Breaks Away from a Broken Dialogue
580712
Because Paul Collier has the authority to ask questions that are largely outside of the polarized positions in the political community, his take brings lots of fresh thinking to the question of immigration.

Collier starts with a key assumption: immigration cannot be prevented. Given that, he says, destination countries must re-orient the debate from "if" to "how and how much." He then explores the way that the dynamics influence the impacts of new arrivals. His key questions all tie back to absorption rates. An absorption rate is a term for the speed of new arrivals.

He concedes that many economists have judged from a straight utilitarian perspective that current levels of immigration produce a net positive. Nonetheless, some groups do lose and that should matter. But there are significant opinions - however uninformed - that immigration can take jobs away from the working class in arrival countries and from the corps of top talent in departure countries. But the political question is only relevant in host countries, because those are the ones that control the gates. So as a result, the problem that matters are the instances when diasporas provoke resentment in native communities.

His conclusion is that larger diasporas create problems. As an immigrant community grows, it adds to its capacity to serve all of the needs of its members. As a result, those members no longer feel compelled to assimilate. Given that, the positive externalities of their presences are lost and some negative ones develops. He references Robert Kaplan's research that shows that social capital formation is greater when diasporas are smaller. The latter tend to create an us-versus-them perspective. Assimilation, on the other hand, can allow employers to better maximize the talents of their workforce. Top-skill immigrants enhance competitiveness of host country firms, thus enabling them to attract more investment and revenue. The effect creates a trickle-down of employment demand. Down market, immigrants can do jobs that host residents do not want to do: at slaughter houses, in farm fields, as housekeepers, et al.

One more point concerns the question of nation-states. In the West, loyalties to nation-states are high, but in many parts of the world the nation is an artificial construct of politics that ignores the on-the-ground domination by individual ethnic groups and regional tribes. National identity in Europe was once a toxic idea, but now it has returned with mixed consequences. Think of the National Front as bad, but commitment to greater generosity from taxpayer-funded relief as good.

His conclusion is ultimately that if the benefits of immigration are to be maximized, then assimilation must take place. If diasporas grow too quickly when immigration occurs to quickly, then it is justified for even the most progressive society to attempt to control the rate of arrival. But along the way, he does put most of the critiques of immigration to doubt. It is a serious read, but I think it is one more work by Collier that illuminates a significant question of international economic development.

What about in departure countries? Remittances are a significant source of capital for many nations. They are the trade off for brain drain. Secondly, in some cases it is better for workers to offer their services in functional countries. Collier argues that human capital can go to waste in places like Somalia or the Congo. Third, the possibility of immigration tends to boost the interest in enhancing the quality of educational institutions. Enemies of education - i.e. fundamentalists - can sometimes choose to destroy those institutions solely because they create a base of support for groups that they cannot control.

How are immigrants distinct from host nation populations? First, they tend to be younger. In the wrong diaspora, all of those young men who are not assimilated into the labor market are prone to end up in prisons. Second, they tend to be more entrepreneurial. Just the act of leaving hints at a higher level of motivation.
378820
An amazing dialogue that sounds very natural and goes in all directions, as conversations do. The world seems to be clearly divided into black and white, but in the end the division is not so clear at all. What remains is not a drab grey, but a kind of yin yang picture, in which white contains black and vice versa. The whit and the turns and twists of this dialogue go far beyond the regular dialogue, but still the language is not artificial, but absolutely natural and raw.
2179982
What I like about this book is the continuity of the dialogs.  This course follows the vacation of John and Helen, husband and wife doctors from London.  They meet a lot of very friendly people who invite them back to their homes and to their villages.  Except for when Helen gets sick, they have an ideal vacation.  Actually, since I have been studying Hindi for the past five years, I mostly listened to the CDs in the car, using this as an audio course for listening skills (meaning, getting the gist of the conversations and learning new words).  I didn't neglect the book, however, because it is quite dog-eared now.  In the evenings I reviewed the commentary on language and culture, and practiced decoding the script.  Many reviewers have complained about the script in the book. They are right. The Urdu script is too small in the early edition. The font is larger in the updated edition but then the ink is too thick. So despite increasing the size, it still is rather mushy. But for the way I used the book, it was not so much a problem.  So I still give this five stars.
1928268
There's nothing like the difficult conversation that has to be done.  You may have to tell a friend something that you know will hurt them deeply, you may have to tell the boss that you are quitting after many years of a friendly working environment, you may have to break off a relationship or who knows what else.  Difficult conversations are a part of life and often a staple part of life with a teenager.  That is where this book comes in.  The authors discuss the structure of these conversations and how you can get to the heart of the matter with compassion and clarity so that each party gets through it as a team or with a minimum of emotional pain.  It also examines why they are difficult conversations.  In short it teaches how to examine situations in terms of how each person perceived what happened, how each person feels about the situation or is likely to feel when they are confronted, and the identity issues that are involved when discussing the subject.  A fine book that will help many people learn how to deal with a difficult conversation, but should be augmented by "Words that Hurt; Words the Heal" or a similar text.
3950029
God is perfectwe are not. What does that mean? By the very nature of the human condition, we can break. Aaron Reimer explores this possibility in the Art of Being Broken through banter-style monologues and anecdotes which entertain and make the reader think. He shows how the Lord not only can heal our brokenness but be made manifest within in it.
The message is one which is important for people to hear. However, the rambling style of the writing, especially in the first half of the book, makes it very hard to follow and distracts from the jewels of wisdom within the pages. It does get better but not until the last few chapters. Still, I recommend it for its importance, but can only give it three stars.
4279314
The most enjoyable part of this novel was the dialogue.  I laughed out loud at a lot of it.  It was also well-written.  The story did drag a bit, but you must understand that I prefer a bit more action than character development.  This is a worthwhile read.
3418047
The good things about this book outweigh the not so good.

The good: Dialogue that made me laugh out loud. Complex relationships. Besides the romance, this novel in the series focuses on the overprotective big brother and his sisters' yearning to do what makes them happy. Love conquering all. Good writing overall.

The not so good: Moments that just aren't believable, fiction or not (example: the race at the end). Occasional things that characters do or say that don't make sense. Describing a plan to get Elizabeth's baby back that seems to be rejected and then not mentioning it again. (Of course that's the subject of the next book, but it keeps this book from standing alone IMO.) Dialogue that seems modern although I didn't look it up.

This is the second Emma Locke I've read, and I'll be reading more. I really like the way she digs into complex relationship issues in a way I haven't seen other romance authors do.
2787290
when there aren't any. Makes for choppy read.  Scene breaks are meant to alert readers to a change in time ( hours, days, weeks), a change in location, or in point of view.  This author places them when no change takes place. Had some poor word choices, too....I.e. you don't sew seeds...you sow them.
3095234
To the outside world, strangers, and casual acquaintances, I am not a talkative person. The complete opposite is true with those whom I feel most comfortable with - my family, friends, and bible study ladies. Unfortunately, if you spend enough time  in my inner circle you are bound to hear a few un-christian things spill from my lips. One such occasion happened three years ago and to this day that relationship has not fully recovered. If your words have ever bested you, if you've ever spoken without thinking, reacted out of anger, commented when you should have held your peace, or pounced on an opportunity to get a dig in (that should cover most of you)then this book is for you.

In order to benefit fully from Karen Ehman's book Keep It Shut: What To Say, How To Say It, And When To Say Nothing At All, you must be willing to undergo a little self-examination. Karen tells of her own tongue-taming battle before sharing biblical lessons from Joseph, Daniel, and even King Herod. Each story lends itself to an invaluable piece of advice that we can apply to our own conversations. Readers are asked to evaluate their daily intake of the Word (Luke 6:45), our motives for speaking, and our skills as listeners. Some of her best advice pertains to when to hold our tongue, what to share and what is gossip, and how to defuse heated verbal exchanges.
My copy of Keep It Shut is full of post-it flags marking quotations and tips I want to return to. The advice is biblically based, socially relevant, and has the potential to prevent future speech faux pas when you put them into practice. Women speak more words in a day than men (that's a fact), so it stands to reason that women may need more help learning what to say, how to say it, and when to zip it! For this reason I highly recommend this book to Women's Ministry groups and book clubs to read and discuss together. Ladies (and gentlemen) this book may be just what you need to improve the emotional climate in your home, to open the lines of communication in your family, and to prevent future meltdowns. I give Keep It Shut 5/5 stars.

I received this book free as a member of the BookLookBloggers review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.
4803730
The Reader talks too haltingly.  Buy it if this doesn't bother you.  Possibly, listen to a sample at AUDIBLE.COM before buying this story on audiobook.
3056188
Absolutely wonderful dialogue, reads like transcripts of depositions (which, I expect, is where Higgins drew from as sources).  This is the way (not all that bright) people actually talk:  incomplete sentences, loops back, repeats ... and every word is worth attending to.  I have two copies, one of which I loan to friends.  This led me to buy everything Higgins wrote, the minute it came out, and all are readable, some almost as wonderful as this book.
3799552
Learned a great deal from this book. Effective dialogue is so critical in our day to day lives. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this.
242134
One sentence made it a little difficult to resume reading when stopped for a day or so
Otherwise very pleadant
2779888
As an English major, I thought that I would try out some contemporary  Southern fiction for a change.  Unfortunately, I tried "A Promise of  Rest" by Reynolds Price.  Perhaps the most irksome thing about the  book is the dialogue.  From the very first page, people converse with each  other in perfect English.  Students in Hutch's class debate about the role  of race in literature, pontificating in seemingly endless sentences.  One  student plays an imaginary banjo and even sings a few lines of a slave  minstrel song!  I have never been in that type of English class and never  will be, simply because they do not exist.  Even the most brilliant people  refuse to speak perfect English. The dialogue problems lead to a larger  problem: the characters become unbelievable and their motivations  transparent.  The best thing to say about this book is that at times, it  is moderately believable. The only reason I sludged through the book was to  see if Price could create a character that was believable in any way:  actions, motivations, even dialogue.  It never happened. The plot itself  (of a man coming to grip with his son's AIDS and eventual death) is a good  concept, but it is executed poorly.  Perhaps I am being overly picky.  I  would suggest this book to the casual reader looking for a good and simple  yarn.  I would not suggest this book to an astute reader looking for a  great literary story.  I personally regret wasting my time on this novel.
1579265
Poetic writing? I know this was free but I have to say it again: Lord, please save the reading public from authors who need editors.

Here are some painfully bad dialogue samples..from just one page!! Please, please, please people - "he said, she said" works for most things...kill the adverbs! Learn how to convey emotion with good writing, not with these samples:

"...he spat angrily"

"...replied Christina with a menacing tweak of her eyebrow" (a tweak is menacing? Really?)

"...he thundered pompously"

"...sneered Beaumont"

"...she retorted"

"...he mocked with a false guffaw"

"...announced Christine imperiously"

Couldn't finish this one. Deleted.
3880178
I would love to give this novel more stars because it is a powerful story of mother/daughter relationships. However, the dialogue drove me batty at times. The author uses no quotation marks at all, ever, anywhere in the book. Sometimes it's difficult to know whether a character says something rapidly or says the word "rapidly." Often, two characters will speak in the same paragraph, making it difficult to tell which is speaking when. I do recommend the book, but be prepared to be confused.
1594979
I agree with others who have said they find the talking between the songs to be distracting. I think the songs speak enough for themselves. Honestly, when I listen to the album, whenever getting to the end of a song, I hit the skip button so I don't have to hear the dialogue. I really don't think it helps to move the story along.