill building. Students also have the opportunity to address ethical issues at the end of each chapter.

Customer Reviews:

Student opinion.......2007-04-19

I am currently reading this book for a class. The class consensus is that is has useful information but it is written in a research manner vs. a teaching/learning manner. This makes it an extremely dry and boring read much of the time. The chapter on measurements was excrutiating to read and retain. It is definately written with larger corporations in mind. As useful as the information in this book is, it is written in a manner that is not as conducive to student learning in my opinion. I think that this book could be much better than it is.

Staffing Organizations.......2007-02-13

This is a required book that I had to purchase for one of my HR classes. In fact the name of the class was Staffing Organizations. The book is very easy to read and has alot of useful information. Great for recruiters.

Great Concept but Outdated.......2004-10-08

This is the book I've assigned to graduate HR Management students studying staffing. It does the job, but needs more than just a cosmetic overhaul - which is what happened between the former edition and this one.

Staffing remains the most strategically influential activity HR professionals can perform, and yet this book says so little about:

o Organizational strategy
o Web-based recruitment
o Internet-based interviewing and screening technique
o Interactive engines for applying for jobs, e.g., Wal-Mart

Its min-case studies are OK, but, again, so outdated.

Make this book as good as it used to be, Dr. Heneman!!

An in-depth exploration of the Staffing function.......2004-01-29

I personally loved this book. Its content is enriched with a wealth of professional and practical theory about corporate staffing strategies and systems. The Staffing Organizations Model that shapes the structure of this text is considered a profound, intergrated, and coherent framework for the dynamic realm of staffing. The model's flow is logical, commencing from legal compliance and job analysis and concluding with employee retention management. The book helped me develop a sound conceptual map of what Staffing is, what it includes, and how its sub-systems interrelate. I recommend this book to all people who are interested or work in the Staffing field.

A Solid Human Resources Recruitment and Staffing Guide.......2003-11-24

As a human resources professional and a graduate student at Troy State University, I found this text to be very insightful in all aspects of researching, designing, planning, and implementing various internal and external staffing strategies, policies, procedures, and practices. This text is definitely an invaluable reference book that should be a part of any human resources professional's library.

Business Law with OLC card and You Be The Judge DVD

Average customer rating:

Business Law with OLC card and You Be The Judge DVD
Jane P. Mallor , A. James Barnes , L. Thomas Bowers , and Arlen W Langvardt
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill/Irwin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 007327139X

Book Description

Mallor, Barnes, Bowers and Langvardt’s: Business Law: The Ethical, Global, and E-Commerce Environment, 13e is appropriate for the two-term business law course. The cases in the 13th edition are excerpted and edited by the authors. The syntax is not altered, therefore retaining the language of the courts. As in the 12th edition, the 13th edition includes a mix of actual AND hypothetical cases.

The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries That Defined America

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A Concise History of Politics vs Law
How the Court Works
Good History - Not Enough Catch
The real Justice League of America
Supreme Court

The Supreme Court: The Personalities and Rivalries That Defined America
Jeffrey Rosen , and Thirteen/WNET
Manufacturer: Times Books
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Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0805081828
Release Date: 2007-01-09

Book Description

A leading Supreme Court expert recounts the personal and philosophical rivalries that forged our nation’s highest court and continue to shape our daily lives

The Supreme Court is the most mysterious branch of government, and yet the Court is at root a human institution, made up of very bright people with very strong egos, for whom political and judicial conflicts often become personal.

In this compelling work of character-driven history, Jeffrey Rosen recounts the history of the Court through the personal and philosophical rivalries on the bench that transformed the law—and by extension, our lives. The story begins with the great Chief Justice John Marshall and President Thomas Jefferson, cousins from the Virginia elite whose differing visions of America set the tone for the Court’s first hundred years. The tale continues after the Civil War with Justices John Marshall Harlan and Oliver Wendell Holmes, who clashed over the limits of majority rule. Rosen then examines the Warren Court era through the lens of the liberal icons Hugo Black and William O. Douglas, for whom personality loomed larger than ideology. He concludes with a pairing from our own era, the conservatives William H. Rehnquist and Antonin Scalia, only one of whom was able to build majorities in support of his views.

Through these four rivalries, Rosen brings to life the perennial conflict that has animated the Court—between those justices guided by strong ideology and those who forge coalitions and adjust to new realities. He illuminates the relationship between judicial temperament and judicial success or failure. The stakes are nothing less than the future of American jurisprudence.

Customer Reviews:

A Concise History of Politics vs Law.......2007-10-06

Recently there have been many good books available about the Supreme Court. For a quick, no-nonsense straight to the heart of the matter history of Supreme Court, this is the book. A history of the Supreme Court derived from its major decisions and its major dissenters. The author shows that often justices that may be on the dissenting side of Supreme Court decisions are sometimes justices that are ahead of their time. Their lonely decisions often become basics to the American way of life in a later era. The Author, Jeff Rosen also relays a life's lesson to Supreme Court Justices, that in the interplay between majority vs. dissenters decisions, no matter how dedicated, wise, or oracle-like a justice appears, history bears out that the justices that "play ball", fraternizes, cajoles, and displays a good nature seem to win out. In other words the Law is not just the Law, the decisions cannot be divorced from the political impetus that brought them to the court and the most successful Justices are the most political Justices. Nothing underscores this more than the chapter on Justice Holmes and Justice Harlan. Justice Holmes was an ivory tower type justice and his reputation is somewhat revered today. Justice Harlan is lesser known, but the track record shows that modern American life revolves around decisions he made and that Holmes has been surpassed in almost all his major decisions.
A very rewarding book, that will make the reader feel that in one book you can gain an understanding of what make the supreme court tick, and some of the twists ands turns it has taken in its history

How the Court Works.......2007-06-18

Jeffrey Rosen's accessible and engaging companion book to the PBS series offers not only a fine introduction to the U.S. Supreme Court (and many of the most important cases it's decided in its history) but also a perspective from which to understand the Court as an institution. This perspective is tantamount to Rosen's thesis: that "judicial temperament" is a quality possessed by the Court's most distinguished justices, those who subordinate their ideological leanings to the deliberative and practical process of establishing legal consensus.

Rosen illustrates his thesis with four case studies: Marshall and Jefferson (not a justice); Harlan and Holmes; Black and Douglas; Rehnquist and Scalia. In each case one justice is seen as embracing judicial temperament while the other (or Jefferson, in the first chapter) is cast as something of an ideological maverick, a flamboyant but ultimately less influential constitutional thinker. Like one reviewer here, I found the questions raised by such pairings to be productive rather than reductive: Rosen is making a legal-historical argument here, and so reading his history of the Supreme Court is necessarily an exercise in critical interpretation.

The chapters on the twentieth-century Court are excellent, with Rosen showing how the liberal-leaning Hugo Black and the conservative-leaning William Rehnquist had more in common with each other (in terms of judicial temperament) than with their respective colleagues: William O. Douglas and Antonin Scalia. Here Rosen parses the legacies of Black and Rehnquist by showing how their restrained judicial character helped them produce well-crafted decisions that advanced the Court's legitimacy in the public eye.

Douglas and Scalia, on the other hand, were/are so committed to the purity of their ideological beliefs that, whatever one thinks of their individual decisions (and I am decidedly aligned with Douglas over Scalia in this regard), one has to come to terms with the fact that their jurisprudence will not have a lasting influence on the law of the land. Douglas and Scalia are seen as larger-than-life personalities, self-aggrandizing justices who rarely spoke for the Court as such.

Again, you might agree or disagree with the specifics of Rosen's argument and framing of his historical examples. But the survey presented here is a solid, general introduction to Supreme Court history. And with judicial temperament Rosen gives us a lens through which we might view that history, and understand better exactly how the Court works.

Good History - Not Enough Catch.......2007-05-24

For a look into some of the most well known figures in the Supreme Court, this book does a fantastic job. From in-depth analysis of their personalities to little anecdotes on each Justice, the Author clearly knows his history.

It's a tad short, and I think the specific cases could have been covered in greater detail. While it was informative, it didn't have that something special that had me anxious to keep reading. At times, I felt like I was reading a history book.

If you're someone looking to get some background into the Supreme Court and some of the characters that shaped it, this is a good book to start with. You may not feel completely entertained, but you will feel smarter after reading this book.

The real Justice League of America.......2007-05-14

It's one of the fundamental principles of the U.S. Constitution that the three branches of government are more-or-less equal, with checks and balances assuring that no branch takes over. The reality, of course, is different: at times - particularly in the 1800s - the Congress was the more powerful branch, while at other times -especially recently - the Presidency has taken the reins. The judicial branch, however, has always been in third place; although it makes a difference at times, it rarely is more visible than its "coequals". Nonetheless, there are times that the judicial branch - and in particular, the Supreme Court - has assumed a critical role in history.

Jeffrey Rosen's The Supreme Court is not so much a history of the institution as a study as to how certain personalities affected the Court. He focuses on four such rivalries that dictated not only the direction of the Court but also the direction of the country. The first rivalry (and the only one featuring a non-Court figure) is Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall. These two embodies the two principal political philosophies of the early United States: Republicanism and Federalism. Unlike previous Chief Justices, Marshall really defined the Court and made it an important part of the government, most notably with the Marbury v. Madison decision. Since Marshall differed with Jefferson on many issues, this set the two branches at odds with one another.

The next rivalry is John Marshall Harlan and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., a pairing that is probably the most obscure to the modern reader. Holmes, with his nickname "The Great Dissenter" earned a reputation based on his dissents in some free speech cases, but often had much less sympathetic rulings, such as his opposition to civil rights and his support of eugenics. Harlan, on the other hand, was more forward-thinking, and notably dissented on Plessy v. Ferguson, the Court decision that - after Dred Scott - is probably the darkest mark on the institution's history.

The third section deals with Hugo Black and William Douglas. Unlike the previous pairings, these two were politically of a similar bent, but they still had different judicial philosophies, with Black being the sounder reasoner and Douglas being somewhat more free-wheeling. Douglas's presidential ambitions, which never really amounted to much, also affected his decision-making. Similarly, the fourth section deals with two Justices with similar politics yet different philosophies: William Rehnquist and Antonin Scalia. While Rehnquist would often try for consensus, Scalia is more absolute in his beliefs and doesn't really seem to care who he rankles.

In each pairing, Rosen casts one person as hero (Marshall, Harlan, Black and Rehnquist) and one as villain (Jefferson, Holmes, Douglas and Scalia). Of course, things are not really that simple and Rosen recognizes flaws in the heroes and virtues in the villains; perhaps it is better not to use the heroes-and-villains analogy at all, but it is clear Rosen favors one in each rivalry. This has less to do with politics than with technique: Rosen favors Justices who can promote harmony within the Court and can create rulings with real potency to them. Rulings that go 5-4 are not nearly as strong as those decided unanimously, and are more likely to be eventually reversed.

In the final section, Rosen offers an early analysis of new Chief Justice John Roberts, one that is generally positive. Roberts, Rosen believes, seems to have learned from the better Chief Justices (a group in which Rosen would include Marshall, Warren and Rehnquist) as to how to run the Supreme Court. Rosen's writing is insightful, clear and reasonably objective (in the sense that he doesn't seem to favor either the political right or left). This book is a good, alternative way at looking at the history and structure of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court.......2007-05-07

An excellent book. If I were still teaching Constitutional Law at the college level, I would use some or all of it in class to show that law is interpreted by "real people." I think anybody would find it interesting, but lawyers and law students should find it fascinating.

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