Testimonials for the monographs, anthologies, and encyclopedias of Ken Wachsberger, The Book Coach:
Books
Transforming Lives: A Socially Responsible Guide to the Magic of Writing and Researching
“
Finishing your manuscript, I feel grateful that this book has been written at last. It is wonderfully personal and anecdotal in the spirit of Ken Macrorie and the I-Search. It assumes the goal of life-long literacy, so that research is completely natural and self-fulfilling. It pays attention to the process more than comparable books that introduce formal inquiry. It even addresses the fears students bring with them to college. This is a valuable book…. I gained a lot of respect for your teaching from reading this book. You have a gift for modeling difficult processes, and that is what makes this book an important contribution. “
— Bill Tucker, professor, English Department, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti
“The book gets better and better each time I turn a page (the second time around)…. It is so student friendly. Everything is explained ‘clearly’ (as opposed to many texts that explain but not ‘clearly’). The interview? I wish I had the time to tell you everything…. Bottom line? Your book is my new textbook for the fall semester and beyond.“
— Margaret Green, instructor, Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, Michigan
“Having arranged several writing workshops with Ken Wachsberger, author of Transforming Lives: A Socially Responsible Guide to the Magic of Writing and Researching, in which he provided a liberating, sequential, and engaging approach to writing that captivated the minds and hearts of high school teachers, I am convinced of the I-Search process’ value as another developmental pathway to academic, technical, and professional writing competency.“
— Joyce Moore, former Director of Curriculum for High School English for Detroit Public School
Voices from the Underground: Insider Histories of the Vietnam Era Underground Press
“…comes closer than anything I’ve yet read to putting the sights, sounds, and texture of the ‘60s on paper.”
— Gerald Nicosia, Los Angeles Times
“…the most important book on American journalism published in my lifetime.”
— Fred Little, In These Times
One of the top five books in the field of communication for 1993 Choice magazine
“This collection offers us a rich history of a crucial period of American life. It presents a compelling set of narratives that bring to life the development of the alternative press. Above all, the collection emphasizes the vital connectedness of alternative journalism with everyday life. This is an important collection. I do not say that lightly.“
— Chris Atton, Professor of Media and Culture, Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland
“Let me say from the start that this is the most thorough and comprehensive book in print about the underground newspapers of the 1960s. Ken Wachsberger, the editor of the volume, sees the papers of the Vietnam Era as the forerunners of today’s radical blogs and so he means his book to be relevant for the current generation and it is indeed greatly relevant to today…. “
— Jonah Raskin, The Rag Blog
Never Be Afraid: A Belgian Jew in the French Resistance
“moving, profoundly moving“
–Elie Wiesel
“engrossing … wonderful“
–George Cohen, Booklist
Your Partner Has Breast Cancer: 21 Ways to Keep Sane on Your Journey from Victim to Survivor
“All I can say is wow! I found this booklet helpful, informative, moving, and clearly a labor of love.“
–Dr. Helen Pass, Director, Division of Breast Surgery, and Co-Director of Women’s Breast Center, Stamford Hospital, Stamford, CT
“Recommended for public libraries and especially for libraries with strong consumer health collections.”
— Sarah Watstein, Director, Academic User Services, Virginia Commonwealth University
“Ken has in a thoughtful and caring way shared effective ways that worked for him as he was a great husband and father supporting his wife and children in his family’s battle against breast cancer. I am confident that these ways will have a powerful impact in helping all support people, but especially guys who may be struggling, to be loving partners as they battle breast cancer in their families.“
— Marc Heyison, President/Founder, Men Against Breast Cancer
Ken Wachsberger’s Puns and Word Plays for the Job Seeker
“Loads of mirth and merriment here! Wachsberger’s collection of puns sparks giggles and fits of belly laughs that warm you up inside and take the sting out of mortal existence. Everybody loves the semantic ambiguity of a good pun – what a great gift idea for family, friends, coworkers and students.“
— Reader
“I chuckled, I groaned and I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful collection of clever and funny puns. With a common theme of work and job seeking it is a masterful work of wit and wordplay. If you are looking for a smart diversion from your regular routine, I recommend spending time with this gem of a collection. Well done and time well spent.”
–Breeda Miller, President, National Speakers Association-Michigan chapter
Synopsis: Is job seeking in these economically depressed times getting you down? Ken’s friends have been there and they’re here to help lighten the mood in “Ken Wachsberger’s Puns and Word Plays for the Job Seeker”, a compendium of puns and word plays that includes nearly 150 touching testimonials, horror stories, close calls, hard-luck adventures, and words of wisdom from experienced job seekers everywhere.
Critique: A fun and laugh out loud little read that is ideal for our currently troubled times, “Ken Wachsberger’s Puns and Word Plays for the Job Seeker” will prove a welcome and much appreciated addition to both community and college/university library Contemporary Humor collections. It should be noted for personal reading lists that “Ken Wachsberger’s Puns and Word Plays for the Job Seeker” is also readily available in a digital book format.
Beercans on the Side of the Road; The Story of Henry the Hitchhiker
“America needs this book, just as it once needed Look Homeward Angel and On the Road.“
— Reed Baird, Professor, American Thought and Language, Michigan State University
“So very few people can write with humor, but you obviously can. I know you write and re-write before a section is completed, but you make it seem like you just sat down and wrote it. Your dialogue is funny and you have the ability to observe.”
— Andrea Heiss, Professor of Propaganda Analysis, Iowa State University
Encyclopedias
New Encyclopedia of Africa (5 volumes; Scribner, 2008)
voted to Library Journal Best Reference 2008 list: “…richest source of information on the continent”
Tobacco in History and Culture (2 volumes; Scribner, 2005)
honored at New York Public Library’s annual “Best of Reference” celebration, 2006
Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Popular Musicians since 1990 (2 volumes; Schirmer Reference, 2004)
won Popular Culture Association’s Ray and Pat Browne Book Award for best reference for 2003
Encyclopedia of Public Health (4 volumes; Macmillan Reference USA, 2002)
won Choice award for Outstanding Academic Reference Title, 2002
listed in Booklist/Reference Book Bulletin Editor’s Choice of Outstanding Reference Titles
Testimonials from Ken’s book coaching and editing clients here.