BOOKS MAKE THE COLLEGE PROCESS EASIER

With the children of baby boomers attending college in record numbers, high school students and their parents often hear that the college admissions process is becoming harder and harder. But getting in is only the beginning. Deciding where to go, what to study, getting along with roommates, handling homework, and dealing with stress are all obstacles to be overcome. Three very different books guide teens and parents through different aspects of college life.

In Decide Better! For College (Motivation Publishing, 978-1-935112-03-7), Michael E. McGrath, author of Decide Better! For a Better Life, and Christopher K. McGrath help readers through the college journey, beginning with deciding whether to go to college at all. While the McGraths acknowledge that some teens may consider not attending college, they stress the importance of a degree in today's world. According to the US Census Bureau, people with a bachelor's degree can earn nearly $1 million more during their lifetime than a person who only completes high school.

When deciding where to apply, the authors recommend a system of filtering, sorting, and ranking colleges based on the school's location, academics, social factors, cost, and the student's own academic profile. To further help readers in the application process, the McGraths interviewed several college officials involved with deciding which candidates are accepted and which are rejected. In addition to standardized test scores, GPA, and grades from any college preparatory classes, colleges also consider factors like a student's class rank, application essay or writing sample, and recommendations, extracurricular activities, ability to pay, state or county of residence, and relationships with alumni.

From there, the authors move on to discuss making the decision of where to attend, deciding on a major, studying abroad, transferring schools, Greek life, housing, finances, and other important aspects of college life. While the book seems aimed at higher income families (all of the schools listed in the example sorting exercise are private institutions), students and parents will both come away with a lot of helpful information.

Students who are good high school athletes and hope to play in college have even more of a challenge with the college search process. For parents of these students, Laurie A. Richter's Put Me in, Coach: A Parent's Guide to Winning the Game of College Recruiting (Right Fit Press, 978-0-615-21333-0) can help. The author emphasizes that parents and teens need to work as a team during the process. She also outlines some of the difficulties that student-athletes face, including time management and the fact that all college athletes were once stars at their high schools--they will have to work much harder to stand out at this level.

The first step is for parents and students to be realistic about where they could play. Very few high school athletes can play for Division I teams. Richter offers stories of students who found a place at D-I, II, and III schools, and statistics about how many high school athletes actually make college teams. She also discusses the NCAA academic requirements of colleges and financial and scholarship details.

Students dealing with anxiety, stress, or a negative outlook can turn to Excuse Me, College is Now: How to Be a Success in School and in Life (Hampton Roads, 978-1-57175-592-7). Doreen Banaszak, author of Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting, and Sebastian Oddo, founder of PositiveFeelingsRule.com, explain the Law of Attraction to teens and shows them how to use it to make their college years the best of their lives.

"What science is proving is that the energy we give off actually attracts and creates all of our external reality, all of it," the authors write. "If we look at it this way, then you have to be the creator of reality."

The authors show students how to turn their fears and negative thoughts ("Midterm exams are a killer") into positive ones ("I'm willing to accept that I could pass all of my exams"). Oddo tells the story of a time he was running late for a meeting. He was ten minutes from home by car, but the meeting was to take place in five minutes. Instead of rushing, Oddo accepted the feelings he was having and then accepted the possibility that he may have more than enough time to get home. He arrived only one minute late, with the belief that his positive energy had created four extra minutes.

The authors understand that students will experience anxiety and fear about leaving their old lives, moving into a dorm room, meeting new people, starting classes, shopping for themselves, and all of the other experiences that come with college life. For college students with an open mind, this book will help them reverse their negative feelings and develop a positive attitude, which will lead to more rewarding college experiences.

Excuse Me, College is Now is great introduction to the Law of Attraction for young adults whether they are going to college or not.

by Whitney Hallberg, Managing Editor

This week at Shelf Space, Carlie Webber remembers Kurt Cobain and profiles new books that commemorate the rocker who died fifteen years ago today.

At Publishing Matters, Eugene Schwartz explores the myriad ways social networking and Web 2.0 can revitalize any publishing venture.

At Editor’s Notes, Editor-in-Chief Heather Shaw introduces ForeWordMagazine.com's Poem-A-Day plan for National Poetry Month.

At Publishing Insider, C.M. Mayo discusses what works and what doesn't in writer's blogs.

Visit www.forewordmagazine.com for publishing news, book reviews, and the ForeWord Book Club.

BOOK REVIEW: BEFORE THE SCALPEL

Before the Scalpel: What Everyone Should Know About Anesthesia
by Panchali Dhar

(Tell Me Press 978-0-9816453-0-8)

Most people will require anesthesia for a medical procedure in their lifetime; whether it's full anesthesia for surgery, regional anesthesia for the birth of a child, or local anesthesia for a tooth extraction. Every year, more than seventy million Americans receive anesthesia, although very little has been published on the subject for the healthcare consumer. Before the Scalpel fills this void.

The book's fourteen chapters are arranged in chronological order based on the surgery timeline. The first two chapters describe the training required of each anesthesiology team member as well as their responsibilities beyond administering the drug cocktail (gas, narcotics, memory blockers, and muscle relaxants) which renders sleep. Also included are descriptions of the standard types of anesthesia and how each is administered. The patient scoring system doctors use to help them avoid the complications often associated with anesthesia is rendered in detail.

The next five chapters explain what patients can expect the day of surgery as well as what happens inside the operation room and the recovery room. A chapter is devoted to post-operation pain management. Final chapters cover special topics like elective (cosmetic) surgery, how anesthesia affects obese patients and childbirth, and anesthesia for children and dentistry.

Before the Scalpel is an authoritative look at an important healthcare topic. Dr. Dhar is a board certified anesthesiologist and assistant professor of Clinical Anesthesiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical College. Her work has been published in leading medical journals and medical textbooks. Here, she uses non-technical language to dissect the complex topic of anesthesia for the average consumer. Each chapter contains sidebars of supplemental information and a checklist of questions to ask the doctor before surgery. A "Reference and Tools" section at the end includes a brief overview of anesthesia history and a glossary.

Although there are many valuable illustrations with complimentary text, the least attractive part of this book is the abundance of stock photography that does not add value. Examples include a morning sunrise to demonstrate how early anesthesiologists arrive at the hospital, and a grocery bag of fruits and vegetables to encourage healthy eating during post-operative care. These photos seem more appropriate for a high school textbook than an adult consumer publication. Despite this distraction, the content covers the topic thoroughly-something the millions of Americans who may need anesthesia over the next year will find useful. (January 2009)

Reviewed by Angela Black

Book Expo America This year at BEA, don't miss Global Market Forum: Books & Publishing in the Arab World where you will gain information about, and make connections within, the unique Arab book publishing market. Learn about translation, exports/imports and distribution, copyrights, and more. Plus, meet Arab book publishers and enjoy off-site cultural events at NYC landmarks. www.bookexpoamerica.com/Foreword2

AUTHOR PAGES: PETER T. LEESON

The Author Pages feature nearly 100 interviews with authors whose work has been reviewed in ForeWord magazine. Peter T. Leeson, author of The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates (Princeton University Press, 978-0-691-13747-6) writes:

"I proposed to my soon-to-be wife, Ania, with this book. The book's dedication is the proposal.She was very surprised.

"Before dessert I had the maitre d' bring a "pirate chest" I had bought to the table. The chest was locked so I gave her a key. When she opened it, inside she saw the book. She was thrilled to see the book and at first thought that was what we were celebrating. But after a minute she noticed the book was book-marked at the dedication page. She opened it to that page and read the dedication and was shocked, which was great. Then I lifted up the false bottom in the chest I had created and below it was the ring."

The Invisible Hook: The Hidden Economics of Pirates will be reviewed in the May/June issue of ForeWord Magazine.

Visit ForeWord’s Author Pages to read more about the authors reviewed in the pages of ForeWord.

BOOK CLUB:
BONNIE DUNLOP'S "HAM AND SWISS ON RYE"

ForeWord's Book Club selection for this week is the short story "Ham and Swiss on Rye" by Bonnie Dunlop. Here, the author talks about where the story came from:

"When I wrote 'Ham and Swiss on Rye,' I was pondering the randomness of life--how one seemingly insignificant action can turn the course of a life in a totally unexpected direction.

"In the story, the failure of a boy to show up at a birthday party on time indirectly leads to the death of his sixteen-year-old girlfriend. For Dave and Sadie, the fact that Sadie could not stand to see a patch of ground lie fallow leads her husband to a chance meeting with a woman he cannot forget, to the reawakening of old longings and dreams of a different kind of life. Would these events have happened anyway (eventually)? Or was there just one small rip in the cosmic membrane, one moment when other alternatives could slip through?"

The story is from Dunlop's collection, Carnival Glass (Thistledown Press, 978-1-897235-46-1) and will be available at the Book Club for download for one week only at the ForeWord Book Club.

FOREWORD FOOTNOTES

Biography & Autobiography. FACE OF FAITH: DISCOVERING A DIFFERENT KIND OF MAKEOVER by Candy Wood Lindley (Exclaim Publishing, color photographs, hardcover, $22.95, 978-0-9820435-0-9): Lindley, who has been a guest on The 700 Club, The Salle Jesse Raphael Show, and The Maury Povich Show, discusses her facial disfigurement; topics include the diagnosis of a "baseball-sized tumor in the center of her head," her pleadings to God, and her subsequent life as an inspirational speaker.

Biography & Autobiography. WHEN THE PIANO STOPS: A MEMOIR OF HEALING FROM SEXUAL ABUSE by Catherine McCall (Seal Press, 280 pages, softcover, $16.95, 978-1-58005-267-2): licensed marriage and family therapist as well as past vice-president of the Georgia Association for Marriage and Family Therapy reveals the abuse she suffered from her mentally ill father, an ophthalmologist who would approach after playing the piano; divided into two parts: "The Biology of Evil and the Psychology of Grace," and "The Geography of Trauma and the History of Redemption."

Body, Mind & Spirit. HAUNTING EXPERIENCES: ENCOUNTERS WITH THE OTHERWORLDLY by Michelle Belanger (Llewellyn Worldwide, 288 pages, softcover, $15.98, 978-0-7387-1437-0): guest on History Channel's special Vampire Secrets, author of Walking the Twilight Path: Gothic Book of the Dead, and psychic/medium consultant for A&E's "hit series" Paranormal State tells "true tales" of spirit encounters; twenty-two stories include "Mr. Parson's Last Sonata," "Hunting the Shadow People," and "Casting Shadows," where Pete had seen a "pacing shadow" and was so agitated to tell the group he "burst in through the door to the back porch looking like--well, like a ghost."

History. THE LAST DIVINE OFFICE: HENRY VIII AND THE DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES by Geoffrey Moorhouse (Blue Bridge, 15 b/w illustrations, 304 pages, $24.95, 978-1-933346-18-2): fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Tudor historian, and author of To the Frontier, which won the Thomas Cook Award for the best travel book of its year presents the major turning points in the English Reformation; references include the Benedictine monks' last day in 1539, Abbot Hugh Cooke mounting the scaffold, and Durham Cathedral's candles that still "flare perpetually in great banks of light from sconces framed in rows beside the crossing piers."

History. LINCOLN THE INVENTOR by Jason Emerson (Southern Illinois University / Carbondale, 128 pages, softcover, $12.95, 978-0-8093-2897-0, hardcover, $24.95, 978-0-8093-2898-7): contributor to magazines such as American Heritage and Civil War Times and author of The Madness of Mary Lincoln discusses the sixteenth president of the U.S.'s intellectual curiosity and creativity; references include Lincoln's mechanical mind, his lecture, "Discoveries and Inventions," and his 1849 patent for "Buoying Vessels over Shoals," which used inflatable air chambers for shallow lift-overs without removing cargo.

Literary Collections. BEST SEX WRITING 2009 edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel (Cleis Press, 205 pages, softcover, $14.95, 978-1-57344-337-1): former guest on The Martha Stewart Show and contributor to Cosmopolitan magazine and the New York Post presents twenty-three provocative essays from novelists, journalists, and investigative reporters; titles include "Sexual Problems: A Common Side Effect of Combat-Related PTSD" by Military Officer magazine contributor Don Vaughan, "Is Cybersex Cheating?" by San Francisco Chronicle's sex columnist Violet Blue, and "Sex Is the Most Stressful Thing in the Universe" by writer Dan Vebber, who laments about the fiasco that happened in Molly's Harvard dorm room.

Self-Help. CLUTTER BUSTING: LETTING GO OF WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK by Brooks Palmer (New World Library, 232 pages, softcover, $13.95, 978-1-57731-659-6): clutter buster once featured in the Los Angeles Business Journal and on the CBS Channel 2 Nightly News reveals how to eliminate items that are no longer needed, which ultimately "have a suffocating effect on spirit and soul"; some of the ten chapters are "We Assume False Identities in Clutter," "Clutter Keeps Us Living in the Past," and "Mental Clutter," where the author indicates home and life are "carbon copies" of the activity in the mind.

Reference. THE ELEMENTS OF LIBRARY RESEARCH: WHAT EVERY STUDENT NEEDS TO KNOW by Mary W. George (Princeton University Press, 24 tables, 216 pages, softcover, $14.95, 978-0-691-13857-2, hardcover, $55.00, 978-0-691-13150-4): acting head of reference and senior librarian at Princeton University Library and coauthor of Learning the Library: Concepts and Methods for Effective Bibliographic Instruction indicates that college students engaged in academic research "need to look beyond the computer search engine"; the book includes such concepts as "the fine art of finding sources," source evaluation both primary as well as secondary, and how to avoid plagiarism: "There are also Web-based services, like Turnitin, that for a fee will attempt to identify where a paper really came from."

Religion. SEEKING GOD TOGETHER: AN INTRODUCTION TO GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION by Alice Fryling (InterVarsity, 152 pages, softcover, $15.00, 978-0-8308-3524-9): spiritual director and author of A Handbook for Engaged Couples as well as A Handbook for Married Couples guides the reader in knowing the voice of God; some of the twelve chapters include "Meditating on Scripture Together," "Temperament and How We Communicate," and "Discernment Among Friends" when friends "help us notice and accept the longings of our hearts--which reflect the desires of God's heart for us."

Religion. SEVEN PILLARS OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP: PRACTICING THE WISDOM OF LEADING BY SERVING by James W. Sipe and Don M. Frick (Paulist Press, 256 pages, softcover, $21.95, 978-0-8091-4560-7): licensed psychologist and university professor offer a skills-oriented approach to effective leadership; three of the seven "Pillar" chapters are "Puts People First," "Compassionate Collaborator," and "Systems Thinker," which discusses "system" thinkers that "zoom out" in order to see a problem in the "context of the underlying patterns and structures of the whole organization."

by Alex Moore, Book Review Editor

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