She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana

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Haven Kimmel's memoir She Got Up Off the Couch might have been called The Further Adventures of Zippy, since it picks up where her bestselling A Girl Named Zippy left off, and is reeled out in much the same vein. The person who got up off the couch is Zippy's mother, Delonda, who for years sat on the titular sofa, ate, read, and watched TV until she weighed 268 pounds and life was nearly unbearable. You would never know the bad parts from Haven Kimmel, who always concentrates on the bright side, even though she lived in a house without heat, food, indoor plumbing, a dependable water supply or even a modicum of cleanliness. Kimmel loves her parents inordinately, even at their most unlovable.

Delonda takes a College Entrance exam, passes it and enrolls at Ball State, where she completes a degree in two years, goes on for a Master's and gets a job as a high school teacher. That sounds fairly straightforward but it wasn't easy. Bob Jarvis, Delonda's husband and Zippy's father, gave her no help at all; in fact, he ridiculed her and ignored her progress. Eventually, he found someone else while Delonda was busy reclaiming her life. We could read this as a tale of the times, where a woman takes charge of herself, loses 120 pounds and, against all odds, gains an education and a livelihood. It is all of that, and more.

Life in Mooreland, Indiana, in the 1970s is not very exciting, but Zippy finds wonder everywhere and often laughed until she "tipped right over." There is an unquenchable spirit in the girl, and then in the woman, that keeps popping up despite a very sketchy upbringing. The neighbors fed and bathed her, she wore the same pair of pants to school every day for an entire school year--without benefit of laundry. Her brother and sister lit out at the first chance they had--though Melinda ends up only a few blocks away and becomes another safe port for Zippy. She is a victim of benign neglect, not malice or meanness.

Her tales of church camp, days with her friends, driving with her Dad, going to a play with her Mother, her love for her niece and nephew and her discovery that her Dad is having an affair are all told in typical Zippy-style: they are humorous, poignant, exuberant, and often breathless. Stay tuned: this book ends when Zippy is only thirteen. Hopefully there's more to come. --Valerie Ryan

Book Description

After twenty years of burrowing into the corner of the family couch, eating junk food, and reading science fiction, Indiana mother Delonda Jarvis did something that shocked her family: she went to college. Or, as her younger daughter, Haven Kimmel, writes, she "stood up, brushed away the pork rind crumbs, and escaped by the skin of her teeth."

Despite having no money, no car, and a resentful husband, Delonda managed to obtain a master's degree in English. The former teenage bride also dropped one hundred pounds, learned how to drive, and became a breadwinner. But as she reclaimed herself, her marriage disintegrated.

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A true pleasure for old fans and new ones alike, She Got Up Off the Couch is a gorgeous encapsulation of an innocent time when a child didn't understand that her mother was depressed or felt stifled, but just noted on her way out the door that Delonda was a fixture in the living room. Kimmel captures the seminal moments of her mother's burgeoning empowerment with the full strength of her distinctive, deft storytelling, and with the overflowing sense of humor that made A Girl Named Zippy a favorite of readers everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

i almost lost my sentient mind, i was laughing so hard.......2007-10-04

After A GIRL NAMED ZIPPY, i didnt think i could love another Kimmel book as much as SGUOTC. I was wrong: it's every bit as uniquely brilliant and screamingly funny as Zippy, with tender moments that come at you from the SKY. No sequel comes to mind that IU've cherished so as SGUOTC. The specially chosen photographs for every chapter made it so satisfying and real; I honestly feel as though I know this town, I know these people, and as always with Kimmel's stories? I want more! STILL. I could easily devour a book about every one of the stages of adulthood from this talented author. This book focuses on Kimmel's mother, Delonda, an ordinary SEEMING mother -- a mother who sits on the couch reading voraciously and one day she GETS UP OFF THE COUCH. and away we go! Delonda evolves into an intelligent, complex and almost holy character and role model. I was also charmed and intriged by Kimmel's father, Bob, and engrossed with the eccentricities of all of Kimmel's glorious girlhood friends. The way she talks about her hair is enough for the price of the entire book. LOVED the Rooster haircut and the wig hat with the red braid. It's a delectable and marvelous alchemy, the way Kimmel throwns down words into magic and fashions storylines into feelings that strike at one's heart with cobra-like accuracy and deft wit. The intricacies of girlhood, small towns, the seventies are explored; Kimmel's genius for dialogue is once again poured onto the page with liberal amounts of generosity and kindeness and the laugh-out-loud moments that make reading a joy. I don;t blame Katie Couric for choosing Zippy as a TODAY SHOW book, but this one is just as good and even deeper in some ways that kept me engaged and thrilled throughout. Highly recommended for readers of all ages and genders and species.

A Great Book.......2007-09-16

This was the first of Haven Kimmel's books I read. I'm now on my third. She's absolutely delightful.

She Got Up Off the Couch.......2007-08-29

I laughed until tears ran down my face. Haven Kimmel has a wonderful way of telling a story with comments that jump right up and hit your funny bone. I'm looking forward to reading more from her.

Pretty good but I guess I just don't "get it" like other reviewers.......2007-06-26

I guess this book was a victim of bad timing. If I'd read it BEFORE I read The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (PWDO) I might have been more sympathetic towards Delonda and enjoyed it more. I know that few women can live up to the example set by Evelyn Ryan in PWDO, she is supernaturally energetic, resourceful and capable. But it ruined me for both A Girl Called Zippy and She Got Up Off The Couch. Throughout both books (and I read them back to back, right after I read PWDO) I wanted to smack Zippy's mom and yell, "get up and do something about your crappy house, narcissistic hubby and dirty kids!" I had to keep reminding myself that I would probably react to her circumstances like she did - escape into books and deny that my life was crumbling around me. In Delonda's defense, I would have traded my mom for Delonda and her benign neglect in an instant. As I think about it, I would have traded my dad and step-dad for Bob Jarvis in about a nanosecond. No doubt about it.

I wish I had liked the little girl, Zippy. I really wanted to like her...but I didn't. She seemed like a mean little brat, self-centered and someone I would have avoided like the plague. And for the life of me, I cannot figure out what the other reviewers found so funny. I chuckled a few times but that was it. Another reviewer said that too many things were left unexplained and I agree. People appear and disappear and you don't know if it's because Zippy just didn't think about them all that much or because they were minor players in her life (ex: Olive, Big Fat Bonnie, Bob's Mom). I would have like to know more about these people.

This book was OK, but not one of my favorites. I enjoyed the nostalgic feel of it (I'm Zippy's age and I grew up in Ohio, which is pretty much a clone of Indiana); I certainly identify with the music she liked, the way she talked, the celebrities she had a crush on and even the bike she rode. That part was great fun and the reason I gave this book 3 stars.

The Best Memoir You'll Ever Read.......2007-05-31

This book is simply wonderful. I read "A Girl Named Zippy" first, but you certainly don't have to. I actually liked this book better than the first. The characters are much more developed and this was a much more sentimental view of the people and places in Zippy's life. The book is hilarious, beautiful, and you will see many of your own childhood experiences here. Anyone who grew up in a small town will feel right at home. I don't know how to express my love for Zippy and her books; it's unlike anything I've ever experienced. I am fiercely protective of my copies...you will be, too.

SHE GOT UP OFF THE COUCH: AND OTHER HEROIC ACTS FROM MOORELAND, INDIANA.

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SHE GOT UP OFF THE COUCH: AND OTHER HEROIC ACTS FROM MOORELAND, INDIANA.
Haven. Kimmel
Manufacturer: Free Press,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NU117I

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A history of deception in military operations, with an emphasis on the 20th century and recent wars.

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good job

Classics of Public Administration

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN PUBLIC SECTOR AT MILLENIUM'S END

Classics of Public Administration
Jay M. Shafritz , Albert C. Hyde , and Sandra J. Parkes
Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Public Affairs & Administration | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0155062603

Book Description

CLASSICS OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION is a collection of articles carefully chosen for their readability and continuing contribution to the study of Public Administration. Written by the most significant scholars from the field, these classics focus on topics and issues that are recognized as important ongoing themes in the field of Public Administration.

Customer Reviews:

good job.......2005-09-26

Order arrived promptly, the book was in great condition like the seller said. Would purchase again from this seller

Classics of Public Administration.......2000-08-11

The selected readings provide a useful reference to classic public administration literature. The writings are presented in a general chronological order covering topics important to the various time periods. The book could be improved with an updated edition of current literature (stops around the Carter presidency.) An index would be helpful. Overall, a worthwhile addition to one's political science library. I refer to it often.

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN PUBLIC SECTOR AT MILLENIUM'S END.......1999-09-04

FULL MARKS GOES TO SHAFRITZ AND HYDE FOR THIS EXCLUSIVE WORK WHILE EVEN FINDING A LITERATURE ABOUT PUBLIC ADMN. IS GETTING DIFFICULT. THANKS TO BOTH!

Public Administration And Law (Aspa Classics)

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Public Administration And Law (Aspa Classics)

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Performance-Based Budgeting: An ASPA Classic

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Performance-Based Budgeting: An ASPA Classic

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Classics of Public Budgeting is the next volume in the ASPA Classics series. It covers the most influential, paramount research articles published on public budgeting and finance. The book will surely be of great interest and use to anyone concerned with public budgeting, and anyone enrolled in, or teaching, a course on this topic in an MPA program.

The Paulist Liturgy Planning Guide: For the Readings of Sundays and Major Feast Days, Year B

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The Paulist Liturgy Planning Guide: For the Readings of Sundays and Major Feast Days, Year B

Manufacturer: Paulist Press
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Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church

ASIN: 0809143410

Book Description

The Paulist Liturgy Planning Guide provides a compact, easy-to-use, and comprehensive resource for all ministries involved in Sunday planning. It has information and tips for musicians, lectors, Eucharistic ministers, liturgical planning communities, homilists, celebrants, and bulleting theme writers--ALL IN ONE VOLUME.

Focusing on the Lectionary readings, the PLPG combines sound exegesis, good homily preparation, rich liturgical notes, helpful observations on music, and selected catechetical topics that will provide useful information for liturgical coordinators, planners, and ministers, as well as adult education courses and study groups.

The PLPG covers not only every Sunday of the year, but also the six major holy days of the Catholic Church and the three days of the Holy Week Triduum, in order to make celebrations of those days a richer experience for congregations.

The entries have been written by a group of highly distinguished experts:

--Background and Exegesis of All Three Sunday Readings by internationally recognized scripture scholar Lawrence Boadt, CSP --Homily Helps by bestselling author and homiletics expert Roland Faley, TOR --Liturgical Notes by Ronald Hayde, Director of the Rockville Centre Office of Worship --Catechetical Topics and Themes from Margaret Nutting Ralph, Secretary of Educational Ministries for the diocese of Lexington --Musical Themes and Suggestions by liturgist and musician Ken Meltz

The Fourth Book of the Chronicle of Fredegar: With its Continuations (Medieval Clasics)
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The Chronicle of Fredegar

The Fourth Book of the Chronicle of Fredegar: With its Continuations (Medieval Clasics)

Manufacturer: Greenwood Press Reprint
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0313227411

Book Description

This translation of the fourth book of the Chronicle of Fredegar with its Continuations, has Latin and English on opposite pages.

Customer Reviews:

The Chronicle of Fredegar.......2007-08-27

The fourth book of the Chronicle of Fredegar continues where the Gregory of Tour's History of the Franks ends. The translator spends most of the introduction discussing the opinions of others in the authorship of the chronicle, which sections were written by who from where, etc however, he fails to talk more than a few pages about the actual content and it's importance in the affairs of the Franks. However, I am a student of Latin and found that his extensive discussion of the corruptions in Fredegar's Latin were fascinating (the absorption of the fifth declension into the 2nd etc..)

The actual chronicle is a fascinating piece of work and the four stars only goes to the translator's introduction. This is the only real source we have between approximately 584-642. The continuation of Fredegar's chronicle is by another author who paraphrased the Neustrian Liber Historiae Francorum and then continued in an original manner until 768. The first three books, not in this translation, are simply paraphrases with a few new stories (which the translator points out) of works by Isidore, Gregory of Tours, etc... The Chronicle seems to flesh out certain years while leaving others devoid of information but the information it does give is vital to the understanding of this period.

Shakespeare Inside: The Bard Behind Bars (Shakespeare Now!)

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Shakespeare Inside: The Bard Behind Bars (Shakespeare Now!)
Amy Scott-Douglass
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
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Classics of public administration

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Thomas Sankara Speaks: The Burkina Faso Revolution, 1983-87

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An African Fidel Castro
Martydom is not the end, but the beginning
A must read for any real African Revolutionary.

Thomas Sankara Speaks: The Burkina Faso Revolution, 1983-87
Thomas Sankara
Manufacturer: Pathfinder Press (NY)
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Binding: Paperback

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We Are Heirs of the World's Revolutions: Speeches from the Burkina Faso Revolution, 1983-87
How Far We Slaves Have Come! South Africa and Cuba in Today's World

ASIN: 0873485262

Product Description

Note that this first edition is no longer in print. The second edition is currently available.

Second edition includes a new introduction by editor Michel Prairie, foreword, maps, chronology and glossary, as well as an index. Thirty-two page photo section features many unpublished photos of the Burkina Faso revolution.

You can search for the second addition using the following ISBN 9780873489867.

Customer Reviews:

An African Fidel Castro.......2006-06-27

Sankara was a great revolutionary, not just a fighter, not just defiant, but a thinker, a man who sought to united the working masses of his country against imperialism and for progress. Reading his writings give wisdom not just to African revolutionists, but to anyone in the world who thinking about how to defend working people against the imperialist offensive, how to move his people to progress.

In this regard Sankara's writings are important because he is not a phony leftist spouting rhetoric, but a thinking leader of his people trying to educate, trying to involve and trying to give leadership to the peasants, the women, the workers, because he knew real revolutions are made not by leaders or elites, but by the masses.

In this Sankara reminds me very much of another fighting leader, a man Sankara worked with and stood shoulder to should with Fidel Castro. Imperialism and reaction may have silenced Thomas Sankara's body, but as long as these words are available, his ideas will never stop leading people in struggle in Africa and in the world. We should honor his sacrifice by studying his words!

While this book is sometimes not available on Amazon, it is always available from booksfrompathfinder a vendor you can find by clicking on New and Used toward the top of the page.

Martydom is not the end, but the beginning.......2002-02-08

This book had a tremendous impact on my personal and political ideology. It had so much impact that I named my first child Sankara! "Thomas Sankara Speaks" is a must read for all aspiring revolutionaries. Brother Sankara, exemplifies the importance of Pan-Africanism as a solution for all people of African descent. He also emphasizes the importance of international solidarity of all oppressed people. "He who loves his own people also loves other people." Thomas Sankara is one of many heroes that suffered from imperialism's bullets. Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Jr. Patrice Lumumba, Augusto Sandino, Amilcar Cabral, Maurice Bishop and now Thomas Sankara speak from the grave, "Don't Shoot...You Can Not Kill Ideas!"

Study, Understand, Expose The Enemy!
Adeymi Joashan

A must read for any real African Revolutionary........1996-10-10

Thomas Sankara was a giant among men, One only needs to read this book to see where Burkina Faso (indeed Africa) could have been today, if only he had been allowed to live. We learn about the man's vision for all aspects of life; children, women, economy, governance and the like. A must read for all Africans and friends of Africa. Mukhtar Dan'Iyan

Public Sector Performance (Aspa Classics)

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Public Sector Performance (Aspa Classics)
Richard C. Kearney
Manufacturer: Westview Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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Confronted with rising citizen discontent, the Reinventing Government movement, and new technological challenges, public organizations everywhere are seeking means of improving their performance. Their quest is not new, rather, the concern with improving the performance of government organizations has existed since the Scientific Management Movement. Public Sector Performance brings together in a single volume the classic, enduring principles and processes that have defined the field of public sector performance, as written in the words of leading practitioners and scholars. Taken as a whole, this volume provides a performance compass for today's public managers, helping them to reconstruct the public's confidence in, and support of, government.

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Classics of Adminstrative Ethics
Willa M. Bruce
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This anthology will be appropriate for administrative ethics classes and professional thinking in public administration at both the masters and doctoral levels. It is a collection of administrative ethics articles published in journals of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) from 1941 (the earliest publication) through 1983 (the year that the first ASPA Code of Ethics was established). The articles are organized by themes of enduring importance to the field in order to provide graduate students with ready access to the classic works on ethics in public administration. Reading this collection will enhance student's knowledge and skills to think and act ethically and contribute to their ability to view current practices in light of traditional perspectives. The ASPA Classics volume serves to bridge the practice of public policy and administration with the empirical research base that has accrued and the models for practice that may be deduced from the research

Amazon.com

Do you remember the puffin nursery rhyme? Did you know that they nest in burrows? When I pick out books for the children in our family, I like to select those that promote learning as well as entertainment. Windswept Press's "Wee Peter Puffin" fills the bill as an interdisciplinary children's book. The author wonderfully describes the life of those clown-faced birds and also includes a map, poetry, music, and charming illustrations. This is a book that young ones will want to explore again and again.

Customer Reviews:

Wee Peter Puffin.......2000-11-04

This is a delightful story which our children have enjoyed listening to and hearing of the life of this unusual charming type of bird.

WEE PETER PUFFIN. Illustrated by Alek Kardas

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WEE PETER PUFFIN. Illustrated by Alek Kardas
Jane D. Weinberger
Manufacturer: Windswept House,
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N7CC4C

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