The Da Vinci Code
by Dan Brown
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Hardcover (18 March, 2003)
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Editorial Review

With The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown masterfully concocts an intelligent and lucid thriller that marries the gusto of an international murder mystery with a collection of fascinating esoteria culled from 2,000 years of Western history.

A murder in the silent after-hour halls of the Louvre museum reveals a sinister plot to uncover a secret that has been protected by a clandestine society since the days of Christ. The victim is a high-ranking agent of this ancient society who, in the moments before his death, manages to leave gruesome clues at the scene that only his granddaughter, noted cryptographer Sophie Neveu, and Robert Langdon, a famed symbologist, can untangle. The duo become both suspects and detectives searching for not only Neveu's grandfather's murderer but also the stunning secret of the ages he was charged to protect. Mere steps ahead of the authorities and the deadly competition, the mystery leads Neveu and Langdon on a breathless flight through France, England, and history itself. Brown (Angels and Demons) has created a page-turning thriller that also provides an amazing interpretation of Western history. Brown's hero and heroine embark on a lofty and intriguing exploration of some of Western culture's greatest mysteries--from the nature of the Mona Lisa's smile to the secret of the Holy Grail. Though some will quibble with the veracity of Brown's conjectures, therein lies the fun. The Da Vinci Code is an enthralling read that provides rich food for thought. --Jeremy Pugh ... Read more

Reviews (3049)

Best Ever
This is the best book I've read this year.Not because I think it's true (it is a work of fiction) but because the research done to create the illusion of reality was amazing.Excellent work by the author.It was really a page turner.The only other book I've read this year that I've been this excited about what The System by Roy Valentine.Very different kind of book but also highly recommended.

Nilly Vanilly
The characters are predictable one dimensional cartoons, the good guys are the atheist tree hugging narcissistic pagans, the bad guys include a very pale man who believes in God; the hedonistic oh-so-witty and sophisticated heroes manage to have the upper hand at every turn so there is zero suspense once you catch on to his technique. This book is just not very good fiction plain and simple. Pass on this [...]. Go waste your money on something [...] fattening, but please do not encourage the dumming down of the reading public.

Gread read
Even though it is a historical fiction, this is a very good book to read. True that some of the points he wrote about were true. But we should know that this is open to interpretation. What is also important is that as readers, we should be able to discern where historical truths end and where fiction begins. I have read a great deal of historical fictions, and know how misleading historical fictions can be. Nothing that is written in this novel is exact. The father of this theme that Dan Brown took in this book is Michael Baigent , the author of HOLY BLOOD, HOLY GRAIL. He said it succinctly that he did not believe about the grail story because he did not know. What he wrote was what people said, many of whom were hazy about it. So, he wrote using "it is said that". That is what makes writings glaringly historical fictions. Equally good historical fictions are HOLY BLOOD HOLY GRAIL,DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, THE TRIUMPH OF THE SUN. ... Read more

Isbn: 0385504209
Subjects:  1. 1452-1519    2. Appreciation    3. Art museum curators    4. Crimes against    5. Cryptographers    6. Fiction    7. Fiction - Espionage / Thriller    8. Leonardo,    9. Mystery/Suspense    10. Secret societies    11. Thrillers    12. da Vinci,    13. Fiction / Thrillers    14. Leonardo    15. Manuscripts    16. Reading Group Guide   

Peace Like a River
by Leif Enger
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (20 August, 2002)
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Editorial Review

To the list of great American child narrators that includes Huck Finnand Scout Finch, let us now add Reuben "Rube" Land, the asthmatic 11-year-oldboy at the center of Leif Enger's remarkable first novel, Peace Like aRiver. Rube recalls the events of his childhood, in small-town Minnesota circa1962, in a voice that perfectly captures the poetic, verbal stoicism of thenorthern Great Plains. "Here's what I saw," Rube warns his readers. "Here's howit went. Make of it what you will." And Rube sees plenty.

In the winter of his 11th year, two schoolyard bullies break into the Lands'house, and Rube's big brother Davy guns them down with a Winchester. Shortlyafter his arrest, Davy breaks out of jail and goes on the lam. Swede is Rube'syounger sister, a precocious writer who crafts rhymed epics of romantic Westernoutlawry. Shortly after Davy's escape, Rube, Swede, and their father, a widowedschool custodian, hit the road too, swerving this way and that across Minnesotaand North Dakota, determined to find their lost outlaw Davy. In the end it's notRube who haunts the reader's imagination, it's his father, torn between love forhis outlaw son and the duty to do the right, honest thing. Enger finds somethingquietly heroic in the bred-in-the-bone Minnesota decency of America's heartland.Peace Like a River opens up a new chapter in Midwestern literature.--Claire Dederer ... Read more

Reviews (277)

Rich, moving and enveloping
Okay, I'm jumping onto the bandwagon with gusto. I very highly recommend this novel. It is written in a style that is lush but not pretentious. Though the story-teller is Ruben as an adult, the words and thoughts of the children are very authentic and the emotions are founded in reality even though the events are often supernatural. It is spiritual but not preachy. It is engaging and funny. I am a language arts teacher and will include this on my list of summer reading for my students. For the reader who was disgusted by the lack of commas and the word "and" placed after semicolons -- relax, will you? This is a novel, not a term paper. An author has the right to play it fast and loose with punctuation, grammar and syntax in order to create a desired effect. If you read fiction with the eye of a proof reader, you risk sacrificing the ephemeral on the alter of the practical.

Live with Hope
I really recommend this book because it teaches that no matter how righ or poor a person is, they will still face unpredictable situation in life.For instant, Reuben was born with no air in his lings, which we can say he was dead, but then he was revived.I believe that these miracles still exists in this present time, but most people they do not recognize them as Jeremiah did. This novel reminds me that going through life is never smooth and straight.Not only do we have to depend on our own natural abilities, but also on divinity, destiny and trusting in God.In the world, we see and read about troubles all over but neither human beings nor organizations have been able to bring peace to the world.Jeremiah was a very patient father, took care of three kids and tried to save all of his children's lives. For example, he sold-off everything and spent time traveling to search for one of his sons and also said that he would exchange his life with his son Davy's, if the law accepted. This is assuring me that he had never given up hope to find Davy even though he did not have a definite destination. Thank goodness for those kind people such as August, Birdie and Roxanna that provide food and shelter to these travellers.Along their journey, we can imagine the beauty of many places and the excitment of the sound of the river that seem to be singing louder than ever. Can we ever hope to experience the peacefulness like a stream of continuous flowing water? We can, but we can be sure it can not last forever.The moral of the story is to enjoy life in its simplicity.There are always ups and downs and we must learn to accept them. Be prepared for the unexpected; you never know when our lives can be changed or can be easily snatched away.Strive to be happy!

A Gifted Author's First Work
Apart from my work, I read fiction almost exclusively. I have rarely come across an author with as stunning an ability to capture emotion and event, with such economy of words, as Mr. Enger. For those who enjoy fiction, and who would consider for an instant that this world offers profound experiences, this book is a wonderful read. The descriptions are vivid and succinct. His characters are credible, and lovely. The plot is suspenseful. I loved this book and can't wait for Mr. Enger's next story. ... Read more

Isbn: 0802139256
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Sagas    5. Reading Group Guide   

The Secret Life of Bees
by SueKidd
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (28 January, 2003)
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Editorial Review

In Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees, 14-year-old Lily Owen, neglected by her father and isolated on their Georgia peach farm, spends hours imagining a blissful infancy when she was loved and nurtured by her mother, Deborah, whom she barely remembers. These consoling fantasies are her heart's answer to the family story that as a child, in unclear circumstances, Lily accidentally shot and killed her mother. All Lily has left of Deborah is a strange image of a Black Madonna, with the words "Tiburon, South Carolina" scrawled on the back. The search for a mother, and the need to mother oneself, are crucial elements in this well-written coming-of-age story set in the early 1960s against a background of racial violence and unrest. When Lily's beloved nanny, Rosaleen, manages to insult a group of angry white men on her way to register to vote and has to skip town, Lily takes the opportunity to go with her, fleeing to the only place she can think of--Tiburon, South Carolina--determined to find out more about her dead mother. Although the plot threads are too neatly trimmed, The Secret Life of Bees is a carefully crafted novel with an inspired depiction of character. The legend of the Black Madonna and the brave, kind, peculiar women who perpetuate Lily's story dominate the second half of the book, placing Kidd's debut novel squarely in the honored tradition of the Southern Gothic. --Regina Marler ... Read more

Reviews (962)

Very Enjoyable, a Book Worth Buying!...
The story is also reminiscent of Huck Finn, in that Lily takes her black nanny with her (breaking her out of jail) on this voyage of discovery. They both end up in the home of the "calendar" girls, May, July and August, who lost their sister, April. These women operate the Black Madonna honey company - being excellent beekeepers, not only shipping honey around the country, but lending out their bees as crop pollinators in the neighborhood.

The personalities in this story are a hoot.

August, the queen bee, guides Lily through the art of beekeeping, the love of their Mary in Chains, the rosary, and all sorts of family traditions, including a "Negro" funeral. August knows exactly who she is, but can't believe Lily is come to stay with them. She doesn't reveal what she knows until the appropriate time.

Each chapter (14 in all) begins with an epigraph about the care, feeding and life of bees. The major hint here is that the epigraph relates exactly with the subject of the chapter. Life, death, love, family, work, play.

This is a short read if you stick with it, and the life in South Carolina is HOT and sticky. You can feel it in the honey house, the bedroom, and the kitchen. Bees figure centrally, as does Lily's first crush - even on a black young man.

The only problem with this is that Lily has so much self-revelation at 14. At 14, I couldn't figure out anything, much less some of these eternal truths. Perhaps this is supposed to be a "looking back" kind of book. The author says it is in no way related to her real life. But , anyway, try it for yourself! Pick up a copy! Another book I need to recommend -- completely unrelated to the south, but very much on my mind since I purchased a "used" copy off Amazon is "The Losers' Club: Complete Restored Edition" by Richard Perez, an exceptional, highly entertaining little novel I can't stop thinking about.

Moving and touching
The book by Sue Monk Kidd is one of the best I have read in a long time.The book helps you better understand the affects of neglect and also the affect of guilt.The book really helps you to look futher into your heart for the true meaning of life.The book is written with such passion and poigancy that you can not help but be addicted to it.This book teachs you all of life's small lessons.In this book you are shocked, you cry, you laugh, and finally you understand the horrors the blacks had to endure, for their fight of personal and intellicectual freedom.This book will have you glued to it from the front cover to the end!!

Movie Like Imagery
I'm not sure if "Secret Life of Bees" could ever be translated well into a film. I guess with CGI they can do anything these days. Books like "My Fractured Life" and "Master and Commander" jump off the page and scream to be translated into film, but I think part of the quaint appeal of "Secret Life of Bees" is that it doesn't have that wild excitement to it. It is a quiet novel, and one that if treated gently, will treat you gently in return. I have a sincere affection of "Secret Life of Bees." I mean no offense to "My Fractured Life," "Master and Commander," "Seabiscuit" or any other books of that ilk, they are fine books worthy of their many praises. "My Fractured Life" is destined to be a classic; "Seabiscuit" is timeless already; and "Master and Commander" is immortal with power. But "Secret Life of Bees" has a gentleness that makes it uniquely endearing. ... Read more

Isbn: 0142001740
Subjects:  1. American First Novelists    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Psychological    6. Fiction / General   

Prodigal Summer: A Novel
by Barbara Kingsolver
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Paperback (16 October, 2001)
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Editorial Review

There is no one in contemporary literature quite like BarbaraKingsolver. Her dialogue sparkles with sassy wit and earthy poetry; herdescriptions are rooted in daily life but are also on familiar terms with theeternal. With Prodigal Summer, she returns from the Congo to a "wrinkle on the mapthat lies between farms and wildness." And there, in an isolated pocket ofsouthern Appalachia, she recounts not one but three intricate stories.

Exuberant, lush, riotous--the summer of the novel is "the season of extravagantprocreation" in which bullfrogs carelessly lay their jellied masses of eggs inthe grass, "apparently confident that their tadpoles would be able to swimthrough the lawn like little sperms," and in which a woman may learn to "telltime with her skin." It is also the summer in which a family of coyotes movesinto the mountains above Zebulon Valley:

The ghost of a creature long extinct was coming in on silent footprints,returning to the place it had once held in the complex anatomy of this forestlike a beating heart returned to its body. This is what she believed she wouldsee, if she watched, at this magical juncture: a restoration.

The "she" is Deanna Wolfe, a wildlife biologist observing the coyotes from herisolated aerie--isolated, that is, until the arrival of a young hunter who makesher even more aware of the truth that humans are only an infinitesimal portionin the ecological balance. This truth forms the axis around which the other twonarratives revolve: the story of a city girl, entomologist, and new widow andher efforts to find a place for herself; and the story of Garnett Walker andNannie Rawley, who seem bent on thrashing out the countless intimate lessons ofbiology as only an irascible traditional farmer and a devotee of organicagriculture can. As Nannie lectures Garnett, "Everything alive is connected toevery other by fine, invisible threads. Things you don't see can help youplenty, and things you try to control will often rear back and bite you, andthat's the moral of the story."

Structurally, that gossamer web is the story: images, phrases, and eventslink the narratives, and these echoes are rarely obvious, always serendipitous.Kingsolver is one of those authors for whom the terrifying elegance of nature isboth aesthetic wonder and source of a fierce and abiding moral vision. She mayhave inherited Thoreau's mantle, but she piles up riches of her own making,blending her extravagant narrative gift with benevolent concise humor. Shetreads the line between the sentimental and the glorious like nobody else inAmerican literature. --Kelly Flynn ... Read more

Reviews (394)

I hated the last page!
I never wanted this book to end.I felt as though I were bidding farewell to friends, or at the very least, interesting and cantankerous aquaintances.I'm a devoted Kingsolver fan, but this book was different...lighter, funnier, floating through the titular season and wrapping the reader in all its fecundity.The voices of Appalachia became so clear, the situations so real and heartbreaking (or hilarious) I just never wanted to let go.If you've never read Kingsolver, this is a good place to start.

So Beautiful
This is the first Kingsolver novel I've read.I am still smiling over the BEAUTY of it.I felt as if I was a part of the nature that enveloped the characters in this novel.I loved the way the lives of the 3 characters all inter related.

When I read one of the negative reviews who said it was boring at the beginning, I think I understand where they are coming from....BUT...I think it is like being in nature....if all you are looking for is artificial "entertainment", you won't find it.But, if you relax and wait, nature will provide you with all of the REAL entertainment there is.

What a beautiful novel.The words, the feelings, the images.

Thank you Barbara Kingsolver.

Be prepared to learn about biology and life in the mountains
Kingsolver is one author whose books can be devoured in rapid succession--you aren't going to get bored with repeated plot elements or the same setting over and over again.She delivers a terrific interwoven novel of three parallel stories with the shared theme of the importance of preserving predators to maintain ecosytems from bug-size to mammal-size.I loved this for the storyline and for the biological science I picked up during the reading.She delivers a masterful ending in which leaves the reader at peace with the way the characters from the three different storylines came together.Be prepared to keep turning the pages when you pick this novel up. ... Read more

Isbn: 0060959037
Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Fiction / General   

Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux
by Black Elk, John Gneisenau Neihardt
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 December, 2000)
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Reviews (43)

One of the BEST books I've ever read!
I am an avid reader of many different genres and, I must say, this book is most certainly one of the best books I have ever read!I can see why it is being considered a "classic".

The author actually brings the reader into the life of Black Elk - so that you can almost "see", "hear" & "feel" what Black Elk was experiencing at the time.It's an amazing journey!

In my opinion, this book is a "must read" for EVERYONE.

To Gift To " The People"
Most people recognize Black Elk's name if not his legend. From the time he was a small child he had the ability to hear and follow Tankashilah. Elder's of the Lakota people saw it in him and knew he would follow the path. As a child he was raised knowing all the ways, traditions and cultures of the Lakota. He also experienced that life being torn apart: every battle, every torture, every mutilation. All that was Sacred; gone. The People; gone.
After traveling with Buffalo Bill, in Europe, he returned and worked to heal the Lakota. To repair the Sacred Hoop, heal The Tree of Life, these were his goals. He never felt that he suceeded.
In the end, Black Elk dictated this book with the help of relatives who translated, the author, and members of his family. It was Black Elk's last and perhaps greatest gift to the extented family, All The People: The Red, The Yellow, The Black, The White.
If you want to understand the traditions this is a starting point. A must have. It's well written, clear and profound. And, if you've read it well, don't be suprised if it should prove life changing.

Excellent!
I first came across this book from a required reading list for an anthropology class in college. What an excellent book. Very historical, very interesting. I re-read it every few years. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, but most of all, it will give you understanding in the plight of the Native American
people during a regretful era in America's history. ... Read more

Isbn: 0803261705
Sales Rank: 12587
Subjects:  1. 1863-1950    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Black Elk,    7. Ethnic & Tribal    8. Ethnic Cultures - Native Americans    9. Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies - Spirituality    10. Historical - General    11. Native American    12. Oglala Indians    13. Religion    14. Teton Indians   

Crime and Punishment (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (22 August, 2001)
list price: $3.50 -- our price: $3.50
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Editorial Review

The talented Alex Jennings creates an atmosphere of gripping psychological tension and brings a variety of characters to life in this new audio edition of a crime classic. When the student Raskolnikov puts his philosophical theory to the ultimate test of murder, a tragic tale of suffering and redemption unfolds in the dismal setting of the slums of czarist, prerevolutionary St. Petersburg. While Jennings's adept repertoire of British accents works to demonstrate the varying classes of characters, it occasionally distracts the listener from the Russian setting. However, Dostoyevsky's rendering of 18th-century Russia emerges unscathed, bringing the dark pathos (such as wretched poverty and rampant suffering) to life. (Running time: 315 minutes; 4 cassettes) ... Read more

Reviews (413)

Crime And Punishment
* TOOL'S RECOMMENDED READING LIST ITEM *
Dostoevsky's dark and twisted tale of neurotic guilt is a classic.

Awesome!
I think this is one of the best books I've read in a long time. It's really an interesting read. (And if you read it carefully, you'll notice that the word "yellow" is used to describe something dirty, unclean, or polluted)

This will be a short overview ^-^.Raskonikov wanted to help a lot of people by killing the old pawnbroker, Alyona. He wanted to help the number of people she was cheating, his sister Dunia by not having to marry Luzhin, and Lizaveta b/c she was beating her.So he kills the Alyona, but he carelessly leaves the door open and Lizaveta (step-sister of Alyona) walks sees everything. In haste he kills her too. He takes what he can but he is trapped whne Alyona's other appointments go to see her.He gets away and hides the loot under a rock. He visits his old friend Razumikhin and they talk, but he is becoming sick/dilerious.

His mother and sister arrive to get married.He meets Luzhin and doesnt like him and visa versa. Raskolnikov later tells Dunia that it is either him or Luzhin.She picks him when her mother learns that Svidrigailov (friends husband who tried to seduce Dunia), or rather his late wife, leaves them 3,000 roubles.

Raskolnikov goes into delirum again and ends up going for a walk.He finds his old friend, Marmelodov (whom he met in a bar), lying in the street.He was trampled by horses.He takes him back to his lodgings and he dies there.Raskolnikov says he'll pay for everything.

....Making a long story short. He falls for Sonia, Marmelodov's daughter.He goes to prision for 8 years, Razumkhin marries Sonia, the mom dies, Svidrigailov....well, you'll just have to read about him.I found him the most interesting character.

All in all this book was fantastic. You just got to have a good sense of humor and patience when reading it!

Overrated
After having waded through this novel for the second time, once on my own, this time for class, I must say that I am shocked to find that Dostoevsky remains in our Western canon.

Art should only be judged by the novelty of its form and the talent of the author. The story that Dostoevsky weaves is neither original nor artistic. He relies on old, hackneyed techniques of suspense, and when looked at honestly _Crime and Punishment_ is at its core a "whodunit."

Coincidence- I am appalled by the shocking and unbelievable use of coincidence in the novel. Spooky men happen to be lurking behind the door; just as people leave another happens to be arriving; Lizaveta happens to be heard discussing her plans for the following night as Raskalnikov walks by. I don't mind a few circumstances in which an author has to overstep his bounds and "make" things happen, but this overdoes it. It creates a feeling of banality and poor taste.

Suspense- This would not normally be a problem, but in this instance, once again, this device is used to the point of banality. The plot becomes so artificial after 100 pages that one must either force their intellect to forge on despite its better judgment or they must disregard these flaws in logic and artistry to concentrate only on Dostoevsky's strong points (I don't see many in _Crime and Punishment_).

Philosophizing- Preaching should be left to religion. It has no place in art. Dostoevsky plays with his puppets too violently; we all know that no one speaks like this, so why do we tolerate it?

Sentimentality- This is Dostoevsky's worst flaw. Certain scenes play out more like Hallmark cards than literature. Sonia's scenes with Raskalnikov, in particular the "Lazarus" scene and his confession scene, contain enough false sentiment and insipid tears to drive any serious reader mad.

Please, if you've only read this once, or even if you've never read it, read it and ask yourself if Dostoevsky is really the artistic master that he is generally thought to be.
... Read more

Isbn: 0486415872
Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Literary    4. Literature - Classics / Criticism    5. Fiction / Classics   

The Land Remembers: The Story of a Farm and Its People (Wisconsin)
by Ben Logan
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 June, 1999)
list price: $14.95
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Reviews (6)

One of my all time favorites
This is one of those books I will always remember. My children were young when I read it and I felt that it contained many lessons on how to be a good parent. And all in the context of very enjoyable reading. The story about learning to use the horse drawn cultivator shows how a parents help their child develop self-confidence, which is something I see so many people lacking. I can't say enough good things about this gem of a book.

One of my favorites!
This book is full of humor and spends wonderful time on how a farm is run, explaining the land, the chores, the wonder of living on a farm. Ben's antics with his brothers are delightful, and his account of his evenings with his family are memorable. I read this anytime I need a lift, and shareits richness with anyone who will listen.

A time capsule of growing up on a farm.
One room school house, the changing of the seasons and the farm chores for each one...a memior of one man's boyhood experiences. I liked this book and my husband liked it even more than I did. He was born and raised in ruralWI, picking rocks, milking, and going sledding with his brothers. This bookis well written and reads like a time capsule...the people & chores ona family farm. I would have given it a perfect 5 stars, but there is toomuch about bees. Less bee watching and the author would have a classichere. Great that his story goes full circle. We learn what happens to thepeople we've read and cared about...which is always gratifying to usreaders. ... Read more

Isbn: 1559717181
Sales Rank: 297013
Subjects:  1. 1920-    2. American authors    3. Biography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Farm life    6. Farmers & Ranchers    7. General    8. Logan, Ben,    9. Nature    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Reference    12. Regional Subjects - Midwest    13. Wisconsin    14. Logan, Ben   

The Queen of Harlem : A Novel
by BRIAN KEITH JACKSON
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 April, 2003)
list price: $12.95 -- our price: $10.36
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Reviews (30)

Stilted and unconvincing, but some nice parts near the end
Unlike Kirkus Reviews and several other reviewers here on Amazon, I didn't think this book was particularly well-written. I think Jackson had the surprise ending, and some deep parts about himself that he wanted to share with a broader audience, both of which are interesting and insightful (although he could have spent more time on them), it felt like the rest of the book were hastily scrapped-together pieces assembled to give his central message and ending some sort of context.

For example: his relationship with Kyra. I didn't get any clue from the text that he was anything more than mildly interested in her, until they go on their first date. What?!? And then, while I'm not crazy about authors that dwell on lengthy physical descriptions, a bit more would help set the mood.

I think if Jackson had spent a bit more time making a fuller, more well-rounded work, this could easily have merited a 4-star (or even 5-star) rating. The way it's written, it just comes across as terribly shallow.

What you see is NOT what you get!
This is the first book by this Author that I have ever read. It is very well written. The author keeps the characters crisp and in sequence. The book flows very well. I esp. like the way the authors paints such graphic pictures about the scenes,places and charaters.It did however take me a while to complete this book. Approx 1 month. It is not what I would call a pageturner. I absolutley loved Mason. I would love to see his chracter in another book. If you are looking for something to read on a trip this would be a great read. The best part of the book was the ending. It was a total surprise ending.

Blending
This is a comical, yet serious story of a guy trying to fit in and find his place in the world, even if it costs him a few friendships in the end.

Remarkable! ... Read more

Isbn: 0767908392
Sales Rank: 608707
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Fiction / General   

The Catcher in the Rye
by J.D. Salinger
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 May, 1991)
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Editorial Review

Since his debut in 1951 as The Catcher in the Rye, Holden Caulfield has been synonymous with "cynical adolescent." Holden narrates the story of a couple of days in his sixteen-year-old life, just after he's been expelled from prep school, in a slang that sounds edgy even today and keeps this novel on banned book lists. It begins,

"If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it, if you want to know the truth. In the first place, that stuff bores me, and in the second place, my parents would have about two hemorrhages apiece if I told anything pretty personal about them."

His constant wry observations about what he encounters, from teachers to phonies (the two of course are not mutually exclusive) capture the essence of the eternal teenage experience of alienation. ... Read more

Reviews (2543)

Catcher in the Rye
The Catcher in the Rye follows a teenage boy who is searching for understanding. Holden wants to find someone, anyone who will relate to him only to find himself annoyed by the phoniness of the world. The adolescence that was stolen from him by the death of the brother he idolized, forces Holden to realize he only wishes to be able to preserve the innocence of the world. Wishing he could become the "catcher in the rye" and save children from growing up. Although I cannot really relate to the character, I can relate to being frustrated with the trivialness of the world. I would recommend this book to any high school students that have yet to find themselves. It is a quick read and gives insight to growing up and finding your true self.

Forget Phony Books
The Catcher in the Rye, -by J. D. Salinger
I am glad I finally read The Catcher in the Rye.Everyone always talked about it, how great it was, and now I can really appreciate it.J. D. Salinger really understands what teens are thinking, because I could definitely relate with this book.The experiences and thoughts remain the same over all the years since it was first published (1951) to the present.
The main character, Holden, is a confused teen-aged boy that everyone can relate to.He tries to put on a big tough guy attitude but he is really just a good guy.He loves his sister Phoebe and his parents, no matter how much he disagrees with them.He is against all the evils in the world, tries to rub out all the "f*** you" signs and helps little kids put on their skates.
He is passed from one boarding school to another, just trying to fit in.He is smart, but doesn't get good grades.He makes a few friends here and there, but just finds people to be too phony. He also has to watch out for perverty guys and womanizing creeps like his old roommate, Stradlater.
He spends his Christmas break being an adult, sleeping in hotels and hanging out in bars.This only helps him to discover that this is not happiness and decides to leave it all.In every kids fantasy he dreams of moving away to a peaceful cabin in the middle of nowhere, away from all the jerk taxi drivers.It takes the innocence and stubborn love of his sister Phoebe to convince him to stay.
This is an excellent book that I recommend reading a.s.a.p..I regret not reading it earlier and this is a "must" book to read before graduating from high school.

Pointless
After reading this novel, I wonder what possesed me to finish it.The point of the story was virtually nonexistent.Salinger's supposedly great work is boring and unintelligent.Anyone who has a highly opinionated friend or sibling has already lived this story to some extent.If you are looking for a deep or meaningful novel, I suggest reading Brave New World, Walden Two, or anything by Chuck Palahniuk or Geroge Orwell instead. ... Read more

Isbn: 0316769487
Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Fiction    3. Literature - Classics / Criticism    4. Literature: Classics    5. Fiction / Classics   

Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox
by Jonathan B. Tucker
Average Customer Review:
Hardcover (02 September, 2001)
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Reviews (18)

Different viewpoint of the same problem.
I just recently finish Preston's book 'The Demon in the Freezer'. You would think that would fulfill my appetite for knowledge concerning smallpox, right? But that particular book and this one, Scourge, are very different. While Preston writes for the masses, often in a very novelistic, suspenseful way to bring information concerning microbial dangers to everyone, this particular book is more for those whose interests and avocations and jobs lie in these fields. This does not mean the book is written boringly. Both books deserved the five stars for different reasons. 'Demon...' was exciting and horrifying in it's details concerning smallpox, this book brings to life the unfortunate politics played behind the scenes by physicians, by government entities such as the Defense Department, by politicians who do not understand the full implications of most biological and bioethical discussions, by entire countries (U.S. and Russia the worst as per usual).

Though Tucker and Preston mention a few names and incidents in common in their books, their writing is very different. Tucker is deeply involved in bioweapons development as a member of an elite group that monitors this type of problem internationally. Preston writes like a journalist. So the impact of their writing is completely different and I personally think anyone interested in this problem is well-served by reading both books.

Scourge tells the story of the political problems not only in eradicating the smallpox worldwide, but the current problem concerning the existence of stocks at the CDC and VEctor, and whether they should be destroyed. Tucker goes into far more detail concerning the problems in India and Bangladesh that made that country one of the last to contain smallpox (and bodes ill should smallpox ever raises its head there again). He also goes into much more detail concerning Russia's two-faced behavior in supplying the world with the vaccine that led to eradication, but in secret continuing to work on smallpox and genetic variations in order to have them for biological weaponry.

Tucker also gives a good warning at the end chapter, that while the ability to use smallpox as a weapon is more difficult then imagined, the possibility of using it still exists. He emphasizes that panic does not contribute anything useful, but awareness and preparation for the possibility does. I am glad that the smallpox vaccinations are there, and I think more physicians and other medical personnel should be prepared for seeing these cases, and being able to differentiate between smallpox, flu, and chickenpox.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education

"The Pox on both your houses"
A book that is timely in consideration of the current crisis. Well documented and microbiology majors will appreciate all the WHO accounts. It is understandable even by a layman and is a book of warning. This dreaded disease is one of the worst to be faced by humanity and the book delves into the terrible history and the valiant fight to eradicate it. The folly of course, is that it is a political weapon of terror and nations violated obligations to "preserve" specimens for war use. This brings us to the dangers of today and how rogue nations might unleash this plague again where it could have a "doubling" effect in that many have ancient vaccinations that have worn out and others that have never known the disease are therefore prime meat for infection. A gripping account and well worth the read.

Timely and compelling
This book discusses the natural history of smallpox, its use as a military weapon, the dramatic campaign that eliminated it in nature, the debate about eliminating it in known laboratories, and the threat of its use in bioterrorism.
Tucker introduces the reader to interesting but little-known facts about smallpox in history. For example, during the Revolutionary War, Benedict Arnold laid siege to Quebek City. The commander of Quebek sent smallpox-variolated civilians to mingle among the Continental Army troops, and within weeks a massive epidemic broke out. The Continental Army burried its dead in mass graves and retreated in disorder. The author concludes that "Were it not for that epidemic, Quebek and perhaps all Canada might be part of the United States today."
The discussion of smallpox as an instrument of terrorism is chilling. For example, Tucker reports a Pentagon adviser's concern that "if a ruthless tyrant like Saddam Hussein had his back to the wall and nothing left to lose, he might consider unleashing smallpox against his enemies as a final instrument of revenge." Indeed, Iraq is suspected of harboring secret smallpox stocks, based on circumstantial evidence discussed in the book.Another expert characterizes the threat of a smallpox attack as a "low probability, high impact" risk.
"Scourge" is relevant, timely and a pretty good read. ... Read more

Isbn: 0871138301
Sales Rank: 374097
Subjects:  1. Diseases    2. History    3. Infectious Diseases    4. Medical    5. Medical / Nursing    6. Smallpox   

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
by Anne Fadiman
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (28 September, 1998)
list price: $15.00 -- our price: $10.20
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Editorial Review

Lia Lee was born in 1981 to a family of recent Hmong immigrants, and soon developed symptoms of epilepsy. By 1988 she was living at home but was brain dead after a tragic cycle of misunderstanding, overmedication, and culture clash: "What the doctors viewed as clinical efficiency the Hmong viewed as frosty arrogance." The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down is a tragedy of Shakespearean dimensions, written with the deepest of human feeling. Sherwin Nuland said of the account, "There are no villains in Fadiman's tale, just as there are no heroes. People are presented as she saw them, in their humility and their frailty--and their nobility." ... Read more

Reviews (146)

Excellently researched, well written, insightful & important
Fadiman writes an engaging case study of a Hmong family with an epileptic daughter, showing the challenges inherent to delivering Western-style medical care to a family deeply rooted in traditional beliefs. Fadiman convincingly makes the case that neither side is inherently at fault (although occasionally I cringe at a word or action on each side) but that the problem stems from "cross-cultural misunderstanding."

She delivers a satisfying mixture of telling the story of Lia Lee (the child with epilepsy) and of giving a broader view of Hmong history and culture. (I had no idea that the Hmong were recruited by the CIA to fight for the USA in Laos during the Vietnam war, for example.)

Another strength of the book is that Fadiman looks within the field of medical anthropology and actually finds suggestions and solutions for this problem. Make sure, even if you decide some of the history isn't for you, that you don't miss chapters 17 (The Eight Questions) and 18 (The Life or the Soul), as they do an excellent job of transforming an interesting narrative into an instructive case study.

As a side note, I read this while in the hospital recovering from malaria and was gratified to find that several doctors and nurses had read the book or at least parts of it. I strongly recommend this book.

Another excellent book by the same author is Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader, which is a light collection of essays on the love of books and reading. It's completely different territory, but Fadiman really shows her versatility.

The invisible wall
First of all, I have experienced similar frustrations myself, in dealing with patients of other cultures. Despite professional interpreters, it seems that there is an inpenetrable wall between members of some inmigrant cultures and US healthcare providers.
This book narrates one such conflict, between the parents and family of a little Hmong girl, affected by severe epilepsy, and the doctors and nurses at a teaching hospital in Mercer, California.
Sometimes without interpreters, sometimes with interpreters, the failure to "get through" to the family frustrated the chronically overworked residents of Mercer Hospital. The failure of the doctors and staff of Mercer Hospital to understand and agree with the family frustrated in turn the family of the little girl. Every single interaction between the two cultures, Hmong family on one side, and American medical establishment on the other, is interpreted by each side in the worst possible light.
There is a sense of inpending tragedy in the narrative, and as it is intertwined with the story of the Hmong people, and their exodus from Laos, one family's tragedy is inextricably merged with the tragedy of a people.
I learned from this book, but, unfortunately, I am not optimistic that I can communicate better with people with such different world views.
A must read by any member of the health professions that deals with non-European minorities. (And who doesn't nowadays?)

Fascinating and frustrating
Anne Fadiman manages to tell both sides of an extremely complicated story in this book, that of the struggle between a traditional Hmong family with a sick child and the scientific outlook of American medical doctors.The author deftly points out shortcomings of both sides (as well as the validity of both), particularly focusing on the communication problem between the two.She reserves ultimate judgment for the "real" culprit:unwillingness to understand the "other", something all too common in society.

Additionally, it is a fascinating account of Hmong culture, something I knew nothing about before reading this book.The accounts of Hmong immigrants and their culture reveal a unique and miraculously intact "lump" in the much-discussed "melting pot" of America.

Finally, reading this book made me painfully aware, as a white American, of my own personal biases and "truths" that I sometimes take for granted as universal.As globalization becomes the norm, this book is invaluable. ... Read more

Isbn: 0374525641
Subjects:  1. California    2. Case studies    3. Ethics    4. General    5. Health - General    6. Hmong American children    7. Hmong Americans    8. Medical / Nursing    9. Medical care    10. Medicine    11. Minority Studies - General    12. Social Science    13. Sociology    14. Transcultural medical care    15. Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural   

The Alchemist: A Fable About Following Your Dream
by Paulo Coelho
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (10 May, 1995)
list price: $13.00 -- our price: $10.40
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Editorial Review

Like the one-time bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, The Alchemist presents a simple fable, based on simple truths and places it in a highly unique situation. And though we may sniff a bestselling formula, it is certainly not a new one: even the ancient tribal storytellers knew that this is the most successful method of entertaining an audience while slipping in a lesson or two. Brazilian storyteller Paulo Coehlo introduces Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who one night dreams of a distant treasure in the Egyptian pyramids. And so he's off: leaving Spain to literally follow his dream.

Along the way he meets many spiritual messengers, who come in unassuming forms such as a camel driver and a well-read Englishman. In one of the Englishman's books, Santiago first learns about the alchemists--men who believed that if a metal were heated for many years, it would free itself of all its individual properties, and what was left would be the "Soul of the World." Of course he does eventually meet an alchemist, and the ensuing student-teacher relationship clarifies much of the boy's misguided agenda, while also emboldening him to stay true to his dreams. "My heart is afraid that it will have to suffer," the boy confides to the alchemist one night as they look up at a moonless night.

"Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself," the alchemist replies. "And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." --Gail Hudson ... Read more

Reviews (715)

The Alchemist - A Bland Tale
The 3 stars are given for the author for trying. Overall, the concepts and ideas in this book are very attractive and interesting. I really respect the author for coming up with such an unique tale. However, maybe it is due to bad translation, but the writing is just so bland that I feel it is very hard to keep the reading going for more than 20 minutes each time. It almost feels as if the book is a collection of the most wordly cliches. One thing that I feel the author neglected to emphasize is what are all these ideas and concepts mean outside of the story? How should we relate the "omens" and "Soul of the World" in real life? It leaves me a bit lost and confused. But then again, maybe that was the point.

the soul of the world
Paulo Coelho's THE ALCHEMIST is a wonderfully charming book for anyone at any age. I received this book as a gift from a friend and a gift it truly is. This is the absolute book of following a dream through to the ends of the earth and discovering that what that dream is can change over the course of time. Although a fiction book, it holds far more truth than most non-fiction readers.

"When you want something, all the Universe conspires in helping you achieve it." - Melchizedek/King of Salem

This timeless treasure of a book, begins with the shepherd boy Santiago recounting his dream of a journey to the Egyptian pyramids and the gypsy woman in Tarifa who interpreted dreams.

"At a certain point in our lives, we lose control of what's happening to us, and our lives become controlled by fate. That's the world's greatest lie."

Upon receiving the stones of Urim & Thummim he embarks upon his journey for Egypt, abandoning his sheep that he loved so much in search of his destiny.

Maktub. - 'It is written.'

"Treasure is uncovered by the force of flowing water, and it is buried by the same currents."

The Alchemist tells of things that aren't what they seem, omens that are to be heeded and ways of the Universe that guide our souls in the directions that are best for us. Santiago struggle takes his thru Africa where he encounters thieves, to a crystal merchant he begins working for who not only teaches him, but he helps increase business for, and onto a caravan headed to meet the Arab who resides at Al-Fayoum oasis that possessed exceptional powers.

"The closer one gets to realizing his destiny the more that destiny becomes his true reason for living."

His journey takes him to meet Fatima; the name of the Prophet's daughter. Although great his love for her, she knows he must continue on his journey and tells him "Maktub. If I am really a part of your dream, you'll come back one day."

"If what one finds is made of pure matter, it will never spoil. And one can always come back. "

As you can see this book has some beautiful inspirational teachings underlying this storyline. If you have ever had a dream, or fallen in love, this book will put a bit of joy in your heart, inspire you to pursue what you love and want to share the wonderful story with others.

And that is truly a gift.

Great order
The order went very well.It took a bit longer to get than I had expected, but well recieved.Thanks! ... Read more

Isbn: 0062502182
Subjects:  1. Fables    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. Literary    5. Visionary & Metaphysical    6. Fiction / Literary    7. Reading Group Guide   

Heart of Darkness (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Joseph Conrad
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 July, 1990)
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Reviews (346)

My opinion
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is just an okay novel to me.It starts off very dry with long descriptive dialect that really put me asleep in the beginning, but later gets very interesting.Heart of Darkness is a story of an outer journey, which reflects an inner spiritual quest of our hero.There is much we don't know about our souls, which is what the story is about.Kurtz was a great man(my favorite character) who was some how corrupted by the power he gained during his trip into the Congo.But following the same river Kurtz took, Marlow is able to trace the experiences Kurtz has and had a completely different result.In other words, Marlow takes the same dangerous route but does not fall prey to the same temptations, which corrupted Kurtz.He managed to withdraw his step from being a savage.I hate how Kurtz dies at the end.

Greed
Greed
Heart of Darkness, the title of the novel has a deeper meaning than I believe was intended. Greed, which is said to be one the major themes that take place throughout the men's journey to the Congo. The hunger for the precious ivory tore the men apart, resulting in nothing good at all. Although this was not usually something that I would normally read, I really enjoyed Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Social Issues, a Determining Factor
Heart of Darkness is one of the few novels that incorporates a psychological view upon society and the issues that divided and exploited cultures.Joseph Conrad creates Marlow, the protagonist, as a man who is dumbfounded by the corruption and exploitation taking palce in the Congo.The novel is full of description in relation to the scenery, but it helps the reader form conclusions of the overall theme.Conrad shows the things man is capable of for money, including death.
Marlow is faced with the decision of being kind to the "criminals" or pursuing the original motive of his arrival to the Congo, money.
Heart of Darkness makes the reader aware of the issues that penetrate society and cause rivalry between certain groups.This is a short, yet inciting novel that has a strong universal theme. ... Read more

Isbn: 0486264645
Sales Rank: 1940
Subjects:  1. Africa    2. Classics    3. Degeneration    4. Europeans    5. Fiction    6. Literature - Classics / Criticism    7. Trading posts    8. Fiction / Classics   

Frankenstein (Dover Thrift Editions)
by Mary Shelley
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (21 October, 1994)
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Editorial Review

Frankenstein, loved by many decades of readers and praised by such eminent literary critics as Harold Bloom, seems hardly to need a recommendation. If you haven't read it recently, though, you may not remember the sweeping force of the prose, the grotesque, surreal imagery, and the multilayered doppelgänger themes of Mary Shelley's masterpiece.As fantasy writer Jane Yolen writes of this (the reviewer's favorite) edition, "The strong black and whites of the main text [illustrations] are dark and brooding, with unremitting shadows and stark contrasts. But the central conversation with the monster--who owes nothing to the overused movie image … but is rather the novel's charnel-house composite--is where [Barry] Moser's illustrations show their greatest power ... The viewer can all but smell the powerful stench of the monster's breath as its words spill out across the page. Strong book-making for one of the world's strongest and most remarkable books." Includes an illuminating afterword by Joyce Carol Oates. ... Read more

Reviews (318)

"You break it, you bought it"...
... you create it, you name it, or else.
Shelley's Frankenstein is impressively written. Frankenstein is just so much more than a tale of a madman's obsession with his ambition and his creation of a monster. This novel encompasses human life and philosophy. Not only is this a story containing all elements of literature, it holds hidden meanings and truths that apply to life. An excellent job is done in tying the novel into other matters beyond the actual storyline. The message is relatable and interpretable, which makes for good discussion and meditation. This novel is a beautiful example of popular and debatable questions being aroused in the form of simple literature. The overall theme was clearly brought out through the text. This book has a purpose. While reading, one is taught that all actions have consequences. If you step out of bounds, you will pay. Frankenstein is truly a classic. If you have not read it, you are missing out.

The Modern... Bob?
Does anyone remember that television show "Kablam"? There was a sub-program on it called "Prometheus and Bob," where Prometheus was an alien and Bob was a caveman. Bob was always doing stupid things with the technology that Prometheus brought for him. Well, another name for "Frankenstein" was "The Modern Prometheus." However, a more appropriate name for "Frankenstein" would be "The Modern Bob" because this book did a horrible job of portraying the nightmarish scenes that could have put the book at its full potential. In laymen's terms, it did stupid things with the abilities of Mary Shelley. If anyone is looking for a book to read, he or she would be better off reading "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald or "Rebecca" by Daphne Du Maurier. Please avoid wasting your time by reading "Frankenstein"... or should I say "The Modern Bob"?

Criticized Creation of Mary Shelley
The giant creature walks into the room. His blood is dripping from the seams between his stitches. Elizabeth knows that this is going to be her final breath, and she takes it with a scream. When Mary Shelley first created Frankenstein, she didn't realize that she was about to change the meaning of the word scary. The book lit a flame that spread through the world of writing like a brush fire. After 1818, when the book was published, she sold thousands of copies of the book, and many different versions of the book were made. But, was Mary Shelley's first book all that great? Could it even compare to books nowadays? I believe that the book, Mary Shelley' s Frankenstein, isn't very good at all.

To begin, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is an extremely unrealistic story, and the book has no scientific explanation. The book is a fictional book, so the plot line can be completely unbelievable, but the story line must make sense. When the monster is first created, Mary Shelley writes about using electricity to bring life forms back to life. Yet, she doesn't write a word on why the electricity would bring the creature back. The reason why the process works is not explained in the book. Also, the book lacks explanation of the background information of the characters. When the main character is introduced, there is some information on his childhood, but all of the other characters have no interesting past experiences. Not only does the story lack explanation scientifically and the sense that the plot could never happen in real life, but the story lacks excitement and fails to make the reader feel a part of the story.

In many books, the writer tries to get the reader to feel that he is in the book. The writer normally tries to do this with action and suspense. Unfortunately, the book has none of these three keys. Perhaps I am the only one that feels this way, but I never felt like I was in the main character's head; and not even once was I able to see through the victim's eyes. When a book doesn't do any of these few things, the story gets really boring. Another point that has to do with a book getting boring is that the book has very little to no action or suspense. This is the case for Frankenstein. The book is always mentioning, in extreme detail, irrelevant objects or purposeless actions of the characters. For instance; they are walking awkwardly. After reading scores of pages like this, the reader gets bored out of his brains. Also, only twice during the entire book is the story even somewhat suspenseful. And only once is there any action, and that didn't come until late in the story.

After reading the book, watching the movie, and doing a report on the story, I have come to the conclusion that Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a poorly written book. In fact, I wish that I hadn't read the book at all. I feel that this book, which is lacking suspense, action, reader involvement, and realism, is a disgrace to all of the Frankenstein stories ever told. Mary Shelley really did create a beast when she made Frankenstein.

... Read more

Isbn: 0486282112
Subjects:  1. Children's 12-Up - Literature - Classics    2. Classics    3. Fiction    4. Frankenstein (Fictitious chara    5. Frankenstein (Fictitious character)    6. Horror - General    7. Horror tales    8. Literature: Classics    9. Monsters    10. Scientists    11. Fiction / Classics   

I Know This Much Is True
by Wally Lamb
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (06 April, 1999)
list price: $16.00 -- our price: $10.88
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Editorial Review

Tony award-winning Ken Howard (1776, Child's Play) reads I Know This Much Is True with the conviction of a used car salesman and the charm of a seasoned politico. Reminiscent of a former football coach recalling his glory days, Howard's booming, rich voice is a beefy compliment to Lamb's powerful prose. Never to be mistaken as a ventriloquist, Howard makes little distinction when moving in and out of character--his voice barely cracks an octave for dainty female personalities. However, this understatement (so to speak) lends to smooth transitions and believable, down-to-earth narration. (Running time: six hours, four cassettes) --Rebekah Warren ... Read more

Reviews (1336)

what a great book
I Know This Much Is True is an amazing book that can't really be described in words. At best, I can only say that the story is about twins- one of the twins is afflicted by schizophrenia and the other who is a healthy boy. But the healthy brother seemingly wants to be like his sick brother and does everything possible to make himself mental like his twin brother, a process that is pursued with deliberate actions of madness that affects all around him. Why? We may ask. Simply, the healthy brother is obsessed with guilt and responsibility for the state of his sick brother

This book is just overwhelming. This hair-spinning story will make you laugh, cry, smile gasp, and sigh until the very end. It is so fulfilling. You will be doing yourself an advantage by reading this book. It says a lot that you never knew about.Disciples of Fortune, Black and Blue, While I Was Gone are other novels with ingenious characters and an inspiring hero.

Even Better Than "She's Come Undone"
Wally Lamb takes on many different topics in "I Know This Much Is True", and towards the end, juggles many different storylines, but he does it without dropping any of it or letting anything sag, which is a danger in a novel of this size.I thoroughly recommend this book!

How do I even describe this book?
Five stars is a disservice to this amazing book.I read it after I liked She's Come Undone, and even though Undone is a terrific book, Lamb actually manages to put it to shame with I Know this Much is True.This book is hard to recommend to people, because people are easily put off by its length, but trust me, every inch of paper is put to good use.I got so absorbed in this story that I can't imagine it being any other length.Heck, I could keep reading about these characters without ever tiring of them.

Lamb dropped repeated bombshells on his characters, shaking up their lives and compelling me to keep reading more to find out how the issues were going to be resolved.I don't want to try to enumerate any of them here--I implore you to just go out and read this amazing book!

Lamb is a masterful storyteller because he had the reader mirroring Domineck's feelings of irritation and resentment toward his stepfather Ray, but throughout the course of the book, Lamb forced both the reader and Domenick to change their perspective.This happened over and over with all the characters.I grew with the main character and his perception of the world.

I liked the history that was brought into the plot--the draft, the Gulf War, Rodney King, and the fall of the Soviet Union, to name a few.These major news events were well integrated into the plot, and I liked how they shaped the main characters.

I'm eagerly awaiting more from this author. I'm glad he's not rapidly churning out trash just to sell books on his reputation, though. ... Read more

Isbn: 0060987561
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Fiction / General    5. Reading Group Guide   

Amazing Grace : Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation, The
by Jonathan Kozol
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (06 November, 1996)
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Reviews (52)

Intriguing
I could not stop reading _Amazing Grace_, but I turned each page wanting more direct connections to those institutions responsible for the conditions Kozol describes.I became vested emotionally in every character Kozol presented, but I wonder how much liberty was taken to present each person he interviewed as a good person who was caught in a bad system.

I appreciate how Kozol allowed the voices of the children he interviewed to stand alone.He quotes the prayer of a young girl who asks God not to punish her for being black - powerful.

Kozol does a masterful job of presenting the problems of the ghetto as more than "bootstrap possiblities for individual endeavor or for localized renewal efforts." However, I think his argument would be more convincing to those who refuse to believe they are in any way responsible for the lives of children in the ghetto by showing the legislative and political manuevers that keep poor brown and black people trapped in "an atomsphere where the toxicity of life is nearly universal."

Another reviewer says the demographics at Stuyvesant HS have changed in the past 10 years, and that is a start, but what what about the kids who are stuck in their neighborhood schools?How much has changed in the South Bronx since 1995?

Kozol gives the reader a starting place and the reader must decide to ignore the plight of the so-called underclass or to work for solutions.

Sensationalist journalism with a leftist agenda.
After having read the reviews previously posted on this site, I was surprised and dismayed at how so many people have come away from the book accepting everything at face value, believing that the author has presented an objective and unbiased account of the terrible circumstances in the South Bronx. "Amazing Grace" is actually a one-sided and drawn out emotional appeal offering no effective or practical solutions. People should be asking why Kozol failed to include more than a single 4 line exchange with one of the ghetto's many drug addicts or any open discussions with the politicians whom he indirectly indicts for the horrors Mott Haven's residents face. A two paragraph summary of Ferrer's words hardly counterbalances the dozens of pages devoted to direct transcriptions of the words of parents and children.

One might ask just how Kozol control facts to suit his aims. Having been born and raised in New York City, I can cite some egregious examples. Most notable from my perspective is the false socioeconomic dichotomy Kozol contrives between the failing Taft H. S. and the illustrious Stuyvesant H. S. where I had enrolled about one year after "Amazing Grace's" publication date. Far from being an institution for the reproduction of the social capital of the white upper class elite, Stuyvesant's Caucasian population is only 40% while over 53% of it is Asian American. 35% of the incoming class in 2003 came from families poor enough for eligibility in the free lunch program, and this number rises when accounting for reduced lunch too; most sociologists consider free and reduced lunch numbers the best standard for socioeconomic measurement of students in any given school. Stuyvesant's student body represents over 60 countries and lives in all 5 boroughs. This is verifiable in publicly available NY Bd. of Ed. statistics. Secondly, I take issue with the incorrect perception that the police do not enter the ghetto. Freely accessible NYPD information shows that Mott Haven is served by NYC's 40th precinct located right there on 257 Alexander Ave. and has a high arrest rate. I suppose some readers do not recall that Kozol also mentions the disproportionately high population of South Bronx residents in Riker's Island prisons. How is this consistent with the book's depiction of the alleged inactivity of the police there? The more likely causes of perpetuated criminal activity in Mott Haven are entangled with complicated political and cultural factors scarcely touched upon in "Amazing Grace".

Are the horrific social conditions and personal tragedies reported by Kozol factual? Most of them probably are, but the wrongly vilified Rudolph Giuliani cannot conceivably deserve the blame for all or even most of it, when during his six year stint in office the NYC crime rate dropped over 25%. Conversly, when Dinkins, Beame, Koch, and Lindsay had held the mayorship, they simply sat on their hands as Mott Haven steadily degenerated in those post Civil Rights decades prior to 1995. Kozol never inquires into the events accounting for Mott Haven's racial makeup, particularly the post WWII African American migration from the south as the war industry dried up, and the ethically questionable efforts of congressman Vito Marc Antonio to entice and install Puerto Rican immigrants into the ghetto during the 1950s in order to enlarge his voter base. History just doesn't serve Kozol's ends when determined to cast the current government and the wealthy as apathetic, exploitative, and evil, but it makes little difference - when social sympathizers seek answers, several have already made up their minds to accept falsehoods and oversimplifications after (or even before) reading "Amazing Grace" and don't want to be confused by the facts.

In summary, this book stands as a classic piece of leftist "white guilt" literature: excellent at drawing our attention to the grisly realities of certain insular ethnic communities, but either utterly clueless or intentionally misleading about real causes and solutions.

A challenge with no suggested response.
This book is shocking, enlightening, and frightening. As someone who cares deeply about children and their success in our world I found myself frustrated and appalled by the tragic, hopeless lives portrayed in these pages. Through the entire book Mr. Kozol throws down the challenge to feel, care, and understand these children, but no where does he offer hope!

No innovative thoughts about changing these 'throw away' lives. No positive actions that anyone could take to help change the communities that support this cycle of degradation and failure.

His words are powerful. They paint images in your mind that can keep you up at night and cause you to thank God for your little midwestern ranch style home in a quiet neighborhood.

These images can also continue to haunt your thoughts and leave you wondering how tomorrow can be improved for another generation of children living in these inner city neighborhoods. How can we ever hope to create a strong nation when we knowlingly let children fall through any existing support systems.

I'm more aware now, but I feel a new hopelessness about the future. I'm not sure that was his intended response, but if it was, it's a little like shock video and not very constructive. ... Read more

Isbn: 0060976977
Sales Rank: 9508
Subjects:  1. Children of minorities    2. Children with social disabilit    3. Children with social disabilities    4. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    5. General    6. New York    7. New York (State)    8. Poor children    9. Sociology    10. Sociology - Urban   

The Tree of Red Stars
by Tessa Bridal
Average Customer Review:
Paperback (01 October, 1998)
list price: $13.95
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Reviews (12)

Do not go quietly
Magda never did. Whether you agree with her political fight, you must agree that Magda fights it well. Born into a family with plenty of privedge, Magda stays conscious that not everyone is as fotunate.

Tessa Bridal's writing is wonderfully lyrical as well, as she explores Magda's coming of age and growing sense of self and country.

Exactly what I was looking for
My husband and his family are from Uruguay - and I have been trying to learn more about the country's history and culture. What a blessing this book has been! Exactly what I was looking for.

Andrea,NJ
Having come to the states at the age of 4 and visiting Uruguay a hand full of times since then,I could have never imagined what life was like in Uruguay at that time. Tessa Bridal did a wonderful job of bringing me a vivid picture. I had a hard time putting the book down as Magda always had me intrigued.I was not expecting the intensity I felt towark the end of the book, but I can not imagine it any other way. I would recommend this book to anyone,Uruguayan or not. You will laugh,cry and feel great emotion. ... Read more

Isbn: 1571310231
Sales Rank: 335608
Subjects:  1. Fiction    2. Fiction - Historical    3. Historical - General   

Uncle Tom's Cabin (Bantam Classics)
by HARRIET BEECHER STOWE
Average Customer Review:
Mass Market Paperback (01 December, 1982)
list price: $5.95 -- our price: $5.95
(price subject to change: see help)
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Reviews (124)

An outstanding story
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a very melodramatic book. I have read it several times over the past twenty years and must say that it has something new for every decade or even for every generation. When considered for our time, Uncle Tom's stands out as a classic prose that hits directly at those turbulent times before the Civil War, and reflects issues of war and principles today. Harriet Beecher Stowe had a great cause to write about and wrote a work that still is as relevant today as it was during his time.

The author's masterful story summarizes the conflicting attitudes of a nation on the brink of civil war. Melodramatic though it is, it was written in the style of the times and for a situation that required it. With parts that reminded me of DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, WAR AND PEACE, I enjoyed this story all the way through. This is a highly recommended book.

I've read this book.
Personally, I've read this book and thought it was interesting. Although, I would have to say it was a complete waste of time and utter crap. Now I will point out it was an interesting read. What would it have been like to be a slave? Hmm? I wonder.. Well I'm guessing since this is fiction, this is a complete waste of my time. The author wasn't a slave on the ship. The book has much detail that can bring images into your head of what it may have been like.

The plot structure is ok in the beginning however, it has many holes in it and destroys the whole story. I don't even understand why I had to read this crap in middle school. I look back now that I'm in college and notice that this was a waste of my childhood. This book was created to give an insight into the world of slavery and the shipment of slaves. I personally think racism shouldn't be taught because it was a crazy individualized thought made up by someone as crazy as Adolf Hitler. Not a choice made by a society but led up by an individual to get others to conform to their thought. In this day and age. I'd love to see someone try that with all the technological advancements we've made.

Racism is a thing of the past. I would have rather read a book on conformity. That way I would have kept an individualized mind.

Timeless literature, or historical relic?
A notorious anecdote about "Uncle Tom's Cabin" relates that Abraham Lincoln, upon greeting Harriet Beecher Stowe at a White House reception, jokingly referred to her as the lady who wrote the book that started the Civil War.Sardonic as it is, the implication does some basis; appearing in 1852, eleven years before the Emancipation Proclamation, this novel forcefully decrying the institution of slavery and helping to stir the nation towards abolition was probably the most incendiary of the century.That it is often crude and quaintly primitive compared to contemporaneous works by Hawthorne and Melville only seems to increase the sense of its mission, oddly enough.

Simply put, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" dramatizes the conditions of American slavery.Stowe bases her characters and their stories on actual accounts of which she had known or heard, but more notably her imagination is fostered by an ethical conscience whose predominant source is the Bible.(It is not surprising to learn that she came from a family of preachers; there are passages in this novel that read like "The Pilgrim's Progress.")She tries awkwardly to maintain a balance in the novel between high melodrama, low comedy, tales of adventure and suspense, and noble but obtrusive exhortations about the inhumanity and unchristianity of slavery.

The hero is "Uncle" Tom, a religious patriarch and evangelist among everyone he meets, who is separated from his family and is sold from owner to owner--the kind but dissolute Augustine St. Clare, and the nasty and cruel Simon Legree--in an odyssey that parallels the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt, a sort of journey to redemption.In addition to Tom's travails, the novel tells the story of a married couple of fugitive slaves named George and Eliza who have escaped from their respective owners to save their baby son from being sold to a trader and to flee to freedom in Canada, aided by Quakers and other sympathetic northerners.

In his introduction to the Bantam Classics edition, the critic Alfred Kazin defends "Uncle Tom's Cabin" with hand placed firmly on hilt, equating its artistry to its honorable abolitionist sentiments and its historical importance.I respectfully differ with Kazin in this case.I don't consider moral outrage to be solid ground on which to build a work of fiction.Dickens does it best, though that is the least of what makes him a great writer.Stowe, whose overbearing piety outshines her attention to language and narration, is not so skillful.

Stylistically, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is uncannily similar to Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle" (1906), a book written for a very different reason but with the same magnitude of passionate indignation--both are novels of sloppily overwrought prose intertwining drab narratives of two-dimensional characters and heavy-handed pathos with finger-wagging social commentary.The atrocity of slavery and the problem of unnecessarily unhealthy, dangerous working conditions are too serious to be represented by shabby fictionalizations.Should Stowe and Sinclair be regarded as bad novelists or competent pamphleteers?If the latter, then those who somehow are not already convinced that slavery is blatantly evil should by all means read "Uncle Tom's Cabin."

... Read more

Isbn: 0553212184
Sales Rank: 2974
Subjects:  1. Classics    2. Literature - Classics / Criticism    3. Literature: Classics    4. Fiction / Classics