Book Review: Rosen, Martin B. and Leibowitz, Abbie, M.D.. The Healthcare Survival Guide:

Cost-Saving Options for the Suddenly Unemployed and Anyone Else Who Wants to Save Money. Health Advocate Publishing. 2009. c.75p. illus. ISBN 978-0-9840696-0-6. $6.95. Kindle Edition (e-Book). $2.95

Written with the goal of helping Americans “’survive’” the current healthcare system that is not yet affordable, transparent, or accessible, this brief, clearly-presented, easy-to-read, practical publication, by Rosen (Cofounder, Chief Marketing Officer, and Executive Vice President, Health Advocate, Inc.), an accomplished marketing executive with broad-based experience in brand building, and Leibowitz (Cofounder, Chief Medical Officer, Executive Vice President, Health Advocate, Inc.; M.D.; Board Certified, Pediatrics; Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics), a nationally recognized authority on managed care, clinical management, quality assurance, and medical data and information systems, purports to be a complete guide for unemployed workers who have lost their employer-based health insurance, those persons struggling to find affordable healthcare, and others striving to save on their medical costs. Divided into eleven short chapters averaging five pages each, it covers COBRA, low-cost health insurance and medical services, government programs including Medicaid and Medicare, comparison shopping for coverage, cost-cutting strategies, reducing your medical bills, discounted and free medications, taking charge of your health, and much more. Its attractive graphics, charts, illustrations, and periodic updates complement and supplement the text, which is available free for a limited time from the book’s companion website. Timely, informative, useful, and inspiring, this publication is highly recommended as a very basic resource for most, if not all, public library collections. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

Jacobs, Lynn F. and Hyman, Jeremy S.. Professors’ Guide to Getting Good Grades in College.

Harper-Collins Publishers. 2006. 352p. index. ISBN 978-0-06-087908-2. $15.95.

Today because more people have college diplomas, obtaining a college diploma is not enough. College students face extremely competitive job markets and graduate school admissions criteria. Excellent college grades matter and are crucial. In this enjoyable, easy-to-read, first book to reveal insider secrets about how college professors grade, Jacobs (PhD, Institute of Fine Arts, New York University; Department Chair and Associate Professor, Art History, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville) and Hyman (Project Manager, Professors’ Guide LLC; www.professorsguide.com), who between them have taught over 10,000 college students at a total of eight universities, offer authoritative, practical tips, techniques, strategies, and methods for succeeding at each of the five grade-bearing moments in a college semester: the start, the class, the exam, the paper, and the last month. In fifteen chapters, organized chronologically according to the major grade-bearing moments of the semester, they discuss every aspect of college grading, not limited to common myths about grades, how professors grade, picking courses, determining an action plan for the first week, taking excellent lecture notes, preparing for, attending, and participating in class, studying for exams, going over exams, writing college papers, visiting the professor, and acing the final. Fast-paced, each chapter, which is started with an concise introduction and ended by a complete review section, is interspersed with value-added sidebars, such as top ten lists, do’s and don’ts tables, instructional boxes, professors’ perspectives, remembrances, opinions, extra pointers, case notes, and more. Serving as a significant how-to guidebook as well as a useful reference resource, this publication may be read from cover-to-cover or consulted by chapter as needed. While it may be most relevant for college students who will be taking a significant number of courses in the humanities and social sciences, this must-read by insider experts should be required reading for those aspiring to attain a college degree or degrees in any major. It also will be of interest to high school students planning to go to college and lifelong learners returning to school. Highly recommended for large, public and undergraduate, academic libraries as well as for school media center collections. Review copy. Availability: Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble.com

Beverley, James A.. Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions: a Comprehensive Introduction to the Religions of the World

Thomas Nelson Publishers. 2009. c.850p. illus. photogs. index. ISBN 978-0-7852-4491-2. $39.99.

While the title and subtitle of this book suggest that it consists of a large number of illustrations and serves as a basic introduction to world religions, they are somewhat misleading since this publication is quite scholarly in its presentation and content. Here Beverley (Professor of Christian Thought and Ethics, Tyndale Seminary, Toronto, Ontario; Associate Director, Institute for the Study of American Religion, Santa Barbara, CA; author of Religions A to Z, Christ and Islam, Islamic Faith in America), a leading, evangelical, Christian scholar, attempts to present a comprehensive, detailed, up-to-date text that provides descriptions and evaluations of more than 200 religions, sects, and cults from a Christian perspective. In alphabetically- arranged chapters, varying considerably in content, depth, length, organization, and scope, the author examines hundreds of religions and sectarian movements that fall within nineteen broad categories (Baha’i, Branch Davidians, Buddhism, Christian Science, Christian Sectarian Groups, Hinduism, Islam, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Judaism, Mormonism, The New Age, Orthodoxy, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Satanism, Scientology, Sikhism, Unification Church, and Witchcraft). He oftentimes inventories the principles and beliefs of each religion and religious movement, analyzes and critiques each, and provides critical opinion and commentary on controversial issues. Beverley sets forth additional information by means of colored photographs, detailed timelines, sidebars, biographies, question-and-answer sections, lists of recommended printed and online resources, and appendices. Well-documented, with a concise, sizable, 109- page index, this research-oriented survey may be used as a guide that can be read from cover-to-cover and/or as a reference tool. Written by a leading expert on religions, it is recommended for laypersons with some knowledge of religions as well as for graduate students, scholars, and theologians. Large public, academic, and special libraries may consider this a worthwhile purchase for supplementing book collections covering world religions, religious movements, sects, and cults.

Green, Tena. Your First Year as a Principal: Everything You Need to Know that They Don’t Teach You in School.

Atlantic Publishing Group, Inc. 2009. 288p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 978-1-60138-220-7. $24.95.l

Here former substitute secretary, teacher’s aide, and intervention specialist Green, who also is a novelist (The Catalyst, A Woman’s Touch, X-30), provides first-year principals and some principals in their positions longer with a guide to surviving and making their first years as school leaders easier and more effective. Green attempts to present new school executives with all the information that they did not learn in school as well as with the advice of veteran principals. In Chapters 1-3, she lays a plan for new school administrators, discussing how they need to assess the situations in which they find themselves, analyze the gaps between where their schools are and where they should be, and move forward to initiate and effect changes. In Chapter 4, Green briefly covers laws and litigation affecting the administration of schools, including the No Child Left Behind Act (2007), the Individuals with Disabilities Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She includes a section on politics in education and the influence of various entities such as legislatures, special interest groups, tax payers, the media, superintendents, teachers unions, parents, private enterprises, and more. Chapters 5, 6, and 7 encompass various topics not limited to the responsibilities of principals-- dealing with teachers, parents, students, and the media—closing the gap, and end results. Chapter 8, the longest chapter, organized in a question- and- answer format, enables Green to set forth the advice of veteran principals in response to her questions on many subjects. Not a how- to- or step- by- step manual, this book provides new school leaders with the general overview and preliminary guidelines that they need to get their jobs done and be successful. It also presents some great advice from experienced school leaders. Well- researched and concisely written by a non-educator who has worked in schools in a variety of roles, this publication will serve as a useful companion to providing valuable insight and peace-of-mind. New principals should read it from cover-to-cover and learn as much as they can from it. While some new school administrators may wish to keep a copy of this publication on or close to their desks, the format and content of this book may make it slightly unwieldy as a reference tool or handbook. Recommended for first- year principals as well as for school and public library book collections-C. A. Lajos