Ellen Foster

Average customer rating:

A Brutal Beautiful Story

Moving.

Ellen sure is spunky

The classic battle between family and survival.

Ellen Foster is Kaye Gibbons best work---A winner!

Ellen Foster
Kaye Gibbons
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Gibbons, Kaye | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
1997 | Oprah's Book Club® | Specialty Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0375703055
Release Date: 1997-11-05

Amazon.com

Oprah Book Club® Selection, October 1997: Kaye Gibbons is a writer who brings a short story sensibility to her novels. Rather than take advantage of the novel's longer form to paint her visions in broad, sweeping strokes, Gibbons prefers to concentrate on just one corner of the canvas and only a few colors to produce her small masterpieces. In Gibbons's case, her canvas is the American South and her colors are all the shades of gray.

In Ellen Foster, the title character is an 11-year-old orphan who refers to herself as "old Ellen," an appellation that is disturbingly apt. Ellen is an old woman in a child's body; her frail, unhappy mother dies, her abusive father alternately neglects her and makes advances on her, and she is shuttled from one uncaring relative's home to another before she finally takes matters into her own hands and finds herself a place to belong. There is something almost Dickensian about Ellen's tribulations; like Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or a host of other literary child heroes, Ellen is at the mercy of predatory adults, with only her own wit and courage--and the occasional kindness of others--to help her through. That she does, in fact, survive her childhood and even rise above it is the book's bittersweet victory.

Book Description

"When I was little I would think of ways to kill my daddy. I would figure out this or that way and run it down through my head until it got easy." So begins the tale of Ellen Foster, the brave and engaging heroine of Kay Gibbons's first novel, which won the Sue Kaufman Prize from the American Academy of Institute of Arts and Letters. Wise, funny, affectionate, and true, Ellen Foster is, as Walker Percy called it, "The real thing. Which is to say, a lovely, sometimes heartwrenching novel. . . . [Ellen Foster] is as much a part of the backwoods South as a Faulkner character—and a good deal more endearing."

Customer Reviews:

A Brutal Beautiful Story.......2007-08-07

With a narrative the style similar to Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird," Ellen Foster embraces everything gorgeous and tragic about growing up among damaged people. Told from the voice of a confused child, Kaye Gibbons perfectly captures your heart in her opening pages. She wastes not a word as she so perfectly sculpts a portrait of a child's quest to belong, to be loved, to be happy.

Moving........2007-06-08

Since there is a lot of summaries already....let me just say this book was so great! It is a little depressing but such a touching story at the same time. I finished it in one sitting-it started great and ended great. One of my new favorites!!!

Ellen sure is spunky.......2007-06-08

I just finished reading the book a few days ago. It was very well written and I really felt like I knew Ellen by the end of it. The way she described her mom teaching her to pick beans really touched my heart for some reason. I could just see her standing there measuring the beans.

This certainly is a wonderful beach read.

The classic battle between family and survival........2007-05-01

Kaye Gibbons' book, Ellen Foster, was an imaginative and corrupted fairytale that included an alcoholic and abusive father, an ill mother, and a heinous grandmother. Ellen Foster, the main character, is a bright and bubbly 11 year old whose life is tormented by all of her uncaring relatives. My first reaction to this book was "It's just not fair!" But then I came back into reality and reminded myself that LIFE isn't fair. There are millions of children just like our favorite Ellen Foster all over the world, and still no one does a thing about it.

Kaye Gibbons gives an excellent 11 year old perspective and captures every aspect of young (and old) Ellen's personality with her use of bad grammar and heavy southern dialect. Gibbons' words practically scream through the pages each emotion that Ellen is faced with and connects it to the reader.

"Look out for Kaye Gibbons! For she is on the prowl for you. And when she corners you (oh, she will corner you), she is going to snatch the heart right out of your chest!" -Gordon Lish. And I couldn't have said that better myself.

The only thing I found as a barrier in the book was the constant back-and-forth of Ellen's past, present, and future caretakers, especially in the beginning of the novel. Ellen's mama, mama's mama, new mama, and Dolphin, were all so confusing at first... but Gibbons' tied them together well in the end.

-Caitie Cox
9th grade
Dorman High School Freshman Campus
Roebuck, SC

Ellen Foster is Kaye Gibbons best work---A winner!.......2007-04-27

I read Ellen Foster last summer and it was one
of the best books I have read in a long, long
time. It is the story of Ellen Foster, a little
girl whose mother dies, and she is shuffled back
and forth between a heinous grandmother(arguably
one of the worst characters in modern literature)
and her drunk alcoholic father.

It is told in her voice as she recalls her tragic
childhood with little sunshine. Some of Gibbons'
later works were summer-beach fluff, but I went
out and bought copies of Ellen Foster to give to
my friends because I truly enjoyed it. Gibbons'
has an uncanny ability to accurately depict the
sounds, thoughts and observations of poor Southern
life from a loveless child. This book is a literary
classic and will probably be read for years to come!

Average customer rating:

A sequel that stands on its own.
Highly disappointing
Difficult to follow
disappointing
I'm being generous

The Life All Around Me By Ellen Foster
Kaye Gibbons
Manufacturer: Harvest Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0156032902

Amazon.com

The cynical view of Kaye Gibbons's The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster would be that the Poor Little Match Girl has morphed into Cinderella. Ellen Foster, a book anointed by Oprah's Book Club®, was the tale of young Ellen, daughter of a neurasthenic twit of a mother and a drunken abusive father, who was tossed out of her wicked aunt's home on Christmas Day (Shades of Dickens!). Plucky Ellen fetcheed up at the doorstep of her chosen foster mother and life settled down.

This book begins with a too cute, aggressively innocent letter to Derek Bok, President of Harvard University, asking for early admission. Now that Ellen is 15, she believes that she is ready for a larger world, a better education and a different life. That pursuit becomes an incidental subtext to ongoing events. The next two-thirds of the book feels experimental, with a jumpy, jerky style, information left out, information left in that goes nowhere--not easy reading. Then, Gibbons takes control of her story and turns everything upside down, in Ellen's favor.

There are some priceless exchanges in the book. Regarding an insight that comes to one for the first time: "It didn't matter if a thousand scholars studied how Madame Bovary probably wouldn't have had to rot from the inside if she'd read better books in her girlhood, if the idea strikes you in Baltimore in a room full of people who say they already know, my theory is it's still your personal view." And this, when she is annoying her friend, Stuart: "Stuart, I said, I never know what to do when you decide to let me in on an argument you've been having for us."

So, what does all of this add up to? A good, not great, sequel to the quite good Ellen Foster that is only an adjective away from mawkishness and sentimentality. If we adopt the aforementioned cynical view, the story becomes a treacly fable where the good prevail--and even get rich. A more generous view is that Ellen has suffered enough and it's her turn. Read it and take your pick. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

In this sequel to Gibbons’s beloved classic Ellen Foster, Ellen, now fifteen, is settled into a permanent home with a new mother. Strengthened by adversity and blessed with enough intelligence to design a salvation for herself, she still feels ill at ease. But while she holds fast to the shreds of her childhood—humoring her best friend, Stuart, who is determined to marry her; and protecting her old neighbor, slow-witted Starletta—she begins to negotiate her way into a larger world.

With a singular mix of perspicacity, naÃ¯vetÃ©, and compassion, Ellen draws us into her life and makes us fall in love with her all over again.

Customer Reviews:

A sequel that stands on its own........2007-03-08

You fall in love all over again with Ellen Foster and her observations and experiences of the "life around" her. Kaye Gibbons does not disappoint. As a reader of all of Gibbons work and a native of NC, I am continually amazed at her ability to bring the essence of the South in both historical and personal perspectives. The description of the Moravians at the fair and the isolation that she felt at John Hopkins ring true as do the wonderful characters that fill in Ellen's life. For those who felt the dialogue awkward, I suggest a second reading and yes people do burn tires (it was the early 70's) and sell bad poetry - teacher's wouldn't have believed good poetry.

Highly disappointing.......2007-03-02

I have treasured Kaye Gibbon's previous books and have always recommended her to my friends. I won't even pass this one along to anyone. The style, with Ellen's quirky syntax was not only difficult to read, but the plot (what there was of it) was terribly tedious and I simply could not relate to any of the
characters. I finally gave up after reading half way through. Come on, Kaye, write us another wonderful book!
Penelope Langan

Difficult to follow.......2006-11-22

Although the general premise is intriguing, this sequel to Ellen Foster left me disappointed.

The book begins with a letter from 15-year-old Ellen to the president of Harvard University, citing the reasons he should be interested in helping her achieve her dream of higher education. From there, Ellen fills readers in on what's been happening in the three years since they met her last: finally finding happiness in the home of her foster mother Laura, making herself secure within a tight-knit circle of odd friends, and seeking closure with the aunt and cousin who threw her out of their house on Christmas when she was eleven.

Despite my interest in the plot, I found it extremely difficult to follow Gibbons' writing style. She does not use quotes, and basically attempts to depict Ellen's life woes and joys in the rambly, vague manner of someone who should already be privy to all the information and is currently living through it. In certain cases, it took me several references before I could deduce who certain characters were.

It shouldn't be that much work to read a book for pleasure.

disappointing.......2006-10-24

I loved "Ellen Foster," the prequel to this book. I thought it rang true and was a poignant, hilarious and honest look at a young girl's struggle to survive her dysfunctional family in the South.

However, this book fails to live up to its predecessor. There is very little plot, although the writer could easily have used Ellen's quest to go to Harvard early as a consistent thread. Instead, we get scenes with tedious characters, as Ellen waits to hear from the school. Some parts are downright unbelievalbe, such as when Ellen earns money to attend a summer program by selling verse to her classmates, so they can then turn it in as homework. It's clear the school is not a good one, and even at the finest prep school, if half the student body started turning in poems, even the densest staff would suspect something underhand. But not here. Also, at $4 per poem, Ellen would have to do approximately 100 classmates' homework to reach her goal, which you'd think would finally clue the teachers into a cheating scandal. While this may seem a minor point that it's unfair to harp on, it helped destroy the book's credibility, particularly since the author made all Ellen's friends out to have subpar IQs. Plot holes big enough to drive a truck through makes it hard to enjoy the writing style, which did have its high points and the characters themselves, some of whom were engaging and likeable, if too good to be true.

I was also baffled as to why Ellen was unable to find kindred spirits at the summer program for the gifted and why she seemed to feel less alienated with people who didn't know who Holden Caulfield was. This does not bode well for her stay at Harvard, unless she matures some more.

The fairy tale ending also annoyed me. It's possible to give your characters' good fortune in return for their pluckiness, without making it completely implausible. I wish the author had done so here.

I'm being generous.......2006-10-23

I'm happy I borrowed this book from the library and didn't actually spend any hard earned money. I enjoyed Ellen Foster and Virtuous Woman, although I found the author's voice dull. I feel like I'm inside the head of Ellen Foster and I'm privy to any single thought, no matter how mundane, that runs through her head. I feel like it's a book about nothing!

Decomposition: Post-Disciplinary Performance (Unnatural Acts)

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Decomposition: Post-Disciplinary Performance (Unnatural Acts)

Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0253213746

Capitalism and the Information Age: The Political Economy of the Global Communication Revolution

Average customer rating:

Uninformative Essays about the Information Age

Capitalism and the Information Age: The Political Economy of the Global Communication Revolution
Robert McChesney , Ellen Wood , and John Bellamy Foster
Manufacturer: Monthly Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0853459894
Release Date: 1998-12-01

Book Description

Are the new technologies of the information age reshaping the labor force, transforming communications, changing the potential of democracy, and altering the course of history itself? Capitalism and the Information Age presents a rigorous examination of some of the most crucial problems and possibilities of these novel technologies.

Not a day goes by that we don't see a news clip, hear a radio report, or read an article heralding the miraculous new technologies of the information age. The communication revolution associated with these technologies is often heralded as the key to a new age of "globalization." How is all of this reshaping the labor force, transforming communications, changing the potential of democracy, and altering the course of history itself? Capitalism and the Information Age presents a rigorous examination of some of the most crucial problems and possibilities of these novel technologies.

Customer Reviews:

Uninformative Essays about the Information Age.......2003-10-22

In such a fast-moving field like information technology, it is not fair to criticize a five year-old book for being outdated. That is an issue for some of the essays here, such as the submission by Nicholas Baran from the mid-90's, in which some inaccurate predictions about the development of the Internet are made, like an incorrect perception of how wireless access technologies would develop. While that's an issue that can be mostly forgiven in hindsight, this book suffers from a more timeless problem of lack of usefulness. The most successful essay here is the introduction from editor Robert McChesney, with serious ideas about the future salience of capitalist markets in light of the cyber revolution. This is purported to be the focus of the other essays in the book, but the results prove otherwise. Submissions range in an uninspired fashion from ivory-towered theoretical exercises (Ellen Meiskins Wood) to non-analytical economic or technological histories (Jill Hills and the aforementioned Baran). A conversational lecture from Noam Chomsky is out of place, while his colleague Edward Herman merely summarizes his book that should be read in its entirety for any true insights. The submission from Michael W. Apple on the Channel One network in school classrooms comes quite close to a very important analysis, but ends abruptly with a diversion to the author's previously published works. In the end, a few informative essays on globalization issues (Peter Golding) and grassroots politics on the Web (Ken Hirschkop) can't save this book, as it does not accomplish the goals implicit in its title and introduction. [~doomsdayer520~]

Walking the World in Wonder: A Children's Herbal

Average customer rating:

Lovely
A Must Have Book!
Perfect First Herbal for a Child
Medicinal and magical uses of over sixty common herbs
Another bit of Magick from Ellen Evert Hopman!

Walking the World in Wonder: A Children's Herbal
Ellen Evert Hopman
Manufacturer: Healing Arts Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0892818786
Release Date: 2000-10-01

Book Description

Introduce children to the magic of using herbs for healing, cooking, and nature crafts and inspire a lifelong interest in the natural world.

• Designed especially for children ages five to ten.

• A hands-on book for children, filled with fun, easy-to-follow activities.

Walking the World in Wonder covers the medicinal and magical uses of sixty-seven common herbs. Each herb playfully introduces itself and talks about its habitat and many uses. With fun, easy-to-follow activities, herbalist Ellen Evert Hopman teaches children basic herbal skills and invites them to make a sunflower seed mosaic, sew a catnip-filled mouse, and dig for Jerusalem artichoke roots. The book also includes simple recipes that children can use, with adult supervision, to treat minor ailments--peppermint tea to soothe a troubled tummy or horse chestnut salve to heal a scraped knee. Children gain a sense of self-sufficiency and awe for the earth's treasures by eating wild nettle greens, sprinkling a sandwich with nasturtium flowers, making strawberry honey, and learning to season food with dill they've gathered themselves. Parents and teachers will appreciate how these earth-centered activities are placed within a broader social and environmental context. Sixty-seven full-color photographs enable children, parents, and teachers to identify these herbs during walks and field trips. Walking the World in Wonder gives children a direct and joyous experience of their connection to the natural world and inspires a lifelong interest in their own health and that of the planet.

Customer Reviews:

Lovely.......2007-08-14

I really love this book. It has real photos of the plants making them easy to identify. Gives a nice amount of informations and something you can do with each plant. Plus which season to find the plant in!

Heather mama of 5

A Must Have Book!.......2004-06-10

This is definitely a must have book for any family who does herbal medicine- Pagan or not! I was so excited to see the Wheel of the Year described. Each description is in very easy to read language for the children, yet offers valuable information. Plainly put, the author trusts the children's intelligence, and doesn't dumb it down for them. Many simple recipes for remedies and treats are included in the descriptions, as well as lore. My only problem with this book is that there aren't more pictures of each plant in various stages. Some of the pictures offer only a flowering shot of the arial parts. Still, with a parent's help the children will have no problem seeing that they are indeed the plants from the book. The pictures offered are full page beautiful shots. So, it's not really much of a complaint- more of a suggestion in case there are any future editions. :) BUY THIS BOOK!

Perfect First Herbal for a Child.......2003-10-29

The author begins with some good information on practices of collecting, use and identification, and then proceeds with a nice introduction to the Wheel of the Year complete with the popular festival names (Samhain, Yule, etc.)

My kids (boys, ages 5 and 8) love the full-color illustrations of easy-to-find herbs. This is truly written to be used by a child (though adults will find it enchanting as well) which is exactly what I needed. I have plenty of my own adult versions of herbals and wanted something that my children could call their own and use on their own.

An interesting twist is the organization of the herbs. The herbs are grouped into four seasons, the season they would most commonly be found, and the chapters begin with Autumn, the start of the Wheel of the Year. Living in Florida, we are less likely to be finding that exactly useful; but we do enjoy seeing how they are usually found in the more northern areas of the nation and will enjoy that feature on our travels to visit family.

Medicinal and magical uses of over sixty common herbs.......2001-05-28

Kids ages 5-10 and their parents will find Walking The World In Wonder an inviting survey of the medicinal and magical uses of over sixty common herbs. Each herb introduces itself and talks about its uses, with activities reinforcing the lessons on basic herbal skills, along with simple recipes kids can use.

Another bit of Magick from Ellen Evert Hopman!.......2000-10-27

This book is a delight for children of ALL age! For those just exploring the magical world of nature to those young at heart. The beautiful photography and illustrations along with the wondrous style of writing is enchanting. This is a marvelous addition to any library, full of information from the practical and medicinal uses of herbs to a beautiful introduction to the wheel of the year and cycles of nature, with glimpses into ancient folklore of various cultures.

Average customer rating:

Ellen Foster
Kaye Gibbons
Manufacturer: Recorded Books, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette
ASIN: 0788720198

Product Description

Three cassettes containing four hours of unabridged listening!

Average customer rating:

Wonderful!
Warm story, admirable characters
A very good book.

The Gate In The Wall (Jean Karl Books)
Ellen Howard
Manufacturer: Atheneum
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0689822952

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful!.......2000-04-01

I loved this book. It paints a colorful and touching portrait of the characters, Emma Deane and Mrs. Minshull. They seemed so real, I felt like I'd actually met them both. I cried at least twice! This book also gives a fascinating glimpse of life in another era. Don't miss this book!

Warm story, admirable characters.......1999-07-15

I enjoyed this book a lot! It reminded me of an American Girl, but with more complex characters. The growing relationship between Emma and Mrs. Minshull, Emma's growing strength (both physical and mental), and her pride in her talent was neatly drawn. And just the right length for young readers! Would have liked more information about the canal life.

A very good book........1999-03-31

Ten-year-old Emma is used to working ten hours a day in a silk mill in Victorian England. When she is locked out for being a moment late, and gets a job on a canal boat, her life takes an unexpected turn for the better. I loved this book

In Defense of History: Marxism and the Postmodern Agenda

Average customer rating:

In Defense of Synthesis.....
Take the Sickle and Hammer to the Post-modern Straw Man

In Defense of History: Marxism and the Postmodern Agenda
Ellen Wood , and John Bellamy Foster
Manufacturer: Monthly Review Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Philosophy of History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

History of Ideas | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Modern | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Political | Philosophy | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Book Description

What is postmodernism? What are the reasons for its attractiveness? In Defense of History is a compelling challenge to postmodern fashion, written by new intellectuals on the left who are reviving historical materialism as an alternative.

Customer Reviews:

In Defense of Synthesis............2002-12-19

As a collection of essays this book covers a wide range of topics that are important to a quality understanding about the implications of a Marxist and post-modern critique on contemporary western capitalist society. However, as a dialogue on these topics the book is a little one sided and short legged. The Marxist academics that have contributed to these 14 essays i think do a decent job of articulating much of the problem with post-modernism from a non-post-modern-marxist position. Whether such a read of Marx is particularly coherent with what Marx himself wrote is of another matter.
The concern over how one can justify a viable resistance to multinational corporate "free" market capitalism is of the uttermost importance for the authors of the text. The post-modern
critique of the Marxist meta-narrative on history (historical materialism) is a kind of line drawn in the sand for most of these academics in that the category of class is justified by such a read of history and class struggle for Marxists is the only coherent and realistic way of engaging in liberatory Praxis given the logic of capitalism. This becomes very important in recent history given the rise of the new social movements (identity politic movements) which have fragmented the old
Left categories of class and fragmented agency in the face of class war. Some of the authors of these essays do a better job than others when it comes to articulating the post-modern argument, however, some indeed set up post-modern straw men in order to bring the combine.
What appears to be the primary problem here in this debate between Marxists such as these and many post-modern theorists is the failure to see the bridge between the two positions by way
of a Coherence epistemological model of justification. As a matter of fact, throughout the entire book words such as knowledge, justification, universal, essential, etc. are all being used seemingly one way by the Marxists and another way by the post-modernist if used at all. The impression one gets from the text on this account is that there are two different language games being played in the debate leading to a whole host of miscommunication.
I would recommend this book for reading only if or after one is familiar with the epistemic issues of the debate between post-modernists and Marxists as they rear their heads throughout
the entire book.

For multicultural Solidarity in class war,
M.B.R.

Take the Sickle and Hammer to the Post-modern Straw Man.......2002-12-19

Given that the book is a collection of essays, the quality of the content covers a wide spectrum of issues. The overall aim of the book is to give an account of the manner in which postmodernism has hindered social action. Specifically, what is of concern to the philosophers contributing to this work is that the denial of any sort of grand universal meta-narrative by postmodernists denies the ability to form a class of oppressed which can rise up against capitalist oppression. By denying
meta-history and universals, class struggle, in the eyes of these philosophers becomes impossible. The arguments presented in favor of the particular brand of Marxism held by the contributors, therefore, are of a pragmatic nature and as such do not engage on a theoretical level with the postmodernists. This is one the main problems I have with this book. The contributors only ever look at the practical implication of the postmodern critique without ever engaging the postmodernist on a theoretical level. The postmodern critique of the Marxist meta-narrative is a theoretical one and as such should be argued against not just on a practical level, but also on a theoretical level.

A second problem with the book as a whole is that its argument against postmodernism is a straw man. Granted, postmodernism is a philosophical viewpoint that is extremely varied and difficult to define, but the contributors have taken a less developed and easily defeated postmodern perspective as indicative of postmodernism as a whole. What occurs as a result are arguments that do not really engage postmodernism as a whole, but rather engage only a small unsophisticated niche of postmodernism that suits there purposes. It behooves the authors in this book, therefore, to develop a greater understanding of what postmodernism is, and then to develop a critique of it and defense of their own position which does not rest on practical
concerns alone, but also on the theoretical concerns.

The Whole Me
Average customer rating:
The Whole Me
Ellen K. Baron
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fiction | Adoption | Family Life | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Fiction | Emotions & Feelings | Social Situations | People & Places | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1401069991

Book Description

"Foster and adopted children often feel that no one else has shared their experiences and feelings. When they find that they are not alone, it makes their challenges easier to handle. If they also learn tools for handling those challenges, they are strengthened.""Baron's book is a gift of empowerment for children in the difficult transition to adoption from foster care. THE WHOLE ME lets children know that others may feel both sad and happy or worried and hopeful as they enter adoptive families. Most importantly, Baron's story demonstrates how it helps for children to talk with adults about those mixed feelings so that they can make sense of their challenges and continue to move forward in life" (Marilyn Schoettle, author of the "W.I.S.E.UP!" Powerbook)"As a child welfare advocate, Baron has captured through story, with the full-bodied illustrations of Goldfine, the losses children experience on their journey to permanency. A must for children ages 6-12 who have been in the foster care system. A wonderful resource for both parents and adoptive children." (Debbie B. Riley, Executive Director, Center for Adoption Support and Education)"At last! A book that sensitively and accurately expresses the feelings of children adopted from foster care. Therapists and parents will appreciate having this treasure to use with children." (Madeline Krebs, MSW, Clinical Social Worker)"As the parent of twelve children, and the foster parent of numerous children, eight of whom joined our family through adoption, I applaud Baron's sensitivity, insightfulness and compassionate look at our children's plight through the foster care system into adoption. This book has been so helpful in engaging my children in conversations about their experiences and memories. Hurrah for this wonderful book to which my family can honestly relate." (Kathleen O. Dugan, adoptive and foster parent)

Average customer rating:

The most informative Book on Skiing
Inspirational. The only ski training book you need.
A must read for all skiers who want to perfect carving
Very good

Skiing and the Art of Carving
Ellen Post Foster
Manufacturer: Turning Point Ski Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0964739038

Book Description

Skiing and the Art of Carving is a revolutionary new book that teaches skiers of all levels to improve their skills immensely. Learning and refining carved turns is presented as the means for becoming an accomplished skier. This is the only book available that has kept pace with rapidly changing ski technology. It provides the means to maximize performance on today's equipment. Readers can learn to carve true arcs on the new deep sidecut skis as well as on traditional skis.

Customer Reviews:

The most informative Book on Skiing.......1999-08-28

I personally found this book easy to understand,the authors made sure that they gave only the information that you needed,when you needed it,And all the information was explained in detail. With the companion video it just gets better. To put it simple,this book explains it all from A to Ski!

Inspirational. The only ski training book you need........1999-01-14

This is the most up-to-date and complete guide I have run across. Its coverage is encyclopedic, yet remarkably succinct, covering every issue from equipment to skills, drills, and mental approaches. It should be useful to avid skiers and instructors at any level, supplanting volumes of manuals normally available only to professional instructors, yet the exercises detail a path that even novices can effectively pursue to develop the most refined technique. The book is perfectly complemented by the companion video which gives clear evidence that the book's progression of exercises can cluminate in the gorgeous turns the Ms. Post Foster, her coauthors, and demo team do so effortlessly. The combined effect is truly inspirational.

This book is the only ready material you should take on your next ski trip. If you read it before then (and you should), you will quickly develop a powerful longing for the slopes.

A must read for all skiers who want to perfect carving.......1999-01-01

This is a fantastic book for all level of skiers. It will take you through the steps to using your shaped skies as they were meant to be used. By the way: There is a video that accompanies this book - it is also excellent. And should be watched the first several times with the sound - and then mute the sound and just watch the skiing. Maybe Amazon.com could supply it?

Very good.......1998-12-20

I spent quite some time in bookstores looking for a book that would teach me how to get the most out of my new shaped skis. I found out quickly that almost all cover only traditional skis. This book is an exception. Althought it addresses both very well I would prefer that it focused exclusively on shaped skis. Who is buying traditional skis nowadays anyway? Although the pictures are detailed and easy to follow they would be even more effective accompanied by a training video. Ms. Foster why don't you make a video to go with the book? I'd be among the first to buy it!

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