Dark Well of Decision
Anne Kimberly
Highland Press
9780980035650 $7.99
Aaron Paul Lazar, Reviewer
www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com
Thirteen-year-old Zoe lives in the country on a beautiful farm and is kept company by her grandmother and two geese. When her chores are done, she's given the freedom to roam the woods and fields and learns to love every aspect of nature. But Zoe doesn't escape the usual trials of becoming a teenager. She questions her value as a young woman, feeling unattractive and comparing herself to the perfect and impossible standards seen on billboards and television. She tries hard to be a good person, helping her grandmother on the farm while her parents work hard at their respective jobs. Yet she can't help question her grandmother's unswerving faith.
Does God really exist? Does He know she's suffering? Does He care?
Questions plaque the young lady at an alarming rate, in concert with the new hormones that race throughout her body, adding emotional highs and lows to her current state of confusion.
When she stops to peer down into an old well on her grandparents' property, she sees a glimmer of something in the darkness that wasn't there before. She looks harder, and harder… yet the vision isn't clear. Finally, with all her concentration, she strains her eyes and focuses deep down in the well, and is immediately drawn through a tiny hole to the cold water at the bottom.
Crying out for God's help after hours standing in the frigid water, Zoe almost gives up. No one hears her, and she fears all is lost. Yet after a particularly soulful plea to the Almighty, she spies a tiny balcony on the side of the well that she hadn't seen earlier.
Thus begins Zoe's magical adventure into the land of the Noachs, where she meets people from a miniature subterranean culture, including the kindly Kristo and Kitia and the lovable and brave guard dog, Areli. With their support, Zoe learns about their purpose in life and is granted an new respect for every tiny morsel nature prepares in the ground above. From a single currant berry to the soft down of a dandelion, her hosts use each gift from God with care and gratitude.
Zoe's real test comes when faced with a "rescue" that swims before her eyes with great allure. A beautiful woman, a table laden with luscious feasts, the warmth of the sunshine, her grandparents' farm…
But is it real? With great inner strength, Zoe recognizes the dangers of evil and restores her faith in God.
Anne Kimberly has written a magical tale that held the interest of this adult. Recommended as a book to read to young ones as well as perfectly suited for teenagers.
Henderson's Equation
Jerome Lowenstein
Gadd & Company Publishers, Inc.
2 Main Street Great Barrington, MA 01230-1612.
9780977405374 $17.95
Dr. Alma H. Bond
Reviewer
From the first words of Lawrence J. Henderson's opening lecture, "It all begins with water," Aaron Weiss was riveted by the unconventional young professor's way of thinking. Henderson's quest for a greater understanding of the world had led him from the simple study of acid-base equilibrium to an examination of cosmic questions related to the "fit" between the properties of the most basic elements-hydrogen, carbon and oxygen-and how society, viewed as a regulated system, bears remarkable similarities to this fit. A systems theory advocate, Lawrence Henderson's studies and writings gave rise to the concepts of dynamic equilibrium and to the Gaia hypothesis, which views the earth as a vast unified organism. As his assistant, Aaron Weiss is witness to Henderson's development of these theories. Away from New York s Lower East Side for the first time, Aaron is forced to confront the differences between his own world, with its strong family ties and deep roots in Eastern European scholarship, and that of Dr. Henderson, a leader of the Harvard establishment and a Boston Brahmin. The story is set against the background of the powerful social and intellectual forces of the time: World War 1, the rise of fascism, the Sacco-Vanzetti trial, and the growing anti-Semitism at Harvard and elsewhere, and is an admirable portrayal of the difficulties faced by young Jewish scholars of the day.
Reviewer Dr. Alma H. Bond writes: Henderson's Equation, by Jerome Lowenstein, is a sweet, highly original work of art. Fast-moving, captivating, and seemingly simply written, it is one of those rare books that can change lives forever. I will never again look at any aspect of nature as a unit differentiated from the rest of creation without sharing Henderson's conviction that everything in the universe, i.e. the periodic table, "growing excellent grapes and making a really fine wine (p. 44)," indeed, that life itself is governed by the same set of rules (p. 38)."In some obscure manner," Henderson states, "cosmic and biologic evolution are one."
The author is a physician whose deep interest in acid-base physiology and the nature of relationships between physicians and their patients make him uniquely qualified to understand Henderson's work and theories. The book is a perfect "fit" between the author and his subject. Written in a compelling manner that will enthrall physicians and medical researchers alike, it also can be read easily by intelligent laymen, who in painless fashion will gain a great deal of knowledge about medicine and history. The book aroused my curiosity enough to motivate me to spend many subsequent hours "googling" Henderson's life and work.
A biographical novel, Henderson's Equation in many ways reveals more about the character of Henderson than a straight biography. Henderson, it seems to me, is an unusual choice for the protagonist of a book: Less flamboyant than most biographical subjects, he simply went about the business of his life's work. As a man of multiple talents, he spent his professional life in chemistry, biology, physiology, philosophy, and, eventually, sociology. Originally a chemist, he diverted his interests into physiology and biochemistry, and developed a holistic philosophy centering on "fitness," in which the inorganic environment supplies elements that nourish physicochemical processes. Henderson summarized this philosophy in his most important book, The Fitness of the Environment. Much of his research centered on the body's acid-base equilibrium, which was taken up by Aaron, who early on suspected that a similar balance exists in the kidney, which "by secreting hydrogen ions, might regenerate the bicarbonate buffer (p. 144)." Henderson, in a broad leap, extended his thinking to the concept of the dynamic equilibrium of society. Despite his many interests, there was a unity in his work (not surprisingly), in which he concluded that the entire evolutionary process, including the organism, the universe, and society, is one. Dr. Lowenstein obviously was fascinated by Henderson's findings, which I suspect led him, like Aaron Weiss in Henderson's Equation, into a study of the acid-base equilibrium, and his life's work as a nephrologist. The book is beautifully written, and in many instances, Lowenstein's simply written style is very moving. For example, "We stood wordlessly in the kitchen for what seemed a long time before I realized that I was crying (p. 30)."
If pressed to give any negative criticism of this delightful book I would have to say that as a psychoanalyst I would have liked more insight into Aaron's need for Henderson's love and approval. From what mysterious depths did this need arise? Why was it so strong that it dominated his life? Perhaps it was what psychoanalysts call a "narcissistic object choice," in that Aaron loved what he wanted to become. Or was it purely a love of learning, and the usual admiration for a supportive mentor? Unlike Aaron, many of us have beloved mentors, but usually the relationship runs its course and we go on to other teachers, or outgrow the need for a pundit. A hint is given in the author's in-depth portrayal of the old Italian man, DePodesta, the most fully realized character in the book. Did Aaron have an unconscious craving for a different kind of father, which Depodesta fulfilled? Aaron's relationship to his own father seems satisfactory enough, if not endowed by the author with great profundity, and Aaron was not so deprived of paternal love as to warrant spending a lifetime searching for it. For this reason, I found myself slightly disappointed in the book's ending, where I had hoped to the last word that deeper insight into the relationship between Aaron and Henderson would be revealed. The author himself apparently felt a similar lack, and ended the book with "...there was no consilience, no symmetry, and no single understanding of my relationship with Lawrence J. Henderson." But as Henderson himself says, "Do not attempt to give a rational explanation for a decision that arises from deep feelings....The art of living is in great part the art of adapting oneself to the changing pattern of external circumstances (p. 150)." That Dr. Lowenstein did very well, in what appears to be a semi-autobiographical novel about Aaron Weiss and his all-consuming relationship with Lawrence J. Henderson.
Despite this possible shortcoming, Henderson's Equation is highly recommended for medical personnel (to whom no doubt it will bring back many memories), laymen interested in painlessly gaining scientific knowledge, and to everyone who wants a good, totally absorbing read. I loved the book, and suspect that you will, too.
Author Dr. Jerome Lowenstein s rich career in academic medicine has been devoted to teaching, research and the care of patients. He is the author of Acid and Basics, Oxford University Press, and The Midnight Meal and Other Essays About Doctors, Patients and Medicine, University of Michigan Press. Dr. Lowenstein s absorbing interest in acid-base physiology and the nature of relationships between physicians and patients made Henderson an ideal subject for this intellectual leader in science and medicine. Dr. Lowenstein is publisher of the Bellevue Literary Press and Editor for Nonfiction of the Bellevue Literary Review.
Rogue
Rachel Vincent
MIRA
9780778325550 $6.99
Amy Ramsey
Reviewer
Rating: 5 Stars
Faythe Sanders is known for having a quick-temper and stubborn characteristics. She is constantly making hasty decisions, even if it puts her or someone else in jeopardy. Faythe is a tabby were-cat and due to the lack of female were-cats, is considered rare and valuable to her species. After surviving a traumatic episode, due to being kidnapped and almost sold on the Brazilian market to the highest bidder, she has returned home to her Pride in Central Texas.
Faythe is committed to serving a two and a half year term as an Enforcer to her father, the Alpha of the Pride. Partnered with her current boyfriend and long term lover, Marc, their job is to patrol and capture strays that enter their territory. They were on assignment to apprehend a stray were-cat and escort him to the free territory when they received information leading to a series of murders involving only stray were toms. During the investigations of the murders they noticed several strippers had gone missing in the area that the toms were last seen visiting. In the midst of this, Faythe started receiving strange phone calls from her human ex-boyfriend that she dated briefly while she was away at college.
Faythe is striving to prove to her parents and Pride members, that she can defend herself without them sheltering her. Unfortunately, her decisions often lead to mistakes, mistakes that put her friends and family's lives in danger. When the past comes back to haunt her, Faythe has to learn to put her egotistical ways aside and amend her errors for the sake of her Pride, the person she loves and her own life.
"Rogue" will capture the reader and pull them in. I loved the way Mrs. Vincent has progressed with this book. The characters are so vividly wrote that the reader feels caught up in all their emotions. The plot flowed smoothly together and will keep the reader captivated till the end of the book. This is the 2nd book in the Were Cat series by Rachel Vincent. The first book is titled "Stray". If you like to read about shape shifters and you like paranormal genre books, then I would absolutely recommend this series.
The Prisoner
Patrick M. Garry
Xlibris Corporation International
Plaza II, Suite 340, Philadelphia, PA 19113-1513 USA
9781425753481 $20.99 www.xlibris.com 1-888-795-4274
Anne Betts, J.D.
Minneapolis, MN
After a shocking act of violence, in which a mother and her three young children are murdered in an inner-city apartment, the police are ordered to sweep-up every suspect in the area. They are told …the quickest way to quiet a storm is to create one of our own. As police question a twelve-year old friend of one of the victims, the boy confesses to shooting the family in a fight over a bike. Milo Krantz, a rent collector for a local slumlord, is also picked up in the sweep as a suspect who might have supplied the boy with a gun. However, after initial investigation, it seems apparent that Milo, though despised by the neighborhood renters, did not supply the gun. But when he is brought before the judge and charged with the crime, he surprisingly confesses and then maintains absolute silence through his sentencing hearings.
The novel is narrated from two viewpoints—the police officer, Gunther Mulvaney, who arrests Milo, and the judge, Donna Davis, who presides over Milo's sentencing hearing. These two distinctive points of view are presented in alternating chapters. As the narration switches back and forth, the reader is drawn into a psychological examination of all three central characters.
Gunther is baffled by Milo's sudden confession and later silence. Gunther forwarded Milo's arrest file to the officer in charge of the case. It seemed ludicrous that a rent collector would put a gun in the hands of tenants who hated him… He suspects that Milo is taking the fall for someone else, and continues to investigate. Through his investigations, Gunther discovers a different side to Milo, and he also uncovers an unlikely connection between Milo and the judge.
Meanwhile, Judge Davis, presiding over Milo's hearing, is being pressured by her husband, a local politician, to exploit every bit of drama from the high profile case. As the hearing progresses, the judge begins to wonder if Milo may have an alternate identity. Some years before, the judge was hospitalized after a bad car accident — from which she suffered temporary blindness. During the lengthy stay, her husband abandons her, and a man named Frank begins to visit her every day. She begins to love this man so unlike her politician husband. Donna thought of how easy everything was with Frank. And when she was with him, she even felt a certain goodness within herself. It was a goodness she had never felt before…. Maybe, she thought, the blindness had just been the price she had to pay to discover something she'd never known. They often talked of their life together after the upcoming operation to restore her sight, but after the surgery Donna never heard from Frank again. It is during the courtroom proceedings that Donna begins to suspect that Milo may be Frank.
With the courtroom proceedings forming the backdrop, both Gunther and the judge pursue their own investigations of Milo, and the intricate plot intersects when their investigations reach their common endpoint. It is at this crux that Milo, Gunther, and Donna must all decide how to deal with the truth of their investigations and their respective pasts.
Lawyer and law professor, Patrick Garry, crafts a courtroom setting to stage the psychological drama that makes this book a page turner. On the surface, the courtroom drama propels the reader through the pages. But on a more profound level, the novel explores the ways in which ambition and fear can cloud one's perception of truth. Garry skillfully shows how differently characters can perceive the same set of events. His use of alternating viewpoints is a skillful device for not only revealing each character's thoughts and inclinations, but also for revealing how each character misinterprets events and sometimes deliberately deceives themselves. His story leaves the reader thinking about it for days afterward and anticipating the next novel from this new writer.
Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care Where is Our Freedom to Say No? A Look at the Injustice of the American Medical System
Shirley Cheng
Dance With Your Heart Publishing
PO Box 146 Wappingers Falls, New York
9780615149943 $14.97 www.shirleycheng.com
Christina Francine, Reviewer
www.ChristinaFrancinewordpress.com
At a time when basic parental rights are taken from Americans in a round-about way, a passionate young woman fights for our freedoms. In her book, Parental Rights in Children's Medical Care. Where is Our Freedom to Say No? Cheng shares the offences she and her mother endured for years. She explains how her mother's right to decide what was best for her baby, and later child, was not allowed. Since Cheng's mother disagreed with doctor's advice, they took Shirley away from her. Even the courts did not see a mother's right to protect her child.
Cheng's book offers stories from others that the system damaged. These are recent and true custody cases. As a result, Cheng asks why? Why are people guilty until proven innocent? Why don't parents have the right to decide, to say no to doctors? Why are people guilty until proven innocent? This is an especially good question because this is America. Cheng also explores reasoning with the heart, the question of whether doctors really do know best, the law of common sense and compassion, and laws verses people. Cheng wants America to wake up and realize what is going on. Then, she wants us to do something about it. She adds her suggested law: "Shirley's Law" and offers what parents need to do if this offense happens to them. Notice she says "when" and not "if." In the end, she explains the objective to her argument and counters, offers her petition to parents who also want to say "No" and talks about what the public thinks.
Polls at her web-site:
Who Should Make the Decision?
Should Parents Have the Right to Disagree with Doctors? (92% of voters said "yes.")
This is the fourth non-fiction book of Cheng's I've read. I've also read an essay of hers in an anthology, 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life. All have taught me about this courageous young woman's experiences, battles, philosophy, and incredible outlook on life. She looks on the bright side of life, yet does not want others to suffer what she went through. A noble writer and fighter for freedom – a natural right of Americans, right? Readers will not be the same after reading Cheng's passionate words.
The Girl with Braided Hair
Margaret Coel
The Berkley Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014-3658
9780425217122 $16.29 www.penguin.com
Liz has to get off the rez, or angry AIM members will drive her off--into a grave. Packing her baby into her old car, she scrapes money together for gas, and heads for Denver.
With that incident, Colorado mystery writer Margaret Coel begins her thriller, 'The Girl with Braided Hair.' A professional historian, Ms. Coel has spent much of her career researching the Arapaho and their lives on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, first for nonfiction books, and now for novels.
She has written 13 mysteries featuring Arapaho lawyer, Vicky Holden, and Catholic priest, Father John O'Malley as protagonists. Together they solve murders. Sometimes the police, Vicky's children, people working at Father John's mission, or Vicky's love interest, Adam Lone Eagle, help out. Sometimes they hinder the process.
In 'The Girl with Braided Hair,' Vicky and Father John must identify the skeleton of a person killed in 1973 and left to rot in a shallow grave along a highway. The plot has all the elements of a typical mystery: false leads, uncooperative witnesses, threats to Vicky and Father John, cliffhanger car chases, and an explosive climax that reveals both the killer and the victim's identity.
This model might lead to repetitious themes and predictable twists, especially after 13 novels. Margaret Coel avoids that trap. The components required for a good whodunit serve her as a framework around which to weave thoroughly researched Arapaho history, adding education to the fun of a good thriller.
For 'The Girl with Braided Hair," Coel examines the American Indian Movement (AIM), its origins, the struggles that drew people into it, and the related attitudes about it that linger today on the Wind River Reservation.
Her characters come off as solidly three-dimensional against this background. Vicky Holden is a kind, sincere person who wants to use her education as a lawyer to do right for her people by supporting ordinary individuals. She eagerly accepts a request from her neighbors to find the identity of the skeleton.
Her lover, Adam Lone Eagle, carries on the struggle by looking at the actions of large entities, in this case corporations discriminating against Native Americans in hiring practices. He does not approve of Vicky's choice to leave an important case and chase down the name of a long-dead person about whom no one has cared before.
Father John struggles with alcoholism, an impending transfer, and a spirit that would much rather deal with people than the invoices, checkbooks, memos, and papers required to run a mission on a reservation. Perhaps he also harbors a love for Vicky that he cannot fulfill
In the end, the murder victim while undeserving of death, has by choice trusted vicious people. Thirty years after the heyday of AIM, the individuals who both loved and hated this person suffer repercussions from their emotions, and related decisions.
However, strong characterization and presentation of Arapaho history alone do not raise 'The Girl with Braided Hair,' above the typical good ole murder thriller. Margaret Coel adds one more element to make that happen. She uses the story to introduce several good and universal questions that everyone must face in some way.
What is the right way to lead a struggle for equality? What's important to fight for in that process? What do people do at any given time that leads to good or bad outcomes? What decisions haunt them 30 years later? How important is individual identity and why? How long should a person hold on to something he loves? When is it time to move on?
Margaret Coel's approach makes readers think about their own life decisions, and the effect those decisions have on themselves and others. An author who does that is always fresh, even if she writes a thousand stories about a particular set of characters.
The Hair-Raising Joys of Raising Boys
Dave Meurer
Fleming H. Revell
c/o Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516
9780800787295 $5.99 www.revellbooks.com
Corinne Gompf
Reviewer
How can you instill moral guidance to a five-year-old boy who is constantly talking about bodily functions? Can you survive diabolical diaper disasters and actually smile about it (later, of course)? Dave Meurer's "The Hair-raising Joys of Raising Boys" is a light-hearted, laugh-out-loud collection of personal and common experiences that parents of boys share, from infant to the terrible teenage years.
From cool music to bathroom hygiene to school conferences to hip clothes, Meurer fills each chapter with personal accounts of the humorous ways in which his boys, Mark and Brad, learned, loved and lived in a house with one bathroom. Even hair styles become an issue in the Meurer household. Chapter seven, Hair Wars or Paying Money to Look Dumb, tackles the fact that "no little boy likes to sit still for a haircut." Fast-forward to the teen years, however, when he insists on having a haircut that will eventually make a guy cringe when he looks back on his yearbook.
Since my husband and I are expecting our first boy, I saw this book and felt that I had to read it for what I hoped was a little advice on how to handle future male matters. While there are plenty of cute stories in this book, don't read it for help … you're on your own to find another self-help book.
Do read Meurer's collection of stories if you're in the mood for light summer reading, pausing only to share a few snippets with your spouse, as I frequently did, asking my husband to read a paragraph here and there.
"The Hair-raising Joys of Raising Boys" is a quick read that will have you in stitches, especially if you have your own experiences. Primarily from Meurer's point of view, this book does have his wife's input peppered throughout. He also sprinkles in religious references and opinions, which is an odd combination with chapters that focus on dirty diapers and passing gas. I would have preferred that to be removed, even if it meant a shorter book, so that the humor had a continuous flow.
Survivin' Ain't Good Enough
Danita Harris
iUniverse
9780595453320 $14.95 www.danitaharris.com
Deltareviewer
Reviewer
Break Free from the Spirit of Oppression
Silence is not golden and it will not free you from the oppression of domestic violence. You must open your mouth and speak out against violence. Ms. Harris has opened her heart becoming transparent to the world. She chronicles on how the devil stalked her, tormented her soul and took her to the brink of death. But with the overwhelming love, grace and mercy that God has showered on her – a change has come. Her life experiences will help others understand that living in the shadow of domestic violence is not what God desires for you.
Survivin' Ain't Good Enough is a testimony of spiritual renewal and the Power of God. Harris explains why you must dive head first into the Word and strive to live by it. As the love pours into your soul by reading Harris's story you will realize that she is truly anointed by God. Readers can quickly interpret and understand the scripture presented while examining their own lives, and asking God to come into their hearts. I recommend this book for anyone that has broken through the bondage of domestic violence or has a friend living the experience.
Danita Harris can be contacted at www.myspace.com/danitaharris or www.danitaharris.com.
The Illustrated Alamo 1836: A Photographic Journey
Mark Lemon (with a Foreword by Craig Covner)
State House Press / McWhiney Foundation Press
Box 637, McMurry Station, Abilene, Texas 79697
1933337184 $49.95
Jeffrey Dane
Reviewer
A New Alamo Perspective
When something really new and unexpected comes along, it can easily jolt us out of our complacency. Michelangelo did it, Rembrandt did it, Toulouse-Lautrec did it, and Jackson Pollack did it. Now artist and historian Mark Lemon has done it.
On the morning of Sunday, March 6, 1836, a single incident took place within about 90 minutes that contributed more to the ultimate growth of an American legend than anything even the most skilled, or ruthless, press-agentry could have done until a small town of orange groves in southern California took its place, 90 years later, as America's movie capitol. The Hollywood mentality and mindset had already appeared in its early 19th-century incarnation -- and the Alamo saga began.
Mention Cecil B. DeMille; the first film that comes to mind is his magnum opus, The Ten Commandments. Mention the Alamo to the person-at-large, and the first image that comes to mind is the building with the campanulate hump atop its facade. This is the iconic structure that effectively defines the Alamo in photographs.
The true Alamo enthusiast, though, is well aware that the building -- and the entire surrounding area -- looked quite different at the time of the battle in 1836. The environs look so different now, in fact, as to be totally unrecognizeable. Resurrect an Alamo defender today, place him squarely in the center of the Plaza -- and it's a safe bet he'd have a hard time getting his own bearings. But Mark Lemon's work could certainly help him.
The eventual consequences of history's most significant happenings are a matter of record and we sometimes ponder the events themselves. Fervent Jews may contemplate the parting of the Red Sea, or Samson slaying half the Philistine army in a narrow defile near Gaza called Ramath Lehi; pious Christians, the crucifixion of Jesus; serious musicians, the chance to hear Domenico Scarlatti play the harpsichord, or Bach the organ, or to hear Beethoven improvise; and Alamo historians and devotees, the final battle, or to see if Travis drew that line in the sand, or to ask James Bowie (hopefully before February 24, 1836) the simple but singular favor of making merely a basic sketch of the knife he had used at that sandbar fight on Sept. 19, 1827. . . .
Some of us, in entirely understandable moments of imaginative or even inspired reflection, have even envisioned ourselves actually being at these places and events as onlookers, in keeping with the proverbial Fly On The Wall concept.
Similarly, there could be some impassioned Alamo scholars and enthusiasts who might consider exchanging an entire year of life for the mere 12-month opportunity to return to a single year -- starting on, say, October 1, 1835 -- and to witness the next year's decisive occurrences.
Not long ago the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was professionally cleansed of centuries of soot and grime, enabling us to see brilliant colors and details, for the very first time, that no-one -- not even the experts -- had even thought existed. The result for us was, in a word, a revelation. With his work, The Illustrated Alamo 1836: A Photographic Journey, Mark Lemon has provided us with this same kind of revelation for Alamo history and its adherents: he's illuminated a previously rather dark area and has lifted a veil that obscured for decades the likelihood of how the Alamo once looked.
Time machines don't exist except in our imaginations. Lemon's book is the next best thing.
A word, now, about some of the difficulties the author evidently faced in researching and preparing this book. Alamo historian Richard Curilla has put forth the following scenario. -- Go to the scene of any automobile accident, and ask ten different eye-witnesses what happened. You'll wind up with ten different reports. -- Fast-rewind, now, seventeen decades and pull up eye-witness interviews about what the Alamo of 1836 looked like. Allow some time for experts to pick and choose the most credible of these eye-witness accounts, and to judge the individuals' powers of observation and honesty -- and which of necessity also includes their own perspectives and even personal bias. Then assemble a forum of experts to report the "true" story of what the Alamo looked like. -- You end up with ten different viewpoints, and thusly ten different stories, which themselves are tinted by individual contemporary tastes and varying degrees of a modern-day aberration called political correctness. Pick through all this and try to make a film as accurately as possible about the event -- or research and write a book, based on documentation, about the compound. And consequentially, draw fire from various "experts" for every choice you make. There is no solution except to put forth the most honest interpretation of the story that you, in your now "educated" opinion, can offer, and provide the best possible account that will, hopefully, present a generally accurate representation of how things really were.
Curilla's observations are particularly perceptive. The earnest historian is not ignoring history and creating his or her own. He's doing his best in a relatively short time with whatever material is available to him (we Alamo aficionados have, collectively, examined every facet of that subject for much of our lives), to render an honest telling for an audience that demands somewhat more accuracy today than it did in previous times. This is what Mark Lemon has done for us. And we're indebted to him for it.
Crucial details can change radically even over a period of minutes when related by one person to another. Compound the potential for confusion by an interval not of minutes or hours but of years and decades, and the transmutation of details can be astounding. The changes can actually reach the point where reason becomes nonsense and where nonsense soon becomes reason.
A classic, and most problematical, case is where fact and fiction co-exist and then merge, but where the fiction, by its appeal, takes hold much more firmly. Mix oil and water in a glass vessel and we can easily see the separation point. In the mixture of truth and fantasy, however, it can be far more difficult, if not altogether impossible, to distinguish one from the other. Still, Mark Lemon has made the attempt. And he has largely succeeded.
Fascinating and significant tidbits abound in the textual commentary that accompanies the superb illustrations (including the location of such indelicate but practical sites as the Alamo compound's latrines). Noted are the likely locations of Travis' quarters and the post where he fell, early in the final battle; and the structure originally assigned to Alamo co-commander James Bowie as his own quarters before his illness made it necessary, on the second day of the 13-day siege, to move him elsewhere in the compound. A plaque on the Alamo grounds today states that the Long Barracks, scene of the fiercest fighting during the final battle, is the oldest still-standing stone structure in the city -- but even before the southernmost, upper-floor room in that building (now only one storey) had served as the Alamo's hospital, it had been so used by the local government by 1805 and was thusly the first documented hospital in San Antonio. Identified, too, are the statues that were to have been placed in the now-empty niches that flank and appear above the doorway of the Alamo Church.
Though not specifically intended as source material for academics, the truly intelligent and prudent scholar could certainly use this book as such. Additionally, though not as massive in its heft as the facsimile of Leonardo's Leicester Codex or of Mahler's Resurrection Symphony, in format and quality Lemon's volume could easily serve also as a superb "coffee table" book in any household, especially an Alamo household.
Exemplified in Lemon's book is the "Show, don't tell" principle. The finest writers show us with prose; and as the skilled musician can "hear with his eyes" by reading a score, the finer artists can "tell" us with their images rather than words.
If the next project upon which Mark Lemon embarks (perhaps with his colleague, Craig Covner) is the creation of a time machine, we've already been given a pretty fair glimpse of what our 1836 destination really looked like. We haven't seen the end of the conflicts about how the Alamo compound truly looked at the time of the battle, and it's unlikely the disagreements will ever end -- but the author of this book takes us to a plateau from which we can pause, look back, and gain (and absorb) a new and very important illuminated perspective.
Signs of Success: The Remarkable Power of Business Astrology
Steven Mark Weiss
AMACOM, American Management Association
1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019
9780814474419 $24.00
Mark Nash
Reviewer
In today's business climate, Signs of Success can provide some important insight on how better to manage perplexing subordinates or analyze clients lack of interest in your business. Only a short time ago this title by accomplished author Steven Mark Weiss would have been back-burned, but with the rise of popularity in astrology by many seeking the insight of people's behavior, many successful business leaders support the use of astrology in corporate environments. even if you have a leery perspective of astrology, take the time to read this important mainstream business book.
Chapter titles are: Introduction: A World of Opportunity, Timing: Auspicious Moments for Action, Trend Forecasting: The Rhymes of the Marketplace, Team Building: Know Thy Colleagues, Thy Competitors, Thy Customers, Thyself, Leadership and Sun Sign Astrology, Aries: The Value of Force, Taurus: The Value of Fixedness, Gemini: The Value of Flexibility, Cancer: The Value of Foundation, Leo: The Value of Flamboyance, Virgo: The Value of Fastidiousness, Libra: The Value of Fairness, Scorpio: The Value of Fortitude, Sagittarius: The Value of Farsightedness, Capricorn: The Value of Framework, Aquarius: The Value of Friendship, and Pisces: The Value of Fascination. Additional features include acknowledgments, preface, prologue, about the author, index and an appendix: Landmark Business Events, Astrologically Timed.
We all have a sun-sign and mine is Scorpio. I decided to zero in on the chapter relating to my sign and see if the author's take was correct. It was right on the money. I identified with many of the observations the author makes with accomplished business leaders. It might be easy to dismiss Business Astrology, but when times are tough and you're looking for new ways to drive your business try thinking out of your box and then consider how Mr. Weiss's ideas could improve your business.
I'll Be Sober in the Morning: Great Political Comebacks, Putdowns & Ripostes
Chris Lamb
Frontline Press
555-B Rutledge Avenue, Charleston, SC 29403
9780972382946 $15.00
Michelle Kerns
Reviewer
Election day is still months in the future, yet the cliches are already flying as thick and fast as confetti at the Democratic National Convention:
"I'm the candidate for change!"
"America needs new leadership!"
"I represent the working-class families of America!"
The years may change, but the same, tired old lines stay the same.
Chris Lamb's new book, I'll Be Sober in the Morning: Great Political Comebacks, Putdowns, and Ripostes is a deliciously irreverent antidote to the banalities of this year's crop of Manchurian candidates. From Greek orators to Winston Churchill to recent U.S. presidents, Lamb records some of the wittiest things ever spoken by politicians.
The book takes its name from a devastating blow dealt by the all-time King of the Comeback, Winston Churchill. Churchill found himself facing Bessie Braddock, a political opponent, at a party where he'd had a drink or three too many:
"'Mr. Churchill, you are drunk,' Braddock said harshly. Churchill paused and said, 'And Bessie, you are ugly. You are very ugly. I'll be sober in the morning.'"
Many of Lamb's examples baldly contradict the common cry that modern politics have become too aggressive and attack-oriented. Compared to many of their historical counterparts, today's politicians are prim lap-dogs of propriety and discretion.
During a heated congressional debate in the early 1800s, an opponent of John Randolph jokingly made reference to Randolph's sexual impotence. Randolph's reply? "'Sir, you pride yourself on an ability in which any barbarian is your equal and any jackass immeasurably your superior.'"
Tourism at the Capital would quadruple if the present Congress began to have such debates; tickets would need to be purchased a year in advance.
Lamb does not merely report incidents of politicians going hand to hand; he also includes several politician vs. reporter gems. In an interview related to the Koreagate scandal of the late 1970s, Sam Donaldson (of bad toupee fame) stepped over the line when he asked Senator Fritz Hollings where he had obtained the Korean suit he was wearing. "'Sam, if you want to personalize it,' Hollings snapped, 'I got it right down the street from where you got that wig.'"
Likewise, Lamb does not confine himself to wit emerging from the mouths of men. Female politicians can be equally withering, as Agnes Macphail was in 1921 when she became the first woman elected to the Canadian House of Commons. "One of her male colleagues once pointedly asked her, 'Don't you wish you were a man?' 'No,' Macphail replied. 'Don't you?'"
I'll Be Sober in the Morning is a delightful, laugh-out-loud read. It reminds us that although politics is a serious business, it can also be pretty damn entertaining.
The Soul Thief
Charles Baxter
Pantheon Books
New York
9780375422522 $20.00
Pius Charles Murray
Reviewer
Baxter (who teaches at the University of Minnesota and has published eight previous works of fiction, one of which, The feast of Love, was nominated for The National Book Award) has recently published an eerily fascinating novel of thievery that concerns fundamental ontological questions of human identity. Although the author's Notes at the end of the book identify if as 'a work of fictions' [note the plural], that is, it is a 'novel about thievery,' it is more than just another suspense or mystery novel. Its geographic isolationism, its ever so slowly developing plot that inches toward a climatic resolution, its spectral almost ghost-like characters, and its use of the preternatural [while avoiding supernatural divine beings] all represent elements more characteristics of Gothic horror novels -- albeit concerned with the fundamental philosophical question 'Who Am I?' The plot is recounted in four ever-shortening parts; it seems as if the novel's physical structure is that of ever-narrowing concentric circles that focus more and more specifically on the interaction between the main characters Nathaniel Mason and Jerome Coolberg.
In the first section, the major elements of the narrative are introduced. The reader meets Nathaniel Mason, the main character, who is a graduate student studying at an unnamed university in Buffalo, NY and his experiences that foreshadow that something unusual is about to occur. In the opening scene, Nathaniel meets a woman named Theresa who will become his lover on the way to a party at a house whose address is difficult to find. At the party, Nathaniel meets Jerome Coolberg who will increasingly seem to know more and more about Nathaniel's life without ever having been told. This section furthermore introduces Ben the burglar who is a young married man with a drug addiction who eats at the People's Kitchen where Nathaniel works; throughout the narrative Ben will occasionally break into Nathaniel's unburglarizable apartment (as Ben puts it because Nathaniel has nothing valuable to steal) to take some of Nathaniel's material possessions from him; Catherine, Nathaniel's older sister who at first loses her ability to speak after their biological father's death but who calls Nathaniel every Sunday at 10:00 AM anyway to hear the unfolding story of Nathaniel's life; and Jamie, a lesbian, who is a fellow member of the Allentown Artists' and Culinary Alliance who also works at the People's Kitchen with Nathaniel; Jamie despite her sexual orientation will become Nathaniel's other lover. Each supporting character is depicted with sufficiently individual characteristics to differentiate them from the others but with not some much detail as to make each one seem a full-blooded human, thus making each one seem more like a ghost-like spectre. Theresa and Jamie in particular despite the intimacy shared with Nathaniel remain beguiling and mysterious each in her own way. The climax of this first section involves a Sunday evening visit to Niagra falls by Nathaniel, Jerome, and Theresa to see if the gods do indeed come out.
The second section occurs thirty years later when Nathaniel is a middle-aged adult, married with children. Introduced to the reader are members of Nathaniel's family: his wife Laura, his teenage son Jerome, and his youngest son Michael. In this section, Catherine, Nathaniel's sister, regains her lost voice after hearing of Nathaniel's breakdown; it seems to serve metaphorically of the author's way of showing how Catherine regains ownership of her life while at the same time Nathaniel is losing his. In the third section, Nathaniel meets up with Coolberg thirty years after the graduate student party that opened the narrative. Coolberg now has a successful radio program titled 'American Evenings' on National Public Radio [NPR] (think of Ira Glass's 'This American Life' with a twist). During the broadcast of each show, Coolberg appears to assume the characteristics and life story of each of his guests; Coolberg has invited Nathaniel to be a guest on his radio show. The final section suggests the denouement toward which the entire plot has been moving.
Each character has distinctive traits; Theresa foir example shows her culturedness by reciting the one line of French poetry that she has memorized; Jamie the lesbian comes across as tender but also masculine; Coolberg as the novel progresses sounds more and more like Nathaniel. The characters, settings, atmosphere, and events seem to occur either in isolation or in isolated lonely locations making the tone of the book ghost-like if not sepulchral. Because of the brevity of the novel (only 210 pages) and of many chapters (some of which are only one or two pages long), the author does not include many unnecessary items, even the shape of the novel's structure contributes to the advancing of the plot. Perhaps the most beguiling item is the unexplained change of the novel that Coolberg is working on which seems to track his ability to steal souls; in the first section, it is called 'Shadows' but near the end it is revealed as 'The Thief of Souls' which is the title of the work that the reader is reading which helps make this a tantalizingly effective Gothic ghost story. The reader may wish to compare Baxter's novel with Dom DeLillo's 'The Body Thief' (which title is similar to Baxter's 'The Thief of Souls') and Peter Straub's 'Ghost Story,' which may be the finest contemporary example of a ghost story that we have.
The World's Best Memoir Writing: The Literature of Life From St. Augustine to Gahndi, and from Pablo Picasso to Nelson Mandela
Edited by Eve Claxton
Sourcebooks Inc.
P.O. Box 4410, Naperville, IL, 60567-4410
9871402209758 $15.95
Reilly Nelson
Reviewer
The World's Best Memoir Writing, edited by Eve Claxton, is a compilation of passages lifted from the autobiographies' of 160 notable names throughout history -- beginning with the works of St. Augustine, that date back to 400BC, to present day notorieties such as Vladimir Nabokov. The passages are arranged, not in chronological order as might be expected, but ordered in a way so that the reader may feel that they are approaching a single autobiography. The book begins with three passages revolving around birth, spanning all stages of life from youth till the bitter end, and summing up with a few paragraphs from Margret Murray's memoir, My First Hundred Years. Claxton stated in the Introduction, that ordering the book in this manner would be the most inviting to the reader. "The present arrangement came closest, I felt, to how a reader might approach a single autobiography or memoir, tracing the movement of narrative through the life of another, instinctively drawing the lines of connection and contrast between one's own experiences and the author's."
Each memoir passage begins with a paragraph that describes, briefly, the life of the author and the writing that follows. Though the actual writing itself only amounts to a few paragraphs at most, this book is not meant to be a stand in for the original work, it is merely presented as a guide to enlighten the curious reader. A vast array of styles and voices are presented -- from Billy Holiday to Benjamin Franklin, and everything in between. Weather you are a teacher, student, or just an avid reader, World's Best provides a valuable reference for anyone interested in broadening their knowledge of memoir writing.
According to Claxton, "at every point in the history of literature there have been those who have written about their own experiences in the hope that they could benefit either themselves or their readers. Equally, there have always been those who derive pleasure from reading autobiographies and memoirs. There is something eternally seductive about a book that invites you to eavesdrop on an intimate universe." Those who fall into this category deserve to give this book a look.
Carly's Sound
Ali Vali
Bold Strokes Books
1933110457 $15.95
Rita Salner
Reviewer
Ali Vali is best known for her "Devil" series, featuring Cain Casey, her family, friends, and enemies. Carly's Sound introduces another tall, dark, successful woman, Poppy Valente. Poppy, two years after losing her long time lover to cancer, is just returning to the land of the living. In her absence, her faithful staff has kept her chain of Caribbean resorts running. Now, it's time for the latest resort, "Carly's Sound" to open, and for Poppy to take back the reins of control.
Julia Johnson is escaping to Carly's Sound with her twin brother. He has gotten work there, and Julia and her baby daughter Tallulah, are posing as his wife and child. Julia has had her daughter out of wedlock, and is running away from the disapproval of her cold and distant family.
Vali paints vivid pictures with her words as she writes about the growing attraction between Julia and Poppy, and the struggle Poppy has in learning to love again. Vali draws comparisons between the constant crashing of the waves on the shore, to the constant of Poppy's love for Carly, and the way that love washed over her. Vali also does a wonderful job showing the dance of new love between Julia and Poppy, with the pain and guilt of saying goodbye to Carly. She does this with some magnificent symbolism.
Carly's Sound is a great romance, with some wonderfully hot sex, but it is more than that. It is also the tale of a woman rising from the ashes of grief and finding new love and a new life. Vali has surrounded Julia and Poppy with a cast of great supporting characters, making this an extremely satisfying read.
Ali Vali is originally from Cuba. She now lives in New Orleans with her long time partner. She works in the non-profit sector and enjoys writing and working in the yard. She uses the denizens of New Orleans to fuel her imagination. Carly's Sound was a 2007 Lesbian Debut Author Goldie Finalist.
Show Me
Jessica Kizorek
PSI Publications
20 Danada Square West #212, Wheaton, Illinois
9781884230011 $29.95
Rocky Reichman
Reviewer
Show Me does for publishing what YouTube has done for the Internet: it transforms the industry and improves it with innovation. Author Jessica Kizorek has written a professional how-to book, informing but entertaining. From the front cover, her book promises to teach readers about "Marketing with Video on the Web." But Show Me does more than that. Not only has Kizorek shown readers the technical side of online video production, but she has discussed marketing strategy too. Her book therefore is a guide meant for not only video enthusiasts, but for business owners and marketers as a whole. The rules in Show Me can be applied to any company, from a web startup to Fortune 500 Corporation.
Online video can be a technical subject. Yet Kizorek shows a powerful command of writing and works "literary magic" with her words. She turns what could be a dull manual into an easily-to-read, entertaining book. And the author has done her research, too. Expert quotes, case studies, surveys and marketing studies can be found on practically ever page. If that was not enough, Kizorek is also a maven and industry speaker on the topic. As a bonus to the book, she provides readers with a guide to international video production. She explains everything from what kind of equipment to bring to which bug repellants people should use. Her experience helps readers not only on the page, but in the real world as well.
The book is divided into short chapters with casual language. The author discusses a plethora of topics. Why to use video in the first place. How to measure the success of your campaign. How to actually produce the videos. Where to publish them. How to promote your videos. The list goes on. The book is a manual and a guide: it is a manual because it shows readers the technicalities of producing videos; and it is guide because it shows not only how to produce those online videos, but how to succeed at it.
Show Me is an essential guide for marketers, advertisers, business owners and anyone interested in producing online video in general. Today it is useful. In the future, it will be indispensable.
Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie
The Corrie Family, Eds.
W.W. Norton
9780393065718 $23.95
Susan M. Andrus
Reviewer
Journals offer private thoughts not intended for an audience; rather they serve as a means of sorting out life's challenges and exposing one's inner demons. Let Me Stand Alone: The Journals of Rachel Corrie creates that flavor in that it leads the reader to Rachel's inner thoughts as she negotiates the challenges of adolescence and early adulthood leading to her untimely death as she faced down a bulldozer intent on destroying a Palestinian home in Gaza.
Rachel's literary abilities shine early in her life in her poetry as she expresses her delight in nature and small creatures that cross her path. At eleven years old, on the death of her grandfather, she complains about her own selfishness as she sleeps while others are grieving. She says, "I have already grown bored of being sad and I am ready to go back to being normal." How wise she is to identify that universal feeling.
Many of her musings reflect her attitude toward death when at fourteen years, she says, "Death smells like homemade applesauce as it cooks on the stove," and at about eighteen she says, "If I die today,… you must burn the papers under my bed… to charred leaves of ash…You must silence my dead voice…so it will not embarrass my memory," making the reader wonder whether she really wanted her journals to be published. They definitely reflect her inner thoughts, conflicts, and behaviors that might be embarrassing.
A trip to Russia became a turning point for Rachel. For a girl who lived a sheltered, privileged life, she returned from her trip a woman with a mission awakened by "the initial disappointment in discovering that my government really did lie to me about the Russians, and in the massive absence of justice in the world, and again… in discovering my participation in the subjugation of other people." This experience turned Rachel toward becoming an activist throughout her college years and then to Israel to support the Palestinians as they suffered through repeated US-backed Israeli attacks on their families and homes.
It was difficult at times to read the revelations found in these pages – the self-depreciation, self-destructive behaviors, lists of self-improvement tasks – because of the personal nature of the writings. But it all comes together at the end of the book where Rachel writes long emails to her family and friends outlining her political convictions and showing her journalistic potential that abruptly ended three weeks short of her twenty-fifth birthday.
Ready for the Defense
Mike Langan
WhoooDoo Mysteries
1284 Overlook Dr., Sierra Vista, AZ 85635-5512
9781932695700 $13.50
Dr. Tami Brady
Reviewer
The media is going to have a field day with this. It seems that Senator Victoria Sterling's election campaign included an illegal contribution of $50,000 from PEACE (People for the Education of Arabic Children Everywhere), a group suspected of being a front for a middle-eastern terrorists organization. Being as the senator has been short-listed for the director position of the CIA, it's just a matter of time before the information comes out.
The plot thickens. Someone attempts to kill the senator. All of the key players in the act either feign ignorance or they've mysteriously disappeared. Who is framing the senator and how does this tie-in with the newest super bug?
Ready for the Defense feels like a true crime novel. Being as the author was a lawyer, I expected the behind the crime scenes to be true to life, which they were. What I didn't expect was that the characters were going to be so well fashioned, including smooth dialogue that fit each individual, well developed background stories for each person, and characters that actually grew with and were affected by the story. Add to this a story that is timely and extremely well integrated.
Journey to Ixtlan
Carlos Castaneda
Simon and Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10020
9780671732462 $14.00 212-698-7000
Tyler Tradere
Reviewer
Until his death Carlos Castaneda maintained that his books were works of non-fiction, even though the entire academic and anthropological community considered his novels to be tall-tales of fiction. I cannot prove that any of his stories are true, but let me just say I feel that they are, and it saddens me that the world is not willing to listen.
Journey to Ixtlan is the third book in the series known as The Lessons (teachings) of Don Juan, which are the real-life teaching of a shaman medicine man. The book explores the philosophy of a shaman, which is similar to Buddhism, until you get into all the magic. Chapters deal with Erasing Personal History, Losing Self-Importance and Disrupting the Routines of Life.
As Carlos apprenticeship continues, he is thrown into a world where reality is not always what it seems while Time and Space crumble around him. The ending seems to be the part where most academics started to doubt Carlos's legitimacy, as Castaneda Stops the World and has a conversation with a coyote.
Whether Carlos's books are fiction or not they are amazing reads, as well as extremely educational.
Andrew's Bookshelf
Killing Rommel
Steven Pressfield
Doubleday
9780385519700 $24.95 www.killingRommel.com
In "Killing Rommel", veteran author Steven Pressfield has written yet another vivid and exciting novel detailing the matter-of-fact heroics and actions by the warriors who fight and too-often die.
Set in North Africa during the British fight against Gen Erwin Rommel in 1942, Pressfield takes the exploits of the British Army's little-known Long Range Desert Group, and presents the reader with yet another well-researched and exciting story of men at war.
As is Pressfield's style, he tells the story from the viewpoint of one of the participants. Lt. Lawrence Chapman is one of Pressfield's proverbial citizen-soldiers, a young man thrust into a war for which his middle-class collegiate upbringing has not at all prepared him. While normally in Pressfield's books it's the enlisted men who are the narrators and telling the story from the boots-on-the-ground perspective, it's a unique change in approach as Lt. Chapman brings an officer's point of view to the fight.
The war in 1942 in North Africa was going badly for the Allies. Gen Rommel's strategy and tactics overwhelmed Gen Montgomery's British troops, and the initial American Army reinforcements were routed at the Kasserine Pass. If Rommel could successfully capture Cairo, then the Germans would control the middle-eastern oil fields, the Suez Canal, and quick access to India and the Pacific, all of which would have horrific repercussions on the Allied war effort.
The British formed the Long Range Desert Group earlier for reconnaissance purposes, but as they decided to use them to kill Rommel, Pressfield uses Lt. Chapman to narrate the war in the desert.
Historically accurate, "Killing Rommel" describes a war that most in Americans might only know through the old television show "Rat Patrol." Driving old Chevrolet trucks that they up-armor themselves, often short on petrol, rations, water, and ammunition, Lt Chapman depicts the fight in North Africa between the beleaguered Brits and Rommel's Afrika Corps as he learns to command as he learns to fight.
Those who have fought, and especially those Marines and Soldiers who have fought at An-Nasiriyah, Fallujah, Haditha, Anbar Province, and the Diyala River Valley, will understand the pictures Pressfield paints of the thirst, heat, sand, and boredom – interrupted by intense combat – in the desert. He draws the reader into the action with Chapman and his men as they drive –often by stars and dead reckoning – to their rendezvous points and missions.
As Pressfield's books are so famously noted, the characters in "Killing Rommel" possess a quiet courage and grow into a maturity far beyond their years. Similar to Xeo in "Gates of Fire," and Matthais in "The Afghan Campaign," the deep story here is how Chapman and his fellow Tommies are thrown into some extraordinarily ugly situations, and then respond. It's the story of these citizen-soldiers and how they react to the carnage around them that makes "Killing Rommel" one of Pressfield's best books.
The Highlanders: Charlie Company Goes to the Iraq Training Center
Rob Kauder
BookSurge Publishing
9781419688928 $18.99 www.Booksurge.com
Some books need to be read by everyone, and "The Highlanders" is one of them.
Written by former Marine Rob Kauder about his year in Iraq as a sergeant with the Washington National Guard, this book ignores the politics of the war, and instead focuses on the lives and events of 2004-2005 south of Baghdad.
Kauder can surely write. This book is as realistic and gritty as was the Salman Pak area he and his men were tasked with peace-keeping. From his descriptions of the heat, the dust, and the stench of months of uncollected garbage and sewage, to his dealings with the local sheiks and children, Kauder draws the reader into his world – the world of the American National Guardsman - citizen-solider – that so few Americans know exist, much less understand.
At the same time Kauder and Charlie Company are dealing with IED's and potentially fatal ambushes in their little corner of the Sunni Triangle, they also find themselves fighting some incredibly inefficient and inept active-service army officers. While Kauder's Guardsmen are up-armoring their humvees themselves, and devising their own IED tactics, they are forced to deal with Army officers like Maj. Gen. Peter Chiarelli who was ordering snap eye and ear protection checkpoint inspections within the safety of the Green Zone. "Gotta look good; Hooah." He then contrasts this inanity with the actions of the Marines – some friends from his old unit - 20 miles away fighting door-to-door in the November 2004 fight in Fallujah.
For those who have served in Iraq; this book is for you. Kauder returns you to "The Stables", brings you back to standing guard at 0300 as the sand and grit forms on your chapped lips, and reminds you of the friendships and bonds formed with those who fought and bled together.
And for those who didn't serve – read this and you'll begin to understand what these few endured in the opening years of the war.
Sunchon Tunnel Massacre Survivors
Pat McGrath Avery & Joyce Faulkner
Red Engine Press
978098000647 $29.95 www.RedEnginePress.com
Authors Pat Avery and Joyce Faulkner have written a powerful story of a barbaric and savage treatment of American Army POW's during the opening months of the Korean War.
Flush from their opening week's victories over unprepared, poorly trained, and poorly-led American Soldiers, the North Koreans herded some 250 POW's onto a train north the North Korean-Chinese border in October 1950. Starved and beaten, the soldiers ran a gamut of emotions from giving up and dying, to attempting to escape. In the North Korean town of Sunchon, 100 soldiers were executed, and another 33 were executed later when the train came under fire from American fighter jets. With the train disabled, another 91 were marched north, with only a few finally being rescued by American forces.
Their book "Sunchon Tunnel Massacre Survivors" is a thoroughly-researched story which includes multiple interviews with the eight survivors still alive today. The authors concentrate on the stories of the individual survivors, as opposed to American or N. Korean strategy and tactics. The result is a human interest story that will appeal to a far wider audience than that of a normal "military book," which can only serve to get this story of bravery and courage into the wider audience it deserves.
World War 2 Radio Heroes
Lisa L. Spahr with Austin Camacho
Privately Published
9780976218173 $15.95 www.powletters.com www.amazon.com
This is a too-brief book about the author's grandfather, who was captured by the Germans in the North African campaign in 1943, and how a small band of ham radio operators notified the family of his captivity.
While the Germans normally treated their American and British POW's in accordance with the Geneva Convention, communications in those days was erratic at best and impassable at worst. Often the Germans were reduced to reading lists of names of POW's over the radio as teenage and other ham radio operators in America would copy down the names and addresses and so advise the families of their loved ones captivity.
Ms. Spahr's family was so advised of her grandfather's capture.
Her book mentions a few of the radio operators still alive who wrote to her and other families, but not in nearly enough detail or depth. An overly heavy use of old letters and photographs makes the reader wish for more text in order to flesh out what could be a very interesting story.
These ham operators were undoubtedly a source of comfort for the families of the thousands of POW's, as it was to Ms. Spahr's family, and perhaps a follow-up book would do justice to their story.
Madam President and the Admiral
Carl Nelson
New Century Press
9781890035662 $16.95 www.newcenturypress.com
A female president (widowed) with a boyfriend…problems in the Middle East… an energy crisis…a surging and aggressive China….a harbinger of our upcoming November presidential elections?
Not exactly, but "Madam President and the Admiral" brings a spirit and liveliness to American politics and presidential-Pentagon relationships that might make the reader wonder what could have happened if a different Clinton was elected in 1992.
Abigail Cass Steele is the unlikely POTUS (president of the US) in the midst of several crisis's; China is threatening to disrupt the world oil market, her son has a mental disorder, her love life is in disarray, and there is a potential revolt in the Pentagon against her.
Nelson is a good writer, and brings an air of authenticity to these situations. Madam President Steele is well-named, and the reader will both recognize the problems arising, as well as empathize with her. A president with whom one can associate and sympathize ? What a concept for November.
Andrew Lubin, Reviewer
www.andrewlubin.com
Bethany's Bookshelf
Dream Cruises
Kim Kavin
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9781583489840, $18.95, www.iuniverse.com
Cruises have never been viewed as a luxury for the average earner - but they can be, thanks to "Dream Cruises: The Insider's Guide to Private Yacht Charter Vacations". Speaking of private cruises, free from the hustle and bustle of community cruises and all of their hassles, it speaks clearly on how to make these, as the book is titled, dream cruises a reality and a possibility on funds as low as a single grand and other options if you manage to have more money lying around. "Dream Cruises: The Insider's Guide to Private Yacht Charter Vacations" is highly recommended for community library collections dedicated to travel.
One of the Best Things
Sheri Doyle
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595445646, $12.95, www.iuniverse.com
The streets of Chicago are not the most forgiving of places. "One of the Best Things" follows Sunni as she tries to pursue her dream – only to have it snatched away from her, crushing her and making her perform unspeakable acts. At rock bottom, her only strands to climb back up lie in her mother and where she least expects help to home. "One of the Best Things" is a deftly written inspirational novel, a top pick for community library fiction collections.
Louisiana Coffee...with Lots of Cream
Betty J. Reynolds
Xlibris
International Plaza II, Suite 340, Philadelphia, PA 19113
9781425776145, $32.99, www.2xlibris.com
From prostitute to a respectable matron of a family – a strange path, but one that was followed. "Louisiana Coffee...with Lots of Cream" is the fictional memoir of a woman who overcomes the odds of dying on the bottom tiers of society to producing the characters of the story, who tell stories of their lives in Detroit, Philadelphia, and even Las Vegas. The family's history spans over a century and a look on how the other side lives, in this deftly written and composed work of fiction. "Louisiana Coffee...with lots of Cream" is a must for any literary fiction collection and is also available in soft cover. (9781425776077, $22.99)
McColl's Gates
Mary Anne Lonergan
Authorhouse
1663 Liberty Drive, Bloomington, IN, 47403
9781434330505, $18.50, www.authorhouse.com
The first story of four following a group of friends – sure to make others anticipate the other three. "McColl's Gates: The Covenhill Ladies" follows Jennifer Anne McColl as she copes with growing up without parents, and how her future takes a double edged sword – stumbling upon riches and meeting the man of her dreams – but he has ties with the Irish mob. "McColl's Gates: The Covenhill Ladies" is a deftly composed novel, sure to be a popular lend in community library fiction collections.
Susan Bethany
Reviewer
Bob's Bookshelf
When Science Goes Wrong
Simon LeVay
Plume Book/Penguin Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014-3658
9780452289321 $15.00 www.penguin.com
We hear about the celebrated successes of the scientific community but the blunders are usually hidden from the general public's eye. Shedding some light on some of these infamous mistakes, Simon LeVay looks at a dozen miscues from the fields of forensics, microbiology, nuclear physics, meteorology and other disciplines.
You'll read about a surprise hurricane that supposedly didn't exist but made a violent and unexpected landfall in southeast England, taking multiple lives and causing billions of dollars in damage. Then there's the tale of a patient who underwent cutting-edge surgery involving fetal transplants, only to later be diagnosed with hair growing inside his brain, and the miscalculation that doomed a Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft in 1999.
Failures, disasters and other negative outcomes of science can result not only from bad luck but also from causes including failure to follow appropriate procedures and heed warnings, ethical breaches, quick pressure to obtain results, and even fraud.
As you digest these twelve incredible essays, you'll discover all of the a reasons cited above for causing jaw-dropping scientific screwups apply in one way or another!
101 Things You Need to Know
Richard Horne and Tracey Turner
Walker & Company
104 Fifth Ave., New York, New York 10011
9780802796745 $9.95 paper www.walkeryoungreaderscom
Here's a little book that young and old readers alike will have loads of fun paging through. Discover some of the most fascinating, most disgusting and most unbelievable facts imaginable.
Why do birds stand on electric wires without being electrocuted? Can a cockroach really live a week without its head? What is the worse smell ever? What is world's favorite pet? Why don't fish drown? These are just some of the provocative (and sometimes silly) questions you'll find answers to in this paperback.
Whether you'd like to amaze your friends with your esoteric knowledge or try to be a contestant on "Jeopardy", here's a resource you definitely want to own.
The Sky Isn't Visible from Here: Scenes from a Life
Felicia C. Sullivan
Algonquin Books
127 Kingston Drive #105, Chapel hill, NC 27514
9781565125155 $23.95 www.algonquin.com
Many readers would consider Felicia Sullivan a bit young for penning a memoir, but this story about a young woman who vowed she would never make the same mistakes her mother did, but then did, had to be told.
Growing up in Brooklyn in the 1980s, Sullivan's childhood was anything but idyllic, given all the problems her mother brought home with her. Vowing to be everything her mother wasn't, Sullivan went to college, became an associate in an investment bank and was accepted into an Ivy League graduate school.
Then the wheels came off. Drugs and alcohol sent her down a familiar path she had seen before in her family.
Although this story about a young woman unraveling and then putting her life back together again follows the tradition of other addiction memoirs, it is so skillfully told that the author seems more of an observer than a participant.
In this respect, her voice is haunting and original, thus separating the narrative from similar works.
Where the Heart Leads
Stephanie Laurens
William Morrow
10 East 53rd Street, New York, New York 10022
9780061243394 $24.95
"Where the Heart Leads" by Stephanie Laurens is a gripping romantic mystery that features two very dissimilar couples. Penelope Ashford and Barnaby Adair are definitely upper class while Scotland Yard Inspector Basil Stokes and milliner Griselda Martin represent the other end of the social spectrum in Regency England.
This foursome comes together to discover the whereabouts of some orphan boys who have gone missing under very disturbing circumstances. Ashford, the director of a London institution that provides for the welfare of orphans, appeals to Adair for help in finding the missing youngsters. Using his connection to Scotland Yard, the dashing aristocrat enlists the aid of his friend, Inspector Stokes. Martin, an East Ender, enters the story when it becomes necessary for the men to go undercover to discover who has kidnapped the children and why.
As the investigation moves ahead, two distinct and powerful romances bloom between the main characters, as does the realization that the perpetrator of the kidnappings has a much greater crime in mind. Not only are the very futures of the young boys at stake, but so is the political fate of London's nascent investigative force.
Bob Walch
Reviewer
Buhle's Bookshelf
Driftwood
Howard Siverston
Lake Superior Port Cities Inc.
PO Box 16417, Duluth, MN 55816-0417
9780942235913, $24.95, www.lakesuperior.com
The next best thing to being there is to simply browse through the pages of Howard Siverston's "Driftwood: Stories Picked Up Along The Shore" and enjoying the forty-five watercolor paintings and the folksy anecdotal reminiscences of a master storyteller about living in Lake Superior country and family life on Isle Royal. Siverston's artwork, wit, and tales provide yesteryear glimpses that are entertaining, intrinsically interesting, and occasionally inspiring. Part of a third-generation commercial fishing family from Isle Royale, Siverston grew up helping his father harvest lake trout, whitefish and herring. Determined to be an artist he studied the subject at the Minneapolis School of Art and the University of Minnesota Duluth. After service in the Navy during the Korean War, Siverston drew cartoons for publication in stateside newspapers from his station in Hawaii. After his service he went to work as a graphic artist in Duluth, ultimately returning to his passion for painting and his gift for telling stories. "Driftwood" is a beautifully composed compendium and a recommended addition to personal and community library regional collections. Also very highly recommended are Siverston's award winning earlier titles: "Once Upon An Isle"; "The Illustrated Voyageur"; "Tales of the Old North Shore"; and Schooners, Skiffs and Steamships.
Founding Father
Stephen E. Frantzich
Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group
4501 Forbes Blvd., Suite 200, Lanham, MD 20706
9780742558502, $22.95, www.rlpgbooks.com 1-800-462-6420
Few non-elective citizens have made as much of an impact on the American political scene in the past three decades as Brian Lamb, the man principally responsible for bringing the on-floor deliberations and the public hearings Congress onto the television screens of the American people through C-SPAN (the House) and C-SPAN 2 (the Senate). Of special note is the weekend dedication of C-SPAN 2 to authors, books, and publishing with respect to public issues and political events. Now the story of how all this was accomplished is superbly presented in "Founding Father: How C-SPAN's Brian Lamb Changed Politics In America" by Stephen E. Frantzich (Professor of Political Science, U.S. Naval Academy). Informed, informative, and superbly written, readers are provided with background insight into how Brian Lamb managed to create (and get funded) a non-commercial television operation that is even-handed and highly praised by Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Academics, and political science enthusiasts from all walks of life. Enhanced with an extensive Notes section and a comprehensive Index, "Founding Father" is an essential acquisition for both academic and community library Political Science and American Biography collections -- as well as being a 'must read' title for the legions of C-SPAN viewers who appreciate Brian Lamb's enduring contribution to political discourse and decision making for both the Congress and the American public.
Standard Catalog of Remington Firearms
Dan Shideler
Gun Digest Books
700 East State Street, Iola, WI 54990-0001
9780896896253, $29.99, www.gundigestbooks.com
Firearms enthusiasts worldwide now have a complete and comprehensive price guide for their collections with "Standard Catalog of Remington Firearms". The Remington was the gun brand of choice for the pioneers, and for the Confederate army – and to this day it's treasured by many collectors. This collectors guide is packed with over 700 photos, current values, and fully detailed descriptions. "Standard Catalog of Remington Firearms" is a must for any collector of firearms.
Secrets of Producing & Selling Successful Videos
Hal Landen
Oak Tree Press
9 King Philip Ave, Bristol, Rhode Island 02809
9781888093124, $19.95, www.videouniversity.com
The DVD player has replaced the VHS player for years now – it's difficult to find a household resisting it. And there's also a market for education as well, so there is naturally money to be made in educational DVDs – and "Secrets of Producing & Selling Successful Videos: How to Make Money with DVDs and Streaming Video" is a guide to help one get their piece of the share if they have something to teach others. Advice is given on producing videos of countless subjects – Exercise, Safety, Music, Cooking, and so many more. Covering how to produce the videos yourself and how to successfully market them, "Secrets of Producing & Selling Videos" leaves no stone uncovered. A companion DVD ($46.95, 52 minutes) is also available. "Secrets of Producing & Selling Successful Videos: How to Make Money with DVDs and Streaming Video" is a must for anyone looking into breaking into this latest trend to make their living.
Willis M. Buhle
Reviewer
Burroughs' Bookshelf
Silence and Sirens
Thomas Aaron Self
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595484331, $10.95, www.iuniverse.com
Sometimes one just wants to start over, and leaving the continent entirely is one way to pull that off. "Silence and Sirens" is the story of Anthony Miller told through an assortment of short stories, vignettes, poems, and other literary formats to come together in an exciting compilation of literature telling an overlying story. All formats are deftly compiled, making "Silence and Sirens" highly recommended to community library literary collections.
Hermetica
Paul Kiritsis
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595449569, $21.95, www.iuniverse.com
Experienced author & poet Paul Kiritsis is back with "Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems". A look at the ancient world, filled with the history and legends of how these ancient traditions came into being, oral histories, and the mourning that due to certain circumstances, some of these ancient traditions and literature are lost. A deftly composed and compiled collection, "Hermetica: Myths, Legends, Poems" is a top pick for literature readers in general, and for community library collections catering to them. Teardrop: I hid your essence, that small bundle of boy, As the vowel in a harmonic minor, And floated it along the scale/ of my silent consonants-//Seducing midnight/with folk songs/Of love found/And love lost.//Warming her heart/with bittersweet words/That delivered us/As a teardrop/From her eye.
Mythradies Boutique
James Scott DeLane
Wings Press
403 Wallace Court, Richmond, KY 40475
1597057487, $11.95, www.wings-press.com
Terms for inheritance – a sure motivator for anyone on the verge of a fortune. "Mythradies Boutique" follows Giffin Grimesly as he pursues his Aunt's massive fortune – but must hold down a job to earn it. He works at a boutique and soon finds life is never as it seems. "Mythradies Boutique" is a deftly written fantasy novel sure to work the reader's emotions throughout, and a top pick for community library fantasy collections.
Meltdown!
Paul D. Lunde
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595482245, $12.95, www.iuniverse.com
Real solutions to real problems – that's what Harvard Law School Graduate Paul D. Lunde is offering in his book "Meltdown!: A Book of Real Solutions to Real Problems", a book that discusses eleven problems America is facing, and offers realistic solutions to all of them. Electoral Reform, Health Care, Nuclear War, the Constitution, Abortion, and other important issues in America today. "Meltdown!: A Book of Real Solutions to Real Problems" is a complete and comprehensive guide to community library collections dedicated to modern social issues and for anyone who wants some food for modern thought.
John Burroughs
Reviewer
Carson's Bookshelf
A Clean Street's A Happy Street
James McSherry
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9781583488638, $9.95, www.iuniverse.com
If the Bronx is known for anything, it's known for being a tough place to live. "A Clean Street's a Happy Street: A Bronx Memoir" is James McSherry's tale of growing up in one of the roughest places in America, and his challenge to keep his faith in life through all the hardships of a sick mother, am abusive, abandoning father, and having to grow up direly poor with little relief. A success story of someone rising up out of a harsh life, "A Clean Street's a Happy Street: A Bronx Memoir" is highly recommended as a deftly composed heartwarming memoir, a great addition to community library collections.
The Patriarch
GN Buffington
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595448814, $18.95, www.iuniverse.com
A front for the Government's nefarious practices in the Middle East – a shocking discovery for one Jacob Sellars. "The Patriarch: A Novel of Corruption and Terrorism, Love, and Loss" follows him as the story of covering the death of an oil family patriarch moves to the revelation of the Crane families true intentions, and with the help of a rebellious daughter of the family, tries to expose their true nature, and faces many troubles in the process. "The Patriarch: A Novel of Corruption and Terrorism, Love, and Loss" is highly recommended to anyone looking for a political thriller and for community library collections carrying them.
Mystery of Everyman's Way
Paul Collins
eTreasures Publishing
57 Dentonia Park Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M4C 1W8
9781605301181, $8.99, www.etreasurespublishing.com
Finding a corpse is a disturbing thing to happen. Finding one's own corpse is just plain insane, but that's exactly what happens to Dr. Case in "Mystery of Everyman's Way". His corpse turns out to be his mortal form from over a century and a half in the future – and before Case can ever ponder how this happened his life just gets weirder and weirder – as he's whisked off to another dimension, and may unwittingly become royalty, where finding his future corpse doesn't seem so weird. "Mystery of Everyman's Way" is a non-stop thrill ride for science fiction fans, and would be a popular lend for community library collections catering to them.
Hacksaw
Charlotte & Mark Phillips
iUniverse
2021 Pine Lake Road, Suite 100, Lincoln, NE 68512
9780595456079, $15.95, www.iuniverse.com
Weird clients are nothing to new to Houston PI Eva Baum. "Hacksaw" is the tale of how she might be forced onto the trail of a brutal serial killer whose case has turned cold. Eva is close to taking it out of that file and not everyone is excited about her snooping about, not even the law itself – but Eva is determined to discover the truth anyway, not for money, but because she must know. A riveting read from first page to last, "Hacksaw" is highly recommended to community library collections dedicated to suspenseful fiction.
Michael J. Carson
Reviewer
Cheri's Bookshelf
When Zeffie Got A Clue: A Cozy Mystery
Peggy Darty
WaterBrook Press
a division of Random House
12265 Oracle Boulevard Suite 200 Colorado Springs, CO 80921
9781400073337 $13.99 www.waterbrookpress.com
Christy Castleman is a modern day Nancy Drew solving mysteries as an amateur sleuth. She co-owns I Saw It First in Summer Breeze, Florida a trash to treasure shop with her aunt Bobbie. Than one day a little girl named Zeffie Adams comes into the shop carrying a jewelry box and wants to sell it to help her grandmother who is sick. Christy's soft heart goes out to the little girl and gives her much more than the box is worth. Intrigued Christy sets out to find out more. Tearing the old lining from the box she discovers a clue to the eight year old murder of family friend Kirby Strickland.
Christy sets out on a new mystery which proves to be more dangerous than she could ever imagine. Of course her family and boyfriend Dan advise her to let the police handle it but Christy sets out to learn the truth. Someone is set to keep Christy from finding the truth. With a long list of subjects and new friendships with Zeffie and her grandmother Molly and Della the Strickland's housekeeper who now lives in Sunset Manor nursing home. Christy knows she must find a way to get others to open up about the past in order to get the answers she is looking for but must keep from being killed herself in the process.
Along the way she even finds out more about Zeffie and possibly the truth as to who Zeffie's father is but is he the number one suspect on Christy's list? Will the truth hurt this little girl more or give her a better life after her grandmother dies? Time will tell as Christy knows she must solve this mystery for Kirby's sake!
Author Peggy Darty has done an outstanding job on this her third Cozy Mystery and twenty-seventh book overall. With no lacking of Biblical concept Darty teaches and informs as God is woven into every page. A must read for teens and adults who love a good mystery. So curl up in your favorite chair and enjoy this awesome Cozy Mystery!
Embrace Me: Believing Is Seeing
Lisa Sampson
Thomas Nelson
PO Box 141000 Nashville, TN 37214
9781595542106 $14.99 www.thomasnelson.com
Valentine disfigured face and by her own hand lives with others that people may call "freaks" as part of Roland's Wayfaring Marvel and Oddities Show. They spend their winters in Mount Oak with Blaze at her rooming house. Valentine lives an alone life except for her best friend Lella born with no arms or legs which Valentine welcomes the opportunity to care for her. Enter Augustine the self mutilating pastor with a past of his own runs Shalom Laundromat a sort of community/monastery is determined to befriend Valentine and find out the secrets of her past as he protects his own.
But whether the masks are real such as the scarves Valentine wears to hide her disfigured face or the hidden masks all the characters seem to wear over their hearts and souls it seems everyone in this awesome tale are seeking love, redemption and forgiveness from someone or maybe their selves. Regardless you'll find yourself caught up in this timeless tale by author Lisa Sampson. Sampson who has a unique way of bringing her characters and the teachings of God alive in her novels doesn't disappoint in "Embrace Me". So with strands of Valentine's favorite song Embraceable You prepare to embrace an awesome story that will remain with you long after the story ends.
Winter Haven
Athol Dickson
Bethany House
a division of Baker Publishing Group
11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438
9780764201646 $18.99 www.bethanyhouse.com
Plain, mousy Vera Gamble is an accountant staring at numbers all day, living a lonely life, dreams of her dreamy boss as she tries to hold at bay the visions from her childhood. The pain of the death of her mother, the day her autistic prophet-brother left home, her faith- healing preacher father's voice telling her that her visions were not from God but from the devil and now that same father has Alzheimer's and lives in a nursing home not even knowing who she is. And always asking God why these things happened even though her father told her she shouldn't ask God such things.
Than the phone call the call that would change her life forever. Her brother Siggy's body has been found washed ashore on an island off the coast of Maine called Winter Haven. Vera sets out to bring her brother's body back to Dallas, Texas wondering where he's been all these years and how he got to Winter Haven.
At first, seeing Siggy's body, Vera says it isn't him. She takes a second look and realizes he is fifteen years old! But that can't be; it's been thirteen years since her brother left home! With her heart racing she sets out to find out the truth as to what happened to her brother but gets more than she bargained for with the coldness of the village people, the strange questions from the police chief and the warnings and threats from the Widow Abernathy. Vera finds the only one she can trust is Evan Frost the sea captain who lives on the other side of the island and who found her brother's body but yet can she really trust him as the mysteries seem to surround him with Viking artifacts, dead bodies on the shoreline, the witch or ghost Evangeline and the warnings to stay away from him. As pebbles fall from the sky, a strange eerie mist rises, branches that bleed blood to the sound of axes chopping in the forest and hissing sounds in the air to even a polar bear in Maine, Vera wonders if she is losing her mind to end up like her brother and father. Is she going crazy or is there more to Winter Haven than she really wants to know only time will tell!
Author Athol Dickson has written another outstanding hit! From page one you'll be caught up in this captivating tale of mystery and suspense. Athol already a winner of the 2006 Christy award for suspense for his novel "River Rising", is sure to score again with this his sixth book "Winter Haven"!
Cheri Clay
Reviewer
Clark's Bookshelf
The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy
Judith L. Pearson
The Lyons Press
246 Goose Lane, P O Box 480, Guilford CT 06437
9781599210728, $15.95
Enthralling and historically accurate is this true story of America's greatest female spy.
Virginia Hall lived on a 110 acre farm in rural Maryland, but her modern and wealthy parents augmented her education by traveling often to Europe exposing her to foreign cultures. She was not a prissy youngster and was quite the 'tomboy' who enjoyed hunting with her father and brother.
In 1924 she realized that the only way a woman could make her way in the world was by having a superior education. A natural leader, she was Class President, Editor in Chief of her yearbook, and became known by her peers as the one from whom you could expect the unexpected.
Educated at Radcliff and Barnard colleges, she continued her studies in France and learned French and German with an English accent! Because of this she had to travel with native French who would do the public conversing.
Miss Hall began her career in 1931 by working in American Consulates in Turkey, Poland and France. When Hitler began to conquer these countries she experienced first hand the injustice and cruelty of the Nazi Regime. Virginia's experiences gave her the fortitude and desire to become a first class spy against Hitler and the Gestapo.
For ten years she had applied to join America's Foreign Service. She was continually rebuffed with excuses that women were not right for the job and furthermore, her amputee status would also hinder her performance. You see, she had lost her leg in a hunting accident in 1933.
The British government recognized her value of first hand knowledge of Europe under Hitler and the fact that she spoke French & German fluently. She took a position with the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret espionage and sabotage organization. Trained by the SOE, Virginia was sent back to France to spy behind enemy lines. Recruiting and organizing the French Resistance were among several of her assignments. She set up safe houses for people escaping from the Nazis and arranged parachute drop zones for supplies.
She was responsible for killing 150 German soldiers, capturing 500 others and sabotaging Nazi communications and bridges. Virginia became such a threat to the Nazis that Hitler had wanted posters with a reward offered posted all over France. Her life now threatened, caused her leave France and return to England.
Upon her return, America realized she was invaluable in the war effort. She would need to return to France. With the aid of some carefully crafted disguises she now appeared once again in France as an old woman!
Great book, a must read and now that it is in paperback, a great addition for your library!
Cowboy Values: Recapturing What America Once Stood For
James P. Owen
The Lyons Press
246 Goose Lane, P O Box 480, Guilford CT 06437
9781599212715 $30
Living the code of the Cowboy in today's society brings back the hope for a better place where we can recapture what America once stood for. James Owen has been lecturing for several years on the ethics of cowboys and in this new book he hopes to instill in all of us a pride in ourselves and respect for others.
The photography is first rate, meaningful, and shows that a lot of thought had gone into the selection of Americana of the cowboy through pictures. One image really was patriotic in the true sense of the word. A family is depicted with hands over heart gathered around their flag pole saluting and saying the pledge of allegiance. Their home is in the background showing their humble way of life on the range.
Owen points out there are seven core values we can all share and they are not just for the Cowboy, they are for all of us.
Simply stated, but the portrayal by photograph, example, and deed send the message we can use in the pursuit of our lives. Cowboy Values is a remarkably straightforward book with a powerful significance. A gift you can bestow upon a loved one which will be long treasured. When you put this oversized book on your coffee table it will be one of those treasures which is picked up and examined by all who see it. All of the proceeds from this book are going to charity.
Ten principles to live by from his book Cowboy Ethics (2004) also, by James P. Owen:
1 Live each day with courage
2 Take pride in your work
3 Always finish what you start
4 Do what has to be done
5 Be tough, but fair
6 When you make a promise, keep it
7 Ride for the brand
8 Talk less and say more
9 Remember that some things aren't for sale
10 Know where to draw the line
When you put all these together, you have achieved life's full meaning.
Starbucked: a Double Tall Tale of Caffeine, Commerce, and Culture
Taylor Clark
Little, Brown and Company
237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017
9780316013482 $25.99
Was it an epiphany by Howard Schultz, the man who runs Starbucks, or a guru of site selection, when he placed a second Starbucks Coffee Store on the same street in Kingman Arizona? Taylor Clark, in Starbucked, explains that it was no accident when a new Starbucks opened on Stockton Hill Road within shouting distance from the existing store. In fact in the home base stores located in Seattle Washington, there are stores directly across the street from each other!
The rise of the mega purveyor of coffee is chronicled in explicit detail in an often tongue and cheek fashion. However, there is no escaping the fact that this business tale shows that with fortitude, business savvy, and plain old fashioned guts, you can succeed in business by trying. That is exactly what put together a team of intrepid players in the newly explored world of high priced coffee. They made a difference in how you look at location, location, and location in the real estate business. Often it was next to the competitor or down the block, not being afraid to challenge traditional methodology in placement of new stores. Starbucks rose to extreme heights in the number of stores to challenge even the leader of franchise stores, McDonalds. Yes, they had stockholders who made extremely great profits from the rise in value of the stock, but the ownership of the stores remains held by the company itself.
Mom and Pop stores feared that this new kid on the block would take away their business like Wal-Mart did to other small town retailers, by taking away the ability to stand the heat. Instead, Clark shows that these locals benefited from the competition and their businesses thrived in spite of their qualms. Customers were educated in the ways of coffee appreciation and then they looked around to see what else was available. These small town operations had the one thing which Starbucks did not! Food!
A good read and education in the way that business can succeed if you strive. Having faith in your product and the people that work with you is the lesson derived from this honest summation of Starbucks.
Clark Isaacs
Reviewer
Daniel's Bookshelf
Firearms in American History: A Guide For Writers, Curators, and General Readers
Charles G. Worman
Westholme Publishing, LLC
Eight Harvey Avenue, Yardley, Pennsylvania 19067-2064
9781594160448 $39.95 www.WestholmePublishing.com 1-800-621-2736
I was able to locate this general book on weapons, when I was browsing through the bookstore. I was in search for a nice overview of weapons throughout American History among various users and periods of time. This book even covers weapons used by Native Americans. I had the book prior to doing my reviews on Joseph Bilby, and it greatly enhanced my understanding.
Charles G. Worman had so much detailed information between the covers that begins from 1500 and ends in 1900. The author's focus is to clear up the recurring inaccuracies, anachronisms, and tall tales at the popular level. The gun frequently appears as an element in both fiction and nonfiction writings, sometimes accompanied by half-truths and fallacies, and often misstatements are accepted as fact merely because they appear in print. Worman a noted expert and historian, wrote this book for the purpose of an accurate portrayal to clear the air of obscured information. His wealth of information covers the Matchlock, Wheel Lock,, Flintlock, Pennsylvania-Kentucky Rifle, Musketoons, repeaters, breechloaders, percussion repeating rifles, shotguns, firearms of the Confederacy, Federal Cavalry arms, artillery small arms, handguns, revolvers, derringers, other pocket persuaders, cane guns, other oddities, Buffalo guns, and Native American guns. Throughout the book the chapters reflect on the different periods of time in America that the weapons evolved. The Era of Colonization, through the Revolutionary War to the 1820s, the Percussion Era and advancing technology around 1805-1866s,in the Civil War, post Civil War, 1866-1900 covering both military arms and civilian arms. His last chapter deals with the Native American Guns.
The weapons are an important topic when discussing and understanding the Civil War along with the participants that fought in it. I liked the way he arranged the book in chronological order so the events and weapons showed the transition of the evolution of weapons used in this transitional time of advancing technology and improvements. Worman makes good use of a extensive bibliography and Chronology (that keeps our history and events listed to put our history in perspective) and chapter footnotes. He has a logical chronological chapter starting from our earliest history through the beginning of the twentieth century. I liked his footnotes located at the end of the pages throughout each chapter. I could see the footnote and refer to the text and source he cited. Sometimes during my reading I was able to seek additional information and background before proceeding to the next page.
The author has written a good reference book to anyone who is interested in the weapon that were use by earlier Americans, and Native Americans. He refers to all the weapons used by the military or civilians. He is a retired deputy director of the National Museum of the U.S. Air force. A Fellow of the Company of Military Historians. He is coauthor of the two-volume Firearms of the America West 1803-1894 and coauthor of Gunsmoke and Saddle Leather, Firearms in the Nineteenth Century America. He has appeared on episodes of the television series The Real West, and Tales of the Gun. This book was written as a guide for writers, curators, and general readers. I believe he has written a gem for all those who want to know more about the weapons that protected others, were used in battle, and various uses that tamed this country or give its history. We find the reading of history fascinating, when we go back and study it. This book would be a fine text for anyone who wants a worthy resource and assist authors who seek accurate information on firearms. It is definitely a discipline work to put on the bookshelf for just such a need.
The Artillery of Gettysburg
Bradley M. Gottfried P. H. D.
Cumberland House Publishing, Inc.
431 Harding Industrial Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37211
9781581826234 $24.95 www.cumberlandhouse.com 1-615-832-1171
I selected this book to get a deeper background of the Civil War Gettysburg battle, that demonstrated the use of artillery and the various guns that dominated the troop movement. The bigger guns helped enable battles to be a defining line preventing armies form out flanking or penetrating each side without repercussions. The author Bradley M. Gottfried has done a nice job of clarification and extensive research in the Gettysburg battle scene. He enriches the view of understanding on what happened on those three days in July of 1863. His explanation adds more thought to the use of artillery used of Gettysburg and it is a welcomed text explaining all those details. His book is well researched with extensive bibliography and footnotes that cover much thorough work on the battle. The two appendixes cover the order of the battle, strengths, and losses of the artillery of Gettysburg, characteristics of Civil War cannons used at Gettysburg. The author personally prepared the 18 maps in the book.
The author does the book with readable prose, and points out how the artillery were a major killer on the battlefield. He explains how the Union army was better trained in artillery, and their units were well disciplined in the use of the weapon. The Union army also had more artillery and from their effective fire demonstrated usage during the different locations on those three days. He also pointed out how the Southern artillery frequently was hindered by poor fuses, which caused shells to explode too early, too late, or not al all. Bradley provides insight into how the two armies employed their artillery, how the different kinds of weapons functioned in battle, and the strategies of using them. He shows how artillery affected the ebb and flow of the fighting for both armies and thus provides an unique understanding of the strategies of the Federal and Confederate commanders.
I can see from the verbiage of how the author's focus and emphasis on the advantage of the Union Army It's pure strength of numbers of artillery and equipment that created the fire power edge from the first day of the battle to the third in that hot month of July. The explanation of the major difference of the smoothbore Napoleon to the rifled cannon illustrated how if distance of hitting massing troops a mile away using the latter to when the enemy approached utilizing the former. The book narrative prose and history gives the book a wealth of setting, time, and space covering the well known locations of each battle. All this came to the conclusion of that third day of July 1863. The book belongs on the shelf for future reference to all who want to keep details and information nearby to glance back on what happened on those three days. A fine book for historians, those who like history or for those who want to understand and know it better.
Daniel Allen
Reviewer
Debra's Bookshelf
No-Man's Land
Scott Huler
Crown
9781400082827 $24.95
Author Scott Huler found himself in his forties becoming obsessed with Homer's Odyssey, the epic that takes up where the Iliad leaves off, tracking Odysseus' adventures en route back home at the end of the Trojan War. Taking his inspiration from the Joyceans--fans of James Joyce's Ulysses who celebrate Bloomsday every June 16th by following the fictional Leopold Bloom's route through Dublin--Huler decided to travel the Mediterranean following the similarly unreal footsteps of the hero Odysseus. Huler left his pregnant wife behind and took off for, among other destinations, Calypso's island (Malta) and the Cyclops' cave (on Sicily) and the islands associated with the Sirens. Odysseus' visit to the Underworld is reenacted more in spirit than in fact.
Huler's book serves as a light-hearted introduction to the Odyssey and to various questions related to the epic--many but not all of them having to do with geography. In this Huler is largely successful. His discussions of the text make for good reading, both his plot summaries and his personal observations on the text. And his tone is charming and inviting. Here, for example, he describes what happened on the island of Thrinacia, when Odysseus' crew, against orders, roasted up the cattle of the sun god:
"There's a nice reaction scene when Odysseus, like Moses coming down from Sinai and seeing the worship of the golden calf, comes back from communing with the gods to smell the burning meat. Whether it's a spit-take, a whap of palm to forehead, or just a slow shaking of the head, you feel Odysseus thinking: 'Oh for pity's sake, shat next?' The hides of the cattle begin crawling along the ground, and the meat 'both roasted and raw' begins to bellow. You want to know hungry? For an entire week, the men continue to eat meat that's actually mooing at them. That's hungry."
As a travelogue the book works less well for me. Certainly the idea behind the book, the Odyssean hook, is very clever. But travel writing is most interesting when an author has the time to report on the quirks of a particular community or location. Huler doesn't stay anywhere long enough to be able to do this. His reports on the places he visits are quick and mostly unmemorable. There is much talk of the progress made on the journey and the modes of transport employed and the irritations met along the way. But one place on his travels looks very much like the rest after a while.
Huler's journey, both geographic and literary, is at the same time emotional: the author learns various Odyssey-related lessons along the way. Some of this comes off as affectation (was he really contemplating cheating on his pregnant wife with a stewardess on Calypso's island, or is that mere literary trope designed to bind his own experiences with the story currently under discussion?); some of it seems real enough.
There is an inherent difficulty in the task Huler undertook: the Odyssey, like Joyce's Ulysses, is fiction. It may contain snippets of historical truth, and some of the places used as settings in the book may be identifiable in the real world, but Odysseus did not, for example, blind the Cyclops Polyphemus in a cave in Sicily and escape with his men by clinging to the bellies of sheep. Huler knows this, but still, the lines between fact and fiction sometimes get blurred in his narrative:
"I spent a lot of time in that cave--probably close to two hours. I reread the episode and thought about where in this particular cave the monster and the crewmen might have stood, what the episode meant, and what the hell I was doing sweating in a cave full of goat shit north of Trapani, Sicily, while five thousand miles away my wife gestated alone."
So, a little silly at times and sometimes melodramatic, and perhaps fifty pages over-long, but because of its great concept and the author's pleasant way of introducing readers to Homer, Huler's No-Man's Land is certainly worth the read.
The Name of This Book is Secret
Pseudonymous Bosch
Little, Brown
9780316113663 $16.99
In his debut novel "Pseudonymous Bosch" tells a story wrapped in an enigma: not only is the name of the book a secret, as its very name asserts, but so are the names of his characters and other identifiers such as their location and hair color. But because he's got a story to tell and has to call them something, Bosch gives his characters pseudonyms. "Cassandra," or Cass, is an 11-year-old survivalist. She carries a backpack filled with supplies with her at all times and tends to imagine disasters around every corner. Because these never materialize, the people around her mostly dismiss her concerns--hence her similarity to her namesake, the Greek Cassandra, who was given the power of prophecy with the catch that no one would believe her. Cass's classmate "Max-Ernest"--whose dual name reflects his parents' divided opinions and lifestyle--is unusually talkative and has some kind of condition that has yet to be identified. Cass and Max-Ernest bond because they're both more accepting than most of one another's peculiarities. And soon they fall into a mystery. A secret message from a magician, presumed dead, leads them into peril--specifically, the evil, glove-wearing clutches of a pair of too-perfect-looking malefactors, the enigmatic Dr. L. And Ms. Mauvais.
To an extent Bosch's book is reminiscent of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events. Here too a pseudonymous author is telling the story of his young protagonists' brush with evil. He suggests readers not read the book. There is a secret organization of do-gooders involved, and the plot is even punctuated by suspicious fires. The narrator alludes to dangers he himself is facing, and he interrupts the narrative with amusing comments addressed to the reader. But Bosch is not as linguistically playful as Snicket, and a larger percentage of his text is pure story, I'd say, than one gets in the Snicket corpus.
I liked most of this book a lot. The protagonists are likable, not improbably smart but clever enough. The mystery held my interest. And the villains are deliciously creepy without wearing their evil on their sleeves. I was disappointed, however, in the ending, an important detail of which, involving a coded communication, seemed implausible. The ending also, frustratingly, left a lot unanswered, presumably in preparation for a sequel, though there is no indication on the book's jacket that this is the first in a series.
Dead Dancing Women
Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli
Midnight Ink
c/o Llewellyn Publications
2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-5989
9780738712666 $13.95
Dead Dancing Women is the first installment in a new series featuring Emily Kincaid, an unsuccessful mystery writer who's moved up to the woods of northern Michigan to live and write in peace. Three years into the move, Emily has no regrets. Her life is tranquil, work on the latest unlikely-to-be-published novel interrupted by gardening, piecework for the area's second largest paper, and getting to know the locals--at least until she's dragged headlong, as it were, into a mystery. When we first meet Emily she's bringing her garbage cans in from the road, a chore that's attracted the attention of an unusual number of crows--menacing in their quanity and their fearlessness and their single-minded interest in the contents of her trash can....
Because she's the one to find the severed head, and because of her journalistic interest in the case, Emily quickly turns from being a failed mystery writer into an amateur sleuth. She winds up all but partnering with Deputy Dolly--fully half of the local constabulary--driving around town and interviewing the locals about the dead woman. There are a number of avenues to explore: arguments among neighbors that might have escalated into murder, a local pastor's fiery denouncement of what the dead woman and her friends had been up to in the woods, a bunch of survivalists who just might be strange enough to have killed the woman.
Elizabeth Kane Buzzelli's debut mystery kept me interested to the end, though when it comes the solution to the puzzle is not very surprising. There's one loose end--regarding the condition of the first corpse discovered--that I would have liked tied up. But in general I enjoyed the read. Buzzelli has created an interesting circle of secondary characters--Emily's wacky neighbor Harry Mockerman, who's wont to stop by with the occasional batch of possum stew; her grating ex-husband Jackson, who's moving into the area and thus likely to be around for the next installment; the squat Deputy Dolly, who shows surprising flashes of femininity beneath her law-and-order exterior. I wouldn't mind visiting with these folks again.
Delusion
Peter Abrahams
William Morrow
9780061137990 $24.99
Peter Abrahams' Delusion is set in a suburb of New Orleans, Belle Ville, post-"Bernardine" (a stand-in for Katrina, though it's not clear why that change needed to be made). During the clean-up after the storm a file is found in a police locker that turns out to contain exculpatory evidence in an old case: twenty years earlier, Alvin Dupree had been convicted of the murder of a young scientist. He was positively identified in a line-up by the only eye witness to the crime, the victim's girlfriend Nell. She is now married to the detective who solved the case, who has since become Belle Ville's chief of police. The discovery of the evidence threatens to destroy Nell's world. At first dismissive of the find--she knows what she saw--she comes to doubt her senses and her memory, and finally questions whether the last twenty years of her life have been based on a lie.
Delusion is a timely read, both because of the significance of "Bernardine" to the story and because the plot concerns the belated exoneration of a wrongly accused prisoner--not by DNA evidence in this case, but the parallels to the recent spate of overturned convictions based on genetic evidence are clear. The plot is complex, with numerous characters complicating one another's understanding of the facts by lying at various times, though when we finally learn the motive behind the twenty-year-old crime it seems a little too neat. Most impressively, Abrahams has created in Alvin Dupree a character who is both pathetic and menacing: he may not have killed Nell's boyfriend back in the day, but he is decidedly not the picture of an innocent man.
Delusion doesn't offer pulse-pounding suspense. We're never scared for the characters, exactly, just a little worried now and then. But it's worth the read.
Bloggers' Delight: Volume One
Edited by Cedric Harris
Firefly Publishing and Entertainment
845 Common Oaks Place, Lawrenceville, GA 30045
9780977412648 $15.00
Love and redemption are the common themes in the new compilation Bloggers' Delight: Volume One from Firefly Publishing and Entertainment (edited by Cedric Harris). In this new short story collection sprinkled with poetry from various artists, readers will find stories of love, breakups, and tales of war (both military and urban).
In this anthology written by various writers who also blog, there are a few standout stories, including Diane Dorce's "Smoke," which tells the tale of a young man named Tyrell released from prison early only to face a gangster who wants him dead and a family he never knew. There's also "Rey of Hope" by Cordenia Paige, a story in which many who've known and lost love will relate. Finally, there's my favorite of the book, "Toss-A-Cross" by Torrance Stephens, a dark comedic answer to street lit. It tells the story of a man named Mac who must protect his family and property from wannabee thugs sent by his ex to either scare or do harm. Of the poetry, Saadia Ali Aschemann's work is another worthwhile discovery.
Though some of the stories have their problems (telling more than showing, lack of character descriptions, and minor editing issues) Bloggers' Delight: Volume One is still a decent introduction to some up and coming authors as well as an intro to some interesting short story characters that may one day become the focal points of even greater novels. Recommended.
Obsessive Branding Disorder
Lucas Conley
Public Affairs
250 West 57th Street, Suite 1321
New York, NY 10107
9781586484682 22.95
In today's business world, is it smarter to research how to build a better mousetrap or how to create a shiny, new package for the trap? Pose this question to Lucas Conley, the author of the new book Obsessive Branding Disorder, and I'm sure he'd answer the latter.
In Conley's book, he gives us an interesting perspective regarding corporations' obsession with branding. He digs deeply into the branding efforts of major corporations like Proctor & Gamble where branding well is a way of life. He also shares some unique ideas companies are implementing to make their brands known, such as using the services word-of-mouth companies like BzzAgents (which gives out free products to people who talk up their brands), using social networking sites, and even getting inside our heads with products that seem to speak to us from the shelves.
But does any of this work? It depends on what company you ask. Some branding initiatives thrive while others don't survive. Take the following passage for example:
Branding is more distraction than progress. Real change results from innovation that advances knowledge and improves the quality of our lives. It's difficult work for deferred and indefinite rewards. In 2006 Ford spent more on research and development than any other company in the world. It also lost $16 billion. Meanwhile, Apple, a leader in design and technical innovation, spends less of its revenue on R & D than the industry average and its profits have soared. It's a gamble.
Of course, it's great if the gamble works. The downside is, as Conley suggests in reference to branding, consumers stop listening when they're inundated with junk.
Though it relies too much on the happenings at Proctor & Gamble, Obsessive Branding Disorder is well written and meticulously researched. The book can fuel marketers looking for branding ideas but it can also be used as a dose of medicine for those corporations that take branding to the extreme. Either way you use it, it works. Be sure to add this one to your collection. Highly Recommended.
The Richard Matheson Companion
Edited by Stanley Waiter, Matthew R. Bradley, and Paul Stove
Gauntlet Publications
9781887368964 $60.00 www.gauntletpress.com
Say the name Richard Matheson and people will tell you they have no clue who he is. Even in the circle of science fiction and horror many have shaken their heads and said they have no idea who Richard Matheson is. I have always been very surprised because I grew up knowing the names Fredric Brown, Richard Matheson, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke and lots of others. I am not as shocked when I start rambling off things Matheson has done and find people know his work. Some of them are "The Incredible Shrinking Man," "I am Legend," "Somewhere In Time," "Kolchak The Night Stalker," "Duel" and numerous "Twilight Zone" episodes. He has written short stories since the 1940's, novels that have been turned into movies and TV shows, and he has been an influence in many writers like Stephen King. The editors have collected pieces from Barry Hoffman, Brian Lumley, David Morrell, Dean Koontz, George Clayton Johnson, F. Paul Wilson and numerous family members. The writings tell how Matheson broke into the field, wrote westerns and other genres, began writing screenplays, and his influence on the fields of horror sci fi, fantasy. This tribute is long overdue and well worth the time of anyone who wants to learn more about the man and his writings.
Home
Julie Andrews
Hyperion Books
77 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023
9780786865659 $26.95 www.HypoerionBooks.com
I wanted to like this book by one of the world's favorite performers. But there were too few portions to enjoy. She talks about her stage plays, movies, and other things readers would be interested to know about. Andrews tells her story but I was bored, I believe because I did not get a feel of what her costars were really like. Her depictions are one-dimensional. She throws out lots of names of people involved in her career but they are too wooden. I would have liked to know more about the people she has worked with over the years instead of just their names. The pacing is very slow and "Home" overall is very disappointing.
Don Pendleton's Stony Man Critical Effect
Gold Eagle
World Wide Library
225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9
9780373619795 $6.99 www.readgoldeagle.blogspot.com
I was disappointed with the way Gold Eagle marketed this particular volume. For several months this title was presented with the name Don Pendleton as the author. I was deceived into thinking that it might have been a long lost manuscript from the original author. The story, though, made up for it with lots of action adventure no fan can resist.
Freedom From Fear
Mark Matteson
Executive Books
206 West Allen Street, Mechanicsburg. PA 17055
0937539619 $9.95 www.ExecutiveBooks.com
A man has a car accident that changes his life for
