To Kill a Mockingbird (Literature Made Easy)

Book Description

TheLiterature Made Easy Series is more than just plot summaries. Each book describes a classic novel and drama by explaining themes, elaborating on characters, and discussing each author's unique literary style, use of language, and point of view. Extensive illustrations and imaginative, enlightening use of graphics help to make each book in this series livelier, easier, and more fun to use than ordinary literature plot summaries. An unusual feature, "Mind Map" is a diagram that summarizes and interrelates the most important details that students need to understand about a given work. Appropriate for middle and high school students.

Customer Reviews:

Unusual and effective guide for teachers and students.......2007-05-07

I purchased this guide on a hunch. Every spring I teach my eleventh grade English students this novel, and I was looking for new ideas. The concept of the Mind Map presented in this guide has been significant in my students' understanding of the novel. I use three Mind Maps, presenting them on transparencies and adding to them as needed: Characters, Themes, and Plot Occurrences. Students have grasped the novel better since the first day because they have been instrumental in the gradual construction of the Mind Maps. I highly recommend this, especially for the Mind Maps which are shown as examples. Also, the chapter synopses are extremely well-done, organized, and easy to follow. The guide contains some of the best talking points I have ever seen for this novel. This book is unlike Cliff's Notes or Spark Notes; I recommended it to my students because it is actually thought-provoking rather than just a summary review. HIGHLY recommended! It's the best money I've spent on a teaching aid all year!

to kill a mockingbird.......2003-11-07

This is a story about a man named Atticus Finch an attorney who lives in small town who is considered to be well off. He lives there with his daughter called Scout and his son Jem. Atticus is a man of convictions, he does not see any place for prejudice of any kind. He is called upon to defend a blackman Tom Robinson who is accused of raping a white girl. He knew this case would be difficult to win and could totally change his life. The story seems to focus on the representation of the mockingbirdas a symbol of innocence.
Atticus was portrayed as a good father who taught his children honesty and compassion. He had a tough time as a lawyer who was labeled as a "Nigger Lover" because he showed respect towards the black community. He took many risks to stand up for his beliefs.
I related well with "Scouts", Jean Louis who was strong willed and loved to be involved with everthing. She could not understand why people dislike other people just because they were different. Scout idolized her brother and preferred to hang out with Jem than anyone else.
Jem was just an ordinay boy who supported his father's beliefs. He looked out for his sister Scout. He would become his sister's hero when Scout was attacked in the woods by a crazed man whose heart was full of hate.
The character Boo Radley was a bit confusing. I could not quite follow the author's portrayal. It was a mystery that did not unravel until the end of the story. It was reassuring to find out that Boo turned out to be sweet and kind but an introverted soul.
Tom Robinson the alleged rapist's personal life was not really described until they went to trial. It was definitely unfortunate that he was the center of so much ignorance, prejudice and in my opinion, blindness which prohidited the pursuit of justice. The story was easy to read but difficult to follow. It was a little drawn out but once i became familiar with the characters I could not put it down.
The mockingbird that was mentioned repeatedly represents innocence. This novel makes us all look at innocence and try to understand it. It made us see how some people are capable of killing the innocent because of their own ignorance and prejudices. It also makes us realize how we judge those people who are different and eccentric like Boo Radley who turns out was more humane than the townspeople who feared him. We all began as children who look at things innocently but as we grow older are influenced by others that changed our opinion on how we think of people.

A thematic guide on Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird".......2002-05-01

Here in Duluth everybody in town is supposed to be reading Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," and there are all sorts of literary discussions, dramatic events, and the like going on all month long. In addition to rereading the novel, which is probably my favorite in American Literature, I have been looking over the various study guides available. Barron's "Literature Made Easy" guides are based on "modern scientific knowledge of how the brain works," which means not only using pictures and graphics, but unique "mind maps" that summarize details students need to learn. The idea with these is that you use them to take notes and develop a personal outline of your thoughts about the character and plot of the novel which branch out from a central point. Now, this might look a bit intimidating to me, but the goal is to build simple chains of key associations regarding what is happening in a novel and what it means. Ah, the joys of 21st century education.

This book, written by Mary Hartley, also makes use of icons for key themes from Harper Lee's novel: growing up is a cake, courage is a heart, racial prejudice a face half black and half white, etc. A typewriter is used to highlight commentary about Lee's choice of words and imagery (i.e., style and language). These icons pop up during the commentary section so that students can trace the develop and interaction of the various themes. The guide begins with some background on the author and the time in which "To Kill a Mockingbird" is set, followed by a synopsis, a discussion of the main characters, and an overview of the main themes of the novel.

The commentary section breaks each chapter into sections. For example, Chapter 1 is broken down into The start of it all, Atticus and the Finch family, Dill's arrival, Boo and the Radleys, and "Just go up and touch the house." Each section starts with the first and last sentence that define it, followed by a list of what happens in that part, commentary, and questions marked with stars which young readers are supposed to stop and think about. In comparison to similar study guides, such as Cliffsnotes, this approach has the key values of inviting active participation from the readers and dealing with more discrete units within each chapter. The little pieces add up to some significant whole without the students realizing what is going on.

The back of the book has Topics for Discussion and Brainstorming, suggestions on How to Get an "A" in English Literature (which probably translates to American Lit as well), an Exam Essay, a Model Answer and Essay Plan, Glossary and Index. My feeling is that this book is geared more towards junior high students, which is fine since that was the grade level at which I taught "To Kill a Mockingbird." Teachers can certainly find some useful things to emphasize in class discussions, even if students are not using the guide. Other volumes in the "Literature Made Easy Series" look at "Animal Farm," "Julius Caesar," "Lord of the Flies," "MacBeth," "Of Mice and Men," "Pride and Prejudice," and "Romeo and Juliet."

This book is sensational!.......1999-06-02

To Kill a Mocking Bid is definitely one of the best books in American history. It clearly describes the unjust discrimination against the blacks in the south in the 1930's. It taught me alot about racism in the south. I really admire Atticus Finch, the main character in this novel, he stepped up to defend a black man despite losing all his friends and reputation.

A wonderful book for all ages........1999-05-07

Great life lessons, on racism and hate. It makes you sympathetic towards the outsiders.

Collections Made Easy: Fast, Efficient, Proven Techniques to Get Cash from Your Customers

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Helpful information on legal collections.
Legal Collections Made Easy
Wonderful book!

Collections Made Easy: Fast, Efficient, Proven Techniques to Get Cash from Your Customers
Carol S. Frischer
Manufacturer: Career Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1564144003

Customer Reviews:

Helpful information on legal collections........2005-02-16

I thought this book dealt with legal collections more than anything else. I think it would be helpful to any business owner hoping to jump start their collections or accounts receivable department. It is an easy read and has some helpful information for any business owner or credit professional.

Legal Collections Made Easy.......2003-05-09

This book is a quick read, but if you've done collections before, then you won't find much help in it. The author is well-expereinced in legal collections. That's her expertise. A consumer and corporate small to medium balance collector won't find this book that useful. It gives a lot of legal tips and how to write promissory notes, but for the majority of us who don't have time for this, it doesnt' tell us anything we don't already know. She has a debtor excuse section, but she writes it more in theory than someone who has done it a lot. She also doesn't tell us anything new to use in our repetoire of overcoming, "check is in the mail." I wouldn't rate this a great book, I find Tim Paulsen & The Sher brothers' books better and more practical. I'd rate her book "fair."

Wonderful book!.......2000-05-25

What a tremendous book! Very inspirational and helpful with collections with tips and pointers and such positive energy in what is sometimes a negative field. Highly recommended to anyone in collections in ANY business!

Average customer rating:

A Brilliant Satire of Government Politics!!!
The Rise of Totalitarianism
A historical commentary
All Animals Are Equal But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others.
Best book I was ever forced to read

Animal Farm (Literature Made Easy)
Iona MacGregor , and Tony Buzan
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764108190

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Since its publication in 1946, George Orwell's fable of a workers' revolution gone wrong has rivaled Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea as the Shortest Serious Novel It's OK to Write a Book Report About. (The latter is three pages longer and less fun to read.) Fueled by Orwell's intense disillusionment with Soviet Communism, Animal Farm is a nearly perfect piece of writing, both an engaging story and an allegory that actually works. When the downtrodden beasts of Manor Farm oust their drunken human master and take over management of the land, all are awash in collectivist zeal. Everyone willingly works overtime, productivity soars, and for one brief, glorious season, every belly is full. The animals' Seven Commandment credo is painted in big white letters on the barn. All animals are equal. No animal shall drink alcohol, wear clothes, sleep in a bed, or kill a fellow four-footed creature. Those that go upon four legs or wings are friends and the two-legged are, by definition, the enemy. Too soon, however, the pigs, who have styled themselves leaders by virtue of their intelligence, succumb to the temptations of privilege and power. "We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organisation of the farm depend on us. Day and night, we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink that milk and eat those apples." While this swinish brotherhood sells out the revolution, cynically editing the Seven Commandments to excuse their violence and greed, the common animals are once again left hungry and exhausted, no better off than in the days when humans ran the farm. Satire Animal Farm may be, but it's a stony reader who remains unmoved when the stalwart workhorse, Boxer, having given his all to his comrades, is sold to the glue factory to buy booze for the pigs. Orwell's view of Communism is bleak indeed, but given the history of the Russian people since 1917, his pessimism has an air of prophecy. --Joyce Thompson

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

A Brilliant Satire of Government Politics!!!.......2007-10-07

George Orwell was not only the author of 1984 but Animal Farm as well as written numerous essays, articles, etc. about his take on politics. In 1984, society was in the future under a totalitarian dictatorship where nothing was sacred or left to chance. In Animal Farm which I think it's more effective and definitely better reading material than 1984 is the story about a farm of animals who take over the farm against Jones, a drunken, abusive farmer and master of Manor Farm. At first, the rules were applied but slowly changed according to the leaders' rules. The animals in charge were symbolically pigs named Napoleon and his right-hand man, Snowball. Napoleon begins breaking the rules by sleeping in the main house and having parties with the other pigs. The rules or commandments are representative of Moses and the Jews when they were going to the promised land and received the ten commandments. Also, the rules begin to change when the pigs in charge become more like Jones by abusing alcohol and even killing other animals when they disobeyed. Slowly, the animals that were once united by their hatred towards Jones were becoming divided again amongst themselves. The story is quite a classic novel and better suited for younger readers than 1984.

The Rise of Totalitarianism.......2007-10-07

Animal Farm is a strong metaphor for the rise of tyranny using the model of a failing communism after the deliberate overthrow and subsequent breakdown of capitalism and democracy. In Orwell's story oppressed farm animals rebel against their masters only to find themselves falling prey to the inherent problem of an escalating despotism following emancipation that culminates in an even vaster gap of inequality between upper and lower classes with the wants of the very few outweighing the needs of a neglected majority that are slowly turned into isolated brainwashed slaves controlled by fear.

The ideology of equality is sound but in overthrowing the ruling elite who cannot say that yet another privileged will not emerge? An even stronger dictatorship that can control the masses with the intimidating thought that if the populace doesn't obey any order then the old ways can come back? What makes Animal Farm so good is that it explains how revolutions designed to close the differences in rank can be easily exploited. This is the inevitable dilemma faced by all civilizations that desire governed order and is especially true of socialism and communism. Nobody has captured the difficulty of the exploitation of trust and power any better than Orwell has done with Animal Farm.

Animal Farm doesn't answer any questions but makes lots of them and is all about awareness of these possibilities, a conundrum born out from our systemic need to consolidate power socially.

Orwell based his work on a combination of the Bolshevik revolutionaries and Stalinism but the overall message is a one of warning about how any system of political control can become corrupt if it is allowed run with carte blanche.

It is also a message about how awareness of one's own strength can suddenly change the balance and for this reason has been seen as subversive material. Animal Farm is often banned by most totalitarian regimes and even some governments had banned it because they didn't understand it or believed that its anti-communism message was considered too strong for public consumption.

A historical commentary.......2007-09-30

Best book ever written. It's important to note that it is not only about Russian Communism but equally about the French revolution. Orwell himself was a disillusioned socialist, so to view this book (as conservatives do) as a simple polemical against Communism is a distortion. Rather it is a tragedy about many years of history.

Orwell correctly never denies that Mr. Jones abused his animals. He correctly recognizes the socialist dream as exactly that. It's worth noting that the theme song of the revolution, "Beasts of England" is an exact parody of the old Socialist poem "Men of England" by Percy Shelley from the early 19th century. The character Napoleon the pig is both Napoleon Bonaparte and Stalin. Orwell's relentless cynicism portrays most of the animals as far too stupid to realize what's happening as the revolution betrays its original principles. The most sympathetic character is the old donkey who knows better, but can only watch helplessly as the dogs and pigs establish their tyranny. Its ending corresponds closely with Napoleon (Bonaparte) crowning himself king.

As far as advice, Orwell offers none. Figure it out yourself.

All Animals Are Equal But Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others........2007-09-23

_Animal Farm: A Fairy Story_, fist published in 1946 by George Orwell (pen name of Eric Blair), is a satirical tale of a farm taken over and run by animals meant to satirize the totalitarianisms of the day and in particular communism and Stalinism. George Orwell (1903 - 1950) was the pen name of the British author Eric Blair, who developed an early enmity towards those in power and their abuses of power. Orwell was a socialist but came to witness the horrors of the Soviet state and the betrayal of his ideals by Stalinists. As such, Orwell came to loathe totalitarianism in general and wrote novels, including this book and _1984_, showing the degrading effects such societies (and in particular the communism of the Soviet state) had on people. Orwell's books are indeed prophetic and show us a world in which the very life-force has been sapped out of mankind by those in power. Orwell imagines a highly efficient totalitarian state, capable of enforcing political correctness at the highest levels, tampering with the memories of men (or animals as is the case in this book), and maintaining a total disregard for the truth. Orwell shows how under such regimes the very notion of truth becomes suspect and the individual can no longer distinguish between fact and state propaganda. This particularly applies to the Soviet Union under Josef Stalin, which is the primary setting for Orwell's stories. During the Second World War, when Stalin was regarded as an ally by many British, Orwell's stories came as a shock in that they showed the vile nature of the Soviet regime.

_Animal Farm_ begins as the Manor Farm of the human farmer Mr. Jones, who the animals believe exploit them. As such, the animals on the farm gather together and stage a rebellion against the human exploiters so that they may together own the farm to work for the benefit of all animals. The story begins as Old Major, a prize white boar near the end of his life, tells of a future society in which animals work together free from the exploitation of man. It has been suggested that Old Major very likely represents either Marx or Lenin, the precursors of the Russian revolution. Following this, all the animals join together in singing the traditional folk song "The Beasts of England", expressing their hope for a better society. Following this, the animals stage a revolt against Mr. Jones and drive him from the farm, assuming ownership of the farm themselves and re-naming it "Animal Farm". In particular, two pigs named Snowball and Napoleon come to play prominent parts as leaders; however, soon there develops rival factions surrounding each of these pigs. Together the animals create the Seven Commandments of Animalism, which maintain that all animals are equal and that those who go upon four legs or have wings are friends while those who go upon two legs are enemies. However, as the story continues, all seven of the commandments are eventually to be broken by the pig leadership. The animals then begin working together on the farm and design their own society ruled by animals. However, a rivalry develops between the pigs, Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball advocates building a windmill while Napoleon opposes it. Eventually, Napoleon and his dogs are to drive Snowball from the farm; however, the memory of Snowball is to forever come back and haunt the animals and he is systematically blamed for whatever goes wrong on the farm. It has been suggested that while Snowball represents the character Leon Trotsky from the Russian revolution, Napoleon represents the vile dictator Josef Stalin. Napoleon then begins consolidating his power and little by little takes over all aspects of the farm. Napoleon also uses propaganda and uses the pig Squealer to manipulate the animals and provide an alternate history which places Napoleon at the center of the rebellion. Other characters on the farm include the work horse Boxer (whose mottos "I will work harder" and "Napoleon is always right" serve to illustrate his persistence but whose role on the farm is cruelly exploited by the pigs and who is eventually cruelly killed by them - perhaps reminiscent of the Soviet Stakhanovite movement), the horses Clover and Mollie, the sheep (perhaps reminiscent of the proletariat), the raven Moses (who preaches of a "Sugarcandy mountain" in the sky where animals go after death - reminiscent of religion and the churches), the dogs (Napoleon's private guards), the cat, and Benjamin the donkey. As time passes, the pigs led by Napoleon begin abusing their power and breaking the Seven Commandments. They drink alcohol, they have dealings with humans on other farms, the stage a great show trial in which they slaughter animals believed to be spies for Snowball, etc. Throughout the book Napoleon continues to engage in negotiations with human owners of other farms and in particular a conflict develops between Mr. Frederick and Mr. Pilkington, reminiscent of other leaders that Stalin engaged in negotiations with. Meanwhile, life on the farm continues to grow worse and worse, with longer and harder working hours and less benefits, though the animals have forgotten whether life was better or worse under Mr. Jones. At the end, the animals see for themselves exactly what the pigs have wrought, as it is shown that the pigs are no different than the humans. This book also shows the collaboration between the big capitalists and the communist leaders, both of whom plotted against the people to consolidate power in the hands of a few. The book ends on a very disturbing note, in which we see the complete abandonment of the ideals which launched the rebellion by the pigs.

Orwell's books provide classic and disturbing accounts of the horrors of Soviet totalitarianism. They show us an efficient bureaucratic apparatus capable of sapping the life from the very people it claims to represent. As such, they are classic tales of the dangers that lurk behind totalitarianism and the manner in which human idealism is exploited by evil dictators. They are to be highly recommended to each new generation who seeks to understand the world in which we live today.

Postscript: In a truly disturbing fashion, this "Centennial Edition" comes with a pro-communist foreword by Ann Patchett which rails against the evils of "McCarthyism". I believe that this foreword is best ignored in light of the fact that this is an anti-communist work of fiction.

Best book I was ever forced to read.......2007-09-21

I'm quite old now, but many decades ago I was forced to read this in school. It was the first time I loved a book I was forced to read, and to this day it was the one I enjoyed the most at least until college.

Lord of the Flies (Literature Made Easy)

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John Welte's Review
required reading for teens
Rather "Piggy" then "Fatty" indeed...
Linguistic tour de force
complete recording of a tedious novel

Lord of the Flies (Literature Made Easy)
Mary Hartley , and Tony Buzan
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764108212

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William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition. --Jennifer Hubert

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Customer Reviews:

John Welte's Review.......2007-08-18

The Lord of the Flies was a book that I was required to read at the start of tenth grade. When I started reading the book I wasn't interested right away. I thought the book lacked any action, and I couldn't identify with any of the characters, personally. Honestly, I kept reading because of obligation. Eventually I realized it was a good book. Towards the second half of the book the author added action and the characters evolved. Arguments took place among the boys which started fighting and drama. When the story started picking up it had me excited until the very end. Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a great adventure book.

required reading for teens.......2007-07-08

Like most everyone else, I read this book because it was required reading in ninth or tenth grade. I recently reread it with my thirteen year old son and discussed it with him. For him, as I suspect it would be for most young readers, it was a magnificent introductory illustration of the distinction between the literal and the metaphoric in literature.

Rather "Piggy" then "Fatty" indeed..........2007-07-02

I'll admit i'm a late fan of this novel, never having the enjoyment of being assigned this in school. However i'm pleased in my adult life to possibly have a greater appreciation of it. This is truly a timeless story of the savage within us all and how even without a civilization, all different aspects of a society can be portrayed, even in the innocence of shipwrecked children. Ralph serves as our center, imperfect at best, yet constantly trying to do the greater good. Jack is his id, a leader by worth but not in ideology or action, our ego. Piggy is our brain and conscience, however fragile and annoyingly persistent. Roger is our wrath. An unleashed, unsympathetic, unbridled purely sickening rage. Simon is our curiosity and independence, He carrys our emotions and our feelings.

The story itself begins with Ralph as the elected leader of the group of young children, however, the lead hunter, Jack eventually finds no solice in this decision and it becomes 2 camps at odds on an island. Thats the short version, which does no justice to the complexity of the story nor the incredible imagery given by the author. In this story, children do terrible things to children, yet the degeneration into savages is so gradual you can understand there blind lust for adventure and victory overall else, especially when that same idea has been behind every war known to man.

I titled this review after a line from the novel, because i think it secretly underlined alot of what the story was about. Some Rules may not be fun, but the consequences without are far worse. This can be applied to so many aspects in life. As i think i will carry this with me a long time coming.

Linguistic tour de force.......2007-06-30

As many already know, this book contains a vast number of symbolisms and has many allusions to foreign themes (eg. ideological, other novels, biblical) and ideas. But what is it other than its allegorical and abovementioned quality that makes it remarkable? Here, I attempt to elucidate the work in other aspects other than its dark theme and storyline(which countless other reviews have already touched upon).

One of the strongest qualities of the book is its language. In the story, the sheer vividness of the landscape is written with great intensity, movements are described with precision and in between are interspaced events and dialogue that many times, because certain events are not directly mentioned or written, requires much effort to infer. That is why I suppose many have found it frustrating and a tedium to read.

As an example of description, when Golding describes the waves and how looking towards it sometimes creates a mirage, 'Strange things happened at midday. The glittering sea moved apart in planes...Sometimes, land loomed where there was no land and flicked out like a bubble...'. Despite the work's linguistic difficulty, especially for younger readers, the language is a work of art, and much concentration is required. Younger readers, however, will enjoy the story's quick pace and narrative.

With its combination of linguistic complexity, far reaching symbolism and allegory etc., the strength of this work lies in its depth and power. The bleak, pessimistic portrait of humanity is brought about through the boys and their virgin attempts at civility on a remote island and as the struggle of Ralph and Piggy against Jack and his gang is played out, many philosophical questions are raised. Is humanity innately fallible to primitism? How does society establish order? Does youth affect all this?

All said, Lord of the Flies is a brilliantly bleak, lustrously prosed, deeply discomforting portrait of mankind. No wonder it is recommended reading for so many high schools and colleges.

Note: Lord of the Flies may be a great piece of dystopian work, but there are some which will inevitably exceed it, notably the first two below:
Nineteen Eighty-Four Brave New World Gulliver's Travels (Penguin Classics) Utopia (Penguin Classics) Herland, The Yellow Wall-Paper, and Selected Writings (Penguin Classics)

complete recording of a tedious novel.......2007-06-29

Listening to this novel doesn't improve it. You get the added bonus track of Golding groaning on and on and on about how he got the inspiration for this overly simplistic morality tale. With so much good literature out in the world, if the house catches fire, leave this one behind. Sucks to my as-mar.

Quilting Made Easy (Classic American Quilt Collection)

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Great resource book

Quilting Made Easy (Classic American Quilt Collection)

Manufacturer: Rodale Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0875969739

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Great resource book.......2000-06-03

I think this is a great book. I just started quilting and it has answered all my questions so far. It doesn't have any patterns, so you have to start with your own. It explains each step of the way from picking fabrics and how to cut them to the finishing touches. It also shows you how to hand quilt or machine quilt which is nice. Throughout the book there are lots of tips and shortcuts (which is especially nice for novices like me).

Average customer rating:

A discussion of the ending *Spoilers below*
Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves, because someone is advocating for their death
Tragedies
Steinbeck does wonders with so few pages. This is a great touching story
Big

Of Mice and Men (Literature Made Easy)
Ruth Coleman , and Tony Buzan
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0764108204

Book Description

Customer Reviews:

A discussion of the ending *Spoilers below*.......2007-10-02

*WARNING: Don't read this review if you haven't read the book and don't want to know the ending

The book has three surprise events in the ending. The first is Lennie's killing of Curley's wife. This is shocking because Curley's father owns the farm, so Lennie could get into serious trouble. The second is when Lennie is hiding in the brush waiting for George, and he sees and hears Aunt Clara's ghost talking and later a rabbit talking. The third is not when George shoots Lennie, but when George walks away with Slim, as if the two are best pals now. This makes it seem that George did not take his friendship with Lennie very seriously, because instead of mourning his death alone, he hangs on to Slim, as if Lennie is easily replaceable and that Slim has taken Lennie's place now. I thought the ending makes George seem like a shady character, not bad enough to be called the villain, but still not good enough to be called hero of the book.

Speak up for those who can't speak for themselves, because someone is advocating for their death.......2007-09-24

You won't get any complaint from me that this book is skillfully written, in it's vivid descriptions of settings, detailed descriptions of characters, and realistic dialogue.

However, I believe this book has a bad message, and the bad message is about how it's ok to put the weak, infirm and dependent to death. It started with the discussion of Candy's aged dog. The book gave the impression that the dog's age made him no good to even himself, the "quality of life" argument that has been advanced to support euthanizing the elderly, weak and infirm.

After discussing Candy's dog, the argument proceded to Candy himself, where he longs to be euthanized when he can no longer work.

Finally, we come to George's murder of the retarded Lennie, which is completely justified by Slim, the voice of the one sympathetic character in the book. I believe that George was looking for an opportunity to divest himself of Lennie, and that opportunity presented itself when Lennie killed Curley's wife. It was also mentioned that if Lennie was institutionalized, it would be worse than death. I realized there are conflicting opinions about the moral nature of George, but I don't believe he was a good character.

As I was writing this review, I recalled Proverbs 31:8-9 "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." Of Mice And Men describes a world where the advocates for euthanizing the weak and infirm prevail.

Tragedies.......2007-09-16

This is a well-constructed, tightly-crafted novella by Steinbeck telling the story of George and his simple-minded companion Lennie, who arrive at a farm looking for work so they can save enough money to achieve their dream of buying their own property. You know something is bound to go wrong.

Although much of the plot might be well-signalled before it occurs, I thought that it did not detract from the quality of the work. As a short piece of fiction should, it holds the reader's attention throughout. It also seemed to me that by this time, Steinbeck seemed to be producing high-quality work. "The Grapes of Wrath" were just around the corner.

G Rodgers

Steinbeck does wonders with so few pages. This is a great touching story.......2007-09-10

Steinbeck writes beautiful prose in this very short book. The story unravels rather quickly and the strong connection one feels with the characters is created from the very first pages. The story is about two friends that travel together looking for work on farms in California. Lennie is a very large man with a feeble mind and George is Lennie's keeper who dreams with Lennie about eventually having a small piece of land where they can have animals and live from it. The book is written using the slang of the 20's and Steinbeck uses incredible imagery throughout the book. The quick story is bound to touch your heart and linger in your mind days after the last page has been read. Enjoy!

Big.......2007-09-01

What makes a big book? Not physical length. Knowing this novel's reputation as one of Steinbeck's masterpieces, I was astounded to lay hands on its mere hundred pages. Not scale of setting, either. The entire novella takes place in and around the bunkhouse of a California farm, and contains fewer than a dozen characters; it is so compact that it might almost have been made for film, television, or the stage (and it did in fact succeed in all these media). The people, furthermore, are by no means important or powerful; Steinbeck tells of ordinary itinerant laborers, bindle stiffs, living precariously from job to job. In this, the book is similar to THE GRAPES OF WRATH, but deliberately avoids its epic scope, preferring to show a few characters in intimate detail rather than to suggest the displacement of multitudes.

Yet I have no hesitation in calling the book big. Without any effort or overt symbolism, Steinbeck shows something simultaneously particular and vast. His characters are individuals, very real yet bound to one another and to us through their common humanity. The novel speaks to a particular time -- the American West in the late thirties -- and yet seems timeless. It takes a specific corner of California ("A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green") and makes it a kind of oasis of simplicity, as in the marvelous opening scene where the principal characters choose to spend a night sleeping under the stars rather than arriving too soon at the farm.

And nothing could be bigger than the heart of Lennie, the simple-minded giant who comes to the farm with his friend and protector George, but whose confused feelings and ignorance of his own strength get him into trouble. The bond between him and George is not fully explained, but it is palpably filled with a kind of love. Lennie's inability to articulate his feelings is shared by all the other characters to some extent; this is a world in which men keep themselves to themselves and move on alone. But their very inarticulateness gives their underlying emotions an almost primal power. Truly, this is a big book.

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Debt Collection Made Easy
Roy Hedges
Manufacturer: Lawpack Publishing Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1902646428

Collections made easy!: A comprehensive guide for medical and dental professions

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Collections made easy!: A comprehensive guide for medical and dental professions
Michael J Berry
Manufacturer: PMIC
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Binding: Paperback

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Tutorial for office staff. Highlights various methods and procedures to increase patient response and payment, design a collection routine, and build a front-end collecting system. Provides a quick-reference guide to maximize overall accounts receivable. Includes sample forms and letters. Previous edition: c1992. Softcover.

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Romeo and Juliet (Literature Made Easy)
Lisa Fabry , and Tony Buzan
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
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Binding: Paperback

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Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Literature Made Easy)

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Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (Literature Made Easy)
Iona MacGregor , and Tony Buzan
Manufacturer: Barron's Educational Series
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