Latremouille, Louise. My Parents First Computer and Internet Guide (Buy this Book
I first heard of this book from watching a TV morning show and one of my friends immediately came to mind. Cheryl's the kind of person who’s terrified of even approaching a computer for fear of "breaking it". That's a little far-fetched I know, but not too far off.
We've tried to explain that there's nothing she could do, really, to "break" the computer – there's only the possibility of deleting information on the hard drive. But being a beginner computer use, the best thing is to set her up on a system with very little on the hard drive to start with. If the computer system is already there, and in Cheryl's case it is as it's her husband's computer, then the hard drive or the important information on it should be backed up before Cheryl starts her "baby steps" with the computer.
That said, I tried to read through Louise Latremouille's wonderful beginner computer guide through Cheryl's eyes. Louise has organized her book in such a way that a computer novice will find it extremely easy to follow and understand.
A full description of the computer and what each part does is explained, first of all, then Louise takes you through certain programs and details you should know about after you turn on your computer system, such as the start menu, Microsoft Word, the re-set button and what it does, and what to do if your computer freezes while working on a document.
In step 3 the book goes on to explain the internet and emails; how to browse "the net", how to send and receive emails, information on computer viruses and how to set up your email address book.
Louise has made it a fun, stress-free book that will get the "newbie" up and running in no time at all. I love this book and I'm sure you will too! (Even Cheryl said, "Hmmmm, maybe I WILL give it a try, if you'll sit with me…" ;-)
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