The Quest for Anna Klein

As another free Netgalley review, I picked The Quest for Anna Klein by Thomas Cook as an alternative both to my habit of reading nonfiction and as a distraction once I finally ran out of Dresden books. As far as either of those things goes, it was a good read, if a bit more convoluted than I'm used to. The Amazon summary says,
"Thomas Danforth has lived a fortunate life. The son of a wealthy importer, he traveled the world in his youth, and now, in his twenties, he lives in New York City and runs the family business. It is 1939, and the world is on the brink of war, but Danforth’s life is untroubled, his future assured. Then, on a snowy evening walk along Gramercy Park, a friend poses a fateful question.

As it turns out, this friend has a dangerous idea that can change the world. Danforth is to provide a place where a “brilliant woman” can receive training in firearms and explosives. This is to be the beginning of an international plot carried out by the mysterious Anna Klein—a plot that will ensnare Danforth in more ways than one. When the plan goes wrong and Klein disappears, Danforth’s quest begins: it is a journey of ever-shifting alliances and betrayals that will lead him across a war-torn world in search of answers. Now in his ninety-first year, at the dawn of a troubled new era, he sits in luxury at the Century Club and tells his tale to the young man from Washington he has summoned, for reasons of his own, to hear it."

This book has the added twist of being set in New York City just a few months(?) after 9/11 when emotions and talk of revenge are running high. Of course, there is a final twist or two at the end, but now way would I share those. As a discussion of how lives can change based on a single fateful decision or event, this is a good one. It seems as though everyone, including Danforth and the reader knows that his quest is ultimately doomed, and yet even he appears powerless to stop it. Through the entire book the only certain thing is that the quest must go on- who is on which side and what the ultimate goal is shifts and changes.

If the final test of a book is whether or not I'd read another by the same author, then I think in this case the answer is a hesitant yes. There is enough shift to keep things interesting and Danforth's profound statements keep me thinking enough that I would probably read another book by Thomas Cook.

The Write Start: A Guide to Nurturing Writing at Every Stage

Being involved in early education, I jump at the chance to review any book related to this area. That's part of the reason that I was so excited to get a free e-copy of The Write Start from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. When I found out that the book was written by an OT, my interest was piqued even further, and the book didn't disappoint.
Honestly, one of the first things that I liked about this book was that it wasn't too long. I know full well that parents don't have time to sit down and read a 300+ page textbook about early writing skills. Most of the parents that I work with are looking for solid facts and activities that are easy and can fit into their daily lives, and The Write Start manages to do both well. The author identifies and explains the four basic stages of writing development- she refers to children as scribblers, spellers, storytellers, and scholars. Even better, all of her activities feature modifications for each stage of writing proficiency.
This book is set up so that the first section is dedicated to explaining each stage of writing development and talking about how to encourage children to write or scribble. The second half of the book consists of activities designed to encourage writing. Most of the activities are relatively easy and do not require any elaborate materials. If I had one complaint it would be that the first section of the book was a bit simplistic for me, however it would be perfect for most people who don't have the background in education that I have. Overall, this is a book that will be a great resource for parents, teachers and therapists looking to encourage writing development.

Beyond Opinion: Living the Faith We Defend

As usual, I received the book Beyond Opinion, Living the Faith We Defend for free in exchange for my honest review. I don't remember the last time I actually paid more than a dollar or two for a book. This particular book was from Booksneeze, and I've been reading it in small doses for quite some time. It's the sort of book that needs to be read in bits and pieces so that it all has time to sink in. This is a book on apologetics, or Christians logically defending their faith. The premise of the book supposedly comes from a Hindu who asked Ravi Zacharias (the author), "If this conversion is truly supernatural, why is it not more evident in the lives of so many Christians that I know?" Since that's a question I hear over and over from people, I enjoyed tackling it in this book.
This also happens to be the first book on apologetics that I've read in quite a while. As much as possible in 338 pages, this book is a thorough overview of several different areas of apologetics. It emphasizes building relationships over winning arguments and reminded me that the ultimate goal of debating with people is increased understanding. Anyone who has debated with me on Facebook lately will know that's a goal I'm still learning. :) At the same time, this book helped to build my understanding of some common faith-related arguments and helpful responses to those from a Christian perspective. I've heard and read many good things about Ravi Zacharias' writings and I was glad to finally get my hands on one of his books.
As far as format, this book is really a series of essays by various members of Zacharias' staff. Since the essays are all written by different authors, each has a slightly different feel to it. There is a set of essays on challenges from different faiths- the one on challenging Islam was probably my favorite since I learned a few things that I didn't know about that religion. The second section relates to "The Questions Behind the Questions" including the question of evil which Ravi Zacharias tackles himself. Sections three and four involve internalizing the questions and living out the answers, where Zacharias again steps in. Overall, Beyond Opinion makes a complex topic comprehensible and I thoroughly enjoyed stretching my brain to fit around this topic.

Book Review: The Complete IEP Guide

The Complete IEP Guide is designed to be an IEP-101 guide, and it does that well. The guide tells parents about how to advocate for themselves and their child in getting needed special education services. As someone who works on the other end of special education I am always happy to see a book that tells parents how to better advocate for their children. The book lacks a bit in specifics- it would be nice to see examples of well written IEP objectives, or possibly an entire sample IEP. However, I would give one word of caution. The Complete IEP Guide frequently reminds parents that they should do their best to work with the school district, then provides advice that is likely to irritate the district officials. For example, while it would be nice to have a copy of a therapist's evaluation 2 months before the IEP, in the wonderful reality that we live in the evaluation is just as likely to be completed and scored a week or even a few days before the IEP meeting. Also, although the IEP is supposed to be a working document I know plenty of districts who present one at the meeting that is already written and the parent input and signature is more of a formality. While this isn't the way that it is supposed to be, it is what happens sometimes in some districts. In some of these areas you will want to proceed with tact since some parts of this book could be subtitled "How to Be a Nuisance to your School District".
Cautions aside, this book is a great introduction to the world of IEPs and special education. It includes blank copies of helpful information-gathering forms. These forms are designed to show parents how to compile and use data to guide the IEP process. There is also a section about law, attorneys, and due process in case the IEP process does not go as it should.

This is another book that I received for free from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.