Down and Out, on the Road: The Homeless in American History Review

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(More customer reviews)Dr. Kenneth L. Kusmer teaches history at Temple University, and his scholarly background is very evident in this carefully researched work on the history of homelessness in the U.S. Though there have been examples of 19th- and 20th-century tramps romantically eschewing the world of work (Sherwood Anderson, James Michener, Louis L'Amour, et al.), over the past almost 150 years since the Civil War, most of the homeless did not voluntarily seek out their condition. There have been many waves of economic recession and depression, layoffs and industrial accidents which have predictably swelled the ranks of the homeless across many generations. Dr. Kusmer's book does an outstanding job of describing the different constituencies of the homeless in the U.S. over the years, up to and including the present day, where about a third are now women, half are people of color and many are children.
This book is well-documented enough to please the most exacting scholar, but so clearly written as to be very accessible to interested lay persons. There is not a huge body of literature on hoboes, and this book will greatly enhance what is currently out there. It helps to explain how our country which, though it doesn't (presumably) put a ceiling on potential economic and social growth of any given individual, consistently fails to put a floor beneath all its citizens.

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Europe's Monastery and Convent Guesthouses Review

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(More customer reviews)Six years ago I stayed at a remarkable convent guesthouse in Assisi. The food was spectacular, the environment was relaxing, and the hospitality was top-notch. I'll never forget one of the nuns giving us some bus tokens as we departed Assisi early one morning. They were to catch the bus to the train depot. It was one of the single kindest acts anyone showed to us during our trip.
Author, and consummate traveler Kevin Wright, knows well the special courtesies that such places offer the weary traveler. He has featured more than 450 such places in his recent guidebook.
I can think of no finer resource for the pilgrim traveler than this compilation of European monastery and convent guesthouses.
In addition to the information on the guesthouses it also provides a history of the major monastic orders, a history of Christian monasticism, information on Gregorian chant, many photographs, a listing of monastic-related web sites, and other Internet travel resources.
Wright combines his youthful enthusiasm, knowledge, travel experience, and sense of humor in this very useful guidebook. Not only will travelers enjoy it, but the armchair traveler, the student of Catholicism, and anyone else interested in monastic life.

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Serving as the single largest resource ever compiled about Europe's monastery and convent guesthouses, this extraordinary guidebook features more than four hundred and fifty places of spiritual retreat in twenty countries.It is an excellent resource for travelers, pilgrims, summer vacationers, students, armchair travelers, Catholic history or trivia buffs, or anyone else interested in monasteries.This handbook provides a key to discovering some of Christianity's most ancient and beloved sites.In these pages you will find all the famous monasteries and abbeys, including those found at Subiaco, Cîteaux, Soligny-la-Trappe, Chartreuse, Monte Cassino, Aylesford, Santo Domingo de Silos, Mt. Athos, and Solesmes.Inside, you'll find the following invaluable information:* A thorough history of Christian monasticism * Complete stories of the major monastic orders* A chronicle of Gregorian Chant * Contact information for more than 450 monasteries, convents, & places of retreat* Brief descriptions of each holy place* Dozens of photographs * Comprehensive listing of monastic-related websites* Indispensable Internet travel resourcesYou'll also find many interesting tidbits and fascinating pieces of information from the author, an experienced traveler who has backpacked through eighteen European countries visiting many of the major shrines, sanctuaries, monasteries, convents, and other places of retreat.

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Ask Arthur Frommer: And Travel Better, Cheaper, Smarter Review

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(More customer reviews)Actually, contrary to another review I have read on this site, this book is one of the most plain-talking, no-holds-barred travel books I've ever laid my hands on. This guy isn't afraid to say stuff that could get him in trouble with the rest of the travel industry. Like this, on page 410: TripAdvisor.com is "virtually useless" and its rankings "have no value at all." On page 76, he says modern cruise ships look like they were "gigantic, metallic, orgone boxes of the sort envisioned in the 1920s by hallucinating psychologists." (That description is pretty hilarious. But then he goes on to tell you how to get a discount on one.) On p. 450, he calls for a wholesale change of guard at the Department of Homeland Security for the sake of the country's future! It's very fast-moving, with fact after fact coming right at you in between those opinions, and lots of websites worth bookmarking, so if you can't find something to use on one page, the next page is likely to help, and what's more, you get the feeling he really has tried all the things he's writing about. The book is chatty and dishy at times, and always opinionated, but no one can argue that this guy doesn't know his stuff. I don't know any other book that has all these details in one place. For example, Frommer's book mentions an airfare booking website called Yapta twice and it takes three pages to explain the ins and outs. I also have Peter Greenberg's recent book, and he gives Yapta just five lines. There's simply more meat here. There's also an index in this book, which makes finding what I need really easy.

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"Arthur Frommer is still dispensing practical advice to travelers." -USA Today
"Written in Frommer's trademark light and conversational tone , [Ask Arthur Frommer] covers more than 800 topics, from packing quandaries to the best airport-food options, all arranged alphabetically for easy reference. Each entry is brief, informative, and entertaining. -American Way magazine

"Packed with practical advice for budget travel...Frommer's strong opinions and conversational writing style make the book a fun, easy read." --About.com

"Reading [Ask Arthur Frommer] is like having dinner -- and a glass of wine and then coffee and dessert -- with the world's best travel advisor." -Jeanne Leblanc, Courant.com

"Arthur has a unique perspective on the changes that have take place over the past 50 years. This book is packed with everything from airfares and lodging to vacations for nudist and vegans." -Tripso.com

Organized by travel topic
More than 500 entries
Each entry is a short, digestible take--no longer than a page.
250 b&w photos
Arthur's style is personable and engaged--his personality shines through. --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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The Motel in America (The Road and American Culture) Review

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(More customer reviews)Upon completion of this book, the reader will have a complete history of the growth of today's hotel industry from the days of tourist camps, through motor courts, motels, and now motor inns. It is well researched, very quick reading, and gives an excellent history of this major form of commerce during the earlier part of the 20th century. The only thing missing might be a pictoral diagram showing the evolution of early chains into today's major lodging chains. I would also suggest a little more detail on the circumstances of some of the chain's that went out of business. Either way, a great piece for anyone interested in travel history and highway evolution.

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In the second volume of the acclaimed "Gas, Food, Lodging" trilogy, authors John Jakle, Keith Sculle, and Jefferson Rogers take an informative, entertaining, and comprehensive look at the history of the motel.From the introduction of roadside tent camps and motor cabins in the 1910s to the wonderfully kitschy motels of the 1950s that line older roads and today's comfortable but anonymous chains that lure drivers off the interstate, Americans and their cars have found places to stay on their travels. Motels were more than just places to sleep, however.They were the places where many Americans saw their first color television, used their first coffee maker, and walked on their first shag carpet.Illustrated with more than 230 photographs, postcards, maps, and drawings, The Motel in America details the development of the motel as a commercial enterprise, its imaginative architectural expressions, and its evolution within the place-product-packaging concept along America's highways. As an integral part of America's landscape and culture, the motel finally receives the in-depth attention it deserves.

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Hospitality Financial Accounting Review

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(More customer reviews)I received this book in no time, excellent conditions and very good price. This book explain very easy the accounting process.

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Updated with the latest developments in the accounting and hospitality fields, Hospitality Financial Accounting, Second Edition covers the basics of financial accounting and then walks you through analyzing financial statements and dealing with the daily issues you’ll face on the job. In this Second Edition, the authors have provided engaging new coverage and features that includes new case studies, an expanded section on ethics, new "Accounting in Action” vignettes, applied exercises, and new coverage of casinos, spas, and purveyors.

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Orphan Trains: The Story of Charles Loring Brace and the Children He Saved and Failed Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a must-read for anyone interested in the the welfare of poor children today. Orphan Trains traces the history of foster care in this country, and in doing so shows how the U.S. has never put its money where its mouth is when it comes to poor children.The book is a good read, too, because it's full of moving, fascinating stories of the children and their adventures - like a series of Huckleberry Finn stories, only real. O'Connor's prose is clear and yet imagistic, evoking New York at the turn of the century with all its sounds and smells. On every level, this books works splendidly.

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Mrs Lirriper (Hesperus Classics) Review

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(More customer reviews)MRS. LIRRIPER is Dickens' story of the chance meetings of strangers who move from Victorian London to southern France. New widow Mrs. Lirriper devotes herself to her lodgers - but when she inherits an abandoned baby, her responsibilities involve her lodgers in mystery as much as child-rearing efforts.
Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

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Mrs Lirriper is an involving story of people thrown together by chance, that moves from the squalors of Victorian London to the sunnier climes of southern France. Recently widowed, Mrs. Lirriper devotes her energies to attending to the needs of her assorted lodgers; but when a newborn child is abandoned to her care, her responsibilities grow to new levels. She enlists longtime lodger, the Major, into the role of "guardian,” and the two develop an increasing affection for the boy. In an effort to entertain the growing lad, they relate the stories of their fellow lodgers, little knowing that they are about to embark on their own real-life tale of impending death, guilty secrets, and mysterious legacies. Charles Dickens is one of England’s most important literary figures. His works enjoyed enormous success in his day and are still regarded as among the most popular and widely read classics of all time.

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