The Thorazine Mirrorball
Jack Maeby
Wild Child Publishing
P.O. Box 4897, Culver City, CA 90231-4897
1934069663 $5.95 www.wildchildpublishing.com
Aaron Paul Lazar
Reviewer
Jimmy Mack isn't crazy.
Well, at least not now. After two years of debilitating depression and forced exile in an asylum,
characterized by chunks of memory loss and high doses of heavy meds, the twenty-one-year old
rhythm and blues piano player is finally back.
Assigned a room in a halfway house in Albany in 1972, Jimmy reconnects with his old music
buddies and lands a lucrative gig in the Adirondacks. All goes well, until a group of thugs nearly
drive him off the road and people around him start dying, jeopardizing Jimmy's already fragile
mental state.
The young man, frazzled with nerves, is smitten by every pretty woman who crosses his path,
particularly singer Yvonne Marshall, with her caramel skin and velvet voice. The woman oozes
sex-appeal, creating a trail of shuddering men in her wake.
From one fast-paced scene to another, this book moves. Maeby also displays a deep musical
insight, with perception that reflect his history as a band member with acts such as The Neville
Brothers, Etta James, and Carly Simon, as well as his accomplishments and awards for his
compositions in the film and musical fields. Yet within the action, there are also moments of
poignant poetry couched in Maeby's words.
"It was the opening movement of a dance done by demons, the prelude to panic, and then to
darkness. If the feeling had sound, it would be an atonal moan in the bass register, accompanied
by brittle, frenetic percussion. I knew it as the insistent, cruel pulse of anxiety."
Jack Maeby has created a superb thriller in this taut and colorful novel. Characters jump from the
page - such as Shorty, the irascible record shop owner who becomes inadvertently involved in a
shady music business deal. Each of Maeby's characters tremble with life; their natural dialogue is
easy to swallow. The prose flows effortlessly, with none of the forced literary faux pas often
made by first time novelists. There is no excess here, each word is precisely placed and potent. It
is clear that in addition to his innate talent, this writer has done his homework.
The Thorazine Mirrorball is highly recommended for all lovers of mystery/suspense, music, or
crime novels. The only question remaining is this: when will Mr. Maeby produce his next
jewel.
The Uncommon Reader, a Novella
Alan Bennett
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
New York, NY
9780374280963, $15.00
Dr. Alma H. Bond
Reviewer
The Uncommon Reader, a Novella, by Alan Bennett, is a "what if" book that takes the reader into
the life of Great Britain's own Queen Elizabeth 11 and shows us what conceivably could happen
if the staid, prosaic, TV loving Queen discovered the world of books.
The Uncommon Reader, a Novella, by Alan Bennett, is a charming, delightful book.
Wonderfully imaginative and original, this slender book of only 120 pages pictures the Queen
developing from a dull, duty-bound stereotyped monarch and matriarch of a dysfunctional family
to one caught up in the magic of strange lives and loves.
It all began with her ever-present Corgis, who began barking loudly one day. Elizabeth went to
see what all the ruckus was about, and found a mobile library parked outside one of the kitchens
of Buckingham Palace. More in an effort to be polite than because of any riveting interest, she
decided to borrow a book, as she thought that not doing so would seem to the librarian that the
library was somehow lacking. A young man who worked in the Palace kitchen was also taking
out a book. He and the Queen began a discussion that was to change her life and that of her
empire, along, no doubt, with history. She promptly removed Norman from the kitchen and made
him her literary advisor.
To her surprise, she became deeply involved in the book, and soon began a second, a third, and
then a fourth. Each one she read opened up new vistas and led to the next on her list. As the
Queen became more and more engrossed in reading, her family and advisors were disturbed and
yearned for the return of their old, predictable Queen. Passing her bedroom one night, her
husband, the Duke of Edinborough, heard her laugh out loud. "All right, old Girl?" he asked. "Of
course," she answered. "I'm reading." The Duke said, "Again?" and went off shaking his head (p.
13).
Her attendants were disgruntled at having to vary their routines. Lord Kevin, the Royal Secretary,
intensely disapproved of the Queen's new passion, although he tried to cover it up."I can
understand," he said, "Your Majesty's need to pass the time."
"Pass the time?" said the Queen, who was growing wiser by the day. "Books are not about
passing the time. They are about other lives. Other worlds. Far from wanting to pass the time, Sir
Kevin, One just wishes one had more of it" (p. 29).
Unfortunately, the Queen's reading brought out other feelings along with her pleasure. She felt
regret and mortification at all the opportunities she had missed. When she had met Masefield and
Walter de la Mare, for example, there had been nothing she could think of to say to them.
Similarly, she had been speechless in the presence of Priestley, T.S. Eliot, and Ted Hughes. How
she would love to have such opportunities now, but unfortunately, they all were dead.
"Everybody's dead," she said glumly (p. 10). Years before, she had sat next to Lord David Cecil
who had written books on Jane Austen, and these days would have relished the encounter. But
Lord David also was dead now and so it was too late. "Too late. It was all too late," (p. 75) the
grieving Queen said. But she went on reading determinably, in her attempt to catch up.
The Queen believed that one of the charms of reading lay in its indifference. Books did not care
if anyone read them or not. "All readers were equal, herself included" (p. 30). That reflection
took her back to one of the greatest joys of her girlhood. On VE night, she and her sister had
slipped outside the gates and mingled unrecognized by the crowds. She felt there was a similar
joy in reading; "It was anonymous; it was shared; it was common."
One of the Queen's duties was to open Parliament. She had never found the task particularly
irksome, but did now, as she regretted the two hours it would take her away from her book. So
she developed a system as she rode in the coach where she could do her duty and still follow her
newfound desire. She got quite adept at focusing on her book and not the crowds, keeping the
book below the level of the window and waving at the same time. The Duke didn't like it one bit,
but the Queen rode happily along. If she waved a bit listlessly at the crowds, it didn't bother her,
if indeed she was aware of it at all.
The Queen also found that she was bored with her previous method of interacting with her
subjects, asking them their length of service, birthplace, where they lived now, and so forth. She
soon abandoned these questions for a new conversational gambit, "What are you reading now?"
she would ask Few of her subjects had a ready answer, as it was a rare person who was reading
anything at all. The Queen would often fill in the silence by fishing out a paperback from her
handbag and making them a present of it. The equerries soon began suggesting to the subjects
beforehand a list of books they could mention. As a result, the Queen came away with "a
disproportionate notion of the near universal affection for Joanna Trollope" (p. 42).
Now that she was reading so intensively, she began to slip up a bit on her previously immaculate
appearance, and the formerly rigidly punctual Queen also began to be a bit late for meetings. An
equerry was embarrassed by her new behaviour and believed it indicated that she was beginning
to show her age. "Like any change of behavior in the elderly, it was readily put down to decay"
(p. 81).
At the beginning of her new passion, the Queen read haphazardly, with each book leading to
another. In the next stage, she made notes in which she simply wrote down passages that struck
her fancy. Only after a year or two of making such notes did she begin to write an occasional
thought of her own. I am an opsimath," she said, a word Norman had found in her dictionary,
"one who learns only late in life...It occurred to her (as she wrote down the next day) that reading
was, among other things, a muscle and one that she had seemingly developed" (p. 99). She who
had never been subject to anyone would now be on a par with the rest of humanity. Reading
could not change that - although writing might. She found that when she had written something
down, it made her happy. It seems the Queen was beginning to show symptoms of becoming a
writer.
On the occasion of her 80th birthday party, the Queen said that she didn't know what there was to
celebrate, but "one of the few things to be said for it (aging) is that one has at least achieved an
age at which one can die without people being shocked." She added, "At 80 things do not occur:
they recur." She spoke of all she had learned and wondered what would happen to it..."I think it
is time," she said, "that from being a reader I become, or try to become, a writer." She spoke of
her ancestors, who had written books, and the Duke of Windsor, who had written A King's
Story.
But Ma'am, the prime minister objected, he only wrote the book after he abdicated.
"Oh, did I not say that?" said the Queen.
Alan Bennett has written an utterly engrossing, humorous account of a never never land we all
wish would exist. The book is a page turner that is difficult to put down. Nobody who has read it
will ever forget Bennett's imaginative world of a reinvented British monarchy. The Uncommon
Reader is highly recommended to disillusioned lovers of British royalty, and to everyone who
enjoys a good story. I can empathize with Bennett's Elizabeth. Reading has made my life a
wonderland, too.
Alan Bennett has been one of England's leading dramatists for half a century, since Beyond the
Fringe brought him to New York in the '60s. His theatre experience no doubt has helped him to
bring the portrait of the often boring Queen to life, not an easy task! His other work includes the
Talking Heads television series and the stage plays Forty Years On, The Lady in the Van, A
Question of Attribution, and most impressive of all to this reviewer, The Madness of George 111.
His most recent play, The History Boys, won six Tony Awards, including Best Play, in 2006. It
was also released as a feature film. In the same year his memoir Untold Stories was a number one
bestseller in the U.K., and he was named the Author of the Year at the 2006 British Book
Awards.
Paint Me President
Dr. Thomas Moore
Alphar Publishing
130 Church Street, #413, New York, NY 10007
0978602404, $16.95 www.alpharpublish.com
Anthony Chaytor
Reviewer
PAINT ME PRESIDENT is funny, insightful, and revealing, It is a humorous novel which
contrasts the PR images of our presidential aspirant Hillary with endearing characters, such as the
maligned survivor Carl Meeks, his granddaughter and philosophical prostitute Carmella, her
whistle blowing husband Tony, and the seductive sleaze of her PR agent, Mr. Gingrinch: "Hillary
could declassify national secrets. I want Tony to produce a Hillary TV script that will destroy her
credibility. Democracy is too fragile a flower to risk in the hands of a woman "
Just as The Newton Show offers a metaphor for contemporary American culture, Paint Me
President depicts the plastic images created for our politicians by media giants such as Newton
PR, a media landscape of lifelike fantasies of our political candidates and our values. Hillary is
trapped in the prison of her manipulated public media image, disguised as the real person. Our
entire society may be living in an enclosed, high-tech, drug-induced deception of
self-indulgence.
Hillary feels blocked by malevolent simulators and high-tech manipulators who are intent on
keeping her inside the plastic bubble of her public image. In the end, Hillary goes on a journey to
escape this realm of smoke and mirrors: Dr. Thomas Moore uses a docudrama comedic genre to
trace the history of government corruption, questions the manipulation of our youth, and
promotes a survival strategy to resist the threat of global catastrophe.
What Legends Are Made Of
Heather Beck.
Rain Publishing Inc.
2025 Guelph Line, Suite 264, Burlington, Ontario, Canada L7P 4X4
9781897381427 $15.00
Carol Butler
Reviewer
What Legends Are Made Of is the latest anthology by my favourite author Heather Beck. This is
a collection for an older audience as the content and language challenges the reader. Consisting
of four paranormal stories, "Sir Tristan's Estate" begins this amazing anthology. "Sir Tristan's
Estate" is about a photographer, Krista, who is on a mission to capture the sad story behind the
tourist-driven estate. When she arrives the estate is closed. The only person there is the
mysterious man named Tom Dove. The passionate and strange relationship between Krista and
Tom immediately drew me into the story. Everything is not as it appears in "Sir Tristan's Estate".
A heart-racing ride is followed by another. "Sir Tristan's Estate" is definitely my favourite story
of this collection.
The second story, "Blue Water" is beautifully described. The tale involves young love, ancient
love, deadly waters and mythical creatures. The complexity of the female lead really struck me as
excellent character development. The resolution is very satisfying.
The third story, "Freaky Frank" is so creative. It's a summer romance filled with discoveries, fear
and big decisions. Every woman will fall in love with Frank and wish they were Brittany.
The last story brought about feelings of sadness because I didn't want this cool anthology to be
over. "One Stop Horror Shop" has a wicked title and excellent writing throughout. A newly
married couple own a costume and truck store which sells products that are a bit too real. The
whole tale is filled with unexpected excitement, scares and even laughs.
What Legends Are Made Of is another great anthology by Heather Beck. She has an unbelievable
imagination that is creatively astonishing. Her writing ability is advanced for her young age.
What Legends Are Made Of gets five stars and is highly recommended to paranormal
readers.
Trench Warfare Under Grant and Lee
Earl J. Hess
The University of North Carolina Press
116 South Boundary Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514-3808
9780807831540 $39.95
Daniel Allen
Reviewer
I was very fortunate to pick up his first book in Dr. Hess's planned three-part series on trench
warfare and field fortifications. The title was Field Armies and Fortifications in the Civil War /
The Eastern Campaigns, 1861-1864. I picked up the second, Trench Warfare under Grant & Lee
and it's at the most fundamental level of narrative history of military operations in the Overland
campaign of May and June 1864, covering a period of six weeks. Dr Hess uses original research,
and careful inspections of archeological remains.
This becomes a thoughtful and readable analysis of the evolution of field works of Wilderness,
Spotsylvania, Bermuda Hundred, North Anna, and Cold Harbor. I learned a rich understanding of
these two Civil War campaigns. The heavy combat illustrates how the field fortifications
influenced the course of the Overland Campaign. Hess points out that " the use of these
fortifications were not due to some irrational fear, but due to a real and potent threat: the
continued presence of an enemy army within striking distance. Their use was a rational and
logical response to that threat."
Hess describes both the Union and Confederate armies field earthworks, and how Grant and Lee
used them This new era of field entrenchments kept both armies to dig in for self-protection.
Hess uses historic photographs and new maps of trench remnants to explain and strengthen his
case. Despite massive casualties Grant pressed forward to gain the strategic control and the
initiative. Grant was able to hold it for the rest of the war in the eastern theater. Hess confines the
technical details of entrenchment and breastwork design for an appendix, keeping his main
narrative brisk and interesting to the reader or student. His work demonstrates a discipline of
almost 20 years of research. He kept his researched material crammed in two file cabinets from
his travels, while visiting over 303 sites of the Civil War. He made good use of them by writing
his two books to reach a new benchmark level on the topic of entrenchments.
After I have read this book, I must be patient and await Dr. Hess's writing of the third planned
volume. I anticipate it to mirror his other two masterful works reflecting an important
contribution to Civil War literature.
His third book is to cover Petersburg to the end of the war. I generally refrain from any star
rating, but books in this series rate easily five-stars.
Joseph's Bones: Understanding the Struggle Between God and Mankind in the Bible
Jerome M. Segal
Riverhead Books
c/o The Berkley Publishing Group
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
9781594489396 $24.95 www.penguin.com 1-800-847-5515
Fred Reiss, Ed.D.
Reviewer
If the Bible is correct, then morality entered the world when Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of
Knowledge since after eating its fruit, their eyes were open, they saw that they were naked, and
sewed fig leaves together to cover their nakedness. This fruit imparted the special gift that
allowed them to distinguish good from evil and right from wrong. Is there, then, a moral
imperative that transcends the divine? After all, God did not command them, "Thou shall not go
naked," yet Adam and Eve knew it was wrong, and then took the affirmative step to clothe
themselves in order to correct the error.
God did command them not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge and later, when they heard God
in the Garden of Eden, they hid. Adam and Eve hid because they knew it was wrong to disobey
God's command precisely because they ate the forbidden fruit. Suppose God commanded, "Don't
chop down any of the trees in the garden," but for whatever reason, they chopped one down.
Would they have known that it was wrong? The answer must be a resounding "No" because
Adam and Eve were amoral until they ate from the Tree of Knowledge.
The biblical text specifically says that possessing knowledge of good and evil is a god-like
quality (according to the Book of Genesis, another quality is immortality, which Adam and Eve
could have achieved by eating the fruit of the Tree of Life, which might have happened if God
had allowed them to remain in the Garden of Eden.) Now, author Jerome M. Segal jumps in and
poignantly asks, if morality is self-evident and god-like, then is God moral? His newest book,
Joseph's Bones: Understanding the Struggle Between God and Mankind in the Bible, offers the
unequivocal answer that God is not moral.
To arrive at this conclusion, Segal reads the first six books of the Bible, the Five Books of Moses
and the Book of Joshua, which he calls the Hexateuch, as novels devoid of any religious
significance, a method known as narrative criticism. Joseph's Bones makes four important points.
First, God cannot be a God without worshipers, and so he sets out to find a people to make His
own. Second, God is an immoral, totalitarian, hot-headed god, as shown in certain biblical stories
including: Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, the binding
of Isaac, and His interactions with Israelites as they wander in the desert under the leadership of
Moses. Third, God's morality is different (and better) by the time Joshua takes the mantle of
leadership. Finally, Joseph's persona is the antithesis of God's character.
Segal does a commendable job reviewing the Hexateuch, and I will mention only some of his
examples. In the time of Noah, God kills off all living things because some group, perhaps most,
of humanity is wicked and lawless. Segal asks if it is possible for newborn babies and infants to
be evil? What sin could the animals possibly have committed? He concludes that God is immoral
because He kills the innocent with the guilty. Noah might have been the most righteous of his
generation, but he lacks the intestinal fortitude to denounce God's moral errors on each of the
three occasions that God informs Noah that He will bring an end to all flesh. The biblical
narratives suggest to Segal that God regrets what he did after Noah appeases Him with numerous
sweet-smelling sacrifices, and consequently, God gives Himself a sign, a rainbow, as a personal
reminder never to destroy the world in a fit of anger by flood again.
Segal informs us that Abraham, the father of the Jewish people, was God's match. Not wanting to
directly confront an all-powerful being bent on killing everyone who inhabits Sodom and
Gomorrah, Abraham asks God if He will sweep away the innocent with the guilty: "Shall not the
Judge of all the earth deal justly?" Abraham pleads six different times with God to change the
criteria from total destruction to saving the cities if He can find only five innocent people.
According to Segal, God fumes over this dialogue and Abraham's price to pay was the near
sacrificing of Isaac.
Moses, like a rainbow, is drawn from water. As such, he stands as a permanent reminder to God
not to destroy the entire Israelite nation. For example, many, but not all, of the Israelites worship
the golden calf. As a result, Moses destroys the tablets holding the Ten Commandments, smashes
the idol, and forces the people to drink the gold. God plans the annihilation of the Israelites;
killing the innocent with the guilty, and starting over with Moses. The next day Moses asks God
to forgive them or to be killed along with the Israelites. God refuses to absolve the guilty and
kills three thousand Israelites.
Though Moses fears God's uncontrollable wrath, he demands that God be in their midst and that
he be permitted to see God's face. According to Segal, Moses asks these things because he wants
to have a deeper understanding of God in order to become a better protector of the people. God
does not grant Moses his request and only permits Moses to see His back.
The twelve spies return from the Promised Land. Ten report that the Israelites will lose any war
fought with its inhabitants. God does not just punish the ten by killing them through some
plague. No, He punishes the entire people by forcing them to march in circles in the desert for
forty years. Six hundred thousand will die without ever seeing Canaan. Later, in Korah's
Rebellion against Moses, God only kills 14,700 associated with Korah; leaving the innocent
alone. For Segal, there is hope for God.
By the time we reach the Book of Deuteronomy, Moses has grown from the humblest person on
the face of the Earth who cannot speak without his brother to a dynamic spokesman for and
fearless leader and guardian of the Jewish People. Deuteronomy, according to Segal, is not just a
recapitulation of God's laws, but a warning to follow God's laws or face total obliteration. Moses
truly fears for his people after he is gone, and passes the mantle of leadership on to Joshua
because Joshua grasps the essence of Moses teachings. By this time, God is not only in their
midst, but he directs the strategy of battle, and is satisfied if the Israelites, themselves, seek out
and punish sinners.
The Israelites carried two arks in the desert for forty years, the Ark of the Covenant and the ark
that held Joseph's bones. The former was commanded by God; the later as the fulfillment of a
promise to Joseph made 400 years earlier when he asked that his bones be carried out of Egypt
with the Exodus and buried in the Promised Land. According to Segal, Joseph represents
everything that God is not. Joseph was a powerful ruler who chose mercy over justice and love
over vindictiveness. The Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant out of fear, but Joseph's bones
out of admiration.
Segal concludes with an Afterword and an Appendix. It is here that he goes far astray. In the
Afterword he replaces the method of narrative criticism with a religious analysis of Jesus' life to
show that God has further changed from a God who punishes the masses to one who punishes the
individual sinner, and that He has evolved into a God of love. He makes the point that Jesus
became the Pascal lamb to save the world from sin, just as Moses directed the killing of the
Passover lamb so that the blood could be used to save the first-born Jews.
The Afterword relies so little on the narratives of the New Testament that it is difficult to
understand if he is referring to Original Sin, or sin in general. If he means Original Sin, then he
previously pointed out that Adam and Eve, and subsequently all of humanity were punished for
this sin through expulsion from the Garden of Eden, childbirth pains and working the land to
obtain food. If his conclusion is that belief in Jesus saves the world from Original Sin, then he
contradicts his previous findings. Segal never builds a case that God is so immoral that He
punishes for the same sin twice. On the other hand, if he means sin in the general sense, we also
have a contradiction, for there is never a claim made that being Jewish and believing in God
prevents divine punishment, so how does the analogy of being Christian and believing in God's
son avoid divine punishment? Moreover, Segal does not carry this logic to the present and
discuss God's morality during the time of the Crusades, pogroms, or the Holocaust.
If Segal had stopped with the Book of Joshua, disapproval could only be leveled at his narrow
use of literary criticism to interpret the Bible. For example, in addition to analyzing the
narratives, one expects him to consider changes in style within a text, and from one book to
another, something that may not be obvious when relying on an English translation. Similarly,
God uses various names for Himself throughout the Bible, particularly the quotes cited in
Joseph's Bones. Segal leads us to believe that there is just one primary name for God, Yahweh;
however he cites numerous passages that use the word the Hebrew word Elohim, which also
translates as God. Perhaps God already recognizes His nature, and uses different names to impart
different actions.
Segal would have us believe that the narratives speak for themselves, but they do not. In too
many places he is forced to make extraordinary inferences to complete his story. Additionally, if
the books of the Hexateuch are read as novels, then their stories must be interpreted through the
moral frame of reference in which they were written, the Middle Eastern culture. There is a
long-standing tradition in the Middle East that an entire family is killed for the indiscretion of
one of its members. Perhaps this is the upshot of an even older tradition in which an entire tribe
is eliminated for the imprudence of one member. Moreover, until modern times, the truly
powerful in all cultures lived by laws of their own making, and the populace bore the sufferance
of the sovereign. In the end, Joseph's Bones may not be so much a book about the evolution of
God's morality, as of mankind's.
Lifeblood
Penny Rudolph
Poisoned Pen Press
6962 East First Avenue, Suite 103, Scottsdale, AZ 85251
9781590583463 $24.95
Rob Kresge
Reviewer
Penning a sequel to a well-received first mystery novel can be tricky. Especially if that first novel
was the intriguing Thicker Than Blood, featuring popular Los Angeles garage owner Rachel
Chavez, and peopled with well-drawn supporting characters that we all wanted to see more
of.
Well, fret no more. Albuquerque author Penny Rudolph has produced a winning sophomore
effort in which Rachel returns in top form. As a recovering alcoholic with an arrest record, she
can still be her own worst enemy, afraid of reporting suspicious incidents to the police, and so
doggedly pursues an investigation that she knows professionals will ignore.
Rachel discovers a locked van in her garage with the bodies of two Hispanic children inside, one
barely alive. She quickly takes both to nearby Jefferson Hospital and checks them in through the
emergency room. Good citizen Rachel returns the next day to find no record of either child
having been admitted. Since the police would have nothing to investigate, Rachel is on her own.
Why no record? What's going on in the mysterious fourth-floor ward at the hospital?
Complicating Rachel's search for answers are fascinating subplots that Penny Rudolph is known
for. Her fiance Hank is pressing her to name a wedding date. Her compulsive gambler father
Marty is on a winning streak and wants to shower her with gifts. Office cleaning shift boss
Goldie again provides emotional and practical support to Rachel's bouts of frustration and
anxiety. And her friend Irene, a street person, helps out at the garage and bucks up Rachel's
courage.
And she needs courage. Two attempts on her life leave her and Hank seriously wounded. Where
is Marty after a big win? Why can't she contact him? Do some of the hospital staff, doctors and a
pharmacist Rachel is drawn to, have anything to do with the missing children? And are the
attacks on her related to her investigation? She has to deal with a frightening "don" of the
Mexican Mafia and starts to carry a pistol. None too soon. If Rachel is to keep her own
"lifeblood," she'll have to become her own bodyguard.
What I Believe
Anthony Kenny
Continuum
9780826496164 $25.95
David Roemer
Reviewer
There are three reasons to believe that our freedom is before God: 1) We know from logic and
reason that God exists. 2) Miraculous historical events show God has communicated Himself to
mankind. 3) When people explain why they don't believe in God, they generally give bad
reasons.
The third reason is also why we can tell our children to believe in God as if there was no question
about it. Children should be told about irrational people, like Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett,
and Christopher Hitchens, only when they need to know. These Big Bad Wolves were educated
in a tradition created by the Enlightenment and have always assumed that religion is not true.
They are crackpots with whom it is impossible to have a rational conversation.
Anthony Kenny, however, was educated by the Roman Catholic Church. He was a priest before
he became a professor of philosophy and a nonbeliever. Is it possible to have a rational
conversation with him? Does he give better reasons for not believing than the Big Bad
Wolves?
The truth of the neo-Darwinian evolution of human beings is an article of faith in the
Enlightenment religion, and the biggest difference between them and Professor Kenny can be
found in his chapter titled "Human Beings." The following quote from Kenny casts doubt on the
absolute truth of evolution. If human beings have something animals do not have at all, humans
could not have evolved from animals:
"What is peculiar to our species is the capacity for thought and behavior of the complicated and
symbolic kinds that constitute the linguistic, social, moral, economic, scientific, cultural and
other characteristic activities of human beings in society. The mind is a capacity, not an activity:
it is the capacity to acquire intellectual abilities of which the most important is the mastery of
language. The will, in contrast with animal desire, is the capacity to pursue goals that only
language-users can formulate." (p. 69)
I am not sure I understand the distinction between "capacity" and "activity." Whatever he means,
his comments no more shed light on the question "What is a human being?" than saying human
beings are rational animals. The indefinability of the mind and mystery of a human being is why
humans are embodied spirits or spirited bodies, at least to people with whom a rational
conversation is possible. This does not necessarily mean human beings did not evolve from
animals because it is possible that animals possess the potential of having intellects and wills. It
is also possible that human beings possess spiritual souls and animals do not, making the
evolution of human beings impossible. Regardless of these possibilities, people who deny that
human beings are embodied spirits are obsessively and irrationally in love with the methodology
of science. Kenny does not say that human beings are embodied spirits in so many words, but he
comes close:
"Human beings and their brains are physical objects; their minds are not, because they are
capacities. This does not mean they are spirits. A round peg's ability to fit into a round hole is not
a physical object like the round peg itself, but no one will suggest that is it is a spirit. It is not any
adherence to dualism, but a simple concern for conceptual clarity, that makes me insist that a
mind is not a physical object and does not have a length and a breadth." (p. 71)
In this chapter, Kenny takes the trouble to refute Cartesian dualism the idea that human beings
are pure spirits and ride their bodies like CEOs ride their desks. Cartesian dualism is often
criticized by materialists and atheists when they discuss religion because it is a straw man. Kenny
believes in the mystery, indefinability, and spirituality of man, but downplays his views in order,
I suppose, to make the book marketable. Marketing is the delivery of goods and services to the
consumer and effective marketing requires a decision about the product's market position.
We can also learn about religion from Kenny, something that never happens when you read the
writings of those who feel mankind would be better off without religion. The following quote is
from the chapter titled "Religion":
"In my view, faith is not a virtue, but a vice, unless certain conditions are fulfilled. One is that the
existence of God can be rationally established without appeal to faith. Accepting something as a
matter of faith is taking God's word for its truth: but one cannot take God's word for it that He
exists."(p. 59)
Kenny has concluded that the existence of God cannot be proven. The most logically rigorous
proof is the cosmological argument, which is based on the metaphysical concepts of being and
causality. In effect, Kenny is saying the cosmological argument is refutable. Since the Roman
Catholic Church teaches that we can prove God exists, this would mean there is a
non-theological and non-biblical argument against the Roman Catholic Church's claim to
infallibility.
Kenny's uncle was the editor of the English Jerusalem Bible and a teacher at the seminary Kenny
went to in Liverpool. When he graduated at the age of 18, he enrolled at his uncle's alma mater,
the Gregorian University in Rome. He rubbed shoulders with Hans Kung, and was taught by
Bernard Lonergan and Frederick Copleston, to repeat some names he mentions in his
autobiography (The Path From Rome, Oxford University Press, 1986). When he was ordained he
took the anti-modernist oath, but declined to take it again for his doctorate. In the following
quote he explains why:
"In the 1950s, candidates for a doctorate in Papal universities had to swear to a document called
the anti-modernist oath, which contained the statement that it was possible to prove the existence
of God. Though I had submitted a dissertation and passed the examinations, I was unwilling to
proceed to the degree because I did not wish to take this oath. If God's existence could be known,
I very much doubted whether it would be known by way of proof. Since then I have studied
arguments for the existence of God presented by many philosophers, and I have not yet found a
convincing one." (p. 31)
Maybe Kenny thinks you can't prove God exists because you can't prove that the universe makes
sense and can be understood. This is a valid objection, notwithstanding the success we have had
in science by making the assumption of the intelligibility of the universe. However, we can use
this objection to refute atheists who claim they are being rational and believe the universe is not
absurd.
In the chapter titled "Why I Am Not an Atheist," Kenny discusses three cosmological changes or
transformations: the development of language in human beings, the origin of life, and the big
bang. Since there is no good natural explanation for these changes, he argues, you can't exclude
the possibility of a supernatural explanation. Concerning the origin of language he says:
"If we reflect on the social and conventional nature of language, we find something odd in the
idea that language may have evolved because of the advantages possessed by language users over
non-language users. It seems as absurd as the idea that banks may have evolved because those
born with an innate cheque-writing ability were better off than those born without it." (p. 25)
This is why common sense and intuition leads non-philosophers to be theists and not atheists.
Since human beings are embodied spirits, the existence of humans cannot be explained by the
biology of reproduction and evolution. A supernatural being must have created human beings.
Kenny argues in favor of a third philosophical option known as agnosticism.
The Lonely Crowd is a landmark sociological analysis that identifies the personality types called
inner-directed and outer-directed. Atheists are obviously inner-directed types because they don't
care what other people think. Agnostics are outer-directed types, and feel more comfortable
saying they don't know whether or not God exists since so many people believe in God and
believe their purpose in life is to serve God. I think this is why some people are atheists and
others are agnostics.
Concerning the origin of the universe Kenny says:
"The most fundamental reason in favor of postulating an extra-cosmic agency of any kind is
surely the need to explain the origin of the universe itself It is not the existence of the universe
that calls for explanation, but its coming into existence." (p. 28)
Kenny is referring to the big bang, which was an extremely dense fireball of elementary particles
that began our universe. Kenny agrees with the following metaphysical proposition: A being that
begins to exist at some point in time needs a cause. If you assume that the big bang was a change
from nothingness to a being or many beings, then the existence of an "extra-cosmic" agency can
be inferred. However, if the big bang was preceded by a vacuum, this inference is not necessary
since a vacuum may not be nothingness. A vacuum may be a real being or beings, not a mental
being or an idea. A vacuum may have as much status in being as a photon or elementary
particle.
A physicists will not find the idea that a vacuum exists strange because it was once thought that a
vacuum consisted of a sea of negative energy electrons and that a positron was a hole in this sea.
A physicists is also aware of the reality of kinetic energy which can be transformed into as many
electron-positron pairs as you want as long as E = mc squared.
His third argument against atheism comes from the origin of life itself, which cannot be
explained by natural selection:
"This is not to say that neo-Darwinians do not offer explanations of the origin of life; of course
they do, but they are explanations of a radically different kind. All such explanations try to
explain life as produced by the chance interaction of non-living materials and forces subject to
purely physical laws." (p. 26)
A metaphysical approach is to rank the cosmological transformations in order of the magnitude
of the change in the properties of the different modes of being. The following is my personal
ranking:
1. animals to human beings
2. large molecules to single-celled organisms
3. vacuum to big bang
4. single-celled organisms to animals
5. elementary particles to atoms
Concerning the smallest change, modern field theory enables physicists to derive the properties
of atoms from the properties of elementary particles. However, the theories are only
approximations and are not entirely satisfactory for a number of reasons.
In the two-part chapter titled "Why I Am Not a Theist," Kenny reviews the proofs of God's
existence offered by various philosophers and claims to refute them. Kenny fails to mention the
idea that a finite being needs a cause but an infinite being does not, which is why an infinite
being must exist. This is the crux of the cosmological argument.
A refutation of the cosmological argument that does not consider the contingency of a finite
being and the self-sufficiency of an infinite being is not a refutation at all. The cosmological
proof, I can call it now, can be analyzed further with the metaphysical concepts of essence and
existence. I'll begin an explanation of these ideas with a quote from Kenny:
"For what is meant by 'necessary being'? Surely, a being in whom essence involves existence,
that is to say, a being whose existence can be established by the ontological argument." (p.
37)
To me the ontological argument God exists because the concept of exists? makes no sense,
however, it does make sense to say that God is a necessary or self-sufficient being. That God's
essence "involves" God's existence is not clear or sure at all. According to Thomas Aquinas
(1225 to 1274), a finite being is a metaphysical composition of two correlative metaphysical
principles: essence and existence. The essence of a being is not added on to the existence, but
acts to limit the existence of the finite being.
This analysis explains why finite beings are different from one another and gives a reason why
finite beings need a cause. Finite beings need a cause because they are compositions and could
not have composed themselves. Finite beings need a cause, also, because they could not have
limited themselves. This analysis also means that an infinite being is a being that does not have
an essence. An infinite being is a pure act of existence. "I am who am" is the way God explained
it to Moses in Exodus.
Continuing the above quote above from "Religion":
"Another is that the historical events that are claimed to constitute the divine revelation must be
independently established as historically certain as having the same certainty, say, as that
Charles I was beheaded in London, or that Cicero was once consul in Rome. The events that are
pointed to as founding charters for the world's great religions can surely not claim this degree of
certainty." (p. 60)
The historical event that is "founding charter" of Christianity is the resurrection of Jesus. The
Resurrection is an historical event that can't be explained in terms of any other historical event
because of its impact on history itself. Nonbelievers consider the Resurrection to be a religious
experience that the followers of Jesus had. The faith response of Christians to the Resurrection is
to believe that Jesus entered into a new life with God and that if you follow Jesus the same thing
can happen to you. Believers in non-Christian religions are responding in faith to the
Resurrection too because they are aware of it and hope for salvation.
Kenny acknowledges the historical accuracy of the New Testament:
"I do not share the extreme scepticism of many scholars, including Christian scholars, about the
historical value of the Gospels. For instance, that Jesus at his last meal took bread and wine and
said something like 'this is my body, this is my blood' seems to me to be as likely to be true as
anything that is narrated in the records of the early Roman Empire. With regard to the Acts of the
Apostles, I have long been amused to note that Catholic biblical scholars often appear less ready
to accept them as broadly historical than are atheists colleagues in ancient history departments. "
(p. 58)
What happened to the two benchmarks of historical accuracy: the beheading of Charles I and the
consulship of Cicero? What is the point of benchmarks if you don't use them? What religious
historical events does Kenny have in mind when he says they are not certain? Is he thinking of
miracles performed by Moses and recorded in Exodus?
I went to a college run by Jesuits in the early 1960s. During a theology class one day, apropos of
nothing while writing on the chalkboard, the theology professor turned to the class and said,
"Does anyone here seriously believe Lazarus rose from the dead? It is just a story." Did Kenny
lose his faith and I didn't lose mine because I had better theology teachers?
Why doesn't Kenny just admit that he lost his faith? Why does he give us this hogwash about
Charles I and Cicero? My guess is that the market for an honest book about religion by a
nonbeliever is pretty small. There is a market for anti-religion books and pro-religion books, but
who wants to buy a book from an ex-priest saying I wish I could believe.
Designing Organizations for High Performance
David P. Hanna
Addison-Wesley
75 Arlington Street, Suite 300, Boston, MA 02116
0201126931 $34.00 www.awprofessional.com 1-800-428-5331
Sindhuja P N
Reviewer
"The fish only knows it lives in water after it is already on the river bank"
- An Old French Proverb
Managers of Modern Organizations are also in the similar situation. They are immersed in
organizations every day. Today's Business organizations face unprecedented challenges. Across
virtually every industry, managers are confronted with new conditions of rapid technological
change, intense global competition, and growing demands for social responsibility - conditions
that demand capacities of leadership, adaptability, and coordination on a scale never before
imagined. As traditional sources of competitive advantage are being eroded, organization design
is becoming a crucial strategic differentiator. Much has been written and discussed on the
excellence of high performance organizations (HPOs). But, comparatively very little is written on
how to develop HPOs. Exceptionally, this book speaks a lot on developing HPOs, enlightened by
the experiences of those who achieved various levels of excellence across diversified industries
or units. This motivated me to select this book for review.
A Good Primer and Introduction to the Concepts in ODD
The book entitled "Designing Organizations for High Performance", authored by David P.
Hanna, aims to help lead in the design of high-performance organizations, whether as a manager
or a consultant. This is a basic book in the area of Organization Development. The concepts
mentioned operate at a cultural level as well as process level. The core is an analysis of tasks,
structure, rewards, people, information, and decision-making. The very purpose of the author is
to unidentifiably bridge the gap between theory and practice. While doing so, generally High
Performance Organizations (HPOs) tend to omit the valuable insights into the processes that
were used to translate organizational concepts into bottom-line improvements. The book serves
the purpose of mainly two types of managers in an organizational context: Managers who would
like to induce higher levels of performance in a discrete business unit and are not aware of how
to go about it. Organization Consultant looking for tools to help managers manage the process of
developing HPOs.
Bringing Practicality to Obscure OD Practice
The book focuses on how to implement various theories to get better results, and therefore is
more of a 'how-to' book rather than being comprehensive in treatment of concepts. The author
focused on implementing a different how-to approach to identify how successful others arrived at
their plan of change and how it was reflected in the results. Sharing of these experiences would
probably help develop new plan of innovative change with unparalleled results. The "how-to"
considers two aspects of design. The rational part of this approach includes identifying the
desired organizational models, design structuring to produce required results and continuous
assessment of progress. The emotional part includes educating members about the new change,
developing their commitment and support for the new model, changing habits to fit with the
model and renewing the model when situations ask for.
Though approaches differ and transcend different geographical locations and foreign cultures,
designing and developing systems capable of high performance involve certain principles of
human behavior that are truly universal. The author has supported the above statement with a
wide variety of examples taken from diverse organizations like health care units, manufacturing
plants, religious institutions, high tech industries etc. So it is certainly evident from the book that
Common Design Principles supersede most differences.
The author specifically states that the OD interventions discussed and applied are
situation-specific and can be customized to suit any other similar circumstances. Ultimately, the
aim should be to transform the organization into one which is capable of high performance.
Chapter-wise Review
Chapter - 1: Understanding How Organizations Function, gives an understanding of the
theoretical roots behind high performance technology. Models like bureaucratic model or
Machine theory of Organization, which ruled for more than two centuries is being replaced by
Open systems Theory, which is presented in a very comprehensive manner. The implications of
Open Systems theory for managing HPOs are also discussed and the chapter end on a
hypothetical note: "All Organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they get".
Chapter - 2: An Organization Performance Model, presents an overview of organization
performance model and its cause-effect linkages which helps in assessing organizational
effectiveness and henceforth formulate systematic improvements in performance. Some practical
examples where managers implement the principles of open systems theory is also
examined.
Chapter - 3: The Assessment Process, discusses the evaluation process of OP model in greater
depth and provide more real life examples. This chapter demonstrates there are "more than one
way to skin a cat". Means, there are countless ways to measure organizational performance.
Marvin Weisbord has summarized some wisdom on assessment and stated that "What you look
at is what you see". It also figures out that assessment is very critical to creating high
performance organizations. It is the diagnosis that should precede prescription if the ailment has
to be uprooted.
Chapter - 4: The Design Process, follows once the assessment is complete and the task is to plan
or design, the improvements that will lead to high performance. The process of designing is the
subject of this chapter.Two major applications of systems Theory, Open systems Planning and
Sociotechnical systems Design are also outlined and their strengths and weaknesses are also
discussed here.
Chapter - 5: Approaches to specific Design Issues, details on some more techniques to approach
some of the most difficult design issues like setting departmental boundaries, team design and
work role design for individuals. It provides guidelines on the above three crucial areas. The
Principles and approaches discussed in this chapter is helpful for many high performers to
harness the natural energy of their people against the tasks to be completed. Often it is the
rigorous design process that jolts members of the organization realize how much better their
performance could be. So author defines design process as an exhaustive undertaking.
Chapter - 6: Managing cultural Change, points out that it is not only the blueprint, but also
skilled people are required to manage the cultural and political norms when developing HPOs.
This chapter explores into some actual experiences that had gone into managing cultural change.
Values, attitudes and behaviours of members should be congruent with business and cultural
objectives. Managing the cultural change is what truly brings the vision of design into
reality.
Chapter - 7: Design Renewal: A Challenge to All, the concluding chapter addresses the topic of
renewal. The chapter visualizes high performance as a phenomenon that must be renewed in light
of an ever-changing business environment. It offers a parting challenge to all who undertake the
effort of redesigning their corporate future. It is a cyclic process and the theory, experience and
technology presented in this volume merely equip one to begin the journey.
Reviewer's Conclusion: Need for a Vision of High Performance
This is a practical guide to develop higher levels of performance in large organizations through
changes in strategy, organization design, and culture. This guide presents detailed descriptions of
ways in which individuals intervened in their organizations, how they arrived at their plans, and
how it resulted in improved effectiveness and better business results for organizations by offering
"insider's view" of how it has been done successfully in Procter & Gamble.
The old French Proverb given in the beginning, will never look puzzled, after reading the whole
book. Also, the process of assessment and design substantiates the hypothetical note: "All
Organizations are perfectly designed to get the results they get". HPOs operate effectively in
many arenas. To put it in other words, high performance is the ability to get more things done
with the same resources. To get the most from the resources is the biggest challenge of high
performance. This book aimed and succeeded in providing ways of thinking about HPOs and
proposed some universal principles and challenges that would enable the manager or OD
consultant to take up this challenge. But, as the author had correctly pointed out, it's all voluntary.
It's only a matter of choice or survival.
Author's Background:
A former senior consultant with Franklin Covey and Procter & Gamble, David P. Hanna has
worked with clients in North and South America, Asia, Europe, Australia and Russia. He has
consulted with executive teams, manufacturing plants, foreign subsidiaries, research &
development technical centers, and corporate staff groups. Mr. Hanna is experienced in the areas
of principle-centered leadership, strategic planning, and organization diagnosis, high
performance work design, executive development, and team development. His list of clients
includes Merck, Eastman Chemical, General Motors, Hoechst, Allied Signal, Conoco, Xerox,
Saturn, Siemens, Shell, S. C. Johnson, Deloitte & Touche, Trammell Crow, Beverly Enterprises,
Novell, Metro Cash & Carry, and Philips. A native of Albuquerque , New Mexico , Mr. Hanna
received his B.A. in Communications and his M.A. in Organizational Behavior from Brigham
Young University . He is the author of Designing Organizations for High Performance
(Addison-Wesley, 1988), considered one of the top 50 Quality books in America . His most
recent book is Leadership for the Ages (Executive Excellence Publishing, 2001).
Other suggested titles in the series:
1. Organizational Transitions: Managing Complex Change, Second Edition, Richard Beckhard
and Reuben Harris.
2. Organization Development: A Normative View, W. Warner Burke
3. Team Building: Issues and Alternatives, Second Edition, William G. Dyer
4. Power and Organization Development: Mobilizing Power to Implement Change, Larry E.
Greiner and Virginia E
Listen to the Mockingbird
Penny Rudolph
Poisoned Pen Press
6963 E. First Ave., Ste 103, Scottsdale, AZ, 85251
9781590583487 $14.95
Michael Siverling
Reviewer
Penny Rudolph's Listen to the Mockingbird combines the historical and mystery thriller genres
into an excellent blend. The novel is the story of Matilda 'Mattie' Summerhayes, a single woman
of property who owns a horse ranch called Mockingbird Spring in the Mesilla region of the New
Mexico Territory in the year 1861. Mattie is a woman with a dark and tortured past, a past that is
revealed to the reader in tantalizing glimpses threaded throughout the main story. And it's a story
that begins with a murder in the dead of night.
Penny Rudolph's writing voice is both strong and poetic, as well as being immensely evocative.
'There is something about death that curdles thoughts and turns them backward. They converge
in the chest like a jagged knot of ice in a winter stream gone dry', is an early example of Ms.
Rudolph's facility to draw the reader into the mind of the protagonist. In Listen to the
Mockingbird, the time and place of Civil War Era New Mexico become much more then mere
setting; the land itself is richly portrayed, as seen in such language as: 'The sunset was painting
the organ peaks crimson'. The time and place also provide certain dangers of their own, from the
merciless vagaries of the elements of fire and water to the historical facts of law that not only
failed to protect women of this era, but also unjustly persecuted them as well.
From the brutal murder of a young man at the ranch, a man who carried with him a map of
Mockingbird Springs, Mattie faces dangers and hardships as she struggles to untangle the
mystery of the young man's death. A mystery that also threatens her own life and the livelihood
of her ranch as well. As the mystery deepens, Mattie is confronted by a varied cast of people,
none of whom she can trust, from a world weary traveler to the local townspeople and the
soldiers of both the Confederate and Union Armies. Mattie's only true ally in her trials is
Winona, a Free Woman of Color, and Winona's support comes at the cost of the associated
prejudice and superstition that she evokes in the townspeople. Heaped upon the heroine are the
concurrent dangers of the Civil War intruding into the Territory as well as the daily fight to
survive in a wild and untamed land, and Ms. Rudolph deftly illustrates the day to day lives of the
early American settlers as they fought to carve out a land of their own.
Throughout it all, Mattie perseveres with strength, wisdom and courage that matches the
enduring mountains surrounding her beloved Mockingbird Springs. Penny Rudolph smoothly
delivers a book that educates as well as entertains with her strong and inspirational heroine,
Mattie Summerhayes.
Afrika's Bookshelf
Why I Keep U A Secret
Lamont Carey
Lulu Press
860 Aviation Parkway, Suite 300, Morrisville, NC 27560
9781430305002 $15.00 http://www.lulu.com/content/429015 www.myspace.com/lacarey
This book is a reflection of the softer side of the electrifying spoken word artist known by his
birth name, Lamont Carey. Some have said he is the heart of the streets. Lamont's fans will agree
that this book is representative of his body of work, and an accurate display of talent from an
artist whose stage performances never reveal love as a rose.
Why I Keep U A Secret is an interesting book of poetry that focuses on a wide variety of themes
such as passion, humor, love, and relationships. It is very easy to read and his writing style is
very unique. Each poem is very different and the message is carefully
thought out. Five Stars Rating
Just A Season
John T.Wills
Trafford Publishing
2333 Government Street, Suite 6E, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8T 4P4
1425107850 $24.95 www.justaseason.com www.trafford.com www.justaseason.com
Just a Season is a luminous story into the life of a man who, in the midst of pain and loss,
journeys back in time to reexamine all the important people, circumstances, and intellectual
fervor that contributed to the richness of his life.
This fictional narrative begins with a grief-stricken father visiting the gravesite of his beloved
son who was killed in a tragic accident; a moment that he and no other loving parent should ever
have to face. As he sadly gazes at his son's headstone and reads what is inscribed there, the dates
1981 - 2001 bring about an illuminating discovery.
The tiny dash that separates the years of one's birth and death represents the whole of a person's
life. So if this tiny dash were to tell his life's story, what would it say? In Just a Season, the dash
of this man's life is revealed and what emerges from the pages of
this book is a legacy of true benevolence and grace.
Just A Season is a thought provoking first debut of author, John T.Wills. In his book, Just a
Season, John focuses on various topics such as pain, suffering, love and life. It is very well
written from beginning to end. This is one of those book, where you can not
judge a book based on it's title and cover. However, both the title and cover drew me to reading,
Just a Season.
The characters and the plot are captured very well. Congratulations on your first debut, Just a
Season! Five Stars Rating
The Write House
Edwin Hurdle
Outskirts Press, Inc.
10940 S. Parker Rd., 515, Parker, CO 80134
9781432704612 $10.95 www.outskirtpress.com 1-888-672-6657
This book is a recipe filled with delicious poems that will feed the eyes and hearts of the reader.
If you are hungry for poetry, this book will make you feel very full with the right ingredients to
satisfy your taste. Come to 1600 Poetry Avenue and experience The Write House for
yourself.
The Write House is Edwin Hurdle's first debut poetry collection which was published by
OutSkirt Press and the cover was designed by Edwin Hurdle. It is an excellent book of poetry
that is compiled by Edwin and focuses on various topics that anyone can relate too. It was very
easy to read. My favorite poems were Ingredients for Romance (demonstrates a poem full of
imagery, romance and format for showing unconditional love and or appreciation towards
significant other. This poem is a vow that should not be broken in relationships),A Special Lady
(is a remarkable poem that speaks for itself, any man can relate to this poem!) and Just Because
(is a poem that anyone can relate too).
I only wished that he wrote more poetry in his first debut poetry collection entitled: The Write
House, but all in all, I job well done!
Congratulations! I look forward to reading your next book! Five Stars Rating
Experience, Strength and Hope
George E Thompson
AuthorHouse
9781420891171 $13.99 www.authorhouse.com
http://www.authorsden.com/georgeethompson
This is a book of poems came about after my Mother passed away on Valentine's Day. I went
through my archives and found some of my older poetry and decided to take up writing again.
Having been blessed by God, the poems keep pouring forth onto paper and I wish to share my
experience, hope and strength with you, the dear reader. I believe in the power of words, whether
written, spoken or through gestures and sign language. Words can enlighten, dampen the spirit,
raise us to great heights and take us to the lowest points in our lives.
Experience, Strength and Hope was an excellent book of poetry and a wonderful tribute. The
cover is very powerful and the title is very reflective to the themes and messages behind the
poems that have been published in Experience, Strength and Hope. George touches of subjects
that everyone can relate to and the poems are very vivid. My favorite poems that have been
published in Experience, Strength and Hope include Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, Family,
His Creation and Child of God.
After reading, Experience, Strength and Hope is clearly evident that George Thompson has a
strong connection and relationship with God and spirituality, that is clearly displayed in his 103
pages worth of poems published by AuthorHouse.
I believe that George Thompson did an excellent job of releasing his pain and feelings, as well as
lost for his mother and putting together a book that demonstrates such experience. Furthermore,
the title that he chose for his book of poetry, is such an eloquent, that in itself is profound.
Congratulations on a job well done! I look forward to reading more of your work. Five Stars
Rating
Afrika Midnight Asha Abney
Reviewer
Andrew's Bookshelf
Accordion War: Korea 1951, Life & Death in a Marine Rifle Company
Charles Hughes
Trafford Publishing
2333 Government Street, Suite 6E, Victoria, BC, Canada, V8T 4P4
1412084377 $16.47 www.trafford.com/06-0192 1-888-232-4444
There is nobody more important when a Marine comes under fire than their "Doc." Navy
corpsmen live, work, fight, and die with their Marines, and build a relationship with their Devil
Dogs that is as deep as that between the Marines themselves.
Author Charles Hughes was a corpsman in Korea with "How" Company, 3rd Battalion, 7th
Marines. Too young for WW2, Hughes joined the Navy and volunteered to join to Fleet Marines
in order to "see some action." His wish was granted, and this exceptionally well-written book is
his memoir of his time in Korea.
Professor emeritus of English at Henderson State University, Arkadelphia, Ark., Hughes is a
gifted writer who spent considerable time and effort recalling his experiences and thoughts from
some 56 years ago. In comparison to those macho stories of many veterans, Hughes recalls his
private mantra when in battle "Oh God; please don't let me die." In between his stories of combat
with "His" Marines of H Company, Hughes has skillfully added his philosophy on war and
killing and his life after his military service.
This is one of the rare books that begs to be read in one reading. Hughes's stories of combat and
life in Korea are lively; the reader can smell both the gunpowder and the kimchi. Korea may be a
war unknown to the current generation, but books like "Accordion War: Korea 1951" will give
the reader an appreciation of what young men like Charles Hughes and his Marines endured.
Well done, Doc.
My Dad's a Hero
Rebecca Christiansen & Jewel Armstrong
www.wordassociation.com
9781595712097 $14.95
This is a perfect book for the 4 - 8 year old child whose father is called to deploy overseas.
Written in a simple and elegant style that young children can read (or have read to them ); the
accompanying pictures just beg to have Billy or Betty color them in and personalize the story.
The two authors, one a mother of a deployed soldier, and the other a teacher, have collaborated
on producing a book that is designed to explain, if not comfort, Dad's absence to his
children.
While the term "hero" is grossly overused, if this book can help comfort a young child on dad's
second, third, or forth deployment, then the book has done it's job.
Not only is the book highly recommended, but it would be certainly be helpful if the book was
distributed to the children when Dad goes off on yet another deployment.
Most books about the Marines in WW2 focus on the fighting and the island-hopping campaigns;
author and former Marine Gene Rackovitch takes the unusual focus of the Marines and Japanese
on Guam - after the Japanese surrender.
The Marines kill two surrendering Japanese who they think are dangerous, and the surviving (but
not surrendering) Japanese officer then seeks revenge. As much a murder mystery as a war novel,
Rackovitch is a good novelist who describes the starving Japanese on the island is detail, along
with the casual, comfortable, and victorious Marines. There are both heros and villains on both
sides of this story, along with an unfortunately typical Marine ending.
Rackovitch was stationed on Guam after the war, and he draws on his experiences to describe the
island, the weather, and the jungle. Additionally, he uses his tour in the Marines as a rich source
of information in depicting the various types of Marines with whom he likely served.
Both Marines and non-Marines will enjoy this unusual story of the Japanese and Marines on
Guam after the war ended in 1945.
The First Marine Captured in Vietnam
Donald L. Price
McFarland & Co.
978786428045 $35.00 www.mcfarlandpub.com 1-800-253-2187
Long before the names and battles of Khe Sanh, Hue City, and Firebase Gloria were seared into
America's consciousness, there were Marines and soldiers fighting, dying - and being captured -
in Vietnam.
First-time author Donald Price's brings back the terror and heartache of these times. Price's
thoroughly-researched biography of Marine Col. Donald Cook blends the story of Cook's
wounding and capture in December 1964 through his December 1967 death with interviews from
several of the POW's imprisoned with him as well as the equally courageous story of his wife
Laurette and her four small children.
An advisor to the South Vietnamese Marines, Capt Cook was the first Marine captured by the
Viet Cong. Unlike the American aviators shot down over North Vietnam and interned at the
infamous Hanoi Hilton, Marines and soldiers captured in the south were normally locked inside
small bamboo cages in small camps throughout the Mekong Delta. As opposed to the systematic
and calculated isolated torture of Sen John McCain, Adm Jerimiah Denton, and others, life in the
south consisted of slow starvation, disease, and simply trying to survive in an extremely harsh
environment.
Author Price - himself a highly decorated Marine officer from the Vietnam era - details the abject
misery endured by Cook and his fellow captives. Given only starvation rations by disinterested
guards who also withheld the few medicines to which they might have access, often made dying
easier than attempting to survive another day. But drawing on his strength as a Roman Catholic
and a Marine officer, Cook took charge of the other POW's in the camp, and did his best to give
them the hope to stay alive.
Through his three years of captivity, his family received only one letter from him. Her major
source of comfort came from the Marine Corps, as then-commandant Gen Wallace Greene, Jr.
contacted her personally and ensured she and her children were cared for to the best of the
Marine Corps ability - indeed, they continued to receive the benefits commensurate with her
husband's rank, as he was promoted twice 'in absentia."
Col Donald Cook is the only Marine ever to receive the Medal of Honor while being held
prisoner of war, and Col Donald Price has written a story of honor - courage - commitment that
encompasses the entire Cook family. Highly recommended !
Life After Deployment
Karen M. Pavlicin
ElvaResa Publishing
9780965748377 $14.95
"Life After Deployment" is author Karen Pavlicin's sequel to her award-winning book "Surviving
Deployment". Mrs. Pavlicin has written another important book for the military family and their
friends and relatives.
The writer is a wife of a Marine with multiple deployments, and this book deals with the many
problems faced by wives and families when their servicemen return from deployment. These are
not theoretical problems - these are the problems faced by too many families today: dealing with
the children - re-establishing parental authority - PTSD - intimacy issues...plus how to best
handle combat deaths and injuries this book is filled with practical solutions Mrs. Pavlicin has
elicited from the thousands of wives and families who have - and are - facing these issues.
With so few Americans volunteering to serve in the military (approx 0.03 % of the population),
there is a deplorable lack of data and professional assistance for these families; most therapists
have no clue how to deal with the anger of a child whose father died in Iraq or came home
missing a limb from an IED attack in Afghanistan - this book is the first step to filling that
void.
This book should be given to every spouse as his or her serviceman steps off the airplane back
onto US tarmac. Well-written and thorough, the issues raised here are important ones that these
families need to recognize and face, and Mrs. Pavlicin - the widow of a multiple-deployed
Marine - does a first-rate job taking care of her now over-extended military family. Highly
Recommended!
Never Rule Without a Magician, A Sage, and a Fool
Clare Novak
Xlibris
1599266288 $20.99 1-888-795-4274
There are so many "quick-fix" management books on the market today; yet most of them don't
contain the common-sense tactics of Clare Novak's book.
An internationally known leadership trainer and consultant, Ms. Novak's breakout first book
looks at leadership in a different light; one in which a smart king (or CEO) enlists and utilizes the
advice of a few trusted advisors - a Magician, a Sage, and a Fool.
Using a blend of her internationally respected expertise and a sly sense of humor, Ms. Novak
discusses the concept of successful management from the viewpoint of King Arthur, Merlin, and
similar characters from that period. Concepts such as truth, honesty, and care for others are easily
and smoothly blended with instilling a positive and profitable corporate culture. Written in a
relaxed and informative style, Ms. Novak explains why a CEO needs to find and listen to a few
trusted - yet honest - advisors.
Whether one refers to successful management these days as maneuver warfare, maximizing
resources, or Trump's "Take no prisoners," every corporation's work ethic and goals flow from
the top down - and if the CEO / King follows Ms. Novak's sage advice of enlisting a Magician, a
Sage, and a Fool, then there is a far better chance that the business will do well in today's trying
times.
This book is highly recommended for both the future and experienced business executive!
Andrew Lubin
Reviewer
Ann's Bookshelf
Shakespeare's Wife
Germaine Greer
Allen & Unwin
83 Alexander St., Sydney, NSW 2065, Australia
9780747591702 $35.00 AU
"Introduction: considering the poor reputation of wives generally, in particular the wives of
literary men, and the traditional disparagement of the wife of the Man of the Millennium".
In this introduction to her 'Introduction', Greer spells out for us the theme and nature of her book.
Ann Shakespeare is the maligned or disparaged wife in question and Greer intends to rescue her
from this sorry state. She takes on all the well-know biographers of Shakespeare and points out
where they err, and she offers her own biography of the wife of the Bard. As usual, she is
argumentative, challenging and controversial. As usual, she will infuriate some readers and
delight others. But she is tilting at windmills: and given that she provides us with chapter
headings in the manner of Cervantes in Don Quixote, she clearly knows this.
In Chapters One and Two, Greer gallops through the genealogies of both Ann and William at
such a pace that the reader is left reeling. Parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, births,
marriages, name-changes, contracts, deaths and wills fly past but ultimately prove nothing other
than that we don't know and probably will never know why Ann (or Agnes) Hathaway (or
Gardner) and William Shakespeare married, or what their marriage was like. All Greer proves is
that she can speculate as well or even better than the "bardolaters", in particular the male ones,
whose work she frequently quotes. She speculates along the way that Mary Shakespeare,
William's mother, married for status and spent her time gossiping and showing off her finery,
rather than helping his father in the family business; that a young, love-lorn William wooed Ann
with his poems (which, of course, is very likely); and that Ann was blind (although this is
probably sarcasm), a milkmaid, or an employee in John Shakespear's gloving business.
Other chapters contain similar gallops through fragmentary archives concerning Stratford, its
history and its citizens. Mostly, these chapters concern people whose lives may have been
somewhat similar to that of Ann Shakespeare or who may have had some association with her.
They provide support for Greer's claims that, for example, Ann was a respected and influential,
financially independent townswoman. Which is quite possibly true. Often, however, these
chapters bog down in details and connections which are just confusing. They offer speculation
supported by too many random and often irrelevant details, which is pointless.
When Greer gets down off her high horse and writes about facts related to contemporary custom
and society in general, rather than fantasy, she is very good. Chapter Six, for example ("of
handfasts, troth-plights and bundling, of rings, gauds and conceits, and what was likely to happen
on the big day"), offers a delightful description of Elizabethan marriage practices, beautifully
illustrated by apt quotations from Shakespeare's plays. This chapter is a pleasure to read and
provides us with a deeper understanding of the plays as well as some idea of the way in which a
sixteenth century audience would have understood them.
Another chapter which I thoroughly enjoyed is that which argues that some of Shakespeare's love
sonnets may have been written for Ann, not for some mysterious dark lady (or man). Greer
quotes freely from the sonnets and argues her case selectively but well. The romantic in me
would happily believe that Shakespeare truly loved his wife and missed her during his long
absences from Stratford, but nothing can be proved either way.
It is a pity that in her gallant effort to rescue Ann from oblivion, Greer sometimes contradicts
herself. In several places she notes that many people made the three day journey between London
and Stratford, and she suggests that Will did this between terms, when the theatres were closed,
and for family occasions. At other times she writes of him as having been "estranged from his
family for more than ten years". She is also inclined to lapse in slang (Mary Shakespeare was
"spoiled rotten", John Shakespeare's business had "flat-lined", someone else "gets an earful"),
which is a pity given the overall excellence of her writing.
None of this matters, of course. In the end, all biography is speculation. What does matter is
Shakespeare's work, not his life or that of his wife.
As Greer writes in the penultimate paragraph of her final chapter, in which she, "the intrepid
author", suggests that Ann may have been very much involved in the publication of the First
Folio: "All this, in common with most of this book, is heresy, and probably neither truer nor less
true than the accepted prejudice".
Exactly!
The Quiet Girl
Peter Hoeg
Random House, Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, SW1V 2SA
9781846550607 $32.95 AU
Peter Hoeg's second novel, Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow, was a huge success and I, for one,
thoroughly enjoyed it. The Quiet Girl, however, is very different. It is a strange and confusing
story.
Part of the strangeness is due to the narrator, Kaspar Krone, who is a renowned clown with a
most unusual ability. Due to a childhood accident, he hears the world around him as musical
keys. He recognizes places by their sound and identifies the sound with pieces of classical music
that he knows and loves. He hears people that way, too, and can often predict how they will
behave. All this, he imparts to the reader. Kaspar lives in Copenhagen, but he is not Danish. He
is deeply in debt, wanted for tax evasion, and on the verge of extradition.
The book is strange, too, because of the special children who have an inexplicable quality (which
Kaspar hears as sudden strange silences) which makes them important to the plans of some very
odd groups of people. One girl in particular captures Kaspar's attention, and she has a particular
interest in him. At first it seems as if she has been kidnapped and is asking Kaspar for help, but
several times she turns up unexpectedly to confront him; at other times she seems to be in control
of everything. In trying to help her, Kaspar is constantly in danger. Only at the end of the book
does her identity and purpose become clear, and even then nothing is resolved.
The Quiet Girl is confusing, because the narration jumps around in time (which is not in itself a
problem) and we are never sure of the nature of the people Kaspar gets involved with. Even those
who seem to be helping him turn out to have links with those who are pursuing him. The plot is
intricate and tangled, and much of the time I was lost and puzzled. Too many things seemed
unreal, too much of the action impossible. Kaspar is threatened on all sides, running, hiding,
fighting, tricking people, and even when he is mortally wounded he manages to perform
impossible feats. He has a wry sense of humour, but his way of speaking and thinking in abrupt,
short sentences made me think, to begin with, that this was a fault in translation. It was not, and I
did get used to it.
In the end, however, I lost patience with the story, although the puzzle about the children kept me
reading until the end. And the end, surprising as it was, was too unlikely, and the resolution of
the plot too contrived, to be satisfying.
Other readers may be gripped by this mixture of mystery, music and mayhem, with a bit of
science and philosophy thrown in, and with a few zany characters and a minor love interest to
add spice. Sadly, I was not. Yet, since I enjoyed the company of Miss Smilla in Hoeg's earlier
book so much, I almost feel I should read The Quiet Girl again and see if it makes more sense the
second time around, especially as the publicity blurb describes the book as "a philosophical
thriller of rare quality". A"thriller"? Yes. "Rare"? Well it is unique. "Philosophical"? Sometimes,
but in a ruminative sort of way. "Quality"? Questionable.
Ann Skea
Reviewer
Bethany's Bookshelf
Our Classical Heritage
Caroline Noble Whitbeck
Switchback Books
PO Box 478868, Chicago, IL 60647
9780978617219, $14.00 www.switchbackbooks.com
Winner of the 2006 Gatewood Prize, Our Classical Heritage: A Homing Device is the debut
anthology of free-verse poetry by literature and literary theory student Caroline Noble Whitbeck.
Daring to experiment with format verse layout, Our Classical Heritage is a pastiche of images
from American adolescence, brimming with energy and inscrutable panache. "Book of
Etiquette": What was I after / in the orchard the / roots What was the lesson / he missed the
rhetoric And / on the bed the eiderdown / And on the plate the urgency / the peat the
impossibilities What / was the string that snapped the golden / plectrum the bedpan the syllables /
an unstrung bowl of unripe / the rinds the bracelet the bare wrist
Animate, Inanimate Aims
Brenda Iijima
Litmus Press
PO Box 25526, Brooklyn, NY 11202-5526
9781933959023, $15.00 www.litmuspress.org
Animate, Inanimate Aims is the second book by poet and visual artist Brenda Iijima. An
assortment of stark, original black-and-white illustrations bookend the free-verse poetry that
dissects observations into minimalist composition. Some stanzas shrink to a single word; others
expound with luminous, discrete detail in this uniquely vivacious collection. "Inevitably": A
horse obeys // But only in relation / To the race // Rhymes with disgrace // Propulsion and
steering / Power / Buck / Jump / With arched back // Note the effect of rapidity and / Confusion.
Sloggering. No this / Can't be comprehended / By pure reason /Elucidated by ambiguity / Time is
pregnant
Eden in the Rearview Mirror
Susan Elbe
Word Press
PO Box 541106, Cincinnati, OH 45254-1106
9781933456775, $17.00, 80 pages
Eden in the Rearview Mirror is a collection of original free-verse poetry by author Susan Elbe.
Crafted from loss, the verses reflect heartbreak but also the fondness of memories, and
reflections upon the timeless beauty of nature. A gentle outpouring of emotion, flowing freely
with every word. "If I Loved Him, It Would Be This Way": Night like a giant manta ray brushes /
the screens with hushed velvet wings. / Under the slant roof, in a kelp-sway of trees / I lie on a
thin, cottage bed / and whether it is wind or rain blowing through, / I only know it's green, /
rolling down through moss, deep / into algae, and deeper, where green declines / to the dark
verdancy glyphed / in a plum or the body's first minnowing.
Some Nights No Cars At All
Josh Rathkamp
Ausable Press
1026 Hurricane Road, Keene, NY 12942
9781931337359, $14.00 www.ausablepress.org 1-800-283-3572
Some Nights No Cars At All is an anthology of free-verse poetry by community college teacher
Josh Rathkamp. Touching upon a medley of topics in everyday life, from getting directions, to
interacting with a lunch lady who uses bad language, to listening to a duet on the radio. An
eclectic medley combining slice-of-life storytelling with wistful emotion, and brimming with the
earthy quality of the everyday human experience. "Before Breakfast": A family, I think, of small
mule / deer has taken my shoe // beside the door / in haste. Suddenly as if nature // took the time
for this- / the wind blew dust // blanketing a man with groceries.
Susan Bethany
Reviewer
Buhle's Bookshelf
My Loaded AK-47 Vol. 1
Cleveland S. Barrett, Sr.
Vantage Press Inc.
419 Park Avenue South, 18th floor, New York, NY 10016
9780533143511, $21.95 www.vantagepress.com 1-212-736-1767
Written by African-American poet Cleveland S. Barrett, Sr., a.k.a. "The Ghetto Poet Hulk", My
Loaded AK-47 Vol. 1 is an original compilation of free-verse poetry examines the
African-American experience and unique struggles in modern-day America. Passionate
conviction marks the pages, as does a lamentation of the deterioration of inner city communities
into ghettos and the spark of hope for societal improvement. "Poet-in-Touch": Magnetic sound of
poetry, blue prints of a dream / demonstrate my faith and 360 degrees of knowledge. / I do away
with envy, jealousy, and negativism. / They are replaced with steadfastness, righteousness / and /
positiveness. / My artistic gift has thought, self-discipline, in other / words plan, / prepare and
preserve. / I write my verses from deep within. I have found my / voice and / my rage!
Poems that Might or Might Not Change Your Life
Charlie Clouse
Hound Dog Press
191 Rockingham Drive #B, Harrisonburg, VA 22802
9780979591907, $9.95 www.hdpoetry.com
The second poetry collection by author Charlie Clouse, Poems that Might or Might Not Change
Your Life is an anthology of brief, free-verse works that reflect the everyday and occasionally
humorous moments of life. Written in the years from 1996 to 2006, the verses offer a flash of
brilliant insight into the human condition and each deserves to savored - either one at a time or
all at once. "Learning To Be Human": Everyday we have the / ability to do something / great or
the ability to do / something really, really / stupid. Either way / we have the ability to learn to be
human.
The Last Cavalier
Alexander Dumas
Pegasus Books, LLC
45 Wall Street, Suite 1021, New York, NY 10005
9781933648316, $32.00 www.amazon.com
Alexander Dumas is best known for his classic novels 'The Three Musketeers' and 'The Count of
Monte Cristo'. What is not so well known is that he also authored "The Last Cavalier: Being the
Adventure of Count Sainte Hermine in the Age of Napoleon". Thought lost for more than 125
years, this major novel by Dumas was rediscovered in the archives of the National Library in
Paris and has now been translated into English for the first time. Count Hector de
Sainte-Hermine has been languishing in prison for three years when on the eve of Napoleon's
coronation as emperor of France, he final learns what's to be his fate. He is stripped of his title
and denied the hand of the woman he loves, but given his freedom on the condition that he serve
in the imperial army. Hector subsequently embarks on a series of daring escapades and wins
fame and glory fighting against brigands, bandits, the British, boa constrictors, sharks, and
crocodiles. At the battle of Trafalgar it is his marksman's bullet that fells the English Admiral
Lord Nelson. But his ultimate destiny is to be found in Paris and his father's implacable enemy --
Napoleon. Strongly recommended for academic and community library collections, "The Last
Cavalier" has all the excitement and daring associated with a Dumas adventure novel, and at
544-pages in length, will prove to be a substantial as well as substantially rewarding read.
Authoritative Guide To Lionel's Promotional Outfits 1960 - 1969
John W. Schmid
Project Roar Publishing
PO Box 599, Winfield, IL 60190
9781933600024, $69.95 www.projectroar.com
Drawing upon thousands of authentic Lionel documents, "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's
Promotional Outfits 1969 - 1969" is an 848-page illustrated compendium showcasing the more
than 700 electric train outfits (also known as 'uncatalogued train sets') that the Lionel company
created exclusively as promotional items for retailers that included Sears Roebuck & Co.;
Montgomery Ward; Spiegel; Western Auto; A&P; Quaker Oats; and others. Because of the
limited numbers manufactured, these promotional outfits are among the most valuable items in
the history of model railroading. These outfits never appeared in Lionel's consumer catalogs and
information about them simply unavailable -- until now. John W. Schmid has been collecting toy
trains with his father for decades. After the 2001 auction in which the Lionel Factory Orders and
other miscellaneous internal company documents were purchased, Schmid embarked upon years
of extensive research in newly found documents and has now distilled that research into the
pages of an impressively descriptive catalog. The result is "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's
Promotional Outfits 1960-1969", a work of meticulous scholarship that is unique in the annals of
the enduringly popular hobby of model trains and railroads. Included is how all the engine and
cars came to be individually packed; descriptions of the original outfit box (including outfit
inserts and packaging); pricing for the complete outfit (and even the empty box alone); original
production quantities; diagrams for packing the outfit in the outfit box; instruction sheets, packed
envelopes, as well as peripherals (track, transformer, oil, wire, smoke, etc.) Also available in a
hardcover edition (9781933600031, $89.95), John Schmid's "Authoritative Guide To Lionel's
Promotional Outfits 1960 - 1969" is impressively informative and enthusiastically recommended
for all dedicated model railroading reference collections.
Willis M. Buhle
Reviewer
Burroughs' Bookshelf
Mandarins
Ryunosuke Akutagawa, author
Charles De Wolf, translator
Archipelago Books
25 Jay Street, #203, Brooklyn, NY 11201
9780977857609, $16.00 www.archipelagobooks.org 1-800-283-3572
Skillfully translated from the original Japanese by Charles De Wolf, Mandarins: Stories by
Ryunosuke Akutagawa is an anthology of short stories written during the all-too-brief life of
Ryunosuke Akutagawa (1892-1927). Fluidly evoking 1920's Japan, in an era when traditions
were in flux and the yearning for personal liberty burned brightly, Mandarins features characters
who struggle against the society around them. The three stories in Mandarins, translated into
English for the first time, are "An Enlightened Husband", "An Evening Conversation", and
"Winter". At times cruel, at times fantastically descriptive, Akutagawa's prose resonates with a
piercing clarity on every page. A welcome addition to Japanese literature shelves.
Dream of the Dragon Pool
Albert A. Dalia
Jack Estes, Publisher
201 West 89 Street, New York, NY 10024
9781929355341, $18.00 www.pleasureboatstudio.com
Written by Albert A. Dalia, a scholar of medieval Chinese history and culture for four decades,
Dream of the Dragon Pool: A Daoist Quest is an amazing novel based on the historical
death-sentence exile of China's beloved poet-adventurer Li Bo (also Li Bai, 701-762 A.D.). A
fanciful tale of myth and wonder, told as traditional Chinese-style heroic fiction, Dream of the
Dragon Pool follows Li Bo on his journey toward certain death in faraway Burma/Myanmar.
Unconcerned about the threat of his imminent demise, Li Bo sees his travels as a quest for poetic
inspiration. Along the way he befriends the emperor's most powerful shamaness, accidentally
awakens the horrific Blood Dragon and its ghostly slaves, and stumbles into possession of the
coveted and legendary Dragon Pool Sword after a dream visit from a Daoist Immortal. Wicked
and nefarious enemies and wondrous adventure flow from this exotic and utterly enthralling
tale.
Big Mind, Big Heart
Dennis Genpo Merzel
Big Mind Publishing
1268 East S. Temple, Salt Lake City, UT 84102
9780977142330, $17.95 www.bigmind.org
Zen Master Dennis Genpo Merzel presents Big Mind, Big Heart: Finding Your Way, a self-help
guide to sorting through the sea of one's mind and reaching for the "Big Mind" state - existing as
ever-present, oceanic, "just being" awareness. Traditionally, reaching such awareness requires
years of meditation practice; yet Big Mind, Big Heart offers insights to quickly and efficiently
achieving the state. An accompanying audio CD guides the reader through the step-by-step
process, revealing that practitioners do not need to "attain" the awareness - human beings already
are this awareness, and can learn to shift to it, uncovering the great wisdom and compassion
required to live happier, healthier lives. A wonderful "how-to" guide to unlocking the power,
greatness, and love within oneself.
Redemption
Nathan J. Winograd
Almaden Books
8721 Santa Monica Blvd., #948, Los Angeles, CA 90069
9780979074301, $16.95 www.almadenbooks.com
Redemption: The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Revolution in America is a
passionate advocacy for ending the killing of homeless dogs and cats in shelters. Telling the story
of how the movement of animal sheltering in the United States was born of compassion and lost
its way, Redemption counters claims of pet overpopulation with thought-provoking assertions. If
there is pet overpopulation, then why do shelters that kill animals have so many empty cages, day
in and day out? If there is pet overpopulation, then why do puppy and kitten mills take in so
much successful business selling animals? Exposing the utter failures and inadequacies of
shelters, and the ASPCA itself - especially failures to properly advertise and promote their
animals to homes that can adopt them - Redemption shows the way to a movement toward
animal shelters that do not kill animals solely because it is more convenient. The "No Kill"
shelter movement is still in its infancy, driven largely by charismatic leaders, when it needs to
become institutionalized to counter the institutionalized ruthlessness of shelters that kill;
Redemption offers hope that America can yet change its ways. Highly recommended.
John Burroughs
Reviewer
Carson's Bookshelf
Houdini Speaks Out
Arthur Moses
Xlibris Corporation
International Plaza II, Suite 340, Philadelphia, PA 19113
9781425767402, $45.99 www.xlibris.com
Harry Houdini is a legendary stage magician whose legacy and influence have served to inspire
practitioners of legerdemain down to the present day. Although very well known as a magician
and as an escape artist, over time people have largely forgotten that he was also a believer in an
after life and an exposure of fraudulent mediums who tended to prey on a gullible public.
"Houdini Speaks Out: "I am Houdini! And you are a fraud!" by Arthur Moses recreates Houdini's
'solitarian' lectures which he gave from 1922 to his unexpected and early death in 1926. Each of
the fifty glass lantern slides he used to highlight his lectures are recreated and carefully matched
to his original lecture text. Also available in a hardcover edition (9781425767433, $79.99)
"Houdini Speaks Out" is a very strongly recommended addition to personal, professional,
academic, and community library collections -- and should be considered mandatory reading by
anyone with an interest in spiritualism, magic, and the occult.
Frederick Hart: The Complete Works
Donald Kuspit & Frederick turner, essayists
Butler Books
PO Box 7311, Louisville, KY 40207
9781884532853, $70.00 www.butlerbooks.com
A 328-page monograph enhanced with 246 color plates and 136 black-and-white illustrations, as
well as informed and informative essays on the life and work of the acclaimed sculptor,
"Frederick Hart: The Complete Works" is based on the premier of the largest exhibition of
Frederick hart's works to date and held at the University of Louisville on September 6, 2007. Art
historian Donald Kuspit and poet-scholar Frederick Turner provide fascinating background
information on the sculptor and his creations. "Frederick Hart: The Complete Works" also
features a complete chronology of the artist's life. Of special note are the full specifications,
complete documentation, and validation of the showcased works. Hart is famous for creating his
powerful and inspiring figurative sculptures that grace diverse settings ranging from the National
Cathedral to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. No academic university 20th Century Art or
American Sculpture collection can be considered comprehensive without the inclusion of the
Butler Books' superbly published edition of "Frederick Hart: The Complete Works"!
Listen Up!
Eunice LeMay & Jane Schwamberger
Papilo Publishing
PO Box 4197, Santa Cruz, CA 95063
9780978805852, $16.95 www.papilopublishing.com
The collaborative work of Eunice LeMay and Jane Schwamberger (who together draw upon a
total of sixty years of experience and experience working and managing in libraries and the
business world), "Listen Up!: How To Communicate Effectively At Work" is a compilation of
apply-it-yourself skills for communicating effectively with customers, clients, co-workers, and
bosses regardless of gender, cultural, or generational differences. Readers of "Listen Up!" will
learn how to identify their own (and others) learning and workplace behavioral types. This will
lead to an enhanced ability to foster teamwork, reduce stress, and improve performance. Based
on the concept that listening is the foundation of good communication, "Listen Up!" is
confidently recommended reading for anyone seeking to increase productivity and job
satisfaction for themselves, their employees, their management, their vendors, and their
customers.
Religious Architecture In Hispano New Mexico
Thomas J. Steele & Thomas L. Lucero
LPD Press
925 Salamanca NW, Los Ranchose de ABQ, NM, 87107-5647
1890689408, $15.95 info@nmsantos.com
A slender, 64-page, profusely illustrated and very highly recommended analytical compilation
and survey of early southwestern frontier church buildings, "Religious Architecture In Hispano
New Mexico" by architect Thomas L. Lucero in collaboration with Thomas J. Steele, a Jesuit
scholar who is the leading authority on the Hispanic devotional arts of New Mexico, offers an
informed and informatively descriptive explanation of New Mexico's Hispanic adobe churches.
Of special note is the authors classification system which will prove exceptional useful for
scholars and non-specialist general readers alike when reviewing the distinct types of religious
structures associated with 18th and 19th century religious structures in Hispanic New
Mexico.
Michael J. Carson
Reviewer
Cheri's Bookshelf
The Swashbuckler
Lee Lynch
leelynch6.tripod.com
0930044665 $8.00
The Swashbuckler, by Lee Lynch, a 2007 Alice B. Reader's Medal recipient and 2006 Saints &
Sinners Literary Hall of Fame inductee, is profoundly inspiring on many levels. Lynch captures
the mood of the New York City gay movement, most notably, lesbian culture between 1960 and
1972, and shows how intolerance affects us all. In a homophobic world, the peer pressure to
conform, even in non-conformity, is a small price to pay for the support and acceptance of your
friends, who often become your family of choice.
The story begins in pre-Stonewall Greenwich Village when the climate for gays and lesbians is
oppressive. Same-sex partners could be arrested for openly expressing their love. Our heroine
Frenchy Tonneau is twenty-one, good-looking and 100% prime butch, and she loves that side of
herself right down to her diddy-bop walk even though she knows it angers straight people. There
are two Frenchies during the week she's the closeted, dutiful daughter and reliable cashier at a
supermarket checkout in the Bronx, and on Saturday nights, she emerges, dressed to break hearts,
as the chick magnet to every femme she can get her hands on. Just thinking about commitment
makes the swashbuckler itchy.
Frenchy has no intention of settling down, but she doesn't count on meeting the Jewish teacher
Edie from Queens, or the Puerto Rican temptress from El Barrio, Mercedes, or even the Jewish
bohemian princess Pam. She wonders why she's always falling for Jewish or Puerto Rican girls,
but more importantly, how they succeed in chipping away at her tough butch exterior and rocking
her world. Can stone turn to sand? Can a swashbuckler settle down and be happy with one
woman? Will Frenchy accept her transformation and find true love and ultimate happiness?
With women loving women across races and religions, what could be better than when love wins
out over cultural differences? During her first trip to Provincetown, Frenchy meets Mercedes, a
pretty Spanish chick with a butch swagger and a few skeletons in her closet. At first sight,
Frenchy is intrigued but can't figure out if Mercedes is butch or femme, and it matters. Can two
butches fall in love? Taking this journey with Frenchy and Mercedes is a truly far-out and groovy
trip you won't want to miss. The Swashbuckler is an affirming romance where you hope that
everyone, butch, femme, black, white, Christian, Jewish, Hispanic, gay, straight etc. comes to her
own truth in her own time and before it's too late.
At a time when the bar culture was very much into roles and most women were pressured to
choose either butch or femme. It was a put-down to be called Kiki, which according to
About.com, is a term that was used in the lesbian bar culture of the 1950s and 1960s to describe
someone who was neither butch nor femme or both. The Swashbuckler follows the growth of
two admirable women, in an ever changing environment, who must overcome societal and
personal obstacles in order to live true to their natures and conform to their own norms.
Pioneer and celebrated author, Lee Lynch finely weaves social commentary throughout the
compelling story in a way that informs yet doesn't preach or weigh down the plot. The
Swashbuckler is a classic romance reminiscent of Ann Bannon's work but with a much happier
ending. It was easier to publish lesbian love with positive outcomes in 1985 than during the 50's
and 60's. The Swashbuckler also celebrates the differences among us based on race, religion, and
education level and explores how much better life would be if bigotry was abolished.
I give The Swashbuckler two thumbs up. It should be required reading regardless of sexual
orientation, race, religion, gender or age. Lynch's story reaffirms our faith in love as defined as
two people who give every part of themselves to each other. The Swashbuckler allows an
intimate glimpse of two incredibly courageous young women. Their growth feeds our growth.
Baby boomers will reminisce and younger women will see where they came from.I cannot rate or
recommend this book more highly. The Swashbuckler is a five-star read.
Fingersmith
Sarah Waters
Riverhead Books/The Berkley Publishing Group/Division of Penguin Putnam Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014
1573222038 $15.00
For anyone who hasn't discovered the literary genius of Sarah Waters, it won't be long before
you'll want to devour every word the best-selling, award-winning novelist pens. My admiration
goes beyond the author's expertise in capturing the mood reminiscent of Oliver Twist. Waters
extensive research enriches the vivid setting. Her spot-on characterizations combined with a
highly absorbing plot captivate both critics and readers alike. If I were to go back to Victorian
England, more precisely London 1862, I bet it would look, smell, taste, and sound as Waters has
deftly described it. If I would have been asked to root for a thief, I should say not. But Susan
Trinder, an orphan who through a twist of fate only knows a crooked life, is worth saving. And
what of Maud Lilly? Orphaned as well, she lives a seemingly charmed, though lonely life, in a
country estate of her uncle, much as a caged bird. Left in the hands of evil folk who prosper by
unsavory means, can the fates of both women be spared? How much strife can a woman endure
before she loses her mind, heart, and soul?
Fingersmith is the story of two young women who have nothing in common except the
acquaintance of a man who goes by the name Gentleman. He's a crook who means to ruin an
heiress in order to make his fortune. As part of Gentleman's plan to get rich quick, Susan leaves
Mrs. Sucksby, the woman who raises her, and London, the only home she's ever known. When
she travels to Briar to pose as Maud's maid, she soon discovers a connection that goes beyond the
treacherous scheme that brings her and Maud together. Despite deceit, their kinship is cemented
during all the time they spend in each other's company. Their heartstrings are pulled tight with
thoughts of what is to happen next. They share a love believed to be so hideous as to be shunned
by society and yet through it all, the hope of good coming out of evil is the hope that has readers
turning the pages.
Gentleman, a despicable yet thoroughly charming con man, evokes little or no sympathy but he's
entertaining in his cunning sort of way. Then there's Mrs. Sucksby, a petty thief, who raises
Susan as a means to an end. When Mrs. Sucksby sells the other orphaned infants but keeps Sue
as her own, Waters compels us to discover the motive behind baby farmer's actions. Mr. Lilly,
Maud's uncle, is a depraved man who enslaves a girl for his gain. It makes us wonder how some
people have few scruples to inflict cruelty upon others.
Waters captivates her audiences through vivid imagery as each scene builds the suspenseful plot
only to pull a fast one at every turn. Anyone who longs for a Victorian novel told expertly in the
Dickens style, who loves surprises, who enjoys characters to sink your teeth into, and who wants
to come away uplifted, would do well not to hesitate another moment. Head over to your
bookshop or on-line seller and pick up a copy today. Susan and Maud will forever be in your
heart. You won't be able to put it down. If you crave authentic historical fiction, clever plot
twists, and a fine romance, I highly recommend you don't miss this gem.
Cheri Rosenberg
Reviewer
Christy's Bookshelf
Invisible Prey
John Sandford
G.P. Putnam's Sons
New York, NY
978039154218 $26.95
Lucas Davenport, special agent for Minnesota's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, is trying to
deal with the sensitive investigation of a local politician who has been accused of having a sexual
relationship with a minor when his boss calls him in on another case that occurred in one of St.
Paul's richest neighborhoods. Two elderly women have been found bludgeoned to death in a
home filled with antiques. Although robbery is the suspected motive, not much has been taken,
so Lucas asks his intern, Sandy, to cross-match crimes of a like nature. What she discovers takes
Lucas back to a cold case and has him researching the antiquities venue as he follows a twisting
investigation that leads him away from the killers.
Although this is not the best in the Prey series, it is a good read. The two plots at times seemed to
compete with one another, which made the read seem somewhat convoluted. Sandford is strong
with characterization and the addition of Sandy, the intern, was a bonus, along with Detective
Flowers, both of whom this reader hopes to see in future books. Sandford's tendency to drop
designer names grows tiring at times (can't someone just once wear a simple shirt and pants?).
One major disappointment for this reader is Davenport's laid-back mellowness compared to the
earlier books, where he was sharper, with a dangerous edge.
Marked Man
William Lashner
William Morrow/Harper Collins
10 East 53rd Street, New York, NY 1002
978006072558 $24.95 www.harpercollins.com
Philadelphia Attorney Victor Carl wakes up one morning in the vestibule of his apartment
building, his suit disheveled, socks missing, and the name Chantal Adair inscribed on his chest.
Victor can't remember what happened the prior night and is on a quest to find out, along with
who Chantal Adair is. But his efforts are waylaid by a stubborn Greek woman on her deathbed,
demanding he bring her son Charlie Kalakos home in return for a favor Victor's father owes her.
Charlie is wanted by the District Attorney's Office and the FBI for stealing a Rembrandt painting
from a museum. Charlie wants to return home to tell his mother goodbye but Charlie's
partners-in-crime would prefer he stay gone. While negotiating with the authorities as well as
considering a shady offer by an art dealer/mercenary named Lavender Hill, Victor hires his own
investigator to find Chantal Adair. To his surprise, a young girl with the same name disappeared
the night Charlie and his gang stole the Rembrandt. Could the two crimes be connected?
Each outing with self-deprecating Victor Carl is a treat for readers who like a good mystery with
wacky characters and a narrative voice that entertains throughout. A flawed man who thinks
worse of himself than he actually is, Victor is tempted by fame and money with an internal
monitoring system that allows him to step outside the bounds of law, but just barely. Victor, who
seems to remain in a self-identity crisis, is joined this time by his partner, Beth Derringer, the
moral gauge of their partnership. Lashner's excellent style offers plenty of humor enmeshed
within a good story and characters that just can't be matched. This series is a hard one to top.
Tilt a Whirl
Chris Grabenstein
Carroll & Graf Publishers
9780786715848 $23.95
Danny Boyle, part-time cop for the Sea Haven, New Jersey police department, has been partnered
for the summer with John Ceepak, former military policeman in Iraq. Danny is bemused by
Ceepak, a man of integrity and principles, who lives by what Danny calls the Code, meaning he
does not break the law or bend rules in any way. Reginald Hart, a billionaire businessman, is shot
point blank while talking to his daughter on the Turtle Tilt a Whirl in their small town's
amusement park. Since Danny and Ceepak are first on the scene, their police chief designates
Ceepak to head the investigation into Hart's murder. Hart's ex-wife is quickly ruled out and the
investigators are looking in the direction of Latino gang members. But when a homeless drug
addict called Squeegee kidnaps Hart's daughter and demands ransom, they're hot on his trail,
which takes the investigation down another path.
Tilt a Whirl is the first in a new series by Chris Grabenstein, and if this is any indication of future
stories, the series is sure to be a hit. Written in a witty style, with characters that demand
inclusion in future books, this twisting, turning mystery will keep the reader thoroughly
entertained.
Got the Look
James Grippando
Harper Collins
9780060564582 $24.95 www.harpercollins.com
Miami attorney Jack Swyteck is emotionally devastated when he learns that Mia Salazar, his
girlfriend of the past three months, is a married woman. Mia's husband, Ernesto, a wealthy
businessman, finds out about the affair shortly before Mia is kidnapped. The kidnapper's ransom
notes demands payment for what Mia is worth, and the betrayed Salazar decides his wandering
wife is worth nothing. FBI agent Andie Henning has been tracking this serial kidnapper and
contacts Jack after being (facetiously) told by Salazar that he is his attorney. When Jack learns
that Salazar is refusing to make payment, he is initially reluctant to become involved but
eventually does and negotiates with the kidnapper for Mia's release. Andie, Jack and his good
friend Theo Knight begin to unravel Mia's past in hopes of discovering the identity of the
kidnapper and learn that she may possibly be connected to a controversial trial several years
before. Meanwhile, the kidnapper is sending videos of Mia being tortured, which makes for a
frantic effort to find her before the kidnapper kills her.
Got the Look is by far not the best of the Jack Swyteck series with a plot that lags at times and
threatens to be absorbed by the subplot of Mia's identity. Theo is an engaging character and
offers humorous relief among a cast of unlikable characters. Andie Henning is interesting and
looks to play a part in future books in the series. The identity of the kidnapper and his reason for
kidnapping Mia were not very plausible and hard to grasp. Of concern is Swyteck's propensity for
allowing murderers to, well, get away with murder.
Run
Ann Patchett
Harper Collins
9780061340635 $25.95
This story centers around a small, religious statuette which bears a strong resemblance to
Bernadette Doyle. It is tradition in Bernadette's family that the statue be handed down from
mother to daughter, but Bernadette and her husband have one biological son, Sullivan, and two
adopted sons, African American brothers, Tip and Teddy, but no daughters, so the ultimate fate
of the statue is in question. Bernadette dies from cancer when Tip and Teddy are young and
Doyle assumes the responsibility of raising them. It is Doyle's dream that his sons share his
passion for politics and follow him into a career in same. But Tip is a student at Harvard who
wants to be an ichthyologist while Teddy is interested in the priesthood. Doyle, however, asks
Tip and Teddy to attend a speech by Jesse Jackson with him in hopes of interesting them in
politics. Afterward, Tip argues with Doyle and unintentionally steps in front of a car. A black
woman saves Tip by pushing him out of the way but is injured and rushed to the hospital. Doyle
offers to care for her young daughter, Kenya, while she is recovering. And this one person
stepping into their lives forces each of these men to come to terms with the past, each other and
themselves.
Ann Patchett's eloquent prose is exceptional, to be absorbed and savored, as she delves deep into
the psyche of her characters and delivers a slowly evolving plot. Although Run does not quite
meet the high standards of Patchett's Bel Canto, it is an intriguing, enjoyable read.
Christy Tillery French
Reviewer
Clay's Bookshelf
The Angelic Prophecy
Robert L. Hecker
Mundania Press, LLC
6470A Glenway Avenue, #109, Cincinnati, OH 45211-5222
159426256X $14.00 www.mundania.com
Michael Modesto is a rock star, a rock star to the full extreme with the alcohol and the girls,
living life hard in the fast lane. Than all of a sudden he begins to tire, the pleasure begins to fade
and at twenty-five he begins to question if he's getting too old for the music.
Than one night at one of so many parties he meets Mary Schaeffer, a nurse who pushes her way
in determined to speak to him. She wants him to do a benefit concert for crack babies. Michael
wants no part of it; he has a reputation, a selfish attitude towards such things. But finally agrees
to go to the hospital with her to see the babies. While there Mary forces him to hold one of the
babies and pain like a bolt of lightning races through his body till he passes out but the baby- the
baby was healed! In the parking lot another miracle a fire ball of protection from two thugs who
try to rob them.
From then on Michael decides to stay away from Mary and any thought of a benefit concert but
he can't he's drawn to her. He tracks her down at her church to tell her he won't help but before he
knows it he starts preaching like crazy words he never knew and doesn't even believe begin to
flow out of him.
After that surviving the elevator crash with the message written on the wall that he is God's
messenger, messenger of what, has him thinking he is losing his mind. While all the while Mary
believes he is chosen for a purpose.
Than there's Ambassador Anthony Stonz and his assistant Selene who seem to appear out of
nowhere to help the church but really are set on stopping Michael but know he is not like the
others this one won't be easy to stop
An awesome storyline set against the end times this novel will have you grabbing for your Bible!
The author Robert L. Hecker does an amazing job in this mystery page turner. The showdown of
good versus evil is a little typical of most end times books but the rest of the book is well worth
the time.
But on a negative note if you are offended by profanity than give this book a pass as some
Christians may find the language offensive. But otherwise an awesome read.
Catch a Rising Star
Tracey Bateman
FaithWords
c/o Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017
0780446698931 $12.99 http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/christian/index.html
Former soap opera diva Tabby Brockman feels she has hit bottom. Fired from the number one
soap "Legacy of Life" for a misunderstanding with the writer (she caught her husband making a
move on Tabby during a party and blamed Tabby), she's forced to work at a bookstore wearing
costumes to read to kids which she can't get along with as one of her best friends and roommate
Laini puts it "Putting Tabby with kids is like asking the garbage man to cook without washing
his hands"- so needless to say she's been fired again.
Than out of the blue she hears from Freddie her old friend and fitness trainer, from "Legacy of
Life". That man always seems to know all the latest gossip about the show and now he knows the
show wants her back! And to top it off Kyle Preston, everyone's dream agent, with good looks
and great negotiation skills wants her as a client! After all her agent dropped her after she was
fired from the soap and according to Freddie it seems her agent is friends with Julie, the show's
writer, who fired her so now she's starting to understand everything. She can't believe God has
opened the door for her to go back. But not everyone shares her enthusiasm Laini and Dancy (the
other roommate and friend) and her Mom voice their opinions and they are not too keen on the
idea.
Back at the set Tabby wonders if they were right. She still has to deal with Julie, the writer that
killed her off in the first place who makes her wear bandages for the first week and gives her
lousy lines and the "precious" five year old twins that play her kids on the show that she wants to
strangle and their dreamy dad that she finds she's falling for despite the kids and the fact their not
hitting it off at all.
Meanwhile her Mother keeps pushing David at her, which she has no interest in and won't take
the hint. Her sister is unmarried and pregnant and her brother's new girlfriend drives her Mom up
the wall. Her Dad suffers a heart attack and her friends have their own problems. All in all it's not
your typical family life!
What an awesome book, this reviewer could not put it down! The author Tracey Bateman does
an awesome job in pulling you into Tabby's, Laini's and Dancy's lives and her sense of humor
will have you in stitches. The characters are amazing in this first book of the Drama Queens
Series. This reviewer is new to the world of Chick Lit but Bateman has given me an amazing
introduction and I am definitely hooked not only on Tracey Bateman but on Chick Lit!
Sushi for One? Sometimes romance needs a kick of wasabi
Camy Tang
Zondervan
5300 Patterson SE Grand Rapids, MI 49530
9780310273981 $12.99 www.zondervan.com
Poor Lex - Alexis Sakai is now the OSFC (oldest single female cousin) in her family and her
Grandma is out to change that and in the Japanese culture that's not a good thing, slowly
everything in her life changes as she realizes just how much influence her grandmother has. Just
because her grandmother is determined that Lex is to be in a serious relationship by her cousin
Mariko's wedding and that is only four months away or else she will stop all funding for the girls
junior high volleyball team that Lex couches.
Since Lex quit her job and though a series of circumstances or was it God she landed her dream
job at SPZ her life has become a revolving door of strange men claiming their mother is friends
with one of her aunts and willing to date her for college game tickets. Even her brother is
bringing men around that he claims are "friends" but seem to be the biggest losers. When she
tries not to give into the pressure her grandmother threatens that other things could happen and
things do but which is her grandmother and which are circumstances? Suddenly her dad is forced
in to retirement from his job and decides to sell the house. Lex tears her ACL and has to have
knee surgery just when she lands a chance to play on the ultimate volleyball dream team at
Wassamattayu. Her other cousins/friends begin to avoid her. And Lex struggles with the dating
thing due to something that happened three years ago that very few people know about especially
not her grandmother who blames her not dating on the fact that Lex is too athletic and not
feminine enough and even goes so far as to offer to pay for breast implants! Than there's Aiden
the one man she has come to trust as a friend and becomes her physical therapist but he's not
Christian and does not match anything on her "Ephesians list" for the perfect man but yet she is
drawn to him ..
Wow, what a page turner! Enter into the Japanese culture in this Asian twist on Chick Lit. The
author Camy Tang will have you in stitches in this hilarious romance. This reviewer just couldn't
put this awesome book down and once you finish the novel you'll be wanting more from Tang.
Check out the glossary of Asian words (Camy style) at the back of the book and pick up some
new words along the way.
A Proper Pursuit
Lynn Austin
Bethany House
11400 Hampshire Ave S Bloomington, MN 55438
9780764228919 $13.99 www.bethanyhouse.com
The time is the late 1800's and twenty year old Violet Hayes is on a quest to experience romance
and mystery just like the books her and her best friend Ruth snuck to read at Madame
Beauchamps' School for girls. Yes she was taught to be a lady but she wants adventure.
After finding out her father is about to remarry and that her mother really is alive not dead as her
father had try to make her believe, Violet knows she must go to Chicago to find her mother, who
she hasn't seen since she was nine, she convinces her father to let her go see the World's
Columbian Exposition in Chicago and to visit her grandmother and her great aunts. But everyone
else has their own plans for Violet. Her grandmother, father and Aunt Agnes are out to have her
married. Her crazy Aunt Birdie tells her to marry for love and her Aunt Matt tells her she doesn't
need to marry. Than all in one week she has three marriage proposals but the men all have their
own ideas too and not one includes love. All the while Violet is falling in love with Silas the
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