Author: Cassandra Dee
Publisher: Cassandra Dee Romance
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 135
Book Description
Laurelin: I work with the homeless, so I dress modestly. Okay, it’s not just modest - I look like a ragamuffin with my patched jeans and torn t-shirts, not to mention the soiled backpack at my feet. But imagine my surprise when a rich, handsome man mistakes me for a homeless girl and offers to let me stay with him … for a price, that is. Tate: I’m not a charitable man, but when I saw the blonde scrounging for food, my instincts kicked into high gear. No one that beautiful should be out on the street, and I offered Laurie a place to stay. What she didn’t realize is that her particular safe space is in my bed … and that she’ll be paying rent with those luscious curves as her belly grows big with my baby! Hey Readers – We’re back with a follow-up to Fake Daddy To Be, but this time the story’s about Laurelin, Channing Saint’s know-it-all little sister. Yes, Laurelin has her heart in the right place, but the problem is that Tate’s interested in more than her heart – he’s interested in that sassy body too. Get ready for a wild ride because the CEO always gets what he wants and this time, he’s willing to pay *any* price. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and always a HEA for my readers. You’ll love the story, I promise! Xoxo, Cassie
My Accidental Sugar Daddy
Author: Cassandra Dee
Publisher: Cassandra Dee Romance
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 135
Book Description
Laurelin: I work with the homeless, so I dress modestly. Okay, it’s not just modest - I look like a ragamuffin with my patched jeans and torn t-shirts, not to mention the soiled backpack at my feet. But imagine my surprise when a rich, handsome man mistakes me for a homeless girl and offers to let me stay with him … for a price, that is. Tate: I’m not a charitable man, but when I saw the blonde scrounging for food, my instincts kicked into high gear. No one that beautiful should be out on the street, and I offered Laurie a place to stay. What she didn’t realize is that her particular safe space is in my bed … and that she’ll be paying rent with those luscious curves as her belly grows big with my baby! Hey Readers – We’re back with a follow-up to Fake Daddy To Be, but this time the story’s about Laurelin, Channing Saint’s know-it-all little sister. Yes, Laurelin has her heart in the right place, but the problem is that Tate’s interested in more than her heart – he’s interested in that sassy body too. Get ready for a wild ride because the CEO always gets what he wants and this time, he’s willing to pay *any* price. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and always a HEA for my readers. You’ll love the story, I promise! Xoxo, Cassie
Publisher: Cassandra Dee Romance
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 135
Book Description
Laurelin: I work with the homeless, so I dress modestly. Okay, it’s not just modest - I look like a ragamuffin with my patched jeans and torn t-shirts, not to mention the soiled backpack at my feet. But imagine my surprise when a rich, handsome man mistakes me for a homeless girl and offers to let me stay with him … for a price, that is. Tate: I’m not a charitable man, but when I saw the blonde scrounging for food, my instincts kicked into high gear. No one that beautiful should be out on the street, and I offered Laurie a place to stay. What she didn’t realize is that her particular safe space is in my bed … and that she’ll be paying rent with those luscious curves as her belly grows big with my baby! Hey Readers – We’re back with a follow-up to Fake Daddy To Be, but this time the story’s about Laurelin, Channing Saint’s know-it-all little sister. Yes, Laurelin has her heart in the right place, but the problem is that Tate’s interested in more than her heart – he’s interested in that sassy body too. Get ready for a wild ride because the CEO always gets what he wants and this time, he’s willing to pay *any* price. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and always a HEA for my readers. You’ll love the story, I promise! Xoxo, Cassie
Cassandra 3.x High Availability
Author: Robbie Strickland
Publisher: Packt Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1786460572
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 188
Book Description
Achieve scalability and high availability without compromising on performance About This Book See how to get 100 percent uptime with your Cassandra applications using this easy-follow guide Learn how to avoid common and not-so-common mistakes while working with Cassandra using this highly practical guide Get familiar with the intricacies of working with Cassandra for high availability in your work environment with this go-to-guide Who This Book Is For If you are a developer or DevOps engineer who has basic familiarity with Cassandra and you want to become an expert at creating highly available, fault tolerant systems using Cassandra, this book is for you. What You Will Learn Understand how the core architecture of Cassandra enables highly available applications Use replication and tunable consistency levels to balance consistency, availability, and performance Set up multiple data centers to enable failover, load balancing, and geographic distribution Add capacity to your cluster with zero downtime Take advantage of high availability features in the native driver Create data models that scale well and maximize availability Understand common anti-patterns so you can avoid them Keep your system working well even during failure scenarios In Detail Apache Cassandra is a massively scalable, peer-to-peer database designed for 100 percent uptime, with deployments in the tens of thousands of nodes, all supporting petabytes of data. This book offers a practical insight into building highly available, real-world applications using Apache Cassandra. The book starts with the fundamentals, helping you to understand how Apache Cassandra's architecture allows it to achieve 100 percent uptime when other systems struggle to do so. You'll get an excellent understanding of data distribution, replication, and Cassandra's highly tunable consistency model. Then we take an in-depth look at Cassandra's robust support for multiple data centers, and you'll see how to scale out a cluster. Next, the book explores the domain of application design, with chapters discussing the native driver and data modeling. Lastly, you'll find out how to steer clear of common anti-patterns and take advantage of Cassandra's ability to fail gracefully. Style and approach This practical guide will get you implementing Cassandra right from the design to creating highly available systems. Through a systematic, step-by-step approach, you will learn different aspects of building highly available Cassandra applications and all this with the help of easy-to-follow examples, tips, and tricks.
Publisher: Packt Publishing Ltd
ISBN: 1786460572
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 188
Book Description
Achieve scalability and high availability without compromising on performance About This Book See how to get 100 percent uptime with your Cassandra applications using this easy-follow guide Learn how to avoid common and not-so-common mistakes while working with Cassandra using this highly practical guide Get familiar with the intricacies of working with Cassandra for high availability in your work environment with this go-to-guide Who This Book Is For If you are a developer or DevOps engineer who has basic familiarity with Cassandra and you want to become an expert at creating highly available, fault tolerant systems using Cassandra, this book is for you. What You Will Learn Understand how the core architecture of Cassandra enables highly available applications Use replication and tunable consistency levels to balance consistency, availability, and performance Set up multiple data centers to enable failover, load balancing, and geographic distribution Add capacity to your cluster with zero downtime Take advantage of high availability features in the native driver Create data models that scale well and maximize availability Understand common anti-patterns so you can avoid them Keep your system working well even during failure scenarios In Detail Apache Cassandra is a massively scalable, peer-to-peer database designed for 100 percent uptime, with deployments in the tens of thousands of nodes, all supporting petabytes of data. This book offers a practical insight into building highly available, real-world applications using Apache Cassandra. The book starts with the fundamentals, helping you to understand how Apache Cassandra's architecture allows it to achieve 100 percent uptime when other systems struggle to do so. You'll get an excellent understanding of data distribution, replication, and Cassandra's highly tunable consistency model. Then we take an in-depth look at Cassandra's robust support for multiple data centers, and you'll see how to scale out a cluster. Next, the book explores the domain of application design, with chapters discussing the native driver and data modeling. Lastly, you'll find out how to steer clear of common anti-patterns and take advantage of Cassandra's ability to fail gracefully. Style and approach This practical guide will get you implementing Cassandra right from the design to creating highly available systems. Through a systematic, step-by-step approach, you will learn different aspects of building highly available Cassandra applications and all this with the help of easy-to-follow examples, tips, and tricks.
The Limits to Growth Revisited
Author: Ugo Bardi
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441994165
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 128
Book Description
“The Limits to Growth” (Meadows, 1972) generated unprecedented controversy with its predictions of the eventual collapse of the world's economies. First hailed as a great advance in science, “The Limits to Growth” was subsequently rejected and demonized. However, with many national economies now at risk and global peak oil apparently a reality, the methods, scenarios, and predictions of “The Limits to Growth” are in great need of reappraisal. In The Limits to Growth Revisited, Ugo Bardi examines both the science and the polemics surrounding this work, and in particular the reactions of economists that marginalized its methods and conclusions for more than 30 years. “The Limits to Growth” was a milestone in attempts to model the future of our society, and it is vital today for both scientists and policy makers to understand its scientific basis, current relevance, and the social and political mechanisms that led to its rejection. Bardi also addresses the all-important question of whether the methods and approaches of “The Limits to Growth” can contribute to an understanding of what happened to the global economy in the Great Recession and where we are headed from there.
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441994165
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 128
Book Description
“The Limits to Growth” (Meadows, 1972) generated unprecedented controversy with its predictions of the eventual collapse of the world's economies. First hailed as a great advance in science, “The Limits to Growth” was subsequently rejected and demonized. However, with many national economies now at risk and global peak oil apparently a reality, the methods, scenarios, and predictions of “The Limits to Growth” are in great need of reappraisal. In The Limits to Growth Revisited, Ugo Bardi examines both the science and the polemics surrounding this work, and in particular the reactions of economists that marginalized its methods and conclusions for more than 30 years. “The Limits to Growth” was a milestone in attempts to model the future of our society, and it is vital today for both scientists and policy makers to understand its scientific basis, current relevance, and the social and political mechanisms that led to its rejection. Bardi also addresses the all-important question of whether the methods and approaches of “The Limits to Growth” can contribute to an understanding of what happened to the global economy in the Great Recession and where we are headed from there.
Author: Robert Bisignani
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595334717
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 137
Book Description
Four teenagers following a dangerous man, unpopular students defeating the "in" crowd, a magical book that hides by moving around a library, wizard wrestling, a feisty voice inside a young girl's head, premonitions, two teenagers flirting, an 1,100 year old demon, amulets of power, a mean teacher getting a taste of his own medicine, a secret library, wizard science projects. "Wizards, Seers, & Demons at the Bloodstone Academy" is about two teenagers' adventures during their first few months as wizards and how through his kindness to a student, a teacher saves his own life. John, a thirteen-year-old boy believes his luck has changed when he's invited to attend a school for wizards and leave the orphanage where he lives. He meets Cassandra, a thirteen old witch at the school and is attracted to her. He doesn't know that she's a Great Seer and has been dreaming of him. John also doesn't know that he can create amulets of great power. An evil warlock wants to destroy the school, its students and teachers by releasing a demon that was imprisoned there. Sybil, a spirit of an ancient witch, is determined to stop him by helping Cassandra.
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595334717
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 137
Book Description
Four teenagers following a dangerous man, unpopular students defeating the "in" crowd, a magical book that hides by moving around a library, wizard wrestling, a feisty voice inside a young girl's head, premonitions, two teenagers flirting, an 1,100 year old demon, amulets of power, a mean teacher getting a taste of his own medicine, a secret library, wizard science projects. "Wizards, Seers, & Demons at the Bloodstone Academy" is about two teenagers' adventures during their first few months as wizards and how through his kindness to a student, a teacher saves his own life. John, a thirteen-year-old boy believes his luck has changed when he's invited to attend a school for wizards and leave the orphanage where he lives. He meets Cassandra, a thirteen old witch at the school and is attracted to her. He doesn't know that she's a Great Seer and has been dreaming of him. John also doesn't know that he can create amulets of great power. An evil warlock wants to destroy the school, its students and teachers by releasing a demon that was imprisoned there. Sybil, a spirit of an ancient witch, is determined to stop him by helping Cassandra.
Yours Cruelly, Elvira
Author: Cassandra Peterson
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0306874369
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 390
Book Description
The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story filled with intimate bombshells—told by the bombshell herself. On Good Friday in 1953, at only 18 months old, 25 miles from the nearest hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, Cassandra Peterson reached for a pot on the stove and doused herself in boiling water. Third-degree burns covered 35% of her body, and the prognosis wasn't good. But she survived. Burned and scarred, the impact stayed with her and became an obstacle she was determined to overcome. Feeling like a misfit led to her love of horror. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price. Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the famed Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. Run-ins with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones helped her grow up fast. Then a chance encounter with her idol Elvis Presley, changed the course of her life forever, and led her to Europe where she worked in film and traveled Italy as lead singer of an Italian pop band. She eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she joined the famed comedy improv group, The Groundlings, and worked alongside Phil Hartman and Paul "Pee-wee" Reubens, honing her comedic skills. Nearing age 30, a struggling actress considered past her prime, she auditioned at local LA channel KHJ as hostess for the late night vintage horror movies. Cassandra improvised, made the role her own, and got the job on the spot. Yours Cruelly, Elvira is an unforgettably wild memoir. Cassandra doesn't shy away from revealing exactly who she is and how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. Always original and sometimes outrageous, her story is loaded with twists, travails, revelry, and downright shocking experiences. It is the candid, often funny, and sometimes heart-breaking tale of a Midwest farm girl's long strange trip to become the world's sexiest, sassiest Halloween icon. Instant New York Times Bestseller, Los Angeles Times Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller A New York Times Best Books to Give This Season selection
Publisher: Hachette Books
ISBN: 0306874369
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 390
Book Description
The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story filled with intimate bombshells—told by the bombshell herself. On Good Friday in 1953, at only 18 months old, 25 miles from the nearest hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, Cassandra Peterson reached for a pot on the stove and doused herself in boiling water. Third-degree burns covered 35% of her body, and the prognosis wasn't good. But she survived. Burned and scarred, the impact stayed with her and became an obstacle she was determined to overcome. Feeling like a misfit led to her love of horror. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price. Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the famed Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. Run-ins with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones helped her grow up fast. Then a chance encounter with her idol Elvis Presley, changed the course of her life forever, and led her to Europe where she worked in film and traveled Italy as lead singer of an Italian pop band. She eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she joined the famed comedy improv group, The Groundlings, and worked alongside Phil Hartman and Paul "Pee-wee" Reubens, honing her comedic skills. Nearing age 30, a struggling actress considered past her prime, she auditioned at local LA channel KHJ as hostess for the late night vintage horror movies. Cassandra improvised, made the role her own, and got the job on the spot. Yours Cruelly, Elvira is an unforgettably wild memoir. Cassandra doesn't shy away from revealing exactly who she is and how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. Always original and sometimes outrageous, her story is loaded with twists, travails, revelry, and downright shocking experiences. It is the candid, often funny, and sometimes heart-breaking tale of a Midwest farm girl's long strange trip to become the world's sexiest, sassiest Halloween icon. Instant New York Times Bestseller, Los Angeles Times Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Publishers Weekly Bestseller A New York Times Best Books to Give This Season selection
Stolen
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101442182
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 441
Book Description
From the author of Hemlock Island--the second novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. Elena Michaels is back—and she has company. When a young witch tells Elena that a group of humans are kidnapping supernaturals, Elena ignores the warning. After all, everyone knows there’s no such thing as witches. As for the thought of other ‘supernaturals’, well, she’d just rather not dwell on the possibility. Soon, however, she’s confronted with the truth about her world, when she’s kidnapped and thrown into a cell-block with witches, sorcerers, half-demons and other werewolves. As Elena soon discovers, dealing with her fellow captives is the least of her worries. In this prison, the real monsters carry the keys. Lending a mission of vampires, demons, shamans, and witches, Elena is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who is well on his way to amassing a private collection of supernaturals. He plans to harness their powers for himself—even if it means killing them. For Elena, kidnapped and imprisoned deep underground, unable to tell her friends from her enemies, choosing the right allies is a matter of life and death.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 1101442182
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 441
Book Description
From the author of Hemlock Island--the second novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Otherworld series. Elena Michaels is back—and she has company. When a young witch tells Elena that a group of humans are kidnapping supernaturals, Elena ignores the warning. After all, everyone knows there’s no such thing as witches. As for the thought of other ‘supernaturals’, well, she’d just rather not dwell on the possibility. Soon, however, she’s confronted with the truth about her world, when she’s kidnapped and thrown into a cell-block with witches, sorcerers, half-demons and other werewolves. As Elena soon discovers, dealing with her fellow captives is the least of her worries. In this prison, the real monsters carry the keys. Lending a mission of vampires, demons, shamans, and witches, Elena is lured into the net of ruthless Internet billionaire Tyrone Winsloe, who is well on his way to amassing a private collection of supernaturals. He plans to harness their powers for himself—even if it means killing them. For Elena, kidnapped and imprisoned deep underground, unable to tell her friends from her enemies, choosing the right allies is a matter of life and death.
Code Name Cassandra
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0689868456
Category : Missing children
Languages : en
Pages : 276
Book Description
When struck by lightning, Jess Mastriani developed a psychic ability to find missing children--but now she wants the government and the media to think she's lost her power.
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 0689868456
Category : Missing children
Languages : en
Pages : 276
Book Description
When struck by lightning, Jess Mastriani developed a psychic ability to find missing children--but now she wants the government and the media to think she's lost her power.
Cassandra's Challenge
Author: M.K. Eidem
Publisher: Turtle Point Publishing, Inc
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 810
Book Description
Cassandra Chamberlain always stood out. It was hard not to at 6’1” and 165 pounds with jet black hair and sapphire blue eyes. And if that wasn’t enough, she was also brilliant, having graduated from Harvard at 15, taught at MIT at 19 and been nominated for the prestigious Magellan Award at 25. But she’d never really fit in. Not with her peers, not with her contemporaries, only with her family. But everything changed when Earth was attacked. Cassandra and her niece, Victoria, were the only survivors. Suddenly, the smartest woman on the planet had to relearn everything. Everything she believed to be true was challenged and she had to learn to survive not only for herself but for Victoria because someone wanted them dead. Admiral William Zafar is the youngest Admiral ever in the Coalition of United Planets Fleet and the hero of the Battle of Fayal. At 7’1”, he’s 325 pounds of Carinian male in his prime who is feared and respected throughout the Fleet. He is a Royal from the House of Protection, carrying its birthmark and considers its King one of his oldest friends. But when the Regulians destroy a previously unknown planet leaving only two survivors, he found he was willing to risk everything to protect the woman he loves from the Regulians and the Carinian traitor who wants her dead.
Publisher: Turtle Point Publishing, Inc
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 810
Book Description
Cassandra Chamberlain always stood out. It was hard not to at 6’1” and 165 pounds with jet black hair and sapphire blue eyes. And if that wasn’t enough, she was also brilliant, having graduated from Harvard at 15, taught at MIT at 19 and been nominated for the prestigious Magellan Award at 25. But she’d never really fit in. Not with her peers, not with her contemporaries, only with her family. But everything changed when Earth was attacked. Cassandra and her niece, Victoria, were the only survivors. Suddenly, the smartest woman on the planet had to relearn everything. Everything she believed to be true was challenged and she had to learn to survive not only for herself but for Victoria because someone wanted them dead. Admiral William Zafar is the youngest Admiral ever in the Coalition of United Planets Fleet and the hero of the Battle of Fayal. At 7’1”, he’s 325 pounds of Carinian male in his prime who is feared and respected throughout the Fleet. He is a Royal from the House of Protection, carrying its birthmark and considers its King one of his oldest friends. But when the Regulians destroy a previously unknown planet leaving only two survivors, he found he was willing to risk everything to protect the woman he loves from the Regulians and the Carinian traitor who wants her dead.
Dragon Age: Hard in Hightown
Author: Varric Tethras
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
ISBN: 1506704042
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 76
Book Description
Prolific dwarven author and heroic companion of the Dragon Age games, Varric Tethras brings us the collected edition of his breakthrough crime-noir drama, Hard in Hightown (with help from his trusted human confidante, Mary Kirby)! This volume is beautifully illustrated by Stefano Martino, Álvaro Sarraseca, Andres Ponce, and Ricardo German Ponce Torres, with a painted cover by E.M. Gist! Twenty years of patrols have chiseled each and every stone of the Kirkwall streets into city guardsmen Donnen Brennokovic. Weary and weathered, Donnen is paired with a recruit so green he might as well have leaves growing out of his armor. When the mismatched pair discover a dead magistrate bleeding out on the flagstones, they're caught up in a clash between a shadowy organization known only as the Executors and a secretive group of Chantry agents--all over some ancient artifact. This is a prose novel featuring 24 black And white full page images.
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
ISBN: 1506704042
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 76
Book Description
Prolific dwarven author and heroic companion of the Dragon Age games, Varric Tethras brings us the collected edition of his breakthrough crime-noir drama, Hard in Hightown (with help from his trusted human confidante, Mary Kirby)! This volume is beautifully illustrated by Stefano Martino, Álvaro Sarraseca, Andres Ponce, and Ricardo German Ponce Torres, with a painted cover by E.M. Gist! Twenty years of patrols have chiseled each and every stone of the Kirkwall streets into city guardsmen Donnen Brennokovic. Weary and weathered, Donnen is paired with a recruit so green he might as well have leaves growing out of his armor. When the mismatched pair discover a dead magistrate bleeding out on the flagstones, they're caught up in a clash between a shadowy organization known only as the Executors and a secretive group of Chantry agents--all over some ancient artifact. This is a prose novel featuring 24 black And white full page images.
The Accidental Teacher
Author: Eric Mandel
Publisher: Eric Mandel
ISBN: 1432744860
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 339
Book Description
The Accidental Teacher is a humorous and provocative account of the authors experience teaching English in a California public high school with absolutely no qualifications, training or previous experience. Equal parts McCourts Teacher Man and Keseys Cuckoos Nest with a dash of Sedaris and a shot of Hunter Thompson, the story follows Mr. Mandel as he muddles through his first year, mangling metaphors and alienating administrators while attempting to engage a very difficult group of teenagers. From his outsiders perspective, Mr. Mandel provides pointed commentaries on the troubling issues facing public education and poignant accounts of his students lives and his own personal journey; frequent digressions offer literary allusions from the subtle to the ludicrous. The author displays a wry sense of humor as he struggles to counter administrative absurdities, to appease his own Nurse Ratchet, and to compensate for his own deficiencies. The Accidental Teacher is certain to entertain and interest anyone who has taught, wants to teach, cares about public education, or dreams of changing careers late in life.
Publisher: Eric Mandel
ISBN: 1432744860
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 339
Book Description
The Accidental Teacher is a humorous and provocative account of the authors experience teaching English in a California public high school with absolutely no qualifications, training or previous experience. Equal parts McCourts Teacher Man and Keseys Cuckoos Nest with a dash of Sedaris and a shot of Hunter Thompson, the story follows Mr. Mandel as he muddles through his first year, mangling metaphors and alienating administrators while attempting to engage a very difficult group of teenagers. From his outsiders perspective, Mr. Mandel provides pointed commentaries on the troubling issues facing public education and poignant accounts of his students lives and his own personal journey; frequent digressions offer literary allusions from the subtle to the ludicrous. The author displays a wry sense of humor as he struggles to counter administrative absurdities, to appease his own Nurse Ratchet, and to compensate for his own deficiencies. The Accidental Teacher is certain to entertain and interest anyone who has taught, wants to teach, cares about public education, or dreams of changing careers late in life.