5 comments about Charles Kuralt's American Moments (American Moment Series).

1. Kuralt is an American treasure. His essays, word pictures ofAmerica, take on a special quality when heard on tape. All of his essays are his legacy--to remind us of the amazing nature of American society and of the need for a new crop of American writers to find the hidden jewels of Americana.



2. Great reading! As I read the pages of American Moments I can hear the voice of Charles Kuralt. I recommend it for all ages and it is very uplifting.



3. Great reading! As I read the pages of American Moments I canhear the voice of Charles Kuralt. I recommend it for all ages and it is very uplifting.



4. The editing for 90 seconds of television was too severe for the treasured scenes to work as effectively in book form. Am I just still too sad at our loss to fill in the gaps? Though disappointed I read on and on. No doubt you will too. Kuralt was a quintessential American treasure himself.



5. This book is filled with short accounts of diverse "American Moments" grouped in ten areas. This is a sampling. Each reader would do a completely different review as there is so much to choose from to make an interesting account.
   
   The Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, built in 1914, was a beautiful railroad palace through which half the soldiers of this country passed Dec. 7, the day word came of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The interior, from the insert photograph, looks a lot like the magnificent station in Washington, D.C. Back then, the idea was to create grand buildings for everyday citizens. At the street entrance, there on the sidewalk, stood a tall ornate black clock like the one which graced Knoxville's Gay Street for several decades. Ours was recently moved by the owners of a jewelry store to the new location west of town, a lavish edifice, and yet the clock has yet to be put up. They claimed it because it had stood in front of the downtown store. There is now a campaign to replace it there among the brew pubs, martini bars, and loft apartments where the downtowners hang out. Somehow, it will lack the 'dignity' of the original.
   
   There are two photos of Becky Davis of Tennessee making cotton candy at a Fair. Invented in the 1920s (Karault says by a dentist), it is sticky spun sugar in pretty colors. It takes experience to flip it just right to keep from being covered by the gooey stuff. He wonders what folks ate at fairs and carnivals before cotton candy came along. In the 1980s, funnel cakes made an appearance at the World's Fair in Knoxville. I have yet to eat my first one (not even a taste), though I was tempted at the 2004 Fair -- missed the chance as time was short and I had to run to catch a bus.
   
   The country's smallest p.o. is shown free-standing about the size of a well house in Ochopee, Florida. It may be tiny but has its own historical marker on a stand right outside on the road; a regular size postal drop box is beside the building wher it is encouraged the customers use for mailing their post cards and envelopes. Inside, of course, Naomi Lewis will be glad to sell stamps. From the photo, I see they had room by her counter for the "most wanted" criminals pictures, a staple of post offices everywhere. Our smallest here is at Knoxville Center mall in a corner beside the offices where you can get your driver's license and car tags. It even has room for packages which I usually mail there, as one of the two 'old' postal clerks told me, "here, you can be first in line." Now, that's a plus.
   
   Before that, U. S. A. had The Pony Express which began in St. Joseph, Missouri, to deliver mail overland all the way to California, 2,000 miles in ten days. At the Pony Express Museum, on the wall is an early want ad: "Wanted -- Young, Skinny, Wiry Fellows. Not Over Eighteen. Must Be Expert Rider. Willing to Risk Death Daily. Orphans Preferred." This enterprise lasted only a year and a half until the completion of the telegraph. There is a bronze statue of a young rider on a horse (in flight) there at St. Joseph where Gary Chilcote, director of the Patee House Museum, explained: "they rode through Kansas and Nebraska, dipped into Colorado, and across Wyoming, Nevada, Utan and dropped down into California.
   
   This historian tells the story of Jesse James' demise. Jesse was the first outlaw in the American West, right after the Civil War. He and his gang robbed trains and banks. There is a photo of the small house where Bob Ford, one of the gang members, shot Jesse behind the right ear as he attempted to straighten a picture on a wall on April 3, 1882. Kuralt wrote, "Die a law-abiding citizen and you will be remembered for a time. Die a desperado and you will be remembered for all time." The last of Jesse James, killed by one of his own gang, was an American Moment to Remember.
   
   It looked bigger than life in the movie version. A hatmaker he interviewed shows a bow being put on a cowboy hat for which the movies made popular. "All self-respecting cowboy hats have bows on them" (similar to those little things you see on the front of most bras). They have to or you're not a cowboy. That's as close as you can get to the meaning of this symbol in a word. A cowboy hat demands respect.
   
   My favorite cowboy, Lash LaRue, included me in his program at the East Tennessee Fair when Al Curtis brought him here (a big thing back then). Lash dressed in black and always wore a black hat. Our local cowboy, Marshal Andy Smalls, advises his t.v. fans to 'wear a white hat, so we will know the good guys.' I've always yearned for a blue one, but bought it for my little cowboy (Justin at age 4 or 5) whom the girls all liked at the library costume party.
   
   This fact-filled book, published after Charles Kuralt's death (7-4-97), was edited by Peter Freudlich, his friend and writer-producer for CBS News, where Charles worked for 37 years. He won many honors for his "on the road" journalism, and I enjoyed his features on 'CBS Sunday Morning.' In the Foreward, written by Charles Osgood, he calls Charles Kuralt, native son of North Carolina, an 'explorer' as he covered the back roads of this country to find real Americans and their unique stories.

5 comments about A Taste of Power: A Black Woman's Story.

1. While reading this book I experienced a wide range of feelings because Elaine Brown basically bared her soul when writing this book. She also has a great sense of humor. I give her the highest respect for the soul searching she did while penning her autobiography.
   
   The book gives a clear look into the BPP and its members and the changes the party went through. I found the information of Huey P Newton, Eldrige Cleaver, and George Jackson especially eye opening and helpful-it answered some of the questions I had been seeking answers for.
   
   The book also gives a clear look of what it was like to be a woman, a black women, in the 60s and 70s operating in a male dominated party and society as a whole
   
   I noticed there are a lot of negative reviews on this book and wonder if the people who left them, wrote them because they really disliked how Elaine presented her story or are using the media's interpretation her legacy and the historical legacy of the BPP to fuel their comments. The story in the context of times and situation of the party and Elaine along with the political and social changes the party was trying to achieve.
   Anyway I high recommend.



2. Elaine Brown went from the hood to the governor's office in her search for identity as a black woman coming of age in the 1970s and to make the black power movement - the Black Panther Party - a powerful voice in California state politics.
   
   The autobiography is seemingly an act of catharsis as Brown bares her soul without justifying what she has done with her life. It is what it is and she keeps it real.
   
   There will be segments that you'll be touched by, others that will repulse you and some where you question why, but it ultimately is her life story. Sexuality and violence - oftentimes at the hands of her lovers in the BPP - overshadows Brown's quest for love and acceptance, but you will find segments of her life that intertwine with snapshots from your past.
   
   Brown takes what I consider some unnecessary swipes at Angela Davis - it is taken for granted that many in the black power movement questioned her membership in the Communist Party, USA - but she does have unapologetic portraits of people throughout her life.
   
   If you are looking for an autobiography solely on the BPP from a party member's perspective, you may want to look for another book to read. But you will be missing one of the most powerful writings on one's life that has ever been published.



3. Intelligently written and inspiring!! The truth about the black panthers is revealed in this book. Enter Elaine Brown, Smart, intelligent, witty, and truthful. A member of the black panther party exposed and subjected to the sexism, chauvinism, and often sinister side of the party. Elaine Brown has endured the harsh realities of living in a time of revolution. In their search for social and economic change, the party insisted on doing things on their own terms by setting up programs, fighting against oppression, police brutality, and racial discrimination. However, there was a darker side to the panthers only few knew, and in this book Elaine tells it all. The sex, drugs, and divisiveness of the panthers is only the beginning of what eventually caused the destruction of the party. A long but powerful look into the nation's most powerful revolutionary group.



4. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Black Panther Party. Comrade Brown's memior is well written and very interesting.
   
   The main problem I have with this book is that I feel Elaine's narrative is biased and self serving. (Especially her commentary on Bobby Seale.)Furthermore, I can't help but to wonder if some of her sexual adventure chronicled in this book are overblown.



5. A taste of Power by Elaine Brown is a compelling and passionate
   autobiography which highlights the internal tensions inside the BPP and
   the fascinating stories of party members. It is at times heartbreaking
   and beautifully written.

5 comments about Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl.

1. I knew that the Diary of Anne Frank was the second most purchased book in the world, the Bible being the first, but I still wasn't sure if I wanted to read it.
   In our eighth grade class, our teacher is big on the Holocaust. And when she first mentioned that we would be learning about it, I was excited; to a point. I know that most kids my age think 'ooh blood and guts and gore' and think it's cool or funny or a joke. They all watch horror movies that almost make them immune to real life experiences that involve real horror or real tragedy.
   So before we started learning about it, I wanted to know more in depth about how it was like to be a teen during the Holocaust. So, I summed up the guts and checked it out at the library. When I started reading it, I couldn't stop. Anne and I are so similar. She's always happy-go-lucky despite the terrible circumstances; she's very curious, careless, and sometimes a trouble maker. And even though I'm not Jewish, I think it's extremely easy to worm your way into her shoes. You learn so much, and it's really emotional, knowing that Anne Frank, this person you've grown attatched to, and her family, everyone except her father Otto Frank, has been killed. Slaughtered innocently by the Nazis, a cult led by Hitler that cornered them just because of their religion or their looks.
   I think that if anyone wants to learn about the Holocaust, this is a must read; it's an amazing journey that might not end so happily, but Anne never ceased to hope. It has such vivid details of everything that sometimes it's hard to believe that something like the concentration camps and Hitler and everything existed. The fact that it's in diary form makes it all the better.
   This non-fiction diary is amazing, and I think everyone, at some point, should read it.



2. I have finally, at the age of 33, gotten around to reading Anne Frank's diary. There is little point in adding another glowing review. Everything has been said. But after reading some of the negative reviews, I feel compelled to respond. It seems there are two primary criticisms (Three if you count the ridiculous idea that the diary is a forgery, which I won't dignify). The first is that Anne doesn't talk a lot about the war or the holocaust. To this, I can only say, that's all for the better. She was a thirteen year girl living in total isolation from the rest of the world. She really had no special expertise or light to shed on these subjects. There are many excellent history books on both of these subjects. The second criticism is simply that the book is boring. She talks too much about her day to day life, her thoughts, her feelings, and so on. To this I can only say, what part of "Diary of a Young Girl" is ambiguous? The annex was her entire world. What do you expect her to write about?
   
   What a few don't seem to understand is that this is not a "book about World War II", or even about the holocaust. If that is what she had written about, the diary wouldn't even be a footnote in history. This is the story of one young girl, in her own voice, trying to figure out what it means to live, to grow, and to be human in the most depraved and inhumane circumstances. She wrote about her hopes, her dreams, her fears, and occasionally about peeling potatoes. But the thing that some people don't see is that even when writing about the most mundane topics, she was actually writing about people, about how they endure and falter, about how they come together and how they fall apart. And despite the enormous injustice she endured, she always made the case for optimism, for hope in humanity, and for love of life. I don't know that I can agree with her, having adopted a more cynical outlook, but that just increases my admiration for her and my shame in myself for not living the gift of live to the fullest.
   
   The other thing that stands out is the maturity of the writing. After reading just the first entry, I was blown away by the eloquence and clarity of Anne's writing. I could hardly believe that I was reading the prose of a 13 year old girl. She does write a lot about the trials and tribulations of being a teenage girl, but the voice of the writing does not feel childish at all, except perhaps in its optimism. The world lost a great talent and a brilliant soul to those murderous barbarians.
   
   This is a difficult book to digest, and two days after finishing, I'm still haunted by it. Anne's optimism, faith, and courage inspired me throughout, but made the knowledge of what would come at the end all the more a bitter pill to swallow. All that we can do is to honor her by making sure her story and the story of millions of holocaust victims are never forgotten and never happen again. So far, we're not doing so well with that.
   
   And there, I've done it. I've written a review. I didn't intend to, but I did. So go out and read it, if you haven't.



3. I've read this book ten times and it never gets old. Every young adult should read this!



4. As a young adult I had read articles on the book. I knew the story. I saw the movie made from the book. However, I had never read the book itself.
   The experience of reading the words of Anne as she lived for two year in hiding with her family, and others in hiding, was entirely different than just knowing the story. Reading another persons personal words as they were living the life that inspired them to write is a most intimate experience.
   In my adult life I am glad to have had the experience of actually reading Anne Frank's words. I recommend the reading of this book to young and mature persons who wish to understand what transpired in our world history on an intimate level.



5. Shipping took longer than expected but the book was in new condition as was stated

5 comments about The Night Stalker: The Life and Crimes of Richard Ramirez.

1. Philip Carlo certainly did his homework when researching the crimes of Richard Ramirez. After reading his unbiased account of what happened, I am now much more critical when selecting a true-crime novel. He tells the story just as it happened and lets you form your own opinions about Ramirez, good or bad. I disagree with the reviews that criticize Carlo for not giving his own opinion of Richard Ramirez; it was not his purpose for this book. I also disagree with the reviews on this website that criticize Carlo's account of the trial; I found it fascinating, well-written, informative, and full of detail. If you are only a voyeur of blood-lust, put the book down when the courtroom drama begins. He systematically divides the book into sections of time and place, allowing the reader to look at Ramirez's crimes from all points of view of all persons involved. He is what every journalist should strive to be: unbiased and only reports the facts. As a pre-criminology major, I found this book very insightful.



2. Philip Carlo has written a very exhaustive book about the Night Stalker. It's hard to imagine a more complete book on the serial killer.
   
   The first portion of the book dealt with the horrible crimes of the Night Stalker.
   Following that was a section dealing with Richard Ramirez from birth all the way to his arrival in L.A. from El Paso. His temporal lobe epilepsy of childhood and the influence his cousin Miguel had on Ramirez when he was a pre-teen.
   The next section of the book was about his attempts to avoid arrest and his eventual apprehension by citizens.
   The last part gave a detailed summary of Ramirez's trial.
   
   What made the Night Stalker so dangerous was that he was a different breed of serial killer, he didn't victimize a certain type of person. He really didn't stalk his victims, he chose his targets at random from an ever-expanding area.
   
   Philip Carlo effectively connected the combinations of influences that fueled Ramirez's criminal drive;sex,drugs,pornography,heavy metal music,and satanism.
   He was a dedicated satanist reading books authored by Anton LaVey and even meeting him once.
   
   The strange,surreal actions by the Night Stalker "groupies" and Ramirez himself are reminiscent of the Charles Manson trial from "Helter Skelter".
   
   If you want to learn why the Night Stalker was arguably the most feared killer this is the book to read!



3. I've read some complaints here about the fact that this book is too long because the author covers the trial of Richard Ramirez at great length in the second half of this novel. (The first half covers the crimes and the Night Stalker's childhood.) I'll have to disagree with those reviews. Author Philip Carlo is clearly well-researched. He provides a lot of input here not only into the crimes, victims, and the killer. We get to know the key players of this harrowing story of one of the most dangerous and scariest serial killers of the annals of crime. I highly recommend this gripping book. You'll find it hard to put down and even harder to forget.



4. As I am concerned about justice in America, especially in regard to homicide and serial killers, I found Philip Carlo's book completely fascinating in its depth and broad perspective. There were no cardboard
   characters in this book; there were only real, human, feeling, people; people who prayed and cried and despaired. Obviously Carlo researched
   this story thoroughly. What drama! We hear on TV, or read in the newspapers, that the victim was taken to the hospital and is expected to
   survive. But that's not where it ends. Victim Virginia Petersen tells
   what happens afterward in her statement when she was given a chance to speak after the sentencing. If you're the type who cries, you weep as
   you learn of her family's agonies and the devastation and shambles
   and fragmented pieces left of their lives after the attack. Then again,
   some object to giving a killer's family any sympathy. But when Carlo
   told of the family's deep grief, especially of his mother's and father's
   despair over his terrible murders, I felt, these, too, were victims.
   This is a book that helps men and women understand the serial killer
   and perhaps edge toward learning how to better handle such horrors when they arise.



5. This may be an old case, but Ramirez is the ultimate archetype of evil. In some ways, this is the book that other true crime should be compared to. It's thorough, unrelentingly real, which is what makes this so scary. The structure, and detail make this a must read for true crime fans. It starts to feel long about three quarters in, but this is because Carlo doesn't miss anything. He doggedly persists in presenting every single incident in the case, from beginning to end. Only because it felt long, I gave this four stars. As with any classic, from In Cold Blood to my favorite new classic, Monster of Florence, or Drew Peterson Exposed, this belongs on every true crime fan's shelf.

5 comments about Amazing Grace.

1. Jonathan Kozol's 1995 book, "Amazing Grace," is intriguing, yet infuriating. While I was drawn to the subject, a study of the children of New York City's South Bronx neighborhood, I was put off by the "Note to the Reader" at the front of the book, which warns that some names have been changed (I can live with that) but also that "conversations have been condensed" and "some events have been resequenced," which leaves me wondering what parts of which conversations with whom have been resequenced (a word that Microsoft Word 2003 does not even recognize) and when? Because the book is presented in a chronological order, one would assume a natural progression: as a general rule, time goes by, seasons change, and children mature. In real life we don't get the chance to resequence.
   
   The book is basically a series of conversations, with Kozol playing the unbiased questioner, who lets his characters, excuse me, interviewees, write his book for him. Very rarely is his voice heard; he only allows some sadness, and some delight, filter through. Statements are made, facts are reported, but one must keep referring to the Notes at the back of the book to substantiate the facts, and check the dates, because we just never can be sure what has been resequenced. It would almost have been more efficient to include the notes in the body of the book, so one does not have to continually flip back and forth from the text to the notes.
   
   The children in the book are lovely, and it is their amazing grace shining through the constant sorrow that gives this book its title. Although it is true that we are all equal, in truth we are all different, and Mr. Kozol's skin color, clothing, speech and demeanor mark him as a stranger in this strange land called the Bronx. (The villain of the piece is actually New York's master builder, Robert Moses, who cut a deep swathe, the "Cross Bronx Expressway," through the heart of the neighborhood and created a slum where there had once been a thriving community.) And because Mr. Kozol is a foreigner, indeed he wears the skin and clothing of The Powers That Be, one must wonder if his conversations with the children and parents are indicative of their true feelings, or are they just telling him what they think he wants to hear?
   
   Mothers and grandmothers are the true heroes of the piece; guiding their precious children (including one, here called, "Precious," although who knows if that name has been changed) through a drug- and crime-infested hell, while fathers, sons and daughters bounce from hospitals to prisons to the cemetery. HIV-infection is a very real force here, although since the book is now 12 years old I do not know what effect the disease has on the community today.
   
   The book's structure is flawed, but the story is inspiring, and makes the reader question how the children can be saved. Is it the obligation of the City government, which seems to have done a fine job relocating its "problem children" from their visibility in homeless shelters in Manhattan to the far, far away, out-of-sight, out-of-mind Bronx? Is it to be solved by mentoring, one-on-one, as 13-year-old "Anthony" is guided in his education by an older gentleman, a writer and poet? Should Kozol have just picked up Precious and adopted her into his Massachusetts family life, thus rescuing her from her certain tragic fate?
   
   And those of us who are teachers, what is our role? Kozol seems to leave us in despair, as if there is nothing that a human being can do to turn this tide. We have to hope that the influence of an inspired teacher could make a dent in the defenses that these children have built up, like a shield, to guard them from the hard knocks of their hard lives. Maybe a teacher can, because if we didn't believe that such a thing was possible, we might as well turn in our chalk and go home.



2. I ordered a series of books for my daughter. Excellent email response, timely receipt and accurate updates of the order. More than what I expected. The materials were in good condition on arrival. Very satisfied with the service.



3. It is a book about children. Children who live in Mott Haven, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in the South Bronx. I have almost never read anything that has moved me and at the same time disturbed me as this book has. Jonathan Kozol has with great care and sensitivity interviewed children living in this place that's both crime ridden and run down. Most of these kids start off as being trusting and innocent but grow into becoming more and more disillusioned about their surroundings and hope for survival. The HIV and AIDS virus has really hit hard in these places and this is connected to the large amount of the population that abuse heroin. The heroin has such self-mocking names as "Jungle Fever", "Black Sabbath", "DOA"(dead on arrival), and "True Power". Many of the children are born to addicted mothers, some of who are in jail, already contracting the disease in utero. First time mothers have an average age between 16 and 17, while grandmothers can be in their late thirties and great great grandmothers in their late 50s.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   Its incredible how close Jonathan Kozol manages to come to these kids. They really take him in and open up their hearts. They share with him their stories. These stories are full of horrible and painful things that are so far from the realities that we experience here in modern day big city Stockholm. The segregation in these South Bronx neighborhoods is total, whether it's the schools, hospitals, or prisons. And almost always the kids receive the short end of the stick. Children tell of how they see murders on the street, get attacked by rats, how some are killed or burned from household fires, how some eat cold oatmeal out of the box for dinner, many of the kids live with chronic asthma due to anxiety, others live with mothers dying of AIDS, and often have classrooms that are decrepit and completely rundown. There are less qualified doctors and teachers here than anywhere else in the state of New York. There have been major tax cuts in the city that have hit these citizens hardest. Like cuts in sanitation that has resulted in mountains of garbage lining up inside buildings drawing hordes of rats. Cuts in maintenance of buildings that leave elevators broken, often resulting in playing kids falling down the elevator shafts and dying. The police refer to some of the housing projects to as "death camps" because so many drug dealers and addicts dominate them. The tax cuts have also led to many social workers losing their jobs as well as closing of several youth centers that allow kids safe places to be while their parents work. Prostitution is also common among the women. Mostly serving the truck drivers who drive through the neighborhood to deliver goods to the Hunts Point market that is close. They turn tricks for 3 to 5 dollars that go to feeding their addictions. This happens all hours of the day and night, even when the children can see. Many times when the children or adults are asked how they manage to survive they mention their faith in god and heaven. That the place that they are in now is more reminiscent of hell, but this is not where they will end up.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   As a atudent of theology I cannot help but see this book as a strong wake up call. The gospels of the New Testament took the part of the poor, saying the last shall be first and the first shall be last. In the Christian nation of America that prints "In god we trust" on their coins-this is how they treat the poor. One priest who works in the South Bronx took a little kid with him when he had to drive to Queens to do some errands. There he took him to Burger King to eat. The kid had never been outside of the Bronx before. The priest later learned from the kid's teacher that he wrote an essay in school about their lunch called "My trip to Burger King"-the same way a rich kid might write about a trip he made to Florida. Most of these kids never get any Christmas or birthday presents. They don't even have their own rooms. Sleeping on sofas or on mattresses on the floor. One child says, " it feels like I'm hidden", and this is a good observation. Nobody wants to be reminded of what these children are going through. Therefore their stories are seldom, if ever, heard. This is why Jonathan Kozols book is so important. Only a short distance away just across 96th street lies the park avenue apartments that houses some of the wealthiest people in the nation, households with an average income of 300,000 dollars a year. Toward the end of the book the author talks to an old poet living in the Bronx and the start to discuss the Nazi holocaust and the concentration camps. How there are certain disturbing parallels to what happened then and whats happening now. How the outcasts and those human beings viewed as being "superfluous" are quarantined. "Its not the same" he says, "but there are some similarities. There is the feeling of eclipse. There is the likelihood of death for many. There is a sense of people watching from the outside but seeming paralyzed and doing nothing. And then there are the miracles."



4. Jonathan Kozol has dedicated his work on bringing light to the inequalities that exist within our nation. These inequalities are best seen, unfortunately but not unexpectedly, along racial lines. "Amazing Grace: The Lives of Children and the Conscience of a Nation" is a book with a lot of questions, a lot of shocking information, but not a lot of answers; if only because the answers may not exist. It is a stunning look at the deep disparity between rich and poor within our nation.
   
   Kozol focuses on the South Bronx ghetto of Mott Haven, the poorest borough in New York, clearly segregated from the middle and upper classes, where two-thirds of the population are Hispanic and one-third African-American. Through interviews with school children, teachers, ministers, and community members, Kozol paints a bleak picture of the equally bleak lives led by those who live in this area. He recounts stories of buildings where wires have been eaten through by rats that are the size of squirrels, of drugs being bought and sold openly on the streets (although the drug dealers have enough respect to break when school lets out), and of families too numerous to count who are being killed off one by one by AIDS. The way these children see the world is frightenly dead-on; they know when they're not wanted because it's proven to them everyday in the way they have to live.
   
   "Amazing Grace" is not an easy read due to its topic matter. Kozol's style is matter-of-fact, made up of usually uninterrupted comments by those he's interviewed, sometimes with his questions thrown in, and his own comments and hypotheses as to how this can go on. But Kozol doesn't necessarily have answers or even blame. Surely, some blame has to go to a system that keeps the poorest people with the least chance for success segregated from others, a separation of the haves and have nots to the greatest degree. And certainly others would place the blame on the poor people themselves. Perhaps it's a combination of a lot of factors, not one or the other, but what is certain is that too little is being done (or maybe can be done) to make a difference before it is too late.



5. Kozol's Amazing Grace is a true eye-opener. After reading it, I feel that I had nothing close to an accurate image of the conditions of poverty that people still live in in some of the inner city neighborhoods. The reality Kozol awakens us to shatters the illusion America holds of "equal opportunity for all," and the book is an indictment of a far-too-unaware society run by politicians who must think about quick fixes (prisons, tax cuts) that try to please voters or address problem symptoms rather than causes (terrible schools, decrepit surroundings, congestion of the homeless, and the not-always subtle discrimination that continues in society). A truly important book, which will challenge any readers who are supportive of Rudy Giuliani to defend his startling insensitivity to the issue, displayed by his cutting of funding of public services that are so crucial to many people Kozol writes of.

5 comments about All Fishermen Are Liars: True Tales from the Dry Dock Bar.

1. 
   If it's a salty yarn you hunger for, you can't go wrong with swordfishing boat captain Linda Greenlaw's latest adventure All Fishermen Are Liars: True Adventures At Sea. Her sea stories are true and involve both death-defying and some funny challenges of professional sailors - from surviving a shipwreck by swimming 10 hours in a hurricane to using rock music as a tuna lure. Marine science, diving adventure, boat regulations and management and more blend with riveting adventure tales.



2. This is a fun book for those of who like to sit around and swap sea and fish stories. It has a lot of interest and a very "easy read". Linda also gives you a feel for the "community of North Atlatnic fishermen" that participate in this often very unforgiving and dangerous profession. This book is clearly the best of her books that I have read.



3. Linda appears to be running short of material in this book.



4. After two books of no-nonsense stories about life at sea, first as a swordboat captain and next as a lobsterman, Linda Greenlaw kicks back at a Portland, Maine, watering hole with a few fellow salts to swap yarns. And, while the title clearly states that "all fishermen are liars," these brine-encrusted adventures are all purportedly true -- if perhaps a bit stretched. Bracketing the stories themselves are Linda's efforts to convince a dear friend and mentor to consider full or partial retirement or risk a lonely death at sea. The text is also brimming with Linda's thoughtful musings about life, love and family, much of which she weaves into a series of fisherman's metaphors.
   
   Linda's book is populated, as usual, by an assortment of characters, most of whom would be equally fun to meet over a pint and chowder. Foremost among them are Alden, Linda's flawed but faithful friend, and George and Tommy, two ne'er-do-wells who have been thoroughly shredded by Linda to the extent I'm surprised they consented to join the bar crowd for her book jacket photo, much less be identified by name. But the meat of "Liars" is the collection of sea stories, some harrowing, some funny, some sad, some inspiring. Linda Greenlaw has a gift for bringing her narrative to life.
   
   by Tom Knapp, Rambles.(n e t) editor



5. "Every date and detail and description is accurate and completely well grounded in fact. Honest." - Author Linda Greenlaw on the tales in ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS
   
   Linda Greenlaw, the sometime Maine swordfish-boat captain and lobster trawler, who's entertained armchair seagoing fishers with The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey and The Lobster Chronicles : Life On a Very Small Island, breaks new personal ground with this anthology of salty tales ostensibly remembered from one session of yarn spinning at the Dry Dock Restaurant and Tavern in Portland, Maine, which, as Linda states, is one of her favorite watering holes and really does exist (though, according to reviews of the place on the Web, it emphatically doesn't appeal to everyone).
   
   As with any collection of stories based on a profession, whether it's penned by a cabdriver, airline attendant, neurosurgeon, golfer, madam, rodeo rider, astrophysicist, hockey player, test pilot or chef, the reader must have some threshold of interest in the subject or all is lost. Personally, I couldn't care less about hockey, golf or the rodeo circuit. On the other hand, I once found a cabby's workplace stories (No Guns, No Knives, No Personal Checks: The Tales of a San Francisco Cab Driver), which I wouldn't have otherwise read unless urged to do so, surprisingly good. In the case of ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS, I used to ocean fish when I was a kid and I find the on-deck assault of marine air across a moving vessel exhilarating, so the potential was there to be entertained. If the prospects of fish as food and water deeper than your bath make you queasy, then perhaps it's best to pass.
   
   In my experience, it's unusual to come upon a five-star compendium of short stories because the inclusions may individually run the gamut from awful to mediocre to quite good. Linda's collection happily avoids the low end. Since all are at least minimally interesting, and Greenlaw herself is personable and congenial, four stars are due.
   
   Vicarious danger thrills. Thus, the chapters "Seamanship" and "Running Out Your Time" are perhaps the best, both involving storms at sea that endanger Linda herself in the former and an acquaintance in the latter. Conversely, the chapter "Navigation", in which Greenlaw's two young nephews learn valuable lessons on a day spent fishing with Dad, was a little too cute for my tastes. The rest fall somewhere in between and, despite the book's title, none are so outrageous as to be unbelievable. Well, maybe the tale about the steamship Royal Tar is a bit tall.
   
   By the end of the author's last book, THE LOBSTER CHRONICLES, she seemed fretful of the fact that, then at 40, she remained unmarried and without children. Her loneliness was uncomfortably evident. ("I have spent much time waiting for Mr. Right, who does not appear to be looking for me.") In ALL FISHERMEN ARE LIARS, she seems to have perked up a bit.
   
   Sail on, Linda, into fair weather and calm seas.

5 comments about The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family.

1. This book helped open my eyes to what children go through in Foster Care. It helped me to relize that you can't judge a book by its cover. That the struggle for acceptance,love acknowledgement or to be recognized can consume & overwhelm a child...to even the point of doing something you know in you heart is wrong. This book makes me want to work hard, so I can buy a big house, Just so I can provide enough love and support and room for not only my three children, but for those children in need of a place to call home & to know that they have someone who care about them.



2. The Lost Boy: A Foster Child's Search for the Love of a Family by Dave Pelzer is a sequel to the heartbreaking memoir, A Child Called "It". Pelzer explains what happened after he was taken away by his abusive mother and neglectful father. This book is really uplifting and moving. I highly recommend this fascinating story and his quest to find a foster family who will love him unconditionally. Enjoy!



3. This book among others written by Dave have left me riveted. I can't put them down. All I see is a man who has overcome the circumstances placed before him. He is such an inspiration, I only wish more people would read his books and make something out of their lives, instead of playing the victim (which is much easier to do)



4. I also enjoyed this book as much as A Child Called "IT". This also made me cry as much as as the first one. I could not put it down as well.



5. Some of the writing is uneven, the plot a little bit disjointed, but in fairness to the author, he is writing from the perspective of a twelve-year-old boy.
   
   This book is vitally important, because there still isn't much in the way of non-fiction written by grown men who were abused as children. Their needs are completely different from those of girls. Pelzer's reaction to being placed into his first foster home - literally bouncing off the walls, jumping on all the beds, is perfectly normal behavior for a boy who has been abused. At times, boys taken into foster care are doubly abused, by well-meaning caretakers who don't understand the unique temperament of the abused male child.
   
   In my view, the system very nearly failed Pelzer by shifting him from one placement to another, often at the last minute. However, his positive attitude is truly inspiring, and he has only praise for the social workers and foster parents he dealt with as a child.
   
   It is impossible for a normal person from an intact Brady-bunch family to understand why a child, placed into a loving and safe second home, would start acting insane and doing everything they could to get kicked out of that home. It's a child's fantasy that holds out even into teenage years, that somehow, being kicked out of a foster home means that they're one step closer to going home, even if deep down, they honestly know that they can't ever live with their parents again.
   
   I highly recommend this book to any person considering becoming a foster parent, and for people who are employed as caretakers in group homes or who work with children and young adults in placement. The writing style is easy enough to appeal to even a middle-school age child, especially one that is already in foster care.

5 comments about The Camino: A Journey of the Spirit.

1. I've read this book twice. I don't know if I believe everything that Ms. MacLaine claims but it was a fun read and I enjoyed every bit of her journey.



2. Interesting read until she got into her dream visions about the beginning of time and adam and eve and paradise, etc... I mean, yes, possible but it sounded too cookie cutter to me. Like she made it up and tried to make it fit into a mold we already know and threw some sparkles in there for good measure. I like Shirley and have believed what she's been through in the past but now I have my doubts. I think the experience of the camino and her dealings with her environment there is a much more interesting read. She should have stuck to that.



3. Since marrying a Spaniard, most of our vacations have been to Spain. As a result, I tend to key in on books dealing with Spain. When I picked up "The Camino", I anticipated a quirky tale on hiking the Camino (i.e. an entertaining quick read). The book initially met my expectations. She explained her Camino decision and within a few pages was starting her pilgrimage on the trail. As expected, she meets some "unique characters" along the way and provides insight into the trail conditions (or lack thereof). However, the book slowly turns into a "vision quest". As you progress through the book, descriptions of the trail and modern day pilgrims are replaced by detailed descriptions of dreams and visions as well as her run-ins with the Press. The ending is anti-climatic and rushed. If I had paid full price for the book, I would be kicking myself for the purchase. Fortunately, I found the book in the bargain bin. Ignoring the purchase price, was the book worth reading? I did gain insight into the Camino trail conditions. However, I paid a high price for that insight. Only my determination to not leave a book half read got me through this relatively short book. All in all, I cannot recommend this book.



4. As a longtime reader of Shirley's book's, this was the next one for me. I learned alot and at this time, learning is very important to me.



5. Shirley MacLaine is ever the entertainer in recalling her trek across Spain on the Camino. The physical descriptions about her voyage are inspiring, and her determination to succeed in completing the journey is admirable.
   
   The most interesting part of the book for me was the journey itself. It succeeds in making you want to try it yourself if you have a month to spare.
   
   The spiritual aspect of the book is thought provoking, if nothing else. Shirley doesn't withhold and for some, I'm sure it's a little bit hard to digest, but you have to admire her honesty.
   
   I thought the ending would have been more glorious. I would like to have seen a moment when she paused and reflected at the end of her journey, but instead she rushed through it like it was something to get over. All in all, it was a good read.

5 comments about The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflections.

1. Joseph Cardinal Bernardin made a very large impact on the City of Chicago. A simple, humble, very human being, he was greatly loved by all Chicagoans. At the end of his life, two huge events impacted his life, being falsely charged with sexual molestation by a young man, and learning that his life was soon to end as the victim of cancer. This book is a moving, eloquent statement of how he dealt with these and how his faith in God was tested and ultimately made rock solid. It is an inspiration to all who who are faced with burdens beyond their strength.



2. Those of us losing our eyesight and who love to read often turn to the audiobook. It is like having a wonderful text read to us at bedtime as we listen on levels spiritual and psychological unreached by silent reading. Please notice the audiobook of this present precious text of peace is read by a Monsignor, a close coworker of this blessed Cardinal.
   
   The false accusations of abuse made against this great American Cardinal were quickly cleared up, and this slim volume insightfully and clearly records that process and the holy process of reconciliation with his false accuser, in a lesson for us of peace and reconciliation and of forgiveness of those who most completely destroy us. The Cardinal truly lives and demonstrates for us the promise we make each time we pray the Our Father. Forgive us in the same way that we forgive those who have trespassed against us. Forgive us with the same forgiveness we show others. Just as we must do unto others what we want others to do for us, JEsus also calls us actively to forgive others in the same way we want the Father to forgive us. This saintly and courageous Cardinal Forgave the disturbed young man who falsley accused him of abuse, and this book well displays the process, that we might also learn to forgive, in the Love of God, in our interpersonal relationships and national policies.
   
   How many times must we forgive, o Lord. Not seven but seventy times seven.
   
   We need in our national Catholic Church this voice now more than ever. Read this book and weep and become renewed in our Gospel mission to love and to forgive and to spread the good news to the poor and liberation to the captives. Sight to the Blind. In this time of unjust war and overwhelming violence, we need to hear this book.
   
   Yet some Catholics for political reasons continue to condemn this saintly man (while silent on Cardinal Law), eagerly assuming the accusations true, or some association with others similarly accused, in order not to hear the exhortation by this great Cardinal that the right to life does not end at birth, but at a natural and God given death. The right to life must be supported at every point in our life and in every aspect of life. This great CArdinal elaborated for our edification the seamless garment explanation of the right to life.
   
   Womb to tomb.
   
   Please read this book.
   
   I must rush to Mass now, and I bring this book with me to help my confused prayer. I thank God this great and holy and courageous Cardinal left us this Gift of Peace in the weeks before his untimely death. As head of the USCCB at the time of the crafting of the prophetic letter The Challenge of Peace, his courageous voice is needed now more than ever. Yet we have this, his abiding Gift of Peace, and that strong letter for peace. Take and read.
   
   Pray for peace. Receive this Gift of Peace.



3. Beautifully written. As Cardinal Bernardin reflects on the last three years of his life, he shares the importance of embracing prayer, family, suffering, beauty, reconciliation, pain, and forgiveness in order to appreciate and completely enter into the fullness of peace.
   
   For anyone who feels lost or alone in life or frustrated, angry, or scared at the thought of facing death, I recommend this book. Love and peace pour out of the pages as the author shares his life experiences, struggles, and genuine concern for others. He shared his love with countless people he encountered in his life, and his love continues to be shared after his death to any reader who has the opportunity to read this book.
   
   The book is quite short (can easily be read in one sitting) and is incredibly focused and well organized. The book title, chapter titles, and introductory letter are handwritten by the author and really add genuineness to the book. Highly recommended.



4. I found this to be a wonderful piece of work and have lent it to several friends who were diagnosed with cancer. Monsignoir Velo's reading was very delightful and I give him a lot of credit for being able to read his good friend's memoires.



5. "Subito Santo!"(Make him a saint now!) was my first thought as I finished reading "The Gift of Peace: Personal Reflections by Joseph Cardinal Bernardin". This was a book I noted when it first was published, but I waited to read it until now. Perhaps I thought it would be sad or even depressing. How wrong I was! This is an uplifting book, recounting in his own words the major events of the last three years of Cardinal Bernardin's life. It is a book filled with moving stories of reconciliation, kindness,
   care of others even in the face of his own debilitating illness, and love of the highest order. It is the truest expression of the saying "Let go and let God" I have ever encountered.
   
   This is not a long book and I suggest reading its short chapters over several days or weeks. This will allow the "Gift of Peace" the book offers--which is Cardinal Bernardin's real legacy--to take root and grow in the reader. If this happens, the book has served its purpose and Cardinal Bernardin, now in the company of the saints in light (even if not an official saint yet) can, himself, rest in peace.
   
   "Santo subito!" Make him a saint now!

5 comments about Autobiography of a Yogi.

1. Unbelievable I say not as a skeptic, but as a true rational person. This same skepticism opens up other horizons in one's thinking - is this all true? Yogi Paramahamsa, the author, renders in this charming and lucid storytelling, facts he came across in his life - like his Master being able to 'know' that they will have guests arriving in the middle of the night; another yogi predicting the author's arrival and telling him of what he did miles away and many more such incidents.
   
   All this makes one ask - is this all true or is the author lying? I would want to think, given the book's and the author's reputation, this is all true. Believing so also opens up different realms of possiblities defying all rationality. Who wouldn't want to attain a state where they can exists without eating or sleeping for days together OR having the ability to read clearly and correctly into another's mind? Knowing the power of meditation myself, I won't doubt the power of an absolute calm mind.
   
   Aside from the skepticism, I totally am enjoying reading this book. The storytelling abilities is that of a master and an erudite author. Just seeing photos of sages in the 19th century is itself inspiring. The book provides a great understanding of a young man's mind who seeks out and believes in spirituality. The power of written expression is to be truly found in this book. There is a charming nature about this book you won't regret reading it.



2. This is a wonderful book. This book is valuable to me than all other books that I have read put together. This book has so much of wisdom that I cannot explain here in few words. This book is NOT about religion or is biased to any religion. Yogananda tells about the universal truth that everybody must be aware of. Please do not try to judge this book without reading, and you will know why after you read it. I am sure lot of your inner questions will be answered after you read this book. This book will definitely be an inspiration to seek the ultimate truth which can be attained by each and everyone of us.



3. Yogananda's message is potentially world changing. However, I got more out of the Autobiography of a Yogi published by Self-Realization Fellowship because it was full of added footnotes which I found just as important and meaningful as the text. Many explaining the essential oneness of western and eastern religions through biblical passages, etc.



4. Understand spiritualism and see the larger picture of life and existence through this autobiography, which breaks down barriers between religions.



5. I will have to go against the flow, here. So, some people can actually perform "miracles" like talking and seeing gods, teletransporting themselves, materializing objects and even entire castles out of thin air, appearing in two places at once, bringing back people from death, fighting and taming wild tigers armed with only their kindness, levitating, predicting the future, healing wounds and fatal diseases with only their will, reading minds, etc, etc? Sorry, I don't think so.
   
   I am almost finishing the book and if it were sold as a fiction piece I would give it more credit. But since it is the author's "biography" and all the fantastic events in it described as truth... sorry again, I just can't.
   
   As a philosophycal way of life it is still very interesting, though.