Beyond the Dark Mountains
M. L. Rigdon
Hats Off Books
610 East Delano Street, Suite 104, Tucson, AZ 85705
ISBN 1587363720 $19.95
Jean Carroll
Reviewer
Beyond the Dark Mountains is the second book in a trilogy set in another time and another place,
but where the citizens deal with the problems common to all mankind - faith, love, fear,
courage.
Old City is introduced in the first book, Prophecy Denied. The drechleth, a demon creature,
attacks Old City causing its people to flee. Some flee to the south to build a new city, Chi, by the
sea. They take with them their faith in the secrets of defeating the drechleth should it ever find a
way over the dark mountains. Others flee to the north. They put their faith in building an
awesome technology to defeat the drechleth should it every return.
Lord Ladnor and his wife, High Priestess Mirra, together defeated the drechleth in Prophesy
Denied. In this book their son, Lorin-Sha, fears he will never be able to live up to the standard set
by his parents, so he doesn't try and generally takes the easy way out.
Lorin-Sha is sent to join the Calvary in order to learn discipline. Along with discipline, Lorin-Sha
learns his strengths. He returns home to Sha no longer fearing himself inadequate.
The Oracle, ruler of the people of the north, uses his technology to take control of surrounding
countries. In a plan to destroy Mirra, High Priestess, he lures Lorin-Sha into an ambush and
Lorin-Sha loses his legs. His mother "sees" what is happening and, in a rare loss of temper,
destroys an army to save her son. She has powers to heal but cannot create new legs for
Lorin-Sha.
Mirra fears technology but technology holds the promise of restoring Lorin-Sha's legs. Out of
necessity for survival and in order to defeat evil, faith and technology must come together.
M. L. Rigdon's writing is clear and crisp in describing a world different from our own, but her
characters deal with the problems faced by people universally.
The action Rigdon describes will make your fingers itch to turn the pages and read on, and you
will be sure to watch for the final book of the trilogy.
When the Dead Speak: The Second Brett Higgins Mystery
Therese Szymanski
Bella Books
P.O. Box 10543, Tallahassee, Florida 32303
ISBN: 193151352X $11.95 207 pages
Cheri Rosenberg
Reviewer
For a person who doesn't believe in ghosts, I found Therese Szymanski's When the Dead Speak
truly believable and chillingly real. The second Brett Higgins Mystery seamlessly picks up where
When the Dancing Stops leaves off, like the next chapter of the continuing saga. Brett's old life is
dead and buried, but can she accept the past, move on, and enjoy her new "quiet" life with her
lover, Allie Sullivan?
After bumming around California for a year, Brett and Allie move to the sleepy town of Alma,
Michigan. Brett misses the fast-paced city life but agrees to settle down. They buy a house next
door to a feisty old broad, Madeline, who Brett thinks is " a few eggs short of an omelet" [p.
31]. "[Madeline's] ability to see through easy charades " [p. 31] among other things, makes
Brett uneasy, as do the very strange happenings in the house that has Brett's hair standing on end.
Even after she learns her new home had been the scene of a murder, Brett still doesn't believe in
ghosts. In 1967, Liza Swanson was brutally murdered in the house for being gay. Eventually,
Brett acknowledges that she feels a presence of some sort - perhaps the house is haunted. Brett
undeniably feels connected to Liza after she discovers the tormented soul's journal, which reveals
her harrowing life.
Szymanski skillfully weaves the past and present in this engaging mystery. As Brett is learning
about Liza's life, she is remembering Pamela, aka Storm, her dead lover whom she cherished and
protected until the day she was murdered. The similarities between Liza and Storm are staggering.
When Liza's ghost haunts Brett and Allie's house, Brett cannot rest until she finds out who killed
Liza Swanson so her ghost may rest in peace.
After giving up her life of crime, Brett goes under cover with the assumed name, Samantha
Peterson; she is presumed dead by those who wish her no lesser fate. She has trouble leaving her
past behind which in turn affects how she deals with uncovering the details of Liza's life.
Mourning the loss of her ex-lover, and her old boss Rick DeSilva, who was also murdered in cold
blood, Brett's feelings are intensified as the details of Liza's death come to light. Brett wonders
whether avenging Liza's murder will help her put those other deaths behind her.
As in her first novel, When the Dancing Stops, Therese Szymanski's clever plot design keeps
readers guessing. The delightful romance between Brett and Allie gets richer even as you wonder
if Brett could ever be faithful to one woman. Madeline, a new character, is a wonderful addition,
adding spice to the story.
Writing a series is not as easy as one might think, but Therese Szymanski pulls it off exceptionally
well - it is evident that the author is growing as a writer. Her details are accurate, her characters
evolve, and she makes the reader want more. When the Dead Speak is a hit. Don't miss it.
Originally published by The Naiad Press - ISBN 1562801988
Final Wishes
Dana Matthews
PublishAmerica
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, MD 21705
www.publishamerica.com 301-695-1707
ISBN 1413762093 $19.95 199 pgs.
Christy Tillery French
Reviewer
In this sequel to SURVIVING PIECES, state investigator Tiffany Potter and actress Jasmine
O'Reilly, having acknowledged they are reincarnated twin souls, are becoming comfortable with
their relationship and growing closer to one another. Each holds the other in awe, somewhat
astonished by the telepathic communications they share and synchronous emotions. Tiffany has
recovered from her injuries and is ready to return to work but devastated to learn that her former
partner may be responsible for having her shot at the command of Thomas Farlan, son of drug
lord Michael Farlan. Michael Farlan has fallen ill with cancer and Thomas has stepped into his
shoes. When Thomas learns that Tiffany did not die from her injuries, he seeks to have her
terminated by one of her own team members. Tiffany and Jasmine lead the reader on an exciting
adventure as they face danger together, guided by the ghost of Theresa Silverfish, Thomas
Farlan's ex-girlfriend.
Author Dana Matthews once more provides a spellbinding thriller, with plenty of twists and turns
intertwined with a fascinating peek into the mystical world of ghosts and reincarnated souls. The
story moves at a fast pace, laden with breathtaking suspense and galvanizing action. With an
interesting plot and masterful characterization, FINAL WISHES is one book that will linger in the
mind a long while after the read is finished.
Heir to the Glimmering World
Cynthia Ozick
Houghton Mifflin Company
215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10003
ISBN 0618470492, $24.00, 310 pp.
Coletta Ollerer
Reviewer
Following a bleak motherless childhood under the emotionally barren care of an irresponsible and
selfish father, Rose Meadows finds herself alone in the world when her father takes a new job.
Her distant cousin, Bertram, agrees to take her in. Her stay with him is short lived and she finds a
new home after answering a newspaper ad placed by Herr Mitwisser and is accepted to board at
his home and work there as his secretary. This household is more bizarre than her own had been.
Herr Mitwisser is a scholar recently escaped from Nazi Germany with his wife and children. He
came to America hoping to gain fame by his study of the Karaites, an obscure Jewish sect.
Unfortunately, no one seems to care. A small college in Albany, New York offered Herr
Mitwisser a modest position. The family moved there: wife, Elsa, distracted and unstable,
Anneliese, teen age older daughter and lady in charge, cold and authoritative. Three sons,
Heinrich, Gerhardt, and Wilhelm, high spirited, bent on their own agenda and Waltraut, the
younger girl, age three, sad, confused and ignored by her mother.
Later, Herr Mitwisser quits the college and moves the family to New York City where Rose will
continue to be his assistant as he pursues his scholarly work. There is very little money but
Anneliese hints that a person named James will come to the rescue
James arrives one day bearing gifts and hope and everyone is happy except Elsa who mistrusts
James' influence over her husband. James begins to escort the lonely Anneliese out of an
afternoon. Soon it becomes a habit and one day they do not return. Herr Mitwisser is torn by his
anger for James and his need for his support. Anneliese continues to send money to her father in
their absence until one day the money stops. Rose finds herself futilly trying to fill the Anneliese
role. "We were sinking still more deeply into wilderness -- the boys at war, underwear unwashed,
pots boiling over, Mitwisser pacing behind a shut door, his wife finicky in her bed, Waltraut
unbathed and growing dispirited. At times she fell into inconsolable howls. If I made order in one
part, decay was already seeping into another part". (p190)
Bertram arrives at the house in New York one day out of money, a job and hope begging Rose
for help. Rose asks Herr Mitwisser if he might stay the night. Bertram immediately makes himself
useful and wins permission to stay on. Some time later Anneliese returns home sick and penniless.
Bertram extends his usefulness to include her further ensconcing himself into the household. Rose
finds herself becoming distanced from the family by virtue of Herr Mitwisser's distraction and
hopelessness. She remembers how it had been. "Years later, that is how I imagine it: a motionless
scene, I with my fingers stilled on the light-stippled glass of the typewriter keys, . . . he standing
giantly over me, submerged in his dream of forgotten heresies. I see it that way, in stasis, as a kind
of trance, in order to isolate those phantasmagorical hours from the turbulence and frights of that
unhappy house." (p218)
Cynthia Ozick takes us on a murky voyage into these dysfunctional lives where we marvel at how
these people find each other and why they cling to or repel one another. A worthwhile read for
the student of human behavior.
Monkey 99
Michael Doyle Amspaugh
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Rd - 515, Parker CO 80134
www.outskirtspress.com
ISBN: 1932672915 $15.95
Dennison Rey
Reviewer
In 1968, 20th Century Fox released a film entitled "Planet of the Apes" in which a race of sentient
simians evolved in a revolutionary manner to land atop the food chain. Then in 1981, David
Cronenberg directed a movie called "Scanners" about a band of psychics capable of causing a
great deal of mischief with their minds. If you were to throw these two movies into a Cuisinart
and hit puree you might end up with a direct-to-video thriller about Scanner-Monkeys. But if you
tossed in the screenplays and hit blend, you might end up with something close to Monkey 99, a
tidy little mind-meld from Michael Doyle Amspaugh.
Screenplays in, screenplay out. Even though it looks like a novel, Amspaugh's style is more akin
to Steven Spielberg than Stephen King. That is to say, Monkey 99 holds more than a passing
resemblance to a movie treatment, what with the multiple pages of uninterrupted character
soliloquies. That's not a terrible thing; Amspaugh recognizes his strength and features it in spades.
Pervasive dialogue holds a majority stake in this 210-page ride, sacrificing illuminating exposition
for witty banter. The result is a new winner in the "show don't tell" contest of storytelling, albeit
to the detriment of understanding.
What exposition there is serves purely technical requirements, largely limited to stage cues and
line-of-sight logistics. Amspaugh describes in adoring clarity a character's strong physical appeal
and yet we rarely earn trips inside her mind. We very much understand that she's a sight for sore
thighs, but we're left pondering what exactly makes her tick. This lack of character introspection
is even more troubling given the 3rd-person omniscient narrative and is an oversight Amspaugh
would do well to address with his subsequent book. Scanner-Monkeys are exciting and everything
(as is this novel), but sometimes I wanted to know cogito ergo sum, to coin Descartes.
These characters may not think, but they certainly R - reading, 'riting, and 'rithmetic occupies the
bulk of activity in Monkey 99, where the majority of story focuses on training the psychics
(known as "monkeys" by their teachers) for a showdown to save the world. Unfortunately, this is
a denouement that doesn't quite materialize into the climactic battle one might have hoped for
given all the prep-time. Instead, it's awash in droll repartee punctuated by brief exchanges of
psychic powers. Several character arcs are tied off nicely while others trail conspicuously behind
like shoelaces on loafers. Amspaugh coyly dangles plot devices hither and fro (like the promising
"Logan's Run"-esque ploy when one character disappears from training for a day alas, only to
arrive bright and early the next), but these ideas are not developed nor do they pay off. It
saddened me tremendously to come upon the end without Michelle treating Nick to her la petite
morte skills, or grande morte, as the case may be. For a story that shows so much and tells so
little, showing the more exciting stuff would have been appreciated, and made for a more
satisfying experience over all.
That said, Monkey 99 is an entertaining read, due largely to its dialogue. It is clear Amspaugh is a
funny fellow, and for that I won't fling feces. But I won't partake in naked monkey love,
either.
Hour Game
David Baldacci
Warner Books
1271 Avenue of the Americas. NY, NY 10020
ISBN: 0446531081; $17.79 403 pages
Marty Duncan, Reviewer
www.omagadh.com
Hour Game: Play to win. The serial murderer in Baldacci's Hour Game sets the wrist watch on his
first victim at 1:00, on his second victim the watch is set at two. Sean King and Michele Maxwell,
retired Secret Service agents, are enlisted to help local constabulary and the FBI when they
bumble through the brambles of a series of murders that reach eight. In the murder's eyes, his
actions are part of a game. He leaves clues. The detectives are stumped.
In Hour Game the reader sees several murders through the killer's eyes. The reader sees the killer
moments after the brutal murder of a mother (while her three boys sleep) when the killer is caught
by the sleepy-eyed young boy. The nameless killer considers killing the boy but tells him to go
back to bed. The scene is agonizing; a scene to terrify the reader.
The images will stay with you. Sean and Michele and the dysfunctional Battle family are deftly
woven through a plot that includes Sean scrambling through brambles to save Michele. Reading
Baldacci is a fantastical adventure in voyeurism.
The Optimist
Joshua Mehigan
Ohio University Press
Athens, OH
ISBN: 082141612X; $12.95 61 pp.
Dustin Michael
Reviewer
Looking on the bright side, The Optimist, Joshua Mehigan's debut collection of poems, is a ray of
hope for those who believe "hard-worker" and "poet" needn't be oxymoronic.
In what some might call a welcome and refreshing return for rhyme and meter, Mehigan lays
down lovely, orderly, measured lines in the face of the trend of post-genre and free-verse chaos,
and he does so with such precision and skill that he doesn't merely make it look easy - he makes
everyone else look lazy. Each moment he makes us aware that he took the time to find just the
right way to say what he's saying, that no other way would work. So meticulous is Mehigan's care
that he's taken steps to ensure his poems don't become too refined or polished. He doesn't
compromise their urgency and rawness for gloss and luster. It's simple to figure out how meter,
rhyme, and the conventional devices of poetry became stigmatized - they take time to master, and
even then few can use them effectively. Besides, the poetry unit is a key component of every
beginning creative writing class from middle school to college. Teachers can only read the words
eyes, sunrise, love and above so many times before they make that slow climb to the top of the
bell tower with the hunting rifle and bag of chips. For those writing instructors still fighting the
good fight, The Optimist should read like a how-to manual as it captures all the splendor of
Victorian-era wordplay in updated, pressing, uniquely visionary modes.
In the poem "Two New Fish," Mehigan describes a boy walking home recklessly tossing the
plastic bag home of a pair of live fish, doing all he can to break and not to break the bubble,
teetering on the balance of the helpless fish's lives', and in doing so draws a comparison, like an
old Far Side cartoon, of God as a careless little kid. He writes: " And when | within these limits
neither fish had died, | the boy put down the bag and went inside."
While full of hard end stops and heavily reliant on the kind of "expected" techniques writing group
kids would circle again and again and sneer at together during cigarette breaks, the only real
distraction in the poems is the standing invitation for the reader to pause mid-stanza to try and
identify the form. After a while, though, the experience becomes like a drive in the country with
the windows down, where one forgets to think about the tiny workings of the car, or the type of
the car, or even the notion of being in the car at all. Curiously, there is little surface evidence of
optimism in The Optimist's 50 poems. (The title piece, for example, addresses the issue of a
woman dying from cancer, likening it to a star burning out, disappearing from the sky) Instead,
there are clear signs of hard-work, practice, dedication, and more than a trace of talent The book's
title should refer more to the author than the poems collected within it. Having won the 2004
Hollis Summers Poetry Prize and been a finalist for both the 2005 PEN/Joyce Osterweil Award
for Poetry and the 2004 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Poetry, Joshua Mehigan has a lot to
be optimistic about, as far as his career as a poet is concerned. Deservedly so - this is one of those
rare, wondrous books that inevitably wears on the reader simply for the fact that it elicits empathy
with the author's great labor to the extent that we begin to feel sorry for poor Joshua Mehigan.
There are plenty of contemporary poets who are fun to watch at play. We read their lines and
imagine what fun they must've had writing them. We get visions of latte-stained paper napkins full
of haphazardly penned witty things being passed among attractive and smug women and men in
dark sweaters, and we wish we were there, that the napkin would be handed to us. But we can't
imagine wanting to be around Joshua Mehigan while he was writing the poems that went into The
Optimist. In our minds, we see endless piles of drafts, some wadded, some singed, stacks of
books, an open dictionary on the top, and from behind the dense pile, one finger flipping the
pages, endlessly. But wait what's that we see scattered about the room? Of course - dozens of
chipped cups of cold coffee, half full.
Drama City
George Pelecanos
Little, Brown
1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0316608211 $24.95, 291 pages
Greta Anderson
Reviewer
In two-way prison rehabilitation projects across the country, incarcerated men and women train
abandoned dogs and learn to be better humans. George Pelecanos, author of twelve crime novels
and producer of the HBO crime show, Wire, heard about these programs and invented the
protagonist of his new novel, Drama City. Lorenzo Brown went through the dog-training
program, and now works as a dog catcher - or "Humane Law Officer" - in Washington D.C..
Lorenzo is trying hard to live up to the "humane" part. His interactions on the job show
compassion and fine-tuned awareness, as he puts to good use the street smarts gained from drug
dealing and time in "the cut". Just as conscientious off the job, Lorenzo walks his dog Jasmine
twice a day through his old neighborhood, always cleaning up after her. Always, too, he faces a
gauntlet of ridicule and his own qualms about being "a square in a uniform, working for rent
money and nothing more, holding a bag of shit in one hand and the leash of a dog, not even a
fighting dog in the other."
His parole officer, Rachel Lopez, attends Narcotics Anonymous meetings to make sense of her
own secret vice. She is more observer than participant, but the others' stories seem to echo hers
and those of her clients, speaking for all who are trying to escape the undertow of their pasts. In
her experience on the job, only a few actually make it. She has hopes Lorenzo might.
Equally burdened by their pasts - but less prone to reflection - are the members of the drug gangs
whose turf war thickens the novel's plot. Stories of their abuse as children are echoed by the
stories of the rottweilers and pit bulls Lorenzo encounters in his rounds, animals that have been
made violent and whose violence is being used.
In Pelecanos' skillful interplay of themes, the dogs and the men become apt metaphors for each
other.
Drama City has the gritty, realistic flavor of an updated Clockers. Pelecanos, a lifelong resident of
D.C. with a long blue-collar background, researched with the Washington Humane Society and
area ex-offenders, parole officers, and police to pull together the factual details of his story.
One of the facts is that some dogs must be put down.
Lorenzo explains this to his white coworker, who was bitten by a dog and now feels guilty for the
consequences: "Things happened to that dog on this cruel earth to make it the way it was. Wasn't
its fault, but still. It's not like God is gonna step in now, point his finger down from heaven, and
touch that animal, make it so it can live around people and other animals the right way."
Chillingly, this speech signals to the reader that Lorenzo is ready to "put down" a person who is
wreaking havoc in his world, that he may surrender his future to the "fate" of so many victims of a
broken past and violent environment.
Pelecanos' previous work has been praised for its pitch-perfect, streetwise dialogue. In this book,
too, characters' internal voices and spoken words come off sounding true. But it is the author's
voice we come to trust most. For, audible throughout this very engaging book is his call for a
more humane society.
The Road to Inheritance
Daniel Cure
Trafford Publishing
6E - 2333 Government Street, Victoria, BC, Canada V8T 4P4
250-383-6864 www.trafford.com
ISBN: 1412045223 12.95 Brit. pounds
Ian Collins
Reviewer
The Road to Inheritance is by far the best book I've read this year. For several years, now, I've
had to contend myself with old school action thriller's in a nostalgic search for entertainment, and
have felt depressed at the post-modern offerings from the likes of the turgid Nick Hornby, who
seem to have infiltrated the market with boring noodlings about nothing in particular. Give me
action, give me adventure, give me Will Monohue, who on completing this novel, I yearn to read
more of.
The style is fast paced, and a real page-turner. We learn that Will is to be bequeathed the proceeds
from a valuable necklace that his uncle comes across (being some kind of long lost family relic).
However, it is soon stolen, and with no clue as to the thieves, we assume that his sudden luck has
expired all too soon. Randomly, though he bumps into one of the alleged thieves in Birmingham,
and persuades his friend to follow him in pursuit. What follows is a harrowing, yet gripping roller
coaster as they play cat and mouse with their captors up in a deserted region of Scotland, still
clinging onto the hope of actually recovering Will's precious jewel. The tension in the penultimate
chapter as Will gives his enemy chase across a dark field is amongst the most intense I've ever
read!
This is not an epic tale, nor is it particularly scholarly. However, it is immensely enjoyable, and
leaves the reader with a sense (aka Harry Potter) that this is only the first instalment of our hero.
A friend of mine read an interview with Cure, who claims that there'll be at least 4 or 5 in the
series, and that he promises to go down a "darker route" with the next one, so we'll have to wait
and see. I would recommend this for anyone from the age of 14 upwards who enjoys an action
thriller.
The Power of the Pitch
Gary Hankins
Dearborn Trade Publishing
30 South Wacker Drive, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60606-7481
ISBN: 0793194393 $22.95 288 pps.
Jamie Engle
Reviewer
One of the best business books I've read this year, The Power of the Pitch covers everything
needed to make a winning presentation, from making the initial sales call to writing the
presentation, determining graphics, what to wear, hand gestures and eye contact, handouts and
more. No detail is left uncovered in this easy to read, complete handbook.
Hankins worked in sales, media, and public speaking for more than 30 years. In 1988, he founded
Pygmalion, Inc. to help organizations and individuals perfect their communications with clients
and prospects. His expertise is readily apparent throughout The Power of the Pitch.
Hankins defines a pitch as "any time you speak with the intent to persuade. Pitches could be
delivered in person, over the telephone, to one person, or to thousands." Pitches include anything
from sales presentations to speeches, interviews to team discussions, and more.
Hankins begins with the fundamentals of presentations, including The Secrets of Winning People
Over, how to present yourself (The Power of Packaging), how to move (The Laws of Nonverbal
Attraction) and how to speak (Put Power in Your Voice). He then outlines the three parts of the
pitch (The Grabber, The Persuasion Model and The Power Close). Next are chapters detailing
techniques, tools and tips for building a successful presentation. Topics covered include outlining
and planning your presentation, using stories, how to build rapport, successful graphics, cold
calling, technology and more. The range is broad, but the topics are covered in-depth in a clear,
concise manner.
Resources and several outlines, forms and handouts are included in the book. They're invaluable
tools for building your presentation and tracking feedback. The forms are also available for
download at the website (www.pygmalionline.com), where you'll also find additional resources
and articles.
This book is not only for sales people, but also for anyone who has to make a presentation of
some kind. Whether you're making the keynote speech at the next banquet, asking for donations
at the fundraising dinner, or trying to sell your product or idea to a client, boss or co-worker,
you'll find ways to fine-tune your pitch and persuade them to your side.
The Bully: A Discussion and Activity Story
Rita Y. Toews, author
Jon Ljungberg, illustrator
Birds Hill Publishing
9 Esker Place, East St. Paul, Manitoba, R2E 0K2
(204) 661-2734 http://thebullybook.com
ISBN: 0973622407 $9.95 Canadian, $7.50 U.S.
S. Joan Popek, Reviewer
http://www.sjoanpopek.com
"Encountering a bully is one of the toughest situations a child can face," Toews writes. This book
is for children, parents, teachers, caregivers anyone who deals with children. Our first job is to
protect our children, and this entertaining, informative storybook helps us do that.
This storybook helps children and adults identify and stop bullying while engaging the child in
interactive activities which makes it fun to learn. The book's versatility allows it to be used in
classroom settings, as a group activity, or in a one-on-one setting at home.
At thirty-five pages, this 8 1/2" x 11" book features full color glossy covers, lay-flat binding and
large black and white illustrations suitable for coloring. Targeting elementary school aged
children, the experience begins with a short preface directed at adults about the best way to use
this book. Next comes an entertaining, illustrated short story about a little boy who is being
bullied at school. He is afraid and ashamed to tell anyone. I was impressed at how well this
segment expresses how a child feels when he or she is being bullied. The conclusion is sensible
and honest, giving the little boy a safe way to avoid being bullied again. The solution this author
uses can work.
The story is followed by a quiz for children about how to identify a bully and practical solutions
about how to deal with a bully situation. Then comes a word puzzle and a connect the dots
exercise followed by a quiz for parents and teachers. All of the pages double as coloring pages.
There are pages to record yours and the child's thoughts on bullying, and at the back of the book,
an entire page is devoted to guiding parents and educators to other resources on the subject.
Many of us are alarmed by the rise in school violence, gangs roaming the streets of communities
and related problems. How does this kind of behavior get started?
One way is through bullying. Bullies "prove" themselves by bullying other children, then later,
other adults. Children who are singled out to be bullied may become withdrawn and resentful,
sometimes turning to the very thing they hate--they use violence as a way to strike back.
Almost one-fourth of all school age children are bullied by other children at some point. That is a
frightening percentage. Many educators and psychologists believe that either being bullied or
being a bully can lead to severe emotional problems and even jail time. Many children who have
been the victim of such abuse often develop low self esteem and become troubled, even suicidal,
teenagers.
What can we do about bullying?
The first step is to recognize it.
THE BULLY has only been in print for a short while, and already educators and therapists are
using the book to teach youth about the harm bullying can cause.
As a parent, grandparent and former educator, I can honestly say that this is an exceptionally
comprehensive guide. It should be required reading in every elementary school classroom.
It's more than a storybook--it's a learning experience--both for children and adults. I highly
recommend this book to anyone or any organization or agency that deals with children in any
capacity. As An added bonus, the publisher offers special discounts on bulk orders, so ordering
THE BULLY for a classroom, an organization or a group, will be affordable.
I feel strongly about this book's message, and I believe that it should be on every school library
shelf and in the homes of everyone who has school aged children.
Islam: Faith and History
Mahmoud M. Ayoub
Oneworld Press
c/o National Book Network
4270 Boston Way, Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
www.nbnbooks.com 1-800-462-6420
ISBN: 185168350X $19.95 247 pages
Michael Riggs
Reviewer
Islam: A Concise and Intelligent History
Despite Islam's recurrent appearances in the U.S. media, I believe it is safe to say that most people
of other faiths know little about it. We hear frequently of insurgency, of terrorists, and of Shiite
beliefs, but sound bytes and pundits usually contribute very little to real understanding of this
complex world religion. Islam: Faith and History displays the author's profound scholarship in
comparative religion, a deep scholarly knowledge of the history of Islam, and a clarity of
exposition rare in any book, especially one that tries to cover such a broad range of material.
Eleven chapters on such subjects as the origins of Islam, the role of prophets, faith and worship,
the age of the Caliphs, women and men, and Islam and Modernity, provide readers at both expert
and beginning level with a concise introduction to the principal tenets and history of the faith.
Ayoub's explains what the worldwide Islamic community is, the difficulties of incorporating
modern science and technology into the broader Islamic community of believers, and probably
most instructive to me, the general differences between Islamic and Christian forms of worship,
including very different ideas of scriptural interpretation and the idea of law. In Ayoub's view, the
idea of a purely secular state is one that does not fit easily into Islam, and he carefully adduces the
reasons for this. I certainly came away from this book with a much better understanding just how
secular are my own beliefs.
Having read several works that, in one way or another, take up the "clash of civilizations" idea, I
found Ayoub's book to be informative without being tendentious, respectful without being
obsequious and educational without being at all pedantic. The book is, in short, an example of a
truly persuasive discourse, and the goal of that persuasion is not empathy or antipathy, but
informed respect for another, and often alien, worldview. Those who wish to learn more about
Islam could hardly do better than to read this short work.
Searching for the Waters of Antiquity
Shirley Ryan
Soul Moments Publishing
P.O. Box 4763, Petaluma, CA 94952
www.amazon.com
ISBN: 0975419609 $24.95 113 p.
Shirley Roe, Reviewer
www.allbooksreviews.com
One of the first truly unique books of the year!
The book promises a story for children eight to eighty and the author has fulfilled that promise. At
first glance the story is naive and childlike, however upon further inspection the reader realizes
that the message is as deep and mysterious as life itself. Subtitled: A Follow-along Meditation
Process, it is indeed just that-encompassed in a delightful tale.
Our hero, Tag is a tiny turtle on a mission-the search for the waters of antiquity, which can also
be interpreted as a search for the spiritual center, the place of ONE. Readers travel through the
garden of life with little Tag as if being guided on their own meditation into the spiritual core of
SELF. This three-part story explores every conceivable human emotion-love, fear, understanding,
tolerance, wisdom and fear. His personal guide, Ms. Crane is another fascinating creature who
assists him on his journey. Tag asks her the questions in all of our minds and hearts drawing the
reader further and further into the story.
Simplistic but serene illustrations throughout provide the reader with a fascinating story of their
own and the book provides a peaceful sanctuary that can be visited time and again. Simply flip
through the pages, one illustration after another and feel the calming influence descend over
you.
Author Shirley Ryan is the president of Working Together, a business specializing in Executive
and Personal coaching. She is also a behavioral specialist and therapist in northern California.
Searching for the Waters of Antiquity is a charming yet fascinating book for the entire family. The
book is presented in gift giving, coffee table format and it is definitely a book that you would want
to share with friends and family. Highly recommended by Allbooks Reviews.
Sarah
Marek Halter
Three Rivers Press (Crown Publishers)
1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
ISBN: 1400052785 $12.95, 325 pages
Shayla Hawkins
Reviewer
With a seamlessness and clarity like pure water, Marek Halter steps into the skin and paints a
dazzling narrative of one of the Bible's most famous and obscure characters in Sarah, his novel
about the woman who became Abraham's wife and the matriarch of Judeo-Christianity. In Halter's
lyrical, masterful prose Sarah is transformed from a five-letter name in an ancient text into a
three-dimensional flesh and blood woman whose passion and determination to live her life on her
terms are as revolutionary today as they surely must have been during Sarah's lifetime several
thousand years ago.
The novel opens approximately 4,000 years ago in a palace in the Sumerian city-state of Ur
(which, it bears mentioning, is present-day Iraq). There, the adolescent Sarah (who, until God
establishes a covenant with her and Abraham, is called Sarai) awakens one morning to find that
she has menstruated for the first time. Far from being happy about this, Sarah is afraid because she
knows that since her period has now started, she will soon be forced to marry whatever man her
father chooses for her. In the pre-dawn stillness of her bedroom, Sarah wonders:
Why did the blood running between her thighs make her more adult? Why, at the same time as she
gained the freedom to speak, was she going to lose the freedom to act? ... Now, in exchange for a
few silver shekels or a few measures of barley, her father could give her to a man. A stranger she
might have to hate for the rest of her days. Why did things have to happen that way? Why not
another way?
Soon after her initiation into the Chamber of Blood (the haven for every palace female who is
menstruating or in childbirth), Sarah starts to plot her escape from her forced wedding. After a
humiliating episode at her engagement dinner, Sarah flees her father's palace and goes into Ur's
lower city. From there, she wanders through the darkening night along the edge of the Euphrates
River. Disoriented by loneliness and self-pity, Sarah trips over something and falls into the water.
Seconds later, when Sarah struggles back to the surface, she sees that the creature she stumbled
over and thought was a demon is no monster at all. He is, instead, a young hunter from the
Amorite tribe called Abram (which is the pre-covenant spelling of Abraham's name). Sarah is
instantly attracted to the handsome nomad and feels an inexplicable longing to tell him everything
about her life. And so, while eating the food and basking in the warmth of the fire that Abraham
has prepared for her, Sarah confesses that she is the daughter of a lord of Ur and has just fled
from her engagement dinner. Abraham listens intently, and as he and Sarah reveal more about
themselves, Sarah grows more comfortable until her fear of the night and strange surroundings
vanishes and is replaced with an incomprehensible joy. Sarah notes that:
All at once, she was aware of happiness suffusing her body, from the ends of her hair to the tips of
her toes, and calming her mind.... this boy she had not even known when the sun was up, Abram,
who was so close to her she could have brushed his shoulder, was going to protect her from
everything. She knew it.
The following morning, however, Sarah's happiness is destroyed when she awakens to find herself
surrounded by her father's guards and sees that Abraham is gone.
Broken and humiliated, Sarah returns to her father's palace. Her father is so angered and disgusted
that he forbids anyone on his property to speak Sarah's name. Sarah's handmaid Sililli, however,
defies the edict and provides the only love and comfort Sarah receives. And it is Sililli who covers
for Sarah when, a few weeks later, Sarah runs from the palace again. Unable to forget Abraham
and terrified of never seeing him again and being forced into yet another engagement, Sarah
decides to repel any suitor her father might choose by making herself unable to bear children.
When she reaches the lower city, Sarah heads for the marketplace. There she finds a kassaptu (a
witch) who gives Sarah five packets of herbs to make Sarah's menstrual blood stop for several
months. Sarah returns to the palace before anyone but Sililli notices her absence. But Sarah's
impulsiveness and disregard for the kassaptu's directions prove disastrous. Sarah consumes the
entire potion at once and falls into an almost fatal coma. And instead of stopping her period for a
while, Sarah becomes permanently barren. After learning about Sarah's condition and consulting a
soothsayer, her father sends her and Sililli to the Temple of Ishtar, where every barren female of
Ur is sent. There, Sarah becomes the temple's chief priestess. Years later, after a serendipitous
reunion, Abraham rescues Sarah from the temple. He and Sarah confess their love for each other
and get married a few days later.
The second half of the novel explores Sarah's glad and willing transition from a child of royalty
and revered priestess to a tent-dwelling, sheep-shearing wife whose residence changes with the
seasons. Word of Sarah's barrenness spreads quickly through the camp, and she initially endures
ridicule and isolation from the Amorite women. But as Abraham (who knows about Sarah's
infertility even before he proposes to her) remains happy and faithful to his wife, the women grow
to accept, and eventually honor and love, Sarah.
Perhaps inevitably, however, problems arise in Abraham's and Sarah's marriage. When a famine
forces Abraham's tribe from Canaan to Egypt, Abraham is so afraid of the mighty Egyptian army
that he completely loses faith in God. Abraham presents Sarah as his sister (which is partly true:
Genesis 20:12 describes Sarah as Abraham's half-sister). And, as if she's nothing more than a
prostitute, Abraham offers Sarah to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, as a sort of peace offering. Sarah
and the Pharaoh then engage in a night of sex so torrid, she leaves bite marks in his shoulder. But
after God visits Pharaoh in a terrifying dream, the king quickly releases Sarah and banishes her
and Abraham from Egypt. Not long after, Sarah, embittered and desperate from her infertility,
tells Abraham to lay with her handmaid Hagar (whom Pharaoh assigned to Sarah as a parting gift)
so he can have a son. Hagar soon becomes pregnant, and an inevitable tension and hatred
develops between her and Sarah. Once, in Hagar's seventh month of pregnancy, Hagar ridicules
and speaks disrespectfully to Sarah. Sarah then slaps Hagar so hard that Hagar screams and runs
for help. "Don't be stupid," Sarah yells at the women restraining her, "I'm not going to kill her!"
Hagar gives birth to Ishmael, Abraham's firstborn son, and the jealousy between her and Sarah
grows so unbearable that Sarah ultimately evicts her and Ishmael from Abraham's camp.
After all the drama among Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, and Abraham, Sarah's pregnancy and the birth
of Isaac near the very end of the novel seem more like an afterthought than a poignant, pivotal
event in the history of world religion. But the transfiguration of Sarah's bitterness and despair into
an unbreakable peace and faith in Abraham's God are an inspiring end to her evolution as a human
being. Similarly, by the novel's last page, the reader has a heightened appreciation for Marek
Halter's phenomenal literary gifts and his ability to craft a brilliant lyrical story of how God can
take a broken, bitter woman and transform her into a vessel of eternal hope, strength, and
righteousness.
Bury My Heart at Redtree
Patrick Chalfant
Hawk Publishing
7107 S. Yale #345 Tulsa, OK 74136
ISBN: 1930709536 $23.95 297 p.
Tamika Johnson, Reviewer
www.prologuereviews.com
Patrick Chalfant weaves a tale that is a mixture of psychological suspense, Native American
mysticism and revenge in his sophomore novel Bury My Heart at Redtree. Redtree follows
Taylor, a promising young psychology student as he builds his masters thesis around the revenge
he has planned for those who are responsible for his parent's death.
Taylor is aided in his vigilante justice by his friends Elijah and Keith and hunted by the local
authorities, detectives Stan Jennings and Carol Parker of the State Bureau of Investigations. With
a cast of a characters that also includes a naive, yet insightful girlfriend, a mystical and
manipulative Native American chief and a business man with shady dealings that could put
Kenneth Lay to shame, Bury my Heart at Redtree is entertaining, suspenseful and exciting, albeit
a little predictable and underdeveloped.
Chalfant's use of Freudian psychology as a plot device is original and ingenious as Taylor uses his
criminal spree as a means to prove his thesis regarding Freud's idea of the id, ego and superego.
Also, the opening sequence of Redtree, a daring and bloody convenience store hit, is one of the
best opening sequences of a novel I have ever read. And I must say Gayland, the resident wealthy
business man and all out bad guy is a well written and deliciously evil, villain. You love to hate
him and hope and pray that he gets what he deserves.
Redtree manages to be fresh and engaging in a genre that can easily be stale and unoriginal and
that is all do to Chalfant's masterful storytelling and innovative use of the old themes of revenge
and redemption.
However, Redtree does have some problems, the biggest of which is Chalfant's lack of character
development. With so many characters you don't expect to be up close and personal with
everyone but the main characters, particularly Taylor and Jennings should feel like close friends,
or at the very least people you'd care about if something happened to them and that closeness just
isn't there.
Chalfant doesn't offer much in the way of motivation or understanding for their behavior or their
thoughts, so as a reader you don't have much stake in what happens to them good or bad. He
does a great job at portraying Gayland as a corrupt and soulless man but lacks the same depth
with the rest of the characters and that lack of depth ultimately hurts the story he's trying to
tell.
Also the novel gets a little too preachy, as the subplot about a high profile drug case becomes the
springboard for a rant on the criminal justice system and how with enough money and the right
attorneys one can get away with anything. It is fine to feel passionate about a topic but not too
many people like to be preached to and after awhile the rants about the justice system just felt like
a combination of whining and preaching.
Despite these criticisms Bury My Heart at Redtree is worth your time and money. It's a good and
fast read and while the surprise ending isn't really a surprise you'll still find it satisfying and
fulfilling.
Allende Unmasks The Mysteries of The Elusive Zorro
The only regret I had during the reading of Isabel Allende's latest offering, ZORRO: A NOVEL,
was the knowledge it ended at page 400.
The kind people at HarperCollins sent an Advance Reader's Edition for my review, How lucky for
me, as Allende is an expert at her craft.
Allende tells us the story of Zorro's early life in California, his travels to the old country, his first
love and how he came to love the life of mask, cape and sword. One of the sub-plots revolves
around Zorro's mother and grandmother and has enough substance for its own novel.
Allende, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, casts a spell on her readers with wonderful, long, glorious
paragraphs. They drift by as if magically suspended above the page. This book also has a rich
historical base from which Allende builds her characters and effects their lives.
The only complaint I have with Margaret Sayers Penden's translation from Allende's native
Spanish is her generous use of the word "that." If "that" can be removed from a sentence and the
sentence's intent remain the same, it should go. Every unnecessary "that" is like a boulder in the
middle of a beautiful garden path.
It's rewarding to see such quality work on THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS LIST.
Kudos to Allende for her gifts. Kudos to her readers for their recognition of such splendid
story-telling.
Enjoy!
Villa Incognito
Tom Robbins, Bantam
Random House, Inc.
1745 Broadway, New York, NY, 10019
0553803328, $24.00, 256 pages
Tyler Tradere
Reviewer
"No news is good news in Cognito
addresses are damn hard find
the queen of spades runs the mailroom
and all the postmen are legally blind."
Although Tom Robbins is adverse to plot summaries, I will do my best to summarize what is
probably one of the strangest and most brilliant novels I've ever read. The novel starts out with
the legend of the Tanuki, who are a strange and mythical dog-like badger from Asia known for
always getting into mischief and loving the alcoholic drink sake. In this graphic legend one tanuki
mates with a young country girl and has baby. The Tanuki is so irresponsible and reckless that the
mother then decides to leave and care for the baby girl on her own, in the wilderness.
We then fast forward to present day where in a village somewhere in Laos, three American
POW's have somehow managed to build a comfortable life outside of the America they have all
begun to loathe. A life that is free of the nine-to-five rat race, the rules and regulations, and the
competitiveness that is Corporate America. It is a simple life where they teach knowledge, drink
an awful lot, and have many affairs with underage village girls. The three POW's have a villa and
the only way to get in or out is to walk a tight rope across a monstrous ravine. Few frequent the
villa but one of the girls appears to be the ancestor of the woman from the before mentioned
legend. She has affairs with two of the three POW's and again is impregnated with a baby girl. She
then leaves much like her Great Grandmother in the legend and gives the baby up for
adoption.
After writing this summary I really see why Robbins hates plot summaries. They don't do his
books justice. If you have't read a Tom Robbins novel, pick one up. You will be dazzled by this
Wizard of Words. He is one of the funniest and wisest writers out there. After reading a
paragraph, I instantly knew he was one of my favorite writers.
Bitter Harvest
Ann Rule
Pocket Books
1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0671868691 $7.99 480 pages
Ann Zobrosky
Reviewer
Ann Rule, without question, is the premier true crime writer of the day. Several strengths lift her
books beyond the standard true-crime tome; her sympathetic yet real portrayal of the victims, her
in-depth exploration of the perpetrators, and her gripping narratives of the crimes, which read like
fiction.
Many true crime books either idealize the victim, like the eulogy in many a funeral, so that the
victim comes across as saintly and sympathetic but barely human. Oddly enough, for the reader
this creates a strange distance from the victim; it's hard to relate to an angel. Other books,
focusing on the sensational aspects of the crime, emphasize the victim's faults and present the
victim in a rather sleazy light. This is a turn-off to me; nobody deserves to be a crime victim, no
matter how many mistakes the person has made. Rule, in contrast, draws the victims deftly and
surely, never glossing over their faults yet presenting them as people who were loved, valuable,
and deserved more than they got. An excellent example of this is her heartbreaking portrayal of
the murdered prostitutes and their families in Green River Running Red.
She is also very adept at portraying the perpetrator. Many true crime books are very fact oriented,
so the perpetrator and the crime come across almost like a photograph with people lined up and
posing. Rule, by contrast, is an artist, capturing the light and shadow, the past and present and
giving an in-depth, real picture of the perpetrator.
Bitter Harvest is the story of Debora Green, a doctor who was convicted of deliberately setting
fire to her home and killing two of her children. It is a strange story; unlike many violent criminals
who have limited intelligence and stark backgrounds, Deborah Green was raised in a working
middle-class, loving family and had a strikingly superior intelligence. She had such a promising
start; she excelled in high school without much effort and was popular and very witty, exceptional
in the math and science areas and valedictorian of her class. She then moved on to college.
She planned on majoring in engineering; her words about engineering, quoted in the book,
showed a keen aptitude and intelligence for this. But then her guidance counselor told her there
was a glut of engineers, and she should major in something else. Now why in hell did the guidance
counselor do that? Surely a brilliant, motivated student who majors in something she loves will
not end up in a food line, no matter how big the "glut" is in a field. But the counselor did, and
Debora Green "chose" pre-med instead. So basically you have an individual who is lukewarm
about a profession, choosing one of the most challenging professions for a student to pursue. At
this point, one gets a feeling of disjointedness, a character who is not connected to herself enough
to insist on pursuing her dreams. This feeling of disjointedness follows Debora Green throughout
the book.
Then she marries Mike Farrar. Ann Rule is incredibly sympathetic to him, constantly focusing on
how "handsome" he is, how brilliant, how talented, how ambitious, gregarious, neat, punctilious,
etc, etc, etc. However, throughout the book, despite her unstinting praise, he actually comes
across as a jerk. He admits he was attracted to Debora Green because she was an intern, doing
well and making good money, while he was a younger student. He has no interest in
compromising with her in the marriage; he is very insistent that his way is the only way to be, and
the book is rank with his petty criticisms of her. I quickly grew tired of his pick, pick, picking at
her and found myself leaping to her defense, even knowing (from the back of the book) that she
was convicted of a horrendous crime. Interestingly, despite her brilliance and talent, Debora never
defends herself against Mike, never says, I like the way I am, I am as good as you, deal with it.
Instead, she seems to accept his criticisms, and allows herself to go into a downhill plunge.
The marriage, and Debora, went down fast. She abused prescription drugs, failed at her
examinations to become board certified, did not work hard, had a difficult time relating to other
doctors and patients, failed at every type of practice she tried, and in the end became a raging
alcoholic. All through this Mike continues to pick, pick, pick. Eventually she gains weight and
becomes quite large, and Ann Rule and Mike take aim and fire with all barrels at this flaw. They
do admit, however, that she was a good and loving mother. Hmmmm .
Then Mike meets Celeste, and guess what? Mike and Ann Rule try with all their might to justify
his adultery based on Debora's flaws, but it just doesn't work. Mike and Debora enter into
acrimonious divorce proceedings, and the fatal fire follows.
Rule attempts to present the evidence of Debora's guilt as conclusive, but a close reading of the
facts reveals it is all circumstantial. It appears the authorities were on Mike's side from the
beginning, and the investigation, and the ignoring of some of the stranger aspects of Mike's
conduct afterwards, appeared inadquate. Personally, I suspected that Mike may have been guilty
of the fire, and in fact may have "set Debora up" because he was tired of her.
Two things were particularly intriguing about this book. First, what was with Debora? Abuse was
hinted at, but no evidence could be found. I suspected something more basic; she never was really
attached to herself, never saw herself as a person of value, never saw her wants as important.
There is a grim lesson here; without an innate sense of one's own worth, the strongest gifts of
intelligence and talent are nothing.
Second, the author attempted to present this book in a way that was totally sympathetic to one
character, Mike, but instead, totally unintentionally, she revealed severe and sinister flaws in
Mike's character, and a possible major miscarriage of justice.
Finally, even with these aspects, the book itself is a can't-put-down read. It's fascinating because
of, not in spite of, these strange layers, and I would highly recommend it.
Arlene's Bookshelf
Rosemary and Juliet
Judy MacLean
Alice Street Editions
Harrington Park Press
11 Cambridge Court East, Old Saybrook, CT 06475
ISBN: 1560234830; $17.95; 265 pages
Judy MacLean's freshman novel, Rosemary and Juliet, spins a tale of young love and sexual
awakening for two compelling and personable teenage girls from very disparate families. One's
mother and the other's father could not be more diametrically opposed parents. Romey Arden, a
high school junior, is an out and proud lesbian who makes no apologies for who she is. Her
supportive mother, Janis, is staunchly pro-choice who operates a woman's health clinic in the
neighboring town. Janis is very much her own woman who is on the frontlines protesting for
social justice. Julie Wright is the charming and obedient fourteen year-old daughter of the local
fundamentalist minister of the Divido Bible Church. She is a stellar singer in the church choir and
is sincerely immersed in both her religious belief and her family's commitment to the community.
However, once she and Romey meet at a carnival, their mutual attraction is undeniable. Romey
understands it for what it is, lesbian attraction, but naive Julie can only define it with her word for
her overpowering feelings and fantasies, the Yearning. Eventually their relationship is discovered
by Julie's father who is consumed by the potential for sin and damnation for his child. Reverend
Wright engages the services of a Dr. Oberholzer. "What I offer is a Christian treatment method"
(p. 148). This regimen involves electronic aversive stimulus, more commonly known as electric
shock treatment. The Reverend eagerly accepts this diagnostic tool, and he and his wife hope for
the best as their modest savings plummet to pay for this procedure. Add to the mix, more than a
few homophobic townspeople, several intolerant and violent teenagers, an unexpected death, and
well-meaning parents who believe they are doing the right thing, and you have a novel which
explores the plight of gay teenagers who are trying to find their place in the world.
MacLean has a straightforward style of writing; the pacing makes it a very readable book.
Borrowing from Shakespeare the play-on-words of the title and the overall thematic supposition
of inter-familial rancor and animus, she manages to create a contemporary and cautionary
narrative, one which parents of gay and straight teenagers would find enlightening. Creating
subtle yet captivating characterizations, the author manages to engage the reader on several
levels. There are a few flat stereotypical characters, Elliot the flamboyant gay friend and Nick the
closeted cousin, but even they seem to strike an occasional chord of credibility. Romey, perhaps,
best exemplifies what it means to be a gay and self-respecting student amidst the bigoted loathing
found in a typical high school. She has acknowledged her identity and has been blessed with an
accepting and loving parent. Romey is a character the reader immediately finds appealing and
grows to admire throughout the course of the book. Julie depicts the genuine confusion and
dismay of a sincerely religious young girl trying to come to terms with what she has been taught
and what she feels cannot be evil. "Nothing can ever happen to me that will make me sorry I loved
you" (p. 246). This reader would have preferred that the Julie character had been a year or two
older, but the intrinsic uncertainty of self and loving she displays is possible. The dialogue flows
easily, the action scenes are energized, and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep the reader
intrigued. The themes of homophobia, hate-mongering, and senseless violence are conveyed in a
deft and thought-provoking manner. MacLean possesses a keen eye and ear for that age group
and her teenagers represent plausible people. It is especially compelling to explore the quandary in
which Julie finds herself. Julie's love for her parents and her belief system juxtaposed with her
developing and then escalating questioning of faith is masterfully told.
MacLean's choice of setting enhances the reality of the story. The girls' small town of Divido
serves as a microcosm of the current state of affairs in this country. Even the town name, Divido,
implies a form of division. The on-going struggles between the entrenched conservative religious
element and the much-maligned gay community are reflected in the fractious relationships found
in today's families, school environments, and community groups.
Rosemary and Juliet is a novel which has been categorized as a young adult book, but this should
not deter any reader over the age of eighteen. This novel is one that movingly and passionately
demands consideration, discussion, and scrutiny. There are admonitions here to be heeded by
everyone, especially by those individuals whose lives are affected by the very subject matter of the
story. MacLean's direct and unvarnished telling of this poignant tale is well worth reading.
Course of Action
Gun Brooke
Bold Strokes Books
1020 Livezey Lane, Philadelphia, PA 19119
ISBN: 1933110228; $15.95; 320 pages
Take one desperately determined middle-aged diva from Tinseltown and add one mysterious,
megabucks publisher and philanthropist from Miami. Stir in personality clashes, ethical conflicts,
and a slowly simmering discovery of desire and romantic awakening. What results is Gun
Brooke's refreshing novel, Course of Action. Carolyn Black wants the role of a lifetime,
transforming the popular lesbian criminal investigator Diana Maddox from the pages of the
popular novel series to the big screen. Annelie Peterson owns the film rights and wants to
interview and audition several actresses for the role. However, at the same time, Annelie
possesses a secret or two when it comes to Carolyn Black, secrets better left undisclosed for the
moment. These two likable career women have indeed found a worthy and challenging adversary
in each other. Carolyn and Annelie are vibrant and charismatic women, but they are far from the
carefully crafted public persona each willingly reveals to the world. Corporate machinations,
Hollywood hype, family crises, and intriguing secondary characters all intersect to create varied
conflicts, some of which appear to have no easy resolutions. Yet, beneath all the clever
maneuverings and seemingly shady shenanigans, a relationship is being forged, but whether or not
it is genuine, Carolyn and Annelie must discover for themselves.
Brooke has created an appealing set of circumstances. Finding the right actress to play the role of
Diana Maddox so as not to disappoint the many fans of the fictional detective is the main premise
of the book. The disparate characters each have a stake in seeing this project come to fruition. It
is the discord that arises from this quest that provides the reader with a fast-paced reading
experience. The plot flows naturally and uncluttered from one scene to the next. The various
sub-plots are written in a contained yet expansive manner. The author has an easy comfortable
writing style, and chapters are often marked by several scene breaks within the chapter. This
device succeeds in rapidly driving the plotline; the reader's interest is piqued with every new
scene.
A well-written novel has a strong and memorable opening, and Course of Action delivers. "That
role is mine! I am Diana Maddox" (page 11)! With the exclamation of those eight simple words,
the reader meets the whirlwind, Carolyn Black. Part of the pleasure in this book is determining if
she indeed is the larger-than-life diva she purports to be. From the very outset the reader wonders
if the reticent Annelie is also what she seems to be. Therein lays the basic contention for the
reader to resolve along with these two women. The foreshadowing presented here is fairly
elementary, but at the same time, it is intriguing for the reader to see if her expectations
occur.
The setting created by Brooke is a glimpse into that fantasy world of celebrity and high rollers,
escapist to be sure, but witnessing the relationship develop between Carolyn and Annelie is well
worth the trip. As the reader progresses, the trappings become secondary to the characters' desire
to reach goals both professional and personal.
Some may find the title a bit misleading, although there is a reference to it, "I guess we'll have to
agree on a course of action before ." (p. 291). However, it certainly doesn't detract from the
overall effect. This reader would have preferred a few loose ends be more tightly wrapped up,
but, then again, that is the usual basis for a sequel, and Brooke has created a workable segue
should she decide to continue. Course of Action is a commendable effort in the romance genre.
The novel is populated with a host of captivating and amiable characters. The glimpses into the
lifestyles of the rich and beautiful people are rather like guilty pleasures. The overall result makes
for a most satisfying and entertaining reading experience.
Radclyffe has created the third novel in her Provincetown Tales series with the publication of
Distant Shores, Silent Thunder. Sheriff Reese Conlon and her partner, Dr. Tory King are
adjusting to domesticity and the challenges of raising their daughter Reggie. In fact, they have
never been happier. The raucous summer season is winding down in Provincetown, and all are
looking forward to the slower pace that the decreased demands the off-season afford police and
medical personnel. However, Dr. KT O'Bannon, Tory's ex-lover and prominent trauma surgeon
has reached a crisis in her life more devastating than her break-up with Tory. Now she must call
upon Tory for the favor of a lifetime. Another returning character is young deputy Bri Parker who
is dealing with her lover Caroline's absence while trying to contain her fellow officer Allie
Tremont's interest in their being more than just colleagues. All comes to a head with the discovery
of an overdosed teenaged boy in a parked car on the side of the road, and more startling, a dead
teenaged girl in the brush area near the vehicle. Soon the various characters will intersect and
create a multitude of situations which, for better or worse, will affect the lives of all
concerned.
A hallmark of Radclyffe's writing is her uncanny and consistent ability to create captivating and
authentic characters who, at the same time, are steadily evolving and displaying different aspects
of their personalities and lives - just like real people who experience life changes. No super heroes
here, just ordinary folk going about the daily business of living and coping with the curves
thrown. In this novel, the reader is given more insight into the brash surgeon and unfaithful lover,
KT O'Bannon. An unexpected career change has caused her to re-evaluate both her professional
future and her character flaws. The introduction of the highly likable Pia Torres as KT's physical
therapist serves as the catalyst for KT's introspection. Pia is a woman with whom the reader can
instantly connect. An attractive, sensitive, and successful young woman, Pia knows exactly what
she wants for her life and is not willing to compromise her ideals or goals no matter how sorely
tempted she may be at times. Another character worthy of interest is the injured boy's attorney,
Trey Pelosi. Here we have a highly competent and successful professional woman. Her dry wit
and legal maneuverings make for an ideal sparring partner for Sheriff Reese Conlon. They have
assessed each other through skillful observation and terse comments, and each sees in the other a
talented adversary. There is certainly a degree of cockiness to Trey, but the reader cannot help but
grin when Trey audaciously manages to outmaneuver Reese at each turn. "Why do I think you're
over-qualified for your job and probably wasted out here in the middle of nowhere (p. 288)"?
Although Trey's presence in the novel is in a supporting role, similar to any great character actor
in a film, when Trey is onstage, she grabs the reader and the spotlight in a most delightful and
exhilarating style; this leaves the reader unequivocally wanting so much more.
When writing more than two novels revolving around the same main characters, how does an
author keep it fresh, vibrant, and absorbing? As Radclyffe's novel once again proves, this is
accomplished by creating and introducing compelling new characters, developing intriguing
pacing and original plotting, and taking pre-existing secondary characters and creating new
conflicts for them. The care exhibited in crafting this latest installment is evidenced in the
subtleties of the prose, the nuances of body language, and the genuine understanding of the more
things change, the more they remain the same. It offers another enjoyable snapshot of life and love
in that seaside community. Distant Shores, Silent Thunder is a thoroughly rewarding and winning
reading experience.
Turning the Tables
Jessica Thomas
Bella Books
P.O. Box 10543, Tallahassee, FL 32302
ISBN: 1594930090; $12.95; 229 pages
Jessica Thomas' second novel, Turning the Tables, offers another enjoyable glimpse into the life
and times of thirty-something Alex Peres, the appealing private investigator/nature photographer
who resides Provincetown, Massachusetts. The immediate future certainly appears to be
fortuitous for Alex when she receives a triple play of good news. Bank vice-president Choate Ellis
approves the loan she requested, he wants to purchase several of her photos to be prominently
displayed in the bank, and he offers her a job doing background checks on four prospective
candidates for the new certified financial planner position at the bank. To celebrate, Alex and
Fargo, her canine best friend, make their way toward their favorite watering hole, the Wharf Rat
Bar. There she meets her brother, Sonny, a lieutenant on the police force. After sharing his
vacation plans with Alex, Alex uses her restraint and invokes their mutual commandment, "Thou
shalt not comment upon any of my romantic partners" (p. 15). Later Alex returns home with
nothing more on her mind than enjoying the up-coming Halloween festivities, having a little fun,
and perhaps, finding some romance. However, the ghosts and ghouls have other plans. A
ritualistic murder occurs, and Alex's friends, Peter and the Wolf, are high on the suspect list. With
Sonny out of town, the case falls to Sergeant Mitchell, a young police officer who seems
determined to pin the deed on Alex's friends. Alex hesitantly becomes involved only to be more
baffled when a second murder occurs. Just when she thinks her life is back on the right track, life
intrudes with all its many complications.
Thomas' sequel to Caught in the Net is a satisfying and captivating reading experience. Although
classified as a mystery, it is much more than a typical detective procedural. This is a
character-driven story and this is an important distinction. Thomas has created a cast of
unforgettable characters who rise above the stereotypical; these are people who cover the social
spectrum of her community. The very amusing and queenly duo of Peter and the Wolf, Harmon
the town reprobate, the controversial Rev. Bartles, the arrogantly righteous former chief of police
Jared Mather, and her compassionate Aunt Mae are just a few of the memorable and original
characters the reader encounters. The author has constructed an atmosphere and tone that readily
engages the reader while at the same time maintaining a comfortably languid rhythm. This affords
the reader the opportunity to settle in and savor the unusual happenings and the intelligent wry wit
which Alex so deftly displays. During the course of her background check for a candidate one
morning, she meets Mimi Trinler, the very attractive Dean of Women at the university. "She gave
me that smile again, and I felt that in five minutes she knew me better than my closest friend. I
almost asked her to have lunch, but nine-fifteen seemed a little early" (p.99). Alex is an
emotionally vulnerable woman with a self-admitted dread of relationship permanence. She
probably drinks a little too much, considers the lot of mankind much too often, and spoils Fargo
unashamedly, but Alex is someone the reader genuinely would welcome and appreciate in her own
life.
Turning the Tables is stylishly written. The author's word choice is both refreshing and vivid. Her
use of imagery is exceptional. While taking Fargo for a romp in the woods, Alex notices that
"Some of the copper leaves had fallen, but most were still attached, rustling in the light air like the
skirts of an Edwardian lady pacing her garden path" (p. 149). While having breakfast with her two
suspect friends, she is asked about the murder weapon, a pine table leg, and the sudden
appearance of so many of them in town. "Well we have enough pine legs to put Robert Louis
Stevenson and Herman Melville out of business" (p. 167).
Thomas has two distinct and intriguing storylines and manages to neatly bring them together with
the addition of another captivating character. The conflicts increase incrementally throughout the
narrative, and the resolutions are crafted logically and credibly. It is interesting to note that the
reader doesn't actually read about the violent deaths occurring, but the aftermath of tension and
suspense are clearly present because Thomas is so fastidious in her evolving framework of mood
and atmosphere.
Turning the Tables is an impressive and inviting reading experience. Its story of ordinary people
caught up in extraordinary events hooks the reader from the very beginning. Thomas introduces
the reader to characters one can readily identify with and care about. Anyone who has been to
Provincetown will absolutely feel at home in Thomas' setting. Alex Peres is definitely not a
superhero or a hard-boiled private eye. She is simply a woman who is trying to make a living
while often wrestling with her confusing romantic insecurities, sometimes demanding friends, and
the occasional corpse or two. Turning the Tables is most definitely a satisfying and entertaining
novel. This reader is looking forward to Jessica Thomas' third adventure in P-town with Alex
Peres and the always faithful Fargo.
Hostage to Murder
Val McDermid
Bywater Books
PO Box 3671, Ann Arbor, MI 48106
ISBN: 1932859020; $12.95; 240 pages
Originally published in 2003 in the UK, Hostage to Murder by Val McDermid is the latest
installment in her lesbian mystery series featuring journalist Lindsay Gordon. After having spent
the last seven successful and happy years living and working in California, thirty-nine year-old
Lindsay has returned to her native Scotland and now feels, " that this long narrow land was no
longer full of possibilities for her" (p. 3). Having returned to advance the medical career of her
physician lover, Sophie Hartley, serves only to remind Gordon that she has nothing going for her
in her own professional world. Making matters even worse is Sophie's ceaseless obsession about
having a child - with or without Lindsay who is indeed having second, third, and fourth thoughts
about parenthood. While out jogging one morning, Lindsay careens into Rory McLaren, a late
twenty-something independent investigative journalist. After a brief discussion in her flat while
tending to Lindsay's sprained ankle, Rory offers her an opportunity to get back into the world of
reporting. Upon returning home and once again feeling the pressures of Sophie's maternal desire,
Lindsay decides to give it a go. Continuing trouble on the domestic front, tantalizing temptation
from her young boss, and refusing to allow Sophie to support her, all contribute to Lindsay's
decision. Kidnapping, IRA terrorists, Russian intrigue, and ticking biological clocks serve to
further complicate the situation, enhance the action, and require many of the characters to
re-evaluate their lives.
Compared to the other books in McDermid's series, Hostage to Murder delves into the basic
insecurities of the heroine, her flaws, and the unsettling truths of three people who want very
different things from life and each other. The methods of characterization are technically very well
drawn here. As seen through their actions and speech, there are really no villains here, except for
those who drive the mystery. This book is much more of a study of what makes people tick, and
most importantly, how very compelling and far-reaching individual choices cast forth sometimes
irretrievable consequences. Lindsay Gordon is pushing forty, perhaps at the crossroads of the
proverbial mid-life crisis, and she has been shown " a bewildering new side to her own sexuality,
both scary and magical. But wrong was one thing it hadn't felt" (p. 127).
The degree of writing excellence displayed in the author's use of tone and mood was most
appreciated by this reader. Too often a writer gives one or both short shrift. From the somber
freezing drizzle of Scotland to the almost feudal-like state of present-day St. Petersburg, the
reader is enveloped by the sights and sounds of each place, immersed in the atmosphere of the
various locales, and thoroughly rooted within the action. This is a darker, edgier novel than other
series books; the desperation and confusion of several of the characters is almost palpable. In
some ways McDermid uses these backdrops to counterbalance the characters' emotional state,
especially that of Lindsay.
Rory McLaren is an attractive, charming, and provocative young woman. She may appear to be
star struck when in the presence of the Lindsay Gordon, reporter extraordinaire, but Rory is a
solid freelance investigative journalist who performs her job a bit on the unorthodox side, but she
is equal to any and all comers. On a personal level, Rory exudes swagger and aplomb. However,
the reader soon perceives the woman beneath the veneer. A glib self-described love 'em and leave
'em type while talking to her friend Sandra, the private Rory has serious relationship issues which
continue to plague her as she nears thirty. However, as she begins to work with Lindsay, Rory
suspects and dares to conjecture that her natural misgivings may be about to change. In fact, it is
Rory who delivers one of the more memorable lines in lesbian literature. When Sophie tells her
that Lindsay is lucky to have her for a friend and that it is more than Lindsay deserves, Rory
flashes a smile and responds with, "We're both more than she deserves. And also rather less" (p.
238). Rory has succinctly stated the thematic chord which plays throughout the narrative.
Hostage to Murder is an excellent book on so very many levels, and it is due to this multiplicity of
meanings that captivates a wide range of readers. McDermid has written a mystery which is
carefully layered and delineated. This reader has read the entire Gordon series. However, this final
visit with Lindsay as she grapples with life's conundrums is, by far, the most rewarding.
McDermid has moved on to writing more mainstream, that is, straight novels and series. This
reviewer would appreciate seeing her return to her roots, her initial core audience, by penning
another book in the series.
Arlene Germain
Reviewer
Bethany's Bookshelf
Runaway Molly Midnight
Nadja Maril & Herman Maril
Stemmer House Publishers
4 White Brook Rd., Gilsum, NH 03448
0916144623 $12.95 1-800-345-6665 www.stemmer.com
Usually noted for their series of outstanding pattern and motif art books, Stemmer House is also
the publisher of Nadja Maril's charmingly little story of Runaway Molly Midnight: The Artist's
Cat. Nicely enhanced with paintings and drawings by her father Herman Maril (some of whose
paintings of Molly the cat hang in museums), this is the charming story (as told by the cat herself!)
of being a house cat who wants to go out into the world to see what her artist master Herman has
painted for herself. Somewhere out there must be a house like that in all those watercolor and oil
painting!. So one fine summer day, and without any concern for the worry she would cause her
family, off goes Molly Midnight into that world where she unexpectedly encounters some rather
saucy butterflies, slithery snakes, superstitious people, an airplane ride, hunger, homesickness, and
in the process, discovers the secret of a painter's art. Actually based on the story of a real
household cat, Nadja Maril has deftly woven into an engaging story some very genuine insights
into viewing, learning and cherishing the painter's art.
Caring For People With Challenging Behaviors
Stephen Weber Long
Health Professions Press
PO Box 10624, Baltimore, MD 21285-0624
1878812912 $32.95 1-888-337-8808 www.healthpropress.com
Caring For People With Challenging Behaviors: Essential Skills And Successful Strategies In
Long-Term Care by psychotherapist and consultant Stephen Weber Long (Adjunct Professor,
Adelphi University, Garden City, New York) addresses the problems and issues involved with
long-term care residents who display moderate to severe behavior problems arising from
conditions of mental illness, dementia, problematic personalities, dysfunctional behavior patterns,
and situational distress. Especially recommended reading for residential care facilities staff
members, Caring For People With Challenging Behaviors shows how to set and execute
achievable goals in treatment planning; avoid common intervention mistakes; overcome obstacles
to effective interventions; encourage residents' autonomy; promote teamwork and improve
interpersonal relationships; as well as practice diverse stress management techniques. Intended
and primarily recommended for professionals and para-professionals working with residents,
Caring For People With Challenging Behaviors is also very useful and informative reading for
concerned family members.
When You Fast
Catherine Mandell
St. Vladimir's Seminary Press
575 Scarsdale, Road, Crestwood, NY 10707-1699
0881412627 $TBA www.svspress.com
A unique and enthusiastically recommended collection of specialized recipes, When You Fast:
Recipes For Lenten Seasons by Catherine Mandell draws upon the culinary traditions of
traditional Orthodox Christianity by featuring two hundred recipes that will provide observants of
the Lenten season with a diversity of healthy, nourishing, delicious meals. Enhanced throughout
with sayings from the Mothers and Fathers of the early Orthodox Christian Church about how the
body and soul are affected and influenced by eating habits, When You Fast additionally features
sage advice on stocking a Lenten pantry and offers guidelines for fasting in accordance with the
Orthodox Christian tradition. From Onion Flatbread; Vegetarian Borscht; Transfiguration
Monastery Lenten Hash; and Baked Penne with Vegetables; to Greek Tomato Rice Pilaf;
Crabmeat Stuffed Mushroom Caps; String Bean and Pepper Stew; and Lenten Oatmeal Cookies,
When You Fast offers recipes for breads, spreads, sandwiches, soups, salads, main dishes, fish,
shellfish, and desserts, including dairy-free recipes, dishes with and without oil, and dozens of
variations for core recipes.
Susan Bethany
Reviewer
Betty's Bookshelf
Making Crime Pay: The Writer's Guide to Criminal Law, Evidence, and Procedure
Andrea Campbell.
Allworth Press
c/o Allworth Communications
10 East 23rd St., New York, NY, 10010
www.allworth.com
1581152167 $19.95 296 p.
If your experience with the law is something like mine - two stints of jury duty, a couple of
speeding tickets, and several seasons of watching Law & Order - and you'd like to write
something that requires a wider knowledge of how crime and punishment work, Making Crime
Pay would be a good place to start. I promise you, when you're finished reading it, you're bound
to know more about the law than you did when you started.
There's a lot to read, too. The book is divided into three big chunks (Criminal Law Explained;
Criminal Procedure and Evidence; and A Walk Through the Criminal Justice System) and then
into chapters such as The Evolution of Law; Crimes Defined; Behind Enemy Lines; Search,
Seizure, and Arrest; Arrest, Charges, and Booking; and Juvenile Justice. Unfortunately, I didn't
find it nearly as fascinating and juicy as I thought it might be.
Instead, it was dense and a bit dry and chewy, like a biscotti, and I kept wanting to dip it into
something to soften up the pedantic bits. However, Campbell has a degree in criminal justice, so
she probably can't help sounding a bit pedantic, even when she's trying to dumb it down for those
of us who don't know the world of crime and punishment as well as she does.
Regardless, there's a lot of cool stuff mixed in with the kinda boring bits, and it's well worth the
time you'll spend getting through it. I know I'm glad I read it, anyway. Now I'm all set, in case I
ever want to write mysteries instead of just reading them. Plus, if a police officer ever wants to
come in and search my house, I know just what to do!
Cross My Heart
Sandra Byrd
BethanyHouse Publishers
11400 Hampshire Ave. South, Bloomington, MN, 55438
www.bethanyhouse.com
0764224808 $4.99 109 p.
After several rough years of family drama, Lucy Larson is finally looking forward to her family's
summer vacation on Catalina Island. She' ll get to spend it with her cousin Katie, doing normal
kid-type things, instead of tagging along on her scientist father's expeditions! Then, Katie's mom
hurts herself and Katie has to cancel her visit. Lucy is convinced her summer is ruined now, until
she makes friends with an island girl named Serena and finds a letter from 1932 that mentions a
hidden diary kept by Serena's great-grandmother. Can Lucy and Serena solve the mystery and find
the diary?
This is the first book in a series that follows Lucy and Serena through one summer on Catalina
Island as they find and read the first Serena's diary and then attempt to reproduce the long-ago
experiences of that Serena and her best friend, Mary.
Along the way, readers also get to follow Lucy's family and Lucy herself as they grow in their
knowledge of and love for God, as well as their love for each other. Readers will take away a
biblical message from each book, as well as a verse to think about, printed on the last page of
each book. Other titles in the series are Make a Wish (#2), Just Between Friends (#3), Take a
Bow (#4), Pass It On (#5), Change of Heart (#6), Take a Chance (#7), and One Plus One
(#8).
A Land of Sheltered Promise
Jane Kirkpatrick
WaterBrook Press
2375 Telstar Dr., Suite 160, Colorado Springs, CO, 80920
http://www.randomhouse.com/publishers/pub_waterbrook.html
1578567335 $13.99 388 p.
Jane Kirkpatrick, Oregon rancher wife and best-selling author, has chosen the Big Muddy Ranch -
arguably the most infamous location in Oregon - as the setting for her latest novel, A Land of
Sheltered Promise. Dividing the past century into three portions, she shows how the lives of three
women were affected by and became an example of "crowding" (a western term for pushing all
the limits to get what you want). She also includes Author Discussion and Questions for
Reflection and a Recommended Reading list at the end of the book.
In Faith (1901), Eva Thompson Bruner is young and desperately in love with her sheepherder
husband, Dee, until she discovers that his loyalty to his boss has apparently led him into shooting
a man. Although Dee claims self-defense and is sure he will get off, he ends up sentenced to life in
prison, leaving Eva - pregnant, scared, and angry - to face life all alone.
She's convinced that Dee is guilty. On top of that, she discovers that Dee's father is not dead, as
she's been told, but estranged due to Dee's own actions. Despite her fury and disappointment in
her husband, she refuses to turn her back on him; promising "for better and worse" aren't just
words to her. Instead, she makes a home for herself and their daughter and writes to him about it,
giving him something to hope for while he waits for an appeal. In the end, she forces Dee and his
estranged family to come to terms with each other and finds peace, not only for herself and her
child, but for Dee as well.
Hope (1984) is the enthralling story of a grandmother's desperate struggle to free her daughter
and granddaughter from a dangerous religious cult. Antelope, once a sleepy little Oregon town, is
now the home and spiritual center of mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajnesh and his followers. It's a
hotbed of bio-terrorism, attempted murder, and religious fanaticism, and not a good place for
anyone to be.
But Cora Swensen's daughter Rachel is living at Rancho Rajneeshpuram as one of the Bhagwan's
faithful devotees, with her daughter Charity, and she doesn't want to leave. Rachel's devotion to
the Bhagwan has blinded her to what is going on around her and it's also estranged her from her
parents. Therefore, Cora has to go in, pretending to be willing to learn more about the Bhagwan's
teachings, so that she can plan their escape.
She has little hope that Rachel will eve allow herself to be swayed from her beliefs, let alone
rescued, but she has to try. She can't just snatch Charity and run; the peace force (an
ironically-named cadre of armed thugs who patrol the grounds) will surely stop her unless Rachel
helps her. No matter what Rachel decides, she's taking Charity out. Rachel has been neglecting
Charity, leaving her to the casual care of others while devoting herself to the Bhagwan's ideas,
and the child is running wild, exposed to all sorts of unhealthy circumstances. When Cora finally
admits her escape plan, Rachel is afraid to go, but agrees to help her mom smuggle Charity
out.
The book ends with Charity (1997), a story of hope and redemption as seen by Jill, a young
sociology student, when her husband gets involved with turning the Big Muddy Ranch into a
Young Life Christian camp for teenagers. Her somewhat sketchy faith in God stretches and grows
as she watches people coming to the Big Muddy Ranch to spend their time, effort and money to
build what they believe God has called them to do. And as they overcome the wariness of the
townspeople and deal with all the needs of a project this size, she begins to believe in and
experience miracles all around her.
Throughout the book, Kirkpatrick weaves the stories of these three women together, using their
stories' loose ends to make one beautiful tapestry of things lost and waited for and found again -
letters, a table, a cross, a vision of the future, a woman's faith, a family's relationships. As
Frederick Faber says, in a quote in the book's very beginning, "We must wait for God, long and
meekly, in the wind and wet, in the thunder and lightning, in the cold and the dark. Wait, and He
will come. He never comes to those who do not wait."
Betty Winslow
Reviewer
Bob's Bookshelf
Little Green
Chun Yu
A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster
0689869436 $15.95 112 pages
Written in free verse from a child's point of view, this memoir offers an unusual view of the
Chinese Cultural Revolution. Chun Yu, now a California resident, was a witness to the turmoil,
struggle, and upheaval that her native land underwent during the late 1960s and 1970s.
With her father sent away to the country for "reeducation", the author remained behind with her
mother who taught school. Red Guards roamed the streets, banners with slogans flapped in the
wind, and Chairman Mao's Little Red Book became the bible everyone studied as they attempted
to create a new society.
Chun Yu's decision to use verse forced her to sharpen her images and condense each memory into
a series of concise narratives that have a strong emotional and sensory appeal. Although intended
for a youthful audience, adults will perhaps be more attuned to this story and be better able to
place it in the context of the time in which these events occurred.
Part of a planned trilogy, the author's next volume will cover her days as a student at Peking
University during the Tiananmen Square Student Movement in 1989.
The Valley of Secrets
Charmian Hussey
Illustrated by Christopher Crump
Simon & Schuster
0689878621 $16.95 383 pages
Stephen Lansbury's life changes radically when a letter arrives one day informing him a distant
uncle has died and left Stephen a great countryside estate.
Lansbury Hall, Stephen's inheritance, is a mysterious place and it's up to Stephen to unlock the
secrets of the old building's past and present. Convinced he is not alone in the house, the young
man delves into his relative's diary to discover more about his ancestor and the family's
history.
A trip his uncle made to the Amazon jungle 75 years earlier holds the key to the odd events that
unfold at Lansbury Hall.
This is a marvelous story and one that will entrance young readers ten years of age and up. The
only downside to an otherwise excellent novel is the type size the publisher elected to use.
Granted the story runs over 300 pages but type this small may well put off some youngsters which
is unfortunate for they'll be missing a very good read.
Spy Goddess: Live and Let Shop
Michael P. Spraolin
HarperCollins
0060594071 $15.99 211 pages
Rachel Buchanan, is the witty and wise-cracking heroine of this new series. Arrested for joyriding
in a stolen car, the Beverly Hills teen is given the choice of spending time in Juvenile Hall or
agreeing to a stint at a private school in Pennsylvania. Rachel opts for Blackthorn Academy, a
school built into the side of a mountain in a secluded wilderness area.
By the end of her first month at Blackthorn Beth funds herself embroiled in a weird conspiracy
involving the FBI, a stolen artifact, and an ancient god named Mithras.
A combination of pop culture, martial arts, and Middle Eastern mythology will make this short
novel attractive to young people in their early teens.
Monday on the Mississippi
Marilyn Singer
Illustrated by Frane Lessac
Henry Holt
080507208X $16.95 31 pages
Featuring the folk art of Australian Frane Lessac, this picture book takes the child from Lake
Itasca in Minnesota down New Orleans and the delta where the river empties out into the Gulf of
Mexico. Stops along the way include St. Paul, Dubuque, Cairo, St. Louis, Hannibal, and
Vicksburg.
Picture books are not usually noted for their narrative. Given this book's subject matter, though,
one would have hoped for a slightly more inspired text. The one dimensional art is quite eye
catching and small map inserts locate each "stop" as the reader moves down river.
Very young children probably won't mind the lack of content in this volume but for youngsters
five and older I think I'd look for something else if I were trying to introduce them to this
magnificent waterway.
Cryptid Hunters
Roland Smith
Hyperion
0786851619 $15.99 348 pages
Thirteen-year-old twins Grace and Marty O'Hara are spending some time getting to know their
long lost Uncle Wolfe, a veterinarian whose hobby is searching for cryptids (creatures whose
existence has never been proven).
When Uncle Wolfe suddenly rushes off to Africa to find a dinosaur egg he plans on leaving the
twins at home. Fortunately, it doesn't quite work out as Uncle Wolfe had planned and Grace and
Marty are in for the adventure of their lives as they head into the jungles of the Congo. A few
family secrets will also come to light as this adventure unfolds and the twins discover some
surprises about their own identities.
An exotic backdrop, a family mystery, prehistoric animals, and plenty of action it doesn't get any
better than this for readers eight years of age and up.
A Brief Lunacy
Cynthia Thayer
Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
1565124448 $22.95 241 pages
"Everyone in my Nova Scotia hometown kept secrets," says Cynthia Thayer so it comes as no
surprise to discover that this is a novel about family secrets. The twist that Thayer gives the theme
is that the skeletons that Jessie and Carl, the central characters in the story, have been keeping
from one another come to light when a stranger they open their Maine home to returns their
generosity by taking them hostage.
As they try to outwit their captor, the couple discovers he knows an awful lot about them. Trying
to outwit the man becomes a deadly game that reveals not only hidden strengths but long
concealed weaknesses in Carl and his wife.
Not your usual "thriller", "A Brief Lunacy" is a taut suspense yarn that delves into the
psychological make-up of not only the deranged young man but also the couple who extends a
helping hand to him.
The Hitting Clinic
John Stewart
Burford Books
www.burfordbooks.com
1580801315 $12.95 136 pages
Here's the perfect book to consult if you'd like to help someone improve his or her hitting. This
handbook for baseball players and coaches offers a series of drills to make a so-so hitter much
more effective at the plate. Stewart, a scout for the Atlanta Braves, offers tips on everything from
bat selection, the best grip and proper stance, and how to make contact with the ball to reading
pitches, bunting and the different types of swings.
You'll learn how to detect a slider (look for a red dot on the bottom portion of the ball as it's
heading towards the plate), where to aim your back elbow while batting (at the catcher), and why
you should make contact with the ball six to ten inches in front of the plate.
This is Stewart's third guide suggesting ways of improving the basic skills necessary for playing
topflight baseball.
Bob Walch
Reviewer
Buhle's Bookshelf
Estimating & Bidding For Builders & Remodelers
Richard J. Langedyk
Craftsman Book Company
6058 Corte del Cedro, Carlsbad, CA 92009
1572181559 $69.50 1-800-829-8123 www.craftsman-book.com
Now in a fully updated and significantly expanded fourth edition, Richard Langedyk's Estimating
& Bidding For Builders & Remodelers includes the National Home Estimator CD-Rom (which
includes a 45-minute interactive multimedia tutorial). An essential instructional reference for
professionals needing to accurate scope out and reliably estimate the cost of building new
structures and/or remodeling existing structures, Richard Langedyk (Senior Instructor for
Construction Estimating Institute of America, Sarasota, Florida) draws upon more than
twenty-two years of professional experience to show how to avoid common estimating mistakes,
determine both labor and material costs, and put in a bid that is expert in both quality and
appearance. Estimating & Bidding For Builders & Remodelers is a practical, accessible, superbly
organized, comprehensive, and "user friendly" workbook which should be on the personal
reference shelf of every professional building contractor.
Better Answers
Ardith Davis Cole
Stenhouse Publishers
477 Congress Street, Suite 4B, Portland, ME 04101-3451
1571103414 $16.00 1-800-988-9812 www.stenhouse.com
A strongly recommended addition to professional and academic library reference collections,
Educational Resources & Instruction reference collections, Better Answers: Written Performance
That Looks Good And Sounds Smart by academician, classroom instructor, and literacy specialist
Ardith Davis Cole offers school teachers and homeschooling parents with an easy-to-implement,
step-by-step protocol for helping students focus upon acquiring the basic literacy skills to meet
state standards in the English language arts of writing. Each of the five progressive steps (Restate
the Questions; Construct a Gist Answer; Use Details to Support Your Answer; Stay on the Topic;
Use Proper Conventions) to teaching writing are laid out in individual chapters. Enhanced with six
informative and utilitarian appendices that include samples of student responses, lessons plans,
spreadsheets, resources, and more, Better Answers will clearly demonstrate how to train students
K-12 to yield improved and improving written responses across the entire school curriculum --
and have continuing application in life beyond the academic classroom.
Sounds Of The Silk Road
Mitchell Clark
MFA Publications
c/o Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
0878466886 $24.95 1-800-338-2665 www.mfa-publications.org
Informed and informative, Sounds Of The Silk Road: Musical Instruments Of Asia by Mitchell
Clark (Research Fellow, Department of Musical Instruments, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)
focuses upon the diverse musical instruments used in Asia from cultures ranging from the Turkish
empire to the Tibetan mountain ranges. Clark draws upon the extensive collections of Asian
musical instruments held by Boston's Museum of Fine Arts to illustrate and showcase the beauty,
diversity, and application of some fifty instruments that range from sil-stringed zithers and shell
trumpets, to double-headed drums made from human sculls and the Javanese gamelan. Superbly
enhanced with more than one hundred full color photographs of these often rare and sometimes
obscure instruments, Sounds Of The Silk Road introduces the use, history, sounds, playing
techniques, decorations, and symbolism of these instruments that were so integral a part of Asian
cultures from the warding off of evil spirits to the celebrations of life's milestones including
marriages, births, and funerary rites. Accessible organized with each individual chapter dedicated
to a particular instrument, Sounds Of The Silk Road is enthusiastically recommended reading for
non-specialist general readers with an interest in Asian cultural history, and an exceptional
contribution to academic library Multi-Cultural Music History reference collections and
supplemental reading lists.
Willis M. Buhle
Reviewer
Carey's Bookshelf
The Messiah Complex
Toby LeBlanc
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
ISBN 1420801732 $14.50 272 p.
Creative writing at its best is the only way I can describe this latest novel. I was truly blessed to
have the opportunity to read The Messiah Complex by literary newcomer Toby LeBlanc. An
enlightening novel that is told through the eyes of Chris, a young adult who has special abilities
and the difficult task of trying to change the world one person at a time with the help of his posse.
Chris talks of his struggles of being a young messiah, how he is often misunderstood by the world
around him and how he longs to fit in with the rest of his peers and to just be "normal".
The biblical story of Christ with a modern plot, this novel is sure to make a big impact on the
Christian literary scene. The Messiah Complex is a must read for any adolescent or young adult
who is struggling with their religious convictions or the everyday hassles of being a
misunderstood person.
Toby LeBlanc is a graduate student at Louisiana State University in the Counselor Education
program. He is studying to become a Licensed Professional Counselor. In his spare time he
studies various religious texts from around the world.
The Egyptian Origin of Christianity
Lisa Ann Bargeman
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
ISBN 1403356262 $14.50 102 p.
The Egyptian Origin of Christianity is a well documented booklet that gives the reader something
to think about when considering the origins of our modern day religious beliefs. A comprehensive
collection of historical references, Lisa Bargeman attempts to begin the process of filling in the
gaps between the past and the present. "The importance of the Egyptian sway can no longer be
denied," she states. Her comparisons are striking similar and can not be ignored, forcing the
reader to take an honest look at religion as we know it today. Some of her references included
information taken from Stolen Legacy by G. G. M. James, The Ancient Egyptian Book of the
Dead by R. O. Faulkner and The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English by G. Vermes.
An easy reader, The Egyptian Origin of Christianity lends itself as a good source of information
for high school readers as well as mature adults.
Third Man Out
Dianne Andrews
AuthorHouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN 47403
www.authorhouse.com
ISBN 1420832883 $13.95 185 p.
What do you get when you mix romance, suspense, fashion and baseball? You get Third Man Out
by Dianne Andrews. A cool summer read, Andrews does a nice job of pulling together a one of a
kind story line that is sure to have you hanging on to the edge of your seat.
From Houston to New York and Europe in between, this is the adventure of Destiny Morgan, an
IBM executive who spent her childhood growing up in the governments witness protection
program and Nolan Chapman, a professional baseball player determined to avenge the death of his
wife, Chandon, an innocent victim of a drug war. Brought together by faith and united by the
government, Destiny and Nolan work together to bring down one of the worlds largest drug
lords.
Dianne Andrews is a former IBM executive and the founder and president of Promoting Success,
a consulting firm and the publisher of Gumbo for the Heart, a motivational calendar. She currently
resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
It's a Shame to be a Negro
Hans Lindor
Publish America
P.O. Box 151, Frederick, Maryland 21705
ISBN 1413741835, $19.95 150 p.
Straight out of the gates Hans Lindor grabbed my attention with the title he selected for his
controversial novel It's a Shame to be a Negro (Publish America). A haunting tale about the life of
Carter, a promising African-American musician who has been taught to believe in the American
dream of equality only to discover that it is a dream deferred, touched home in many areas for me
while reading this twisted tale of one man's fate.
Carter's dream is to one day become a member of the New York Orchestra and his only obstacle
is the color of his skin. Passed over and ostracized because he was born a Negro, Carter struggles
with his identity and often blames himself for the injustices that he suffers along the way, "It's a
shame to be a Negro when I allow myself to be treated like a Negro."
Two thumbs up for Hans Lindor. A promising writer who has taken a heated topic and turned it
into an epic dialogue, Lindor is definitely one to watch in 2005.
Sex, Murder and a Double Latte
Kyra Davis
Red Dress Ink.
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9
ISBN 0373895194 $17.95 298 p.
Imagine a hilarious mystery novel with a heroine that is simple outrageous! Well, if you are not
creative enough to do so, simple pick up the new release by Kyra Davis, Sex, Murder and a
Double Latte (Red Dress Ink). From start to finish this novel is packed with wild adventures and
bone crushing humor that leaps out at you with the turn of every page.
Sophie Katz is a mystery writer who is addicted to Starbucks coffee, namely their Grande
Caramel Brownie Frappuccino. A go-getter, who doesn't scare easily, she is convinced that one of
her readers has begun to enact the murders that took place in her novel Sex, Murder and Drugs.
The only problem is that no one believes her! Sophie takes matters into her own hands, and with
the help of her interesting assortment of friends, she sets out on a crazy adventure to capture her
stalker.
Not a big fan of mystery novels, I really enjoyed reading this novel. Davis kept me laughing for
days with her humor and I was very impressed with her creative abilities. This author is definitely
one to watch or should I say read.
First-time novelist Kyra Davis lives with her young son in the San Francisco area. A full-time
parent and writer, Davis indulges in lattes, frappuccinos and anything else that will feed her
caffeine addiction. For more information on the author please visit her site at
www.kyradavis.com.
Would Somebody Please Send Me To My Room!
Bob Schwartz
Illustrated by B.K. Taylor
Glenbridge Publishing Ltd.
19923 E. Long Ave. Centennial, Colorado 80016
ISBN 0944435572 $22.95 320 p.
My husband and I often joke that the handbooks we read on parenting left out all of the fun
details! You know the information that would have made us run for the hills instead of taking on
the adventures of parenthood. Well, Bob Schwartz has stepped up to the plate and taken on the
responsibility of "telling it like it is," so to speak. His hilarious look at family life is not for anyone
contemplating kids. No, this is for the grown folks. Yes, I am talking about those of us who have
paid our dues with long summer months, carpools, stopped up toilets and who have "successfully
navigated the challenging landscape of children's birthday parties!"
Seriously, as a parent, I found Schwartz's book refreshing. It was nice to learn that I am not the
only person still trying to figure out this parenting stuff. And because Bob is such a great guy, he
is donating the proceeds from Would Somebody Please Send Me to My Room to the
Make-A-Wish Foundation.
The Revelation of a Star's Endless Shine: A Young Woman's Autobiography of a 20-year Tale of
Trials & Tribulations
Shirley Cheng
Lulu Press Inc.
3131 RDU Center Dr. Suite 210 Morrisville, NC 27560
www.lulu.com www.shirleycheng.com
ISBN# 1411618602 $36.99 698 pages
Why is it possible in America, the land of the free, that a parent cannot disagree with a doctor's
recommendation for treatment? If they do, their child could be taken from them. Social Services
can be called in. How could it also be possible for a hospital to take parents to court for
intercepting unwanted treatment? Well, in this great nation supposedly run by the people for the
people, parental rights aren't what they used to be. We all know people who neglect or abuse their
children and intervention is necessary for them. This is not the same. Shirley Cheng's
autobiography is about this injustice, about how she, a blind and physically disabled young woman
with severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and her mother were treated.
This extraordinary young lady begins her eye-opening autobiography with her birth, taking
readers through her life to the age of twenty. Her current age is twenty-two. She reveals the truth
of her experiences and the pain involved. Shirley is happy and relieved. No one can tear her away
from the only person who truly cared for her any more, and suffered insurmountable injustice in
order to keep and protect her - her mother. Finally too, doctors cannot give her treatment she
does not want. Shirley tells her tale of heroism and courage, as well as her mother's. Living with a
disease is bad enough. Shirley suffered much pain along with disabilities, difficulties and
hardships. She shouldn't have had to justify and battle with doctors, hospitals, social-workers,
teachers, aides, guidance counselors, and principals. This is what they dealt with year after year.
The professionals that should have been helpful, compassionate, supportive, and understanding,
were the very ones who hurt, separated, and lied about them.
Shirley's unique way of writing further provides readers with a window to her intelligence, insight,
and nature. Her matter-of-fact, original style and ability to prove a point is powerful. She wrote
this book using a screen reader, JAWS, on the computer. Shirley has authored another book,
Daring Quests of Mystics that was published in November 2003, and an anthology of short-stories
and poems, Dance with Your Heart: Tales and Poems That the Heart Tells, self-published when
she was twenty-one. Because she was in and out of hospitals for years, Shirley didn't go to school
until the age of eleven. Amazingly, she advanced enough, even though she didn't know any
English, into sixth grade. Shirley has received numerous awards, received a 100 score on New
York State essay tests, published in The Poughkeepsie Journal in October 1997 and in Celebrate!
New York's Young Poets Speak Out in 1999, and averaged a GPA in high school of 3.9 (97). She
wishes to go to Harvard University and earn doctorates in microbiology, zoology, astronomy,
physiology, and pathology. She will receive eye surgery hoping to restore her vision as she is
blind.
This book is for those who are suffering, or who have someone close to them who is, from a
severe medical problem. It's for those who've battled not only to find a cure for a disease or at
least a better situation, and have had to deal with insurance companies, doctors and hospitals,
teachers, schools, and social services as well. It will open eyes of readers without these types of
problems and of those with compassion and a sense of what is right.
Shirley Cheng offers a look into her world providing disturbing truths about America's medical
and school systems. She reveals how some doctors lie on their patient's documents and when
cannot offer a solution or diagnosis for a disease often label the victim as mentally ill or
depressed. She tells of instances when in a hospital, a staff member turned on her room light in the
middle of the night waking her to clean the room, and of when they wouldn't help her sit to relieve
her bladder. This book tells of numerous astonishing situations that Shirley and her mother
endured. They shouldn't have had to deal with this in America. Unfortunately this great nation has
its problems. The state of our medical, insurance, and parental rights needs a severe overhaul.
Shirley's Mom, Juliet Cheng, says it best through first-hand experience: "No doctor in China
would ever take away a mother's custody when she simply disagreed with medically
recommended treatment." Also, "In China, no such things could ever happen. No one would even
think of doing it." And about schools: "America's schools feel odd when seeing parents in school."
She could not comprehend it. "In China, parents could freely go to the school while classes were
in session." Juliet felt that America simply had too many rules and regulations with no exceptions
for unique circumstances.
I agreed to review this book because I'm the parent of a child with a severe medical chronic
disease. What we found when seeking treatment for her was surprisingly astounding. America's
medical system was anything but helpful, understanding and fair. On the contrary, they created
more obstacles and worries. The school system at first acted the same way. Luckily, that changed,
but ONLY, I believe, because I was employed at the school at the time. The hassle and proof I
had to go through left me frazzled, unable to sleep, and close to a nervous break down. As I read
Shirley Cheng's book, I nodded in agreement often knowing what they went through wasn't being
exaggerated. Many doctors have a big ego and don't have any respect for parents. My husband
and I know our daughter's circumstances, what is normal, what medications work and the ones
that don't, better than any doctor, nurse, social worker, judge, teacher or principal. When relaying
this or making suggestions though, we were met with "She must be depressed" from the doctors.
This was their response as to why, and then prescribed anti-depressant drugs. My opinion was
that if you took away her daily, month after month pain she wouldn't be depressed.
Readers of Shirley Cheng's autobiography cannot help but wonder if she'd have been better off
without America's medical system. Things might have also have been different had her father
shown more concern, involvement, and love. Despite surmountable odds, Shirley obtained an
education, academic achievement, and was published.
I recommend this book to everyone. America will be better when it gives power back to parents.
Granted, there are times when abusive parents need interception, yet the average parent wants
what is paramount for their child and loves them.
A disturbing, and enlightening read. Authentic, honest, and profound. Will change reader's
outlook.
Dance with Your Heart: Tales and Poems That the Heart Tells
Shirley Cheng
Lulu Press Inc.
3131 RDU Center Dr. Suite 210 Morrisville, NC 27560
www.lulu.com www.shirleycheng.com
ISBN# 1411618580 $17.99 223 pages
Looking for a gentle read with purity of heart and soul? 'Dance with Your Heart' will humble and
remind readers of their blessings. There are twenty-three short stories and thirty-four poems
offering lessons, mindful thoughts, and whimsical tales and myths of magical once-upon-a-times.
Many adults will recognize the lessons, but will appreciate the reminders. Provides great
life-lesson profiles children can relate to. Perfect for those seeking quick, clear, and
uncomplicated tales.
The author, young Shirley Cheng's personal story is amazing enough. She's a survivor of juvenile
rheumatoid arthritis diagnosed at eleven months old. She dealt with constant pain growing up,
went in and out of hospitals, and lost her eyes sight when she was in tenth grade. She will soon be
receiving eye-surgery, and hopes it will be successful, for she'd like to earn science doctorates at
Harvard University. Through her extraordinary passion and strength she's conquered
overwhelming obstacles. Among other things, she's authored three books by the age of
twenty-one.
One of my favorite stories from this book is entitled, 'Smell the Roses.' It's about a doctor who
learns a valuable lesson through an unexpected and surprising source. The ending brings the
whole tale into perspective with a crystal clear lesson.
One of my favorite poems is entitled, 'Dance with Your Heart.' Ironically it's also the book's title.
The poem's message brings to light that although life contains worries and pain, it is good to
concentrate on and remember its delights too. The poem reminds readers to pay attention to their
heart's desires, and to dance; to fly.
Cheng's graceful storytelling and poetry not only is a pleasure, but awe-inspiring, as her wisdom
and understanding at such a young age is profound. Her resounding words are of encouragement
and of good. She believes happiness begins in the heart and that readers should allow themselves
the freedom to dance with their heart. A luminous read.
Christina Francine Whitcher, Reviewer
http://www.CFrancine.bizland.com
Connie's Bookshelf
A Months of Sundays: Searching for the Spirit and My Sister
Julie Mars
GreyCore Press
www.greycore.com
ISBN: 0974207454 $10.95 208 pages
Reviewer Connie Gotsch Author of two award winning novels A MOUTH FULL OF SHELL and
SNAP ME A FUTURE, and program director and book show host KSJE-FM, Farmington,
NM
In the preface of her newest book, A MONTH OF SUNDAYS: SEARCHING FOR THE SPIRIT
AND MY SISTER, Albuquerque, New Mexico author, Julie Mars says: 'For seven months, I
took care of my sister, Shirley, who was dying of pancreatic cancer....I witness her intense
spiritual turbulence and her return to Catholicism....I consider it an honor and a privilege to be
with her every day as she considers the state of her soul....As my sister's faith forms its final shape
and hardens, mine disappears....When I return home to Albuquerque, I feel a driving need...to go
to church.'
So Mars does, for 31 Sundays, the equivalent of a month, visiting Christian, Sort-of-Christian,
Jewish, Islamic, Unitarian, and nonsectarian places of worship.
Each visit triggers thoughts, feelings and remembrances of Shirley, their siblings and parents; and
Shirley's children. Using simple, direct language, Mars interweaves her family's relationships,
Shirley's advance toward death, and her own spiritual search for something she can call God, into
a microcosm of human experience.
A visit to the Church of the Latter Day Saints evokes this thought: 'My father taught me, expected
me, to be tough, to follow my own strong will, and not apologize for it. I did. But secretly, I
locked myself in the closet and cried so hard I could not breathe. Waves of sadness washed over
me, washing me away, and I was enormously bereft, lonely, scared of everything. That was when
Shirley would whisper through the door that she wanted to come in. I would crawl into her lap
and drink in her silence.'
Describing this intimate moment, Mars states a universal truth. Independence can terrify.
Everyone needs a safe person and a safe place. Everyone faces the moment when they must lose
that security.
The combination of universal and personal experience in this and many other paragraphs in the
book makes A MONTH OF SUNDAYS: SEARCHING FOR THE SPIRIT AND MY SISTER a
compelling, tender, and moving read.
So do Mars' frank descriptions of caring for a dying person, right to the moment Shirley becomes
so weak, she needs diapers, just before her 'Final Dive,' as Mars calls it, into delirium and coma.
Mars' spiritual search and its climax, add a final touch on the last page of the story.
A MONTH OF SUNDAYS is a thoughtful and moving book for anyone, but especially for those
facing illness, death, loss, spiritual crisis, and grief. The story is not for the airport or the beach,
but for a time to sit down, and think, about life. Personally, I started to this book so I could
interview the author for my radio show, "Write On Four Corners," on public radio station KSJE
Farmington, New Mexico. I ended up loving the very gentle chance it gave me to contmplate life
and death.
The Bitch Posse
Martha O'Connor
St. Martin's Press
New York
ISBN 0312333927 $22.96 339 pages
The girls have no one but each other. Amy comes from a home where drunken parents can't give
the damn they feel for her, or her mentally retarded sister. Rennie's father has married a girl half
his age. They have a baby, leaving little room for Rennie in their lives. Cherry's mom snorts
cocaine, and smokes dope with Cherry. Once high, they fight--savagely.
Calling themselves The Bitch Posse, the three teens flounder at high school, supporting each other
through episodes of bad grades and well-meaning teachers who try break up the group, believing
them bad for each other.
The Bitch Posse also rallies together when the harsher stuff hits: screaming fights at Amy's,
Cherry's mom unconscious in the john from an overdose, and Rennie's dad just not there when she
needs him.
But all that is nothing when real trouble hits-- the kind that alters the lives of The Bitch Posse
forever. Will they work through the mess, and become healthy young adults? Or will they remain
damaged?
Author Martha O'Connor, lets us decide for ourselves by the end of the book. Shifting from Amy,
Cherry, and Rennie's teen years to their young adulthood and back, she puts their lives together
like a puzzle. A picture of incredible anguish emerges, punctuated by aching tenderness and
beauty when they gather to help each other.
Through this emotional mix, O'Connor creates real people. We sympathize with The Bitch Posse's
experiences, recognizing in them our own teenage angst. We also cringe at their escapades,
realizing but for strong parents, teachers, or other mentors, we might have made the same bad
choices these girls did.
O'Connor guides our reactions by interweaving each character's point of view through story. She
employs direct, and elegant language, changing the rhythm, sentence structure, and sound of her
words to mach her characters' personalities, moods, and actions.
Solid scenes support the vivid voices of Amy, Rennie, and Cherry. Each setting has a purpose.
From Rennie's torrid affairs of pure sex without love as a young woman, to Cherry's
self-destructive behavior throughout her life, little in THE BITCH POSSE is gratuitous.
By the end of the the book, we love and hate; hope and despair for these girls-turned-woman. We
realize that sometimes even negative influences are okay, when that's all we have. We feel a lot of
the
