The Price of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Crisis

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Government Spending

Easy Read with Great Info

Relevant to educators as well as government

Engage Workers First, then talk about PRICE

Sounds Good, but Won't Work!

The Price of Government: Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Crisis
David Osborne , and Peter Hutchinson
Manufacturer: Perseus Books Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Book Description

Government is broke. The 2004 federal deficit will be the highest in U.S. history. The states have suffered three years of record shortfalls. Cities, counties and school districts are laying off policemen and teachers, closing schools, and cutting services. Government leaders have patched together combinations of accounting gimmicks, on- time fixes, real cuts, and tax and fee increases to relieve the fiscal pain. But it won't go away.

Overall, American governments from the White House to City Hall are enduring their worst fiscal crisis since World War II. But this time, the crisis will be permanent. On one side are skyrocketing costs for health care, Social Security and pensions. On the other is opposition to tax increases. In the face of this crisis the bankrupt ideologies of left and right offer little guidance. The Price of Government does.

Whereas Reinventing Government, David Osborne's 1992 New York Times bestseller, was a manifesto for change, The Price of Government is a clear, step-by-step roadmap for change, offering concrete solutions drawn from the authors' combined thirty years of experience leading and advising public institutions. The authors begin by describing a radically different approach to budgeting-one that focuses on buying results for citizens rather than cutting or adding to last year's spending programs. They go on to show how leaders can use consolidation, competition, customer choice, and a relentless focus on results to save millions while improving public services, at all levels of government.

These ideas have been put into practice successfully from schoolhouses to statehouses and from City Hall to the Pentagon. They are built on common sense, not ideology. The Price of Government will interest everyone who is concerned with how tax dollars are spent-and how to get the results we need at a price we're willing to pay.

Customer Reviews:

Government Spending.......2007-08-03

This book offers a different approach for governments to prioritize their spending. It may not work for every body, but will provide a new way to decide where to put tax dollars to match tax payers priorities.

Easy Read with Great Info.......2007-01-10

This is a another great book written by David Osborne, with practical, yet out of the box ideas on balancing government budgets. A great process that can be emulated by public administrators to focus taxpayer dollars on the most important programs and services. It challenges administrators to go beyond hacking away at every program budget until all the programs are barely running on a shoestring and no one is getting the results that taxpayers want.

Relevant to educators as well as government.......2006-09-25

The PRICE of GOVERNMENT:
Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis

There is no doubt that money needs to be well-spent, especially when discussing money managers such as our state and national government officials. As a "customer" of this government, I'm looking for solutions, yet finding more problems. The Price of Government not only identifies those problems, but offers solutions. The premise remains the same- what are Americans willing to pay for the services that we need?

The authors review not only America's history of taxation, but introduce components from other sources. Such sources are countries where governmental systems are more effective than ours, and sometimes also citing an example of ineffectiveness followed by review and suggestion. Overall, this book is a valuable source for those who have an interest as to where their tax dollars are being spent. The authors suggest that all Americans should be more well-informed before they vote. After reading many reviews of this text, I believe the authors may wish to re-visit this idea. America wants results. There is a great deal of practical suggestions about moving toward a practical performance-based system. I believe that we are beginning to see this and use of the internet helps average citizens gain information we would not have had access to a decade ago.

What I especially enjoyed about this book was that it wasn't just shock and awe... we're going downhill heading for doom, etc. The authors state the obvious- that we've spent more than we have and there needs to be accountability for the money customers provide. I refrained from overusing the word taxpayer because the book does address ways to use these concepts in other arenas, making it a valuable tool not only for elected officials, health care and educational employees, but to business as a whole. The introduction jumps right in and offers a "prescription" to help save this sinking ship. In short, the authors compel government to "get a grip" on the problem, figure out how much taxpayers are willing to help with the problem, determine priorities and then allocate funds for those priorities until money is gone. Being in the middle of an educational administration program has exposed me to several similar texts. Often, reorganization is the focus to solve existing problems. These authors drew me in from the get-go, but the following quote sums up their philosophy well!

Native Americans have many sayings, and one of the wisest is this: "When you're riding a dead horse, the best strategy is t dismount. You don't change riders. You don't reorganize the herd. You don't put blue-ribbon commission on veterinarians. And you don't spend more money on feed. You get off and find yourself a new horse. "(Page 19)

To begin identification of the problem they look at demographics- an aging population with longer longevity and decreased population growth. In short, healthcare and social security problems have caused a deficit in the budget on a huge scale. The authors suggest budgeting for outcomes- determine what is really important, and then figure out how much it will cost and then buy it. I liked how they state to "use indicators that make sense to citizens". (Page 72) Often, schools report test scores but do not explain how they are interpreted. The authors suggest planning for outcome goals and including indicators of that success. They identify the difference between budgeting for Outcomes and performance management. The example of the child welfare agency being rewarded or punished based on child abuse cases solidifies the definite difference of the two. (Page 89)

In the consolidation chapter, the authors remind us that historically, American government reacts to a crisis through reorganization. Two examples sited are the loss of a child causing the child welfare system reform and Homeland security being developed after September 11th 2001. Reorganization is not always bad, but it not always what the organization needs either. I like how the book relates well to the educational system. Suggesting that schools be held accountable to achieve these goals set by the system would increase motivation to ensure child success. We are beginning to see this in charter school enrollment rising and some states having the option to voucher tax dollars toward private schools. The concept of "rightsizing" looks at whether or not the service is still needed, how efficiently those working in that area are doing their work and what can be done about it. If the service is still needed but time is wasted, for example completing tedious paperwork or signing time cards that the supervisor doesn't manage suggests looking at technology to streamline the work to be done.

Too often with new elected officials we saw their friends, companies and associates hired under their administration. The result was usually less than optimum effectiveness. Osborne and Hutchinson suggest competition to save the price of government from rising. Competition keeps prices low. To further stimulate effectiveness and efficiency, the authors suggest rewarding those involved. If the contractor winning the bid completes a job early and under budget, then a portion of the surplus goes back to the taxpayers while a portion goes to the workers as well. The authors claim that not only does this reward workers, but it improves morale of the workers and boosts the public faith in their government. I especially liked the suggestion they based from evidence of forgeign countries. "Shift public workers into private firms taking over the work... Require that contractors pay comparable wages and benefits..." (Page 161) These are but two examples, showing us that this could work. We could move public jobs into the private sector, without losing the quality of life they had established.

"Smarter customer service" is a chapter most of us could benefit from. It brings to light the things we too often do without question. In turn, wasting the company's money and driving costs up for customers. The example of signing time cards of people you don't personally watch was a perfect example. Yet, government needed to respond to a situation years ago in order to save money. Re-evaluate the needs of the organization. The 311 system empowered citizens while holding officials responsible for their departments. The quality must improve to improve the processes. The 311 telephone system brought performance data to a new front while keeping costs low through consolidation. By being more effective, costs are cut for departments, onto governments and maintaining if not lowering the price of government for citizens

They offer insight to many different aspects, focused on the key programs. They also offer practical suggestions and offer ways to deepen what they present, citing very good websites such as www.FirstGov.gov and www.irs.gov/efile. Systems working together will better align the system. The authors suggest in education of current employees for better efficiency as well. The focus should be on the results of the objectives, not solely the money, claiming the authors. They remind us to stay focused on the core objectives, as to not get lost in the activity. They suggest moving power into the hands of the employees, in essence creating "an organization of leaders" (page 322).

All in all, this book is not only very useful, but easy to read as well.

Engage Workers First, then talk about PRICE.......2006-04-10

Great ideas if anyone can find government workers or teachers who know anything or care about ...budgets.
Focus on getting workers engaged in the planning process first before introducing even the word BUDGET or PRICE of Government.
Also, using the terms PERMANENT and CRISIS in the same sentence does absolutely nothing except cause eyes to glaze over.

Sounds Good, but Won't Work!.......2005-12-13

The timing for this book couldn't be better - an era of skyrocketing deficits, an aging population (boosting pension outlays), inexorable increases in healthcare costs (fewer workers with health insurance, aging population), and businesses increasingly threatening to move elsewhere unless they receive tax relief.

Simply cutting budgets accomplishes little - as Osborne points out, it does nothing to improve areas retained. In addition, service recipients or proponents (usually providers) simply complain ad naseum until an opportunity to restore funding occurs (eg. tax increase or economic upturn) presents itself - thus setting the stage for the next crisis.

Osborne is also correct in pointing out that the most common budget "cures" are simply illusions - accounting gimmicks (timing "games" regarding outlays and receipts, fudging estimates, temporarily ignoring voter mandates), borrowing, and delaying maintenance.

At this point, however, Osborne goes off the track by proposing some intelligent-sounding changes in approach (eg. identify the results wanted), and proceeds to go through a lot of razzle-dazzle that simply ends up with "business as usual."

Using Washington state as an example, Osborne cites how a citizens group decided to focus on providing more early-childhood-education and implementing skill-based pay for teachers - neither a "REAL" result. During the last 30+ years innumerable education "improvement" programs have been funded, while progress has been non-existent - eg. scores by 17-year-olds on the National Assessment of Education Progress (the only unchanged large-scale test in the nation) have remained unchanged, as have drop-out rates. This, despite a more than doubling of inflation-adjusted per-pupil spending in the last 30 or so years. As for "skill-based" teacher pay, study after study has found that - after taking into account pupil differences - payment for EXISTING "skill-set" programs (teacher experience or degree levels) contribute little (only the first few years of experience) or nothing to pupil achievement. So why add another dubious dimension? If one needs any more evidence, consider the fact that most private schools only cost about half that of public schools.

Universities are another major State-level expenditure; like K-12 education, MAJOR overhaul (not rethinking budgets)is required. Since the early 1990's, professors' teaching workloads have been reduced from three classes per semester to two. Nationally, and undoubtedly in Washington also, the length of the academic year shrunk from 191 days in 1964 to only 156 in 1993. Meanwhile, only 21 cents of every funding dollar goes into the classroom - the number of non-teaching professionals (eg. counselors) has increased from 3 per instructor in 1976 to 6 in 2001. Returning to those recent productivity levels, substantially reducing admissions of the roughly half unable or unmotivated to graduate, and shortening the average 5+ years required to graduate would allow savings of about $500+ million/year in Arizona and it is assumed that similar opportunities exist in Washington.

As for healthcare, Osborne's Washington process suggested dropping coverage for low-income workers - an ACCOUNTING GIMMICK that simply transfers the costs to providers, and adding more clinics. However, what is really required is a review of incentives and other care drivers - eg. the highest-spending areas in the U.S. spend about 60% more on Medicare recipients than the lowest, despite access to care and patient outcomes being better in the low-income areas. A second problem is that healthcare providers are REWARDED for their errors - payors need to insist on adherence to quality standards. A third major problem is that care recipients have no incentives to conserve - Health Savings Accounts (allowing cashing out of any funds remaining from a set amount) do so.

Clearly Osborne's work would be more useful if it focused on outcomes - both good and bad. Associated with that should also be a discussion of benchmarking (staffing levels, compensation for staff, and benefit levels), and continuous improvement goal-setting that emphasize reducing waste and improving quality "Toyota-style" - keys to success in the private sector.

The "bottom-line" is that the focus should not be on the budget process, but on permanent reform of the biggest consumers of government funds - education and healthcare.

The Price of Government, Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis.(Book Review) : An article from: The Public Manager

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The Price of Government, Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis.(Book Review) : An article from: The Public Manager
Brian Cox
Manufacturer: Thomson Gale
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from The Public Manager, published by Bureaucrat, Inc. on December 22, 2004. The length of the article is 703 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Price of Government, Getting the Results We Need in an Age of Permanent Fiscal Crisis.(Book Review)
Author: Brian Cox
Publication: The Public Manager (Refereed)
Date: December 22, 2004
Publisher: Bureaucrat, Inc.
Volume: 33 Issue: 3 Page: 61(1)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Book Description

When individuals or organizations face significant situations or challenges, one of the first priorities is to understand the issues involved and to work out what needs to be done. In many cases, we do not need any formal assistance to help this process and can think our way through the steps that seem to be most appropriate. However, on occasion the issues or the problems may not be entirely clear and a structured approach can help considerably.

To meet this need, HRD Press has a suite of simple and easy-to-use but comprehensive diagnostic assessment profiles to help people understand their skills or the situations they face more effectively. HRD Press' diagnostic assessments fall into three categories:

Assessments that measure the individual are concerned with competency. These profiles provide participants with an inventory of their relative skills in subcategories within each topic.

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Assessments that measure a particular task or situation in which the style that is adopted or utilized by the individual or by others is important to understand.

All of these assessments are described in detail on the subsequent pages. In most cases, assessments have comprehensive facilitator guides to explain the underlying structure of the profile and to help facilitators to provide structured feedback. Person and organization assessments also have detailed coaching guides which provide practical "how to" tips on each question in the relevant profile.

Book Description

A woman farmer observes with a poetic and appreciative eye the transformation of the plant and animal life on her land through the changing seasons, and now through the encroachment of residential development.

Customer Reviews:

Great "Down to Earth" book.......2002-07-07

A book full of the common sense reality of the struggle to preserve your land and (what do farmers do again) grow food to feed people. Having grown a lot of food in my earlier years, the author communicates the closeness a farmer feels to the cycles of nature. Farmers are the original environmentalists. A great non-judgemental review of the effect of the spread of non-farmers into her world. People move from the city to the country and then citify the country.

A fifth generation farming woman's memoir.......2002-05-16

Dirt Under My Nails: An American Farmer And Her Changing Land is the engaging memoir of Marilee Foster, a fifth generation farming woman who devoted herself to a world of fertile soil, looking after turkeys, reveling in the change of seasons and much more. A solid, inspirational book about enjoying a hands-on closeness to nature and the joy of farming as a way of life, Dirt Under My Nails is a very pleasant read and highly recommended for anyone who has ever worked the land or contemplated doing so.

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Dirt Under My Nails : An American Farmer and her Changing Land
Marilee Foster
Manufacturer: Bridge Works Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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Book Description

Long-term monitoring is of fundamental significance in solving many important problems in astrophysics and, furthermore, has unequalled value in extending observational runs with small telescopes for the education of young astronomers in order to teach them how to secure high-quality observational data over many years. The Impact of Long-Term Monitoring on Variable Star Research contains reports based on the analysis of data collected in the visible, IR and radio measurement ranges, as well as the design and history of well known photometric systems. Though the reporting of novel results forms an important part of the book, there are also reports of eight discussion sessions covering more general areas, such as extinction monitoring, the problems of archival storage of astronomical data, service observation, the role played by long-term monitoring in graduate teaching and thesis supervision, the interplay between the great observational effort and theory, the contribution of LTM to new knowledge of fundamental data, and the increasing decommissioning of telescopes of modest aperture.

Customer Reviews:

Out of Print?.......2000-01-14

I can't believe this book isn't available. I loved every minute spent with it. Robert Pyle is scientist and poet and he writes about the Willapa Hills with the same love I feel for the Oregon coast - also overlogged and abused but beautiful nonetheless. He teaches and shows how to look in new ways. Fantastic!

Wintergreen - Listening To The Land's Heart

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Wintergreen - Listening To The Land's Heart
Robert Michael Pyle
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000RJ3B28

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Wintergreen : Listening to the Land's Heart
Robert M. Pyle
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I31D7S

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Wintergreen Listening to the Land's Heart.

Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000I35RH0

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Wintergreen: Listening to the Land's Heart
Robert Michael Pyle
Manufacturer: Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000NR8SS6

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Can't Put Down Super Read!

Not just for bass fisherman

Well written and very well researched

Very well written... but

Great background for recent developments

Sowbelly: The Obsessive Quest for the World-Record Largemouth Bass
Monte Burke
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Fishing | Hunting & Fishing | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0452287154

Book Description

In 1932, a farmer named George Washington Perry decided it was too rainy to plow and went fishing. That day, George landed the largest largemouth ever recordedÂ—twenty-two pounds four ounces. The fish has inspired and frustrated hundreds of anglers for decades. TheyÂ've dedicated their lives to the pursuit of Â“SowbellyÂ”Â—a nearly mythical fish, whose swinelike girth holds the key to their dreams.

From an L.A. cop who came within ounces of besting the record to an Alabaman who has lost his marriage and his daughter to this pursuit, Burke takes readers along for the ride in this legendary race.

Â“An artful narrative.Â”Â—The Wall Street Journal

Â“In BurkeÂ's hands, the biggest fish stories become human stories, at once optimistic and tragic, about what keeps us casting into the water of a dream.Â”Â—Forbes

Â“A window to a very small universe where obsession, greed, and chicanery coexist with a strange nobility . . . Sowbelly is a fascinating examination of obsession even for readers who donÂ't fish.Â”Â—St. Petersburg Times

Â“Monte Burke is the Homer of AmericaÂ's fishing world as he takes us on an epic journey filled with great drama, colorful characters, and elusive largemouth bass.Â” Â—Tom Brokaw

Customer Reviews:

Can't Put Down Super Read!.......2007-09-27

I could not put the book down. What a great writer. I don't fish for the Big bass but I really enjoyed reading about the men that do. A great read. I would recommend this book to any avid or even weekend bass fisherman (woman)!!!

Not just for bass fisherman.......2006-09-06

Wow and I thought I was an obsessed fisherman. The book is all the more relevant now that one of the anglers mentioned in the novel has garnered recent publicity for his unofficial world record. It covers all the aspects of the hunt for the world record: the guys trying for it, the lure makers, the scientists, and many others. The author even goes to Cuba for a fishing trip and talks to an eccentric angler in the U.S. who's trying to grow his own world record bass. It's an eye-opening read.

Well written and very well researched.......2006-08-17

Mr. Burke....Excellent. From California, to Cuba, to Georgia, I loved this book. Very well researched, and written. I felt I got to know each character in the book. Being a fisherman myself, I knew the names, but not the stories.....again, BRAVO!!!

Very well written... but.......2006-05-02

Excellent book covering the aspects of the world record chase. It is very well written and keeps you turning pages. I suppose it will have to be updated due to the happenings at Lake Dixon in March of this year. I have one caveat. The book has a lot of foul language that is not necessary and at time very distracting from the flow of the book. I'm very disaappointed in that. I thought my son would be very interested in reading it but it has been disqualified by the language. Without the bad language I would have given it a much higher rating but it sure left a foul taste in my mouth.

Great background for recent developments.......2006-04-21

Just this past March, about a year after this book's publication, Mac Weakley (who features prominently in the book) brought in an almost certain record-breaker--a bass just over 25 lb out of Lake Dixon near San Diego. He ended up releasing the fish, and, to my knowledge, he is not going to pursue a world record certification (the fish was apparently unintentionally foul-hooked). On top of that, the fish was the same one that had been purportedly caught twice earlier at sub-22 lb weights, once by Mike Long and once by Weakley's friend Jed Dickerson. This was all just another chapter in this fascinating story, and this book is not only a great read--as others have said--but also a thorough background for someone who wants to understand the origins of the CA bass scene after hearing about Weakley's sensational catch.
I'd recommend that those who are interested in Weakley's potential record-breaker read this book--and that those who liked this book follow the ongoing story of record-hunting fishermen.
I remember seeing Bob Crupi in In-fisherman magazine years ago, when Lake Castaic was gaining national notoriety. This book closes the circle between those days and the present with a perspective that, though not completely an insider's, is very close to the action.

Book Description

Learning a new language is now made simple with New Basic, an affordable selfstudy audio course using the Berlitz language learning method lauded by millions. The newly revised and update program focuses on popular topics, colloquial expressions, practical and reallife language used in everyday conversation.

Customer Reviews:

Berlitz New Basic French.......2007-10-05

Excellent! I purchased the Italian, French and Spanish. The books and CDs are extremely helpful with my three classes. As I am also studying Spanish and Italian, it is a great way to compare the languages.

Book Description

It took a few years of false starts but now itÕs official: the graphic novel form is the fastest growing new category of publishing, rising like a meteor. Stephen (The 101 Best Graphic Novels) Weiner takes us on a historical tour of this format with a bit of background on comics as a whole.

Customer Reviews:

A Work of Complete Genius.......2004-09-12

In this tiresome age of long-winded reiterations and thematic cudgels we must realize that the degereration of traditional literary fiction is upon us. And so many have been searching for a Northwest Passage if you will. Fortanitly that search has just ended as our Teddy Rooselelt plowed his way through the mosquito infested Panama. He has revealed a Brave New World, a world beyond Marx's wildest dreams, in which picture and word each do they share. Seeing as we are Communists we no longer advocate the seperation of color and style. From each according to his ability, and, most importantly, to each according his need!

Detailing the appearance of classics in the field.......2004-03-04

Graphic novels are a growing part of bookstores and even college courses, but until now no history of their origins and growth has been presented. Stephen Weiner, a comics historian and specialist in children's literature, provides this first history, detailing the appearance of classics in the field, including sample black and white illustrations from these classics, and filling in many gaps in the genre's history. Any fan of the graphic novel format will find The Rise Of The Graphic Novel revealing.

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Superman As Batman and Vise Versa
The Dark Knight of Steel
Readable
Good up to a point.
Bruce Wayne, a Batman of Steel?

Superman: Speeding Bullets
J. M. Dematteis
Manufacturer: Dc Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1563891174

Customer Reviews:

Superman As Batman and Vise Versa.......2004-05-18

There is a hard-to-find Elseworlds issue out there. This one is called Speeding Bullets and is told by Superman's closest associates. The main idea is that they are convinced that he is the man he is because of where his ship landed, his parents, the influence of Lois Lane and other factors. Only this combination could result in superman. Right?

Kal-El's craft crashed and spotted by a childless couple who returned to their house and treated the boy as their own son. These people are Dr. and Martha Wayne. Kal-El manages to burn the mugger who kills his parents, but not before he discovers he is bullet proof. He represses the memories and eventually becomes a heartless vigilante known as Batman.

Bruce Wayne comes out of hiding and enters the newspaper business by hiring the best; out of work Perry White, Lois Lane and others. The first big story is Lex Luthor's move to Gotham.

Lex Luthor gets to play the part of three separate villains all rolled into one but I won't tell you who or how the heartless Batman becomes Superman, but it was a very entertaining story.

The Dark Knight of Steel.......2004-03-14

Warning: This review includes spoilers to the material reviewed. If you hope to read this some day, be careful how you read my review.

I first came across SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS in a newsagent not long after seeing the third BATMAN movie and developing a serious Batman addiction. It looked fantastic. I didn't get it. This proved to be a mistake - I never saw it again.

Until about four days ago, in a small Adelaide collectors store - when, prompted by years of vague, half-memories and a sense that it would have been a great purchase, I snapped it up for about AUS$10.00. Am I glad I did? You bet. It's by no means perfect, but it's an excellent work, and proof that the memory doesn't always cheat. It's easily one of my best purchases.

The Elseworlds plot is intriguing; what if the baby Kal-El had landed outside Gotham, and had been raised not by the Kents, but by the Waynes? And suppose that baby, traumatized by witnessing the murder of his parents and then frying the murderer with his heat vision, grew into a bitter, obsessive Bruce Wayne, who decides to bring terror to those who bring terror to others as the Batman? And suppose, in his quest for justice, he locks horns not only Lex Luthor (who is hiding a dark, terrible secret of his own in this work), but his true-love, Lois Lane (the narrator of this story)?

For the most part, despite the cramped length, the writers have an immense amount of fun contrasting the two heroes who represent polar opposites of the D.C range within the same person. The superpowered Batman seems far darker, more obsessive and a demonstration of the kind of damage someone really obsessed with dishing out justice to evildoers can do withsuper-strength and heat-vision. Seeing this is pretty damn fantastic - I've always thought that Batman was cooler than Superman, and seeing a superpowered Batman is just awesome. In an interesting comparison, his alter-ego Bruce Wayne is strangely warmer and slightly klutzier than his proper continuity counter-part - shades of Clark Kent coming into play, perhaps? The Bruce Wayne / Lois Lane relationship is also interesting and slightly touching, with the possibility for more depth than the actual D.C comics allow, showing Lois Lane not only as the Man of Steel's heart, but also, in this universe, the comfort to his tortured soul.

It's not perfect -the attempt to meld Lex Luthor and the Joker into one character is somewhat awkward (couldn't Luthor have just hired the Joker to deal with Wayne, thus including both?). And the ending is something of a cop-out - especially for those, like me, who think Batman's cooler than Superman any day of the week. And really, it could have done with being extended into a mini-series - there's so much potential for growth here that, really, one slim comic book would never cut it. A mini-series, however, would have rivalled SUPERMAN: RED SON as being a classic work.

But if you do happen to come across a copy of this, don't make the mistake my younger self made and pass up on it. Get it. You won't regret it.

Readable.......1999-07-19

This is not a Superman story, that's for sure. The dark settings of Gotham City, the storyline, the background, all point to a Batman flick.

Nevertheless, the plot is interesting, to say the least. The idea of Lois Lane narrating the story is a good one, and well exploited. However, the attempt to merge the personalities of Lex Luthor and the Joker falls flat on its face....it is just a no-go, considering how different the two personalities are in any case.

The book is sporadically good, but has the potential to be much better. It fails to tackle the problems Bruce Wayne (aka Superman, in this case) would have experienced as a child, in terms of his superpowers.

I wouldn't recommend anyone to go out and buy this comic book, but it is definitely worth one read. And it does set the mind thinking about 'what-if' things had been as portrayed by this book.

Good up to a point........1999-03-23

I have to agree with the reader who wanted to slam this book into a wall. Damn PC endings. Batman is one of the more primal forces in the DC Universe, an unstoppable engine for justice. Given access to Kryptonian powers? Makes for pretty chilling stuff. But vital stuff too. This story isn't Superman's, despite his name on the cover. The first half of the book is one of the most intriguing set ups I've seen, and then they totally fumble the ball with this Lois Lane as Luke Skywalker and Batman as Vader. In a sensible story, Batman would have toned down his senseless beatings, relied more on the psychology of fear as he does in the "normal" Gotham City. What's more terrifying: a Batman that can juggle tanks or one who can see and hear everything in Gotham? Yeah, so this book is only for those with rose-colored glasses. For the rest, avoid. The let down is so evident, you'll be beside yourself with fury.

Bruce Wayne, a Batman of Steel?.......1998-10-18

Earlier reviews depicted this story as a smarmy, watered-down portrayal of what might have happened if Bruce Wayne was the true Last Son of Krypton. But those reviews are wrong. This is not only comic book fiction, but a fictionalized account of fiction. DeMatteis achieves his goal of showing the reader what could happen if Kal-El became Batman, and he does it with respectful grace and dignity. Of course, the Lex Luther/Joker combination was a bit trite, but anything's better than the Sinestro/Joker combo in "Darkest Knight."

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What Does It Take To Make a Hero?
Best book ever!
Best book
Great book

Speeding Bullet: A Novel
Neal Shusterman
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (Juv)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Literature & Fiction | Teens | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0316789054

Customer Reviews:

What Does It Take To Make a Hero?.......2006-02-13

For Nicholas "Nicky" Herrera, his life is simply defined by getting through the day. His very Catholic mother has a habit of reminding him how much he's like his older brother, Salvatore. His police officer father tries to keep the family peace. His other brother, Paulie, is the smart one. For Nick, who is barely making it through the tenth grade, he's finally decided that there's nothing more in his future than surviving, and possibly working at the docks or in sanitation like the goals of his best friend, Marco.

Until one day, Nick rescues a little girl from the tracks of the subway. Suddenly, he's a hero, and every quarter he tosses keeps coming up heads. When he garners the attention of Linda Lanko, the daughter of the richest developer in New York, he realizes that there might be a purpose to his life after all. Rescue opportunities are now popping up all over, and word-of-mouth throughout the city has turned Nick into a modern-day hero of Superman proportions.

Nick's heroism, of course, brings him all sorts of problems that he never even imagined. While on one hand his life now seems charmed, his personal relationships--with his family, with Marco, with Linda--are taking twists and turns into unfamiliar territory.

Then tragedy strikes a number of devastating blows all in quick succession, and Nick realizes that being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be. Who is Nick Herrera, really, and what's his purpose in life? It's suddenly the most important thing in his life to figure it out, and the way he does that will leave the reader breathless.

SPEEDING BULLET is a compelling, quick read that had me staying up late to finish it. You won't be disappointed when you pick up your own copy!

Best book ever!.......2001-11-09

Do you like good books with no horror in them? Well, if so, this is the book you need to read. Do you like rescues? This book is full of rescues. This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is a great book!It is full of adventure and action. This book can be read by all ages. The adventure starts out at the beginning and it gets better as the book goes on. If you have ever dreamed of being a hero, if you have ever dreamed of tempting fate, or leaving a decision to the flip of a coin, then here is the perfect book for you. It will keep you on edge from the first page until the last. Once you start reading it you won't want to put it down!

Best book.......2001-07-26

I read this book when i was about in 6th grade and read it a couple times each year i was in middle school. Now im a sophomore in high school and missing this book. So i bought it used i love it so much! Its great and it really grabs your attention. There aren't many slow parts. I really reccomend this book to anyone who can get their hands on in. Its not a disappointment!

Great book.......2000-04-07

This is a great book. i am reading it in my class and i absoulutly love it! the adventures with nick marco and linda are thrill a minute. you should deffinatly buy this book!

Superman Returns The Prequel Comics issues 1-4 All Four Issues! (ALL FIRST PRINTS OF ALL FOUR SUPERMAN RETURNS PREQUEL COMICS INCLUDES: KRYPTON TO EARTH, MA KENT, LEX LUTHOR, and LOIS LANE!)

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Superman Returns The Prequel Comics issues 1-4 All Four Issues! (ALL FIRST PRINTS OF ALL FOUR SUPERMAN RETURNS PREQUEL COMICS INCLUDES: KRYPTON TO EARTH, MA KENT, LEX LUTHOR, and LOIS LANE!)
Michael Dougherty, Dan Harris, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, Mark Andreyko Bryan Singer
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000WI3V06

Product Description

In issue 1 fans will revisit the Man of Steel's origins and witness how the world has been transformed in Superman's absence. Issue 2 conceived by Bryan Singer and illustrated by Karl Kerschl spotlights the life of the woman who raised the Man of Tomorrow-and explores how she survived a world without Superman. Issue 3 features Lex Luthor! He always dreamed of a world without a Superman. How will Superman's arch-nemesis react when he finally gets what he's wanted for so many years? Issue 4 features Lois Lane. Lois Lane has loved and lost the Man of Steel. How will this intrepid reporter rebound from Superman's absence?

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Speeding Bullet: A Novel
Neal Shusterman
Manufacturer: Little Brown & Co (Juv)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OU15MI

Superman/Batman Annual #1 (A Re-Imaginary Story featuring Batman and Superman's first meeting with each other! First Printing!)

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Superman/Batman Annual #1 (A Re-Imaginary Story featuring Batman and Superman's first meeting with each other! First Printing!)
Joe Kelly
Manufacturer: DC Comics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Comic
ASIN: B000VUMCGE

Product Description

Written by Joe Kelly Art and Ed McGuinness, Ryan Ottley and Dexter Vines Cover by McGuinness & Vines Don't miss the slam-bang first-ever SUPERMAN/BATMAN ANNUAL, written by Joe Kelly (JLA, SUPERGIRL) with art by the superstar team of Ed McGuinness & Dexter Vines (SUPERMAN/BATMAN) and rising star Ryan Ottley (Invincible)! How did Superman and Batman discover each other's secret identities? Why was Deathstroke after Bruce Wayne on one of his earliest assignments? How do Ultraman and Owlman fit into this? And why are they all on a cruise into the Bermuda Triangle? The answers will shock and amaze in this far-out reimagining of one of the first meetings between the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader!

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