ADULT NONFICTION your part in the estranged marriage and why forgiveness is the cornerstone to healing and peace. “Just as Christ’s forgiveness is unconditional so must yours be.” Bodmer describes the path to forgiveness, what it means, and how to do it when it doesn’t seem possible. Her use of anecdotes to demonstrate hard truth is especially appealing because of the clarity each story brings. Each chapter contains excellent information on issues found in divorce, such as anger, mental or physical sexual involvement, betrayal, and defining the real problems. A comprehensive notes and bibliography section provides further resources. This book is comparable to Anna Kristin Carrols’ excellent resource, Together Forever, which is now out of print, and would make a good replacement. Bodmer’s book could change the direction of your life and your marriage. Gail Welborn, Freelance Writer/Reporter, Everett, Washington 600’s—Technology (Applied Sciences) A quiet world : living with hearing loss, by David G. Myers. LCCN 00038153. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press, 2000. ISBN 0300084390, HBB, $18.50. 617.8. Deafness--Popular works; Hearing disorders-- Popular works; Hearing aids. 176 p. Adult. In this book, David Myers introduces us to the world of the hard of hearing. Written in the form of an occasional journal over a period of ten years, Myers looks at this issue from both a professional and a personal perspective. For it is during this ten-year period that Myers himself wrestles with a gradual loss of hearing. As a professor of psychology at Hope College in Michigan, and, the author of a number of psychology textbooks, Myers is well qualified to chronicle the physiology and psychology of hearing loss. However, as a person enmeshed in the day-to-day struggle of coming to terms with his condition, Myers must face the uncertainties like the rest of us. It is here that his work shines. For there is a tension between Myers’ presentation of the search for technological advances in hearing aid devices, and his personal love/hate relationship with his present equipment. On the one hand, Myers lays out the various components of hearing loss: alienation in relationships, communication struggles, and the essential support played by family and friends. On the other hand, there is the personal angst as Myers endeavors to teach, give public interviews, and live a “normal” social life. The juxtaposition of these two perspectives is the genius of the book. A Quiet World is a good introduction to the challenges faced by the hard of hearing, and the present and potential progress made in the area of technology. It offers “outsiders” a glimpse into this often-neglected world. Myers also includes an appendix of resources for the hard of hearing, which provides information on publications, resource centers, and organizations supporting these individuals. Ted Goshulak, University Librarian, Langley, British Columbia, Canada Read to me : raising kids who love to read, revised and updated by Bernice E. Cullinan. LCCN 00027178. New York: Scholastic, 2000. ISBN 043908721X, PAP, $6.95. 649.58. Children--United States--Books and reading; Reading--parent participation--United States. 151 p. Adult. In 1979 Jim Trelease self-published the first edition of his The Read-Aloud Handbook. Many revisions later, it remains the quintessential guide to the correlation between reading aloud to children and their future academic success. What Trelease’s book does in scholarly fashion, Cullinan’s does simply and concisely. Half the size of Trelease’s tome, Read to Me is less intimidating to parents who might be reluctant readers themselves. In the first thirty pages, Cullinan makes the case for reading out loud to children. She shares some heartbreaking statistics: 82% of prison inmates are school dropouts and 60% are illiterate. But female inmates can be coaxed to learn to read using children’s picture books— which they, in turn, read to their own children on visiting days. Cullinan points out that just as a child needs models for speech, “he needs models for reading, too. He needs to hear what reading sounds like when it is done by a competent reader.” Otherwise, kids miss the flow, the larger picture, as they get bogged down in the chain of individual words. If parents do not read to their preschooler, all is not lost. One teacher who began reading out loud to a class of struggling sixth graders saw a leap in their comprehension—and discovered the kids were reading ahead because they were eager to find out what would happen next. The body of Read to Me is made up of how-to chapters, with tips on getting started and suggestions for related activities. Cullinan describes how to read to a child from infancy through age twelve. Her book list is less extensive than Trelease’s, with briefer summaries, but she also includes a list of children’s magazines, wonderful tools to delight young readers. This inexpensive book would make a wonderful gift for new parents. Andrea R. Huelsenbeck, Freelance Writer and Drama Minister, Tempe, Arizona Kids in danger, by Ross Campbell with Carole Sanderson Streeter. Colorado Springs: Chariot Victor, 1999. ISBN 0781433916, PAP, $10.99. 649.’7. Anger in children; Child rearing; Conflict (Psychology) in children. 187 p. Adult. Originally published in 1995, Kids in Danger is meant to help parents, teachers, and all concerned recognize anger in children, its possible causes and manifestations, as well as definitive methods in handling the anger of a child. Dr. Campbell uses short, easy to understand vignettes of real life situations to exemplify his points. He also explains what anger is and what it is used for in a positive setting. Laced throughout is Scripture to undergird his points. Dr. Campbell spends much of his book discussing passive aggression. He sees this manifested in many young people’s (and adults) lives. His visual anger ladder helps individuals track the activities that display anger negatively or positively. Dr. Campbell also describes what he calls the “25%/75%” person. The 25%’s are people who are pro-authority and the 75%’s are those who are anti-authority. He believes that all people fall somewhere on the spectrum of these two categories. He also believes that proper identification of which one we lean to will help us handle our anger more effectively. The book is an attractive paperback with many helpful sections. The notes section is useful as are his tables and visuals within the book. The two sections I like are the section for parents of children with special needs, and <strong>Christian</strong>s and anger. The special needs child also needs to learn how to handle anger and Dr. Campbell helps the parent(s) to see how and why this needs to be done. The section discussion <strong>Christian</strong>s and anger is helpful in showing how pastors have suffered from anger displayed to them and how unmanaged anger may create a sociopath in the sheepfold. Bianca Elliott, Teacher, Linwood, Kansas ★ The alphabet makers, a presentation from the Museum of the Alphabet, Waxhaw, North Carolina. Huntington Beach, Calif.: Summer Institute of Linguistics, 1991. ISBN 0938978136, PAP, $13.95. 813.’54’20. Language and languages; Alphabet. 95 p. Adult (High school). On the outskirts of Waxhaw, North Carolina, The Museum of the Alphabet stands as a unique educational resource. In a 4900 square foot building, the history of writing in the world’s many different languages and scripts comes alive. Using photographs and paintings, sculptures and weavings, quiz boxes and models, a special focus of this multimedia exhibition is on people who have contributed to this history. The museum is a dream-child of Cameron Townsend, the founder of Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Summer Institute of Linguistics, and utilizes the efforts of noted linguists, artists, and many volunteers. This 9 x 12 book is not an ordinary museum guide book. Rather, artistically arranged fullcolor photographs of the museum’s paintings, maps, charts, and other artifacts illustrate the narrative history of writing in the diverse languages of the world. Fine detail in several illustrations invites the use of a magnifying glass. A floor plan of the museum in the introduction to The Alphabet Makers indicates S P R I N G 2 0 0 1 7 8 C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L
ADULT NONFICTION the order of topics. More than forty different language scripts are described and illustrated. Several systems of numbers, musical notations, Braille and Moon alphabets for the blind, and one hand sign alphabet for the deaf are included. The development of the manufacture of paper and later the movable type printing press made significant contributions to the advance of writing. Through the years, the worldwide effort for Bible translation has benefited from, and frequently encouraged, the development of new alphabets. As previously unwritten languages are reduced to writing, they sometimes demand the invention of new alphabet letters to represent special sounds in those languages. Today computers facilitate the development and use of the special characters needed to produce printed materials. Attractive for browsing, this book is useful for study or reference. Includes generous bibliography, but no subject index. Donna W. Bowling, Graduate Institute of Applied Linguistics <strong>Library</strong>, Dallas, Texas C H R I S T I A N L I B R A R Y J O U R N A L 7 9 S P R I N G 2 0 0 1
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