The Dew Breaker

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In her third novel, The Dew Breaker, the prolific Edwidge Danticat spins a series of related stories around a shadowy central figure, a Haitian immigrant to the U.S. who reveals to his artist daughter that he is not, as she believes, a prison escapee, but a former prison guard, skilled in torture and the other violent control methods of a brutal regime. "Your father was the hunter," he confesses, "he was not the prey." Into this brilliant opening, Danticat tucks the seeds of all that follows: the tales of the prison guard's victims, of their families, of those who recognize him decades later on the streets of New York, of those who never see him again, but are so haunted that they believe he's still pursuing them. (A dew breaker, we learn, is a government functionary who comes in the early morning to arrest someone or to burn a house down, breaking the dew on the grass that he crosses.) Although it is frustrating, sometimes, to let go of one narrative thread to follow another, The Dew Breaker is a beautifully constructed novel that spirals back to the reformed prison guard at the end, while holding unanswered the question of redemption. --Regina Marler

Book Description

We meet him late in life: a quiet man, a good father and husband, a fixture in his Brooklyn neighborhood, a landlord and barber with a terrifying scar across his face. As the book unfolds, moving seamlessly between Haiti in the 1960s and New York City today, we enter the lives of those around him, and learn that he has also kept a vital, dangerous secret. Edwidge Danticat’s brilliant exploration of the “dew breaker”--or torturer--s an unforgettable story of love, remorse, and hope; of personal and political rebellions; and of the compromises we make to move beyond the most intimate brushes with history. It firmly establishes her as one of America’s most essential writers.

Customer Reviews:

Exquisite.......2007-05-28

This loosely woven collection of stories mostly revolves around the title character, a former torturer who fled his haunted Haiti, and his family. Other characters swirl in and out of the sphere of the Dew Breaker's new existence in America.

The story opens with the Dew Breaker's daughter about to give a beautifully expressive sculpture representing a tortured prisoner to a prominent Haitian-American actress. The father destroys the sculpture before confessing to his daughter that he was not, in fact, the prisoner-figure she thought he was -- the figure she used to inspire all of her sculptures -- but the one who tortured the prisoners. He clearly wants to leave those times behind, but knows he will always be haunted by the fear that he will be found out in his new home, and that he can never make a clean start.

We soon leave this story for a time to learn the stories of people associated with the Dew Breaker in some way, however tenuously: his tenants, customers, girlfriends of tenants... Some stories are resolved, and some are not. At first, this disturbed me a little, but then it occurred to me that we don't always know the whole story of people we connect with, nor do we fully understand how much we can influence their lives, even with brief encounters.

Besides exploring a universal connectedness, this book beautifully depicted the interconnectedness of the Haitian community, both in Haiti and abroad. I also learned much about the horrible circumstances these people have endured over the years. Finally, the book made me think about how differently people respond to those circumstances. Why do some rise up against oppression, while some join in with the oppressors? What is the definition of a victim? Can the oppressors be granted their chance at redemption, or must they always be seen as villains?

The book is splendidly written and a joy to read, even if the subject matter is heartbreaking at times, even in redemption.

Disturbing.......2007-05-14

I used this book for a book club I started with some students at the university I work at. I think I was the only one who read the whole thing because it was fairly difficult to read and it was really disturbing.

One of the great, great books of the new century.......2006-08-07

Danticat has written some great stories prior to this collection (see "Night Women," especially, and "Caroline's Wedding"), and she's no slouch as a novelist, either. But The Dew Breaker is a breakthrough book, a hybrid of story collection and novel so good that the reader need not worry about which it is.

Each of these stories is working on at least five levels: (1) as a readable narrative in which everything leads to something else, and the reader is pulled through with the same kind of pleasure commercial fiction offers, (2) as a character study, and as an exercise in dramatic empathy -- the reader identifies with the character and feels what the character is feeling, no matter whether the character is inherently likable or not, (3) as a story-within-a story, the broader story being the shadow the dew breaker and his terrible actions cast over the rest of the story, (4) as a story-within-a-story-within the broader story of the nightmare Duvalier regime and the resulting Haitian diaspora, and (5) as a miracle of the lyrical, the language itself forming a kind of music that entrances the reader.

I've not read many books as beautiful as this one, and it's worth your time to pick up a copy and read it.

"The Drew Breaker" is worthy of your attention........2006-06-23

Edwige Danticat offers us several short stories about the Dulavier era of Haiti. In her almost prosaic prose Danticat give us true horror stories and the monsters are human. Each story can stand alone but it is connected to the others through characters who are the victims of a brutal regime. Even the perpetrators are given sympathetic reality, which makes the reader wonder about the human condition.

Danticat is a fantastic writer whose control of the language is gorgeous. There's nothing flashy or self-congratulatory about her spare descriptions and images - it's just perfect. Her book is full of surprises, yet it also moves inevitably to the title story in the end. In bits and pieces we learn more about the central mystery, moving into the heart by indirection, overhearing the stories of neighbors, tenants, and relatives, picking up the unexamined shards of truth and cussing out the gossip. The notes of redemption surface briefly in the din of denial, anger flashes through sentimental projection and idealism, and a portrait of Haiti emerges, soaked in blood, guilt, vision, sorrow, and hope. The diaspora of which most of the characters are a part seems a blessing because the charnel house from which they come echoes with the cries of the tortured, the terrified, the tyrants.

Haiti is the dark jewel of our hemisphere, the island of hope and despair, beauty and poverty, love and torture. With poetic compression and heartbreaking compassion, Edwidge Danticat brings us face to face with mystery, grief, and life. I might not read this book again, only because the subject is so painful and melancholy, but Danticat manages to find beauty through her writing about the most horrible events.

An Overall, Good Read.......2006-05-02

So, who or what is the Dew Breaker? The Dew Breaker is so named because he comes in the early hours of the day, disturbing the dew on the grass. In this story the Dew Breaker is a torturer and killer. The story explores the lives of the many people affected by a former Haitian prison guard. The story flows through Haiti, Florida and New York, from 1967 to present-day.

The story opens with a young lady who is on a trip with her father. Ka, has invited her father to tag along with her on a trip to Florida to deliver a piece of her art to a prospective buyer. The piece is a sculpture that was inspired by and dedicated to her Haitian father. I felt anguish and sadness for the father when he explains to Ka that he is not worthy of such a work of art. This explanation comes as an answer to why he destroyed Ka's sculpture. Though Ka was very calm and patient with her father, my mind was racing trying to figure out what this poor man could have done that was so terrible that he was moved to destroy his daughter's prided creation. He gives us some insight when he tells her that he did not receive the dreadful scar on his face while serving in a Haitian prison and that he is not the man she believes him to be. "Your father was the hunter, not the prey." he confesses to her. He doesn't uncover any more of the mystery at that time. Instead this introduction serves as the beginning of a journey through the lives of many that this man touched.

The movement of the story is a little frustrating at times. Danticat moves between characters and it is difficult making the transition between one character's story and the next. There are some vivid and moving experiences described by the characters as they told their stories of their personal interactions with the dew breaker. As always, the author is very descriptive, which allows you to create a visual of what is taking place. There is a build up to the final chapter which reveals the events that place the dew breaker in his present life and present conditions. Why is he so secretive? Why did he withold the truth from his daughter? Why are he and his wife so anti-social and mysterious? These questions are answered when Danticat walks us through what happened that last night that prompted The Dew Breaker to leave his home and the life he had there.

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The dew breakers
John Dow Merritt
Manufacturer: World Vision Pub. Co. ;
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books
ASIN: B0006XJD6S

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The Dew Breaker

Manufacturer: Recorded Books, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Cassette

General | Books on Cassette | Audiobooks | Formats | Books

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The Dew Breaker

ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: 1402574762

Product Description

From Publishers Weekly Haitian-born Danticat's third novel (after The Farming of Bones and Breath, Eyes, Memory) focuses on the lives affected by a "dew breaker," or torturer of Haitian dissidents under Duvalier's regime. Each chapter reveals the titular man from another viewpoint, including that of his grown daughter, who, on a trip she takes with him to Florida, learns the secret of his violent past and those of the Haitian boarders renting basement rooms in his Brooklyn home. This structure allows Danticat to move easily back and forth in time and place, from 1967 Haiti to present-day Florida, tracking diverse threads within the larger narrative. Some readers may think that what she gains in breadth she loses in depth; this is a slim book, and Danticat does not always stay in one character's mind long enough to fully convey the complexities she seeks. The chaptersmost of which were published previously as stories, with the first three appearing in the New Yorkercan feel more like evocative snapshots than richly textured portraits. The slow accumulation of details pinpointing the past's effects on the present makes for powerful reading, however, and Danticat is a crafter of subtle, gorgeous sentences and scenes. As the novel circles around the dew breaker, moving toward final episodes in which, as a young man and already dreaming of escape to the U.S., he performs his terrible work, the impact on the reader hauntingly, ineluctably grows. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Dew Breakers
Dow Merritt
Manufacturer: J.C. Choate Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K3M370

Edwidge Danticat. The Dew Breaker.(Book Review): An article from: World Literature Today

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Edwidge Danticat. The Dew Breaker.(Book Review): An article from: World Literature Today
Robert McCormick
Manufacturer: University of Oklahoma
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from World Literature Today, published by University of Oklahoma on January 1, 2005. The length of the article is 750 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Edwidge Danticat. The Dew Breaker.(Book Review)
Author: Robert McCormick
Publication: World Literature Today (Refereed)
Date: January 1, 2005
Publisher: University of Oklahoma
Volume: 79 Issue: 1 Page: 83(2)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The New Yorker Festival - Edwidge Danticat and Chang-rae Lee

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The New Yorker Festival - Edwidge Danticat and Chang-rae Lee
Lee, Edwidge, Chang-rae Danticat
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B0009PND3W

The New Yorker Festival - Literature and Politics

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The New Yorker Festival - Literature and Politics
Eggers, Ozick, Pamuk, Edwidge, Dave, Cynthia, Orhan Danticat
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B0009PND32

The New Yorker Festival: Yiyun Li and Edwidge Danticat

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The New Yorker Festival: Yiyun Li and Edwidge Danticat
Danticat, Yiyun, Edwidge Li
Manufacturer: audible.com
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio Download
ASIN: B000K2Q75A

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The dew breaker
Edwidge Danticat
Manufacturer: Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QYDJIU

Book Description

A dogged killer...

When Dog's Life columnist Holly Winter regains consciousness atop a cliff in Acadia National Park, she has no idea who she is. Not even the arrival of two beautiful and oddly friendly dogs, who happen to be her own Alaskan malamutes, Rowdy and Kimi, is enough to jar her memory.

Instinct tells her that her fall was no accident and she'd best keep her amnesia a secret. Yet when she follows the clues back to the guest house of Gabrielle Beamon, a charming woman surrounded by an eccentric band of preservationists, all she finds is more questions.

What was a dead man, who reportedly hated exercise and the outdoors, doing hiking in the first place? Why did Holly have a file filled with information on arsenic? And why does the charismatic founder of the Pine Tree Foundation seem so hauntingly familiar? As Holly gets closer to the truth, not even her faithful dogs may be able to save her from a human who is ruthless to the bone.

Customer Reviews:

Nice setting, but a bit confusing........2007-06-22

The setting for this book is in a National Park in Maine, and it sounds quite beautiful there. I must hand it to Susan Conant. Having your heroine suffer a memory loss is a great way to add a difference to a series. Holly was not herself at all after she woke up at the bottom of a trail in Arcadia National Park, and she isn't herself throughout the whole story as she tries to piece together her life, as well as determine what happened to a resident that appeared to fall down a steep set of steps just a few meters from where she woke up. But I felt the plot was a bit confusing. It was like I fell and suffered a head injury along with Holly. But Rowdy and Kimi are back and that's a good thing. I really do enjoy this dog lovers mystery series.

Not to be forgotten.......2003-08-04

I thought this was one of Conant's best--getting the dogs away from the home town and into situations where they could still show their amazing qualities, but not be focused on "show dogs" was excellent. She handled the amnesia very well--as she "learned" about who she was, her recall of her personality was quite humorous. The characters were strong, especially Holly's father. I enjoyed this story throughout, right up until the end. My only complaint with this novel was the whole interaction/relationship with Steve. I thought the surprise at the end unnecessary; it was over the top. I'm not sure what it was supposed to add to the story unless it was just a way to prolong interest in the relationship/interaction and if that was the case, I'd say it was more strange than effective.

Holly sure was whacked! :-).......2003-03-24

I mean that in the best possible way. Really. It was fascinating to read Holly's account of how she rediscovered herself and to read the details of her life that she utterly forgot and confused her. How could anyone forget their own beautiful pooches? The rice in the backpacks was indeed a nice baffling touch, though I knew what its purpose was before Holly figured it out. Her account of her terrible handwriting was amusing to anyone who has gone back to reread something and found it mystifying. The details seemed so genuine to me that I even awakened after reading the book, afraid I had forgotten my own life!

Holly is a total dog nut, but comes by it honestly since her parents were, she has lovely dogs (enough to make anyone nuts about dogs), dated a vet. Her discovery of that, and the "tape recorder" that went off in her mouth when the Malamutes were mistaken for "huskies" was priceless.

What was not so priceless was the insidious crime committed by the dangerous, misguided villan. Anita isn't priceless either- her nastiness is bound to get her into even more trouble in later books. Poor Steve- the true mystery of the book was "what is going on with Steve and Holly? And why?" Sadly, we don't learn the answer, at least not in *this* book.

The amnesia provides Holly with an excellent opportunity to explore the nature of her relationship with her father, and ultimately, her mother. Most of us never get the chance to see our parents with all the emotional baggage associated with them; Holly is lucky to have that, even at such a high cost.

Loved It!.......2003-01-02

I was surprised by the mixed reviews of this book. I have read many Susan Conant books, and consider this as one of my top three favorites. I loved the change of setting, and the new characters were refreshing and had depth. I am hoping they will be recurring in Conant's upcoming books. Far from being disappointed with the development of Steve Delaney's character, I was thrilled that Conant took the risk~she successfully avoids the standard relationship storyline and creates something much more intriguing. And getting to know Buck was a welcome event. Most importantly, the Holly Winter character retains the strong, independent, and dog-loving nature that I love about her, and I look forward to more!

Disappointing.......2002-12-05

I have read each of Ms. Conant's books eagerly. I wish I had passed this one up. Disappointing is the nicest word I can find for it. It is not nearly as satisfying and coherent as her previous books.

Also, having followed Holly Winter's and Steve Delancy's "romance" through the books, I admit I was waiting for a doggone good wedding. This book, with its dropping of my favorite fictional vet and his unbelievable marriage to a shyster lawyer, is the last I will read of Ms. Conant's books.

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CREATURE DISCOMFORTS
Susan Conant
Manufacturer: Brodway Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RAY4T6

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Creature Discomforts - A Dog Lover's Mystery
Susan Conant
Manufacturer: Doubleday
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000IX3FJW

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Creature discomforts.('X-men' and other mutant-movie favorites)(Brief Article): An article from: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
S. H.
Manufacturer: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

X-Men | Characters | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books
General | Science | Subjects | Books
Science & Technology | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books
Science | HTML | Formats | e-Docs | Formats | Books
ASIN: B0008IXBXW
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc. on July 1, 2000. The length of the article is 639 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Creature discomforts.('X-men' and other mutant-movie favorites)(Brief Article)
Author: S. H.
Publication: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Refereed)
Date: July 1, 2000
Publisher: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
Volume: 56 Issue: 4 Page: 10

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

In the Die Vecna Die! adventure, fans can match wits with one of the most powerful villains ever created for the Dungeons & Dragons(r) game. Loyal Dungeons & Dragons players will be thrilled at the chance for their heroes to face-and possibly vanquish-the all-powerful Vecna. In the process, D&D(r) players will get to use the most famous artifacts ever created for the D&D game- the Hand and Eye of Vecna-while traveling from Greyhawk(r) to Ravenloft(r) to the planar city of Sigil.

Customer Reviews:

Do you Dare??.......2000-08-08

The last book of 2nd edition...Your characters determine how it will all end. Adventure that begins in Greyhawk then takes you to Ravenloft and ends up in Sigil!! In Greyhawk, the adventurers find out that the god Iuz is starting trouble. Several small scirmishes and a wonderful story. In Ravenloft, the adventurers find themselves in a strange city, and they realizenot everything is as it seems!!! I wont ruin it, but I will add this: if Vecna breaks out, Ravenloft could be destroyed! In Sigil, your characters do battle with a god and if, if they survive...They might receive a blessing from the Lady herself. The creators of this module left enough room to play with as far as tweaking this or that, but over all, there is so much information about every little room, dungeon, NPC that even a new dungeon master would have no problems. I DM'd this module with four other players (Green Dragon Mage-constructed from the council of wyrms), a psionisist (Human male-uh, until he put on a girdle of feminity-haha), Minotaur warrior and a Paladine(Yes, the Paladine and Dragon got along very well, but that's what makes the role play). Any how, the charcters were all around 7the level and the game lasted 5 fridays, each friday lasting around 8 hrs!!! It was one of the funnest games I have DM'd since....Dragon Mountain!! Die Vecna, Die is an adventure not for the faint of heart...Oh, did I mention that half of the party died? I wont say who for fear of intimidating other players (Dark Smile)

Goodbye 2nd edition, Hello 3rd.......2000-07-07

As the final module for 2nd edition D&D, I think this is a classic. It's the first Greyhawk storyline I've run in over 10 years, but well worth it. I like to have a sense of continuity and cohesiveness in my campaigns, and although Ravenloft got a little play in my games I never really liked it. This module gives me the chance to essentially blow it away but maintain it's relevance to my ongoing campaign (now at to 19 years)!

The module also served as a nice sendoff to the realms of Greyhawk, Ravenloft, and Planescape, none of which will be officially supported by WotC once 3rd Edition D&D arrives. It's a killer of a module, one that will be difficult for DMs to handle and players to survive, but the ending is extrememly satisfying. I highly recommend this module!

Ah, Vecna, my canny foe, we meet again..........2000-06-30

One could make the defeat of Vecna the focus of 2 or 3 campaigns; the 3 adventures that star Vecna (Vecna Lives!, Vecna Reborn, and Die, Vecna, Die!)are certainly not for the faint of heart or low of level. Die, Vecna, Die! is an epic adventure that falls just a bit short due to the fact it seems a bit too pre-programmed, leading the adventurers by the nose at times. It does bring the story arc for Vecna closer to a conclusion, but relies too heavily on plot contrivances that negate some of what has come before in the other Vecna adventures, such as the revelation that the Sword of Kas that we've seen in Vecna Lives! is a replica, not the original, or that, oh, by the way, there IS a way for the Sword to defeat Vecna. This module also suffers in comparison to Vecna Lives!, which managed to evoke a truly terrifying atmosphere. However, this is a fine adventure well worth checking out.

Great Adventure but Deadly.......2000-06-29

Ah Yes! I've been intrigued by vecna ever since first reading about his infamous artifacts some 2 decades ago. and now TSR has kindly put out the ultimate Vecna adventure in a supermodule format similiar to the first edition: Temple of Elemental Evil, Desert of Desolation, etc... Within this adventure lies the ambition of two evil demigods seeking to attain full ascension to godhood by absorbing the powers of the other. Iuz the Old enters the demiplane of dread to destroy Vecna, yet unknowingly Iuz is but one pawn of many in a plan which Vecna initiated aeons ago. For Vecna not only plots to attain full godhood, but become the ultimate god by challenging the Lady of Pain herself, destroying the known multiverse, and then recreating it in his own image. There have been some questionables raised concerning this module ie..How can Vecna escape the demiplane of dread, or How can Vecna enter Sigil. Just note that the reasons are fully explained within the module if you read it. An excellant adventure, and no matter the final outcome--the worlds will never again be the same. This fantastic module is for levels 10-13. I give it 5 stars but I must warn you. This module is a killer! Players BEWARE.

WARNING--ONLY THE MOST BRAVEST ADVENTURERS NEED APPLY.......2000-06-27

This is a fantastic module, apocalyptic in nature, this module stars the two great villains of Oerth: Vecna the all powerful lich god imprisoned within his Citadel Cavitius on the demiplane of dread, and the evil demigod Iuz the Old who seeks to destroy Vecna and gain his power. But what is this? Vecna has plans of his own which include challenging the Lady of Pain herself for ultimate supremecy over the multiverse. This module takes place on Oerth, the demiplane of dread, and Sigil though as stated the module is all you need to play.

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Not a bad book.

Average Quality

We love it!!

BEWARE - Extreme Political Correctness Lies Within

Beware: "Political Correctness" Be Here

Comprehensive School Health Education: Totally Awesome Strategies for Teaching Health
Linda Brower Meeks
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Companies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 007284406X

Book Description

Comprehensive School Health Education, second edition continues to be the most thorough textbook and resource for helping elementary, middle, and secondary teachers teach health. It is the most widely used health education methods textbook and Teacher Resource Book for Health Education. Students who use this in a methods class keep it and use it when they student teach and when they secure a teaching position. This comprehensive Teacher Resource Book was co-authored by the nation's most prolific K-12 health education authors and is the only text that contains a curriculum guide directly tied to the National Health Education Standards. The book is divided into five parts—Part one provides a framework for comprehensive school health education, Part two covers health content, Part three looks at teaching strategies, Part four is a health resource guide and Part five is a curriculum guide. The book is three-hole punched for easy use and reference. The book is three-hole punched for easy use and reference.

Customer Reviews:

Not a bad book........2003-04-24

This book is certainly thick with as many pages it has. I really enjoyed the book. I did not know as much about health until I read this book. This book provides sample lesson plans, goals, explanations of certain diseases,and an interesting behavior contract. This contract allows the student to create a contract to improve his/her health usually in a month's time frame.

Also, this book provides national standards with national contact phone numbers and addresses. This is great because since education now is really standards based, a teacher can reference this book for standars in creating health-centered or health-enriched lesson plans across the curriculum.

I would have liked to see it a litlle more user-friendly as far as navigating it. Also, would consider as a refernce book for educators and not a book for mild reading.

Average Quality.......2001-09-22

This textbook is my textbook for a course I am taking in college. I am in school to be a health teacher, and gym teacher. The book is layed out nicely for an elementary school teacher where you only teach 1, maybe 2 grades. In the back of the book, there are teaching stragies that help teach the content chapters. My problem with that is the layout. Instead of listing the content chapter for example..."Nutrition" then listing lessons for grades 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8.... they chose to list Grade 1--Nutrition, Personal Health, Growth and Development, Consumer Health, etc. Grade 2--Nutrition, Personal Health, Growth and Development, Consumer Health...etc

We love it!!.......2000-10-21

As a instructor of preservice classroom teachers, I love using this book. The organization is sequencial and the amount of information just right. My students liked the book as well and most plan to use it as a reference as they start teaching. Great job Meeks, Heit, and Page.

BEWARE - Extreme Political Correctness Lies Within.......2000-08-15

I was amazed to see just how many political opinions and factual errors could be contained in one book. While obstensibly a Health book, Ms. Meeks has prepared nothing less than a treatise on how to indoctrinate our youth to the current "party line."

For example, we learn only that global warming is a scientifically proven fact, as true as gravity. No mention is given to the real fact that a majority of scientists do not believe people are changing the climate of the earth. We are not told that data showing warming of the earth for the past ten years does not exist. She fails to include the fact that computerized climate models from the 1980's, which started the whole "global warming" scare, predicted that by 2000 we would be starving due to heat-induced crop failures.

Likewise, second hand smoke is said to be a real health hazard. Ms. Meeks seems to be ignoring the majority of studies that show an inverse or non-existant relationship between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke and health problems. She selectively picks and chooses data which supports her position and uses them as facts.

Finally, her most glaring problem is when she deals with the "health" issue of guns and gun control. First graders are told: "Stay away from anyone who carries a gun." There is no distinction drawn between policemen, parents who hunt, or criminals, and there is no mention in the text of the Constitution of the United States that guarantees the right of citizens to bear arms.

Avoid this text and strive to teach your students to really think for themselves. This text only furthers the dumbing-down of our future leaders.

Beware: "Political Correctness" Be Here.......2000-08-15

This book is less an educational manual than a political advocacy tome. All positions on controversial issues are discussed only along the "party line" with absolutely NO latitude given that there may be other sides to issues.

For example, Ms. Meeks tells us that global warming is an absolute fact and that it is caused by human activity. While this is a postion that some environmentalists have taken, the majority of scientists have not. In fact, there is little documented evidence of global warming in the last decade. Environmental computer models run in the early 1980's had predicted that by the year 2000 we would be in the middle of a Malthusian heat-driven famine. Those models were wrong. The book, nvertheless, tells us that humans are destroying the earth and we must alter their behavior to prevent it.

Likewise, the issue of second-hand smoke is presented in a factually incorrect manner. Most studies show no correlation between health risks and exposure to smoke. Some show a negative relationship and others a positive one. Again, though, we are told to teach only that it is "bad."

The most egregious error involves the controversy on guns and gun control. First graders are told: "Stay away from anyone who carries a gun." There is no distinction drawn between policemen, parents who hunt, or criminals, and there is no mention in the text of the Constitution of the United States that guarantees the right of citizens to bear arms.

These are not lessons in health. This book is an example of a political indoctrination text. Linda Meeks should be ashamed to pass such obviously one-sided opinion as facts to taught to our children.

Do yourself and your students a favor: Teach them about these and all other issues in a way that will help them open their minds to all sides. One day they will have to think for themselves and this piece of propoganda does not show them how to do this.

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