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I salute this book because it is excellent on multiple levels. First of all, it is brilliantly written. Ace's style is straight forward with no BS. Nonetheless, this magnificent work is far from a mere "how-to" guide. It tears apart the images of homelessness forced on the public by the politically correct media and self-righteous "advocates." Very few persons would have the brass to present the homeless lifestyle in all its raw ugliness like Ace does. He plainly describes the reverse racism and other aspects of the lifestyle that most writers would gloss over.

I am delighted that previous "liberal" reviewers are upset with the book. I have long known that leftists live in a fantasy world of their own creation, where only caucasians are racists, all poor people are noble victims of economic injustice, and there is a big government solution to every problem. Ace attacks these idiot notions head on. In addition, he does say some things I disagree with, esp. in regards to the cause of AIDS. However, unlike brittle past reviewers, I will not lower my rating of the book because it says a few things I think are incorrect. On the contrary, I commend the author for challenging commonly held notions, forcing the reader to think. This and other books from Loompanics Unlimited (www.loompanics.com) are highly recommended, esp. a pair of wonderful volumes they sell: "Build A Catapult In Your Backyard" and "Cover Your Tracks Without Changing Your Identity."

I've been an Ace Backwords fan since the days of his legendary "Twisted Image" comics. In this volume Ace tells us what it's REALLY like to be homeless in the Bay Area from personal experience. This is autobiography, not journalism or "participant observation," as the anthropologists call it.

Ace pulls no punches, describing both the horrors and the joys (yes, there are many) of living on the streets. His stories can be both touching and hillarious, and he offers lots of practical advice to people caught down on their luck. Some is very Politically Incorrect, but when you have to survive by your gut instincts, rhetoric ceases to be important. If you're looking for a portrayal of homelessness to reimforce your own thoughts on the problem, be they flaming liberal or neo-fascist, you WON'T find it here!

While Ace is strong on story-telling and practical advice, he's not so good at sociological analysis or epidemiology. Ace should research such matters a little more carefully before making blanket statements about cause and effect with social problems. One of the firs things on learns in Research 101 is "correlation does not necessarily indicate causation."

These problems aside, this is a great, quick read.

Truly inspiring account of life on the streets. Ace tells it like it us and doesn't sugarcoat or fabricate details to get better ratings. Although I have a permanent place to call home, I found his book very informational and helpful to all walks of life. A "dumpster diver" myself, I can't get enough of diving stories! People should be ashamed of themselves for all the waste they create! I take that back, bless the wasteful, selfish people of the world for giving my life a purpose! To all those found at the bottom of a can, I commend you for doing what you do! Keep up the good work Ace! You are my new hero! :)

Embelished. Know inside story. Should NEVER have been shot down in the first place. Laundry list of errors on ground starting with basic rescue procedures.

This is a well researched book, but it is slow moving and got very boring at times. If you want to read the story from the folks who planned and executed the mission this is the book that tells their side, but it lacks a certain excitement. Capt O'Grady is quoted only a few times. I was surprised that certain mistakes made during the planning and execution of the rescue were disclosed.

As a wife of one the members of the TRAP mission it was great to finally read something about the men that risked their lives to save Capt. O'Grady. America views O'Grady as a hero, when in truth the Marines are the heros. Imagine, for a moment reading all of the quotes, from the men and not just reading a meaningless name, but actually remembering BBQs, nights out together, and watching their children grow before your eyes. This book gave an insight on the men. Everyone knows everything about O'Grady, but what do you know about the men that made it possible for him to live?

As a footnote: my husband (in the book Cpl Lindsey--he has continued his faithful service and has been promoted)doesn't not share my sentiments. He sees it as a job--that's what he is paid to do. He doesn't even like talking about it.
I am proud that names were put to the other key players in this story!

If you are well, maybe a little shallow, maybe a little bit dim, maybe a whole lot narcissistic, well then, you can turn a city like SF into a spoiled child's paradise. This book will definitely appeal to some lovely dumbies, but to others, well, there's always the Eyewitness Guides.

Without a doubt - my favorite San Fran Travelers book that goes so far beyond the usual "tourist" finds. This book is for the unknown and "local" treasures. "Savvy in the City: San Francisco - See Jane Go Guide to City Living by Sheridan Becker and Jayne Young is a wonderful little gem that breaks down those hard to find places by neighborhood and category. Each of those contains :

Eats ... (from the best and greatest - to those small little gems)
Treats ... (from massages to tattoo's)
Traumas... (for when you break your Prada heals)
Treasures ... (those really whims)
Twilight... (all the great clubs)
Tripping ... (for those with adventure on their mind)

You'll find great little sections such as best [inexpensive] manicures and diviest pubs. It's all those must haves for young woman in the BIG CITY. San Fran is one of the most amazing places in the world and this guide gives us vistors the best of the best. Great resource and really user friendly. Loved the whole feel and illustration.

Cheers!

This will become your bible if you are taking a trip to San Francisco. The city will become managealbe - and it has everything I was looking for to make my boring business trip become interesting. Thanks for the great information, Jane! P.S. I am going to London over the summer and was wondering if there is a Savvy book for London? Enjoy!

This book is of little value to those interested in cycling Rails-Trails. Anyone who know anything about Rails-Trails will tell you that one of the best and most well-known Rails-Trails anywhere is the Virginia Creeper Trail. The author of this book is apparently unaware that this trail exists. Much of the information provided is in the form of a travel book with symbols indicating the type of trafficc permitted on the trail. Most of the information in this book can be obtained on the Internet.

Biking USA's Rail-Trails is worth sampling! To view the front cover, back cover and sample pages, check out the web sight to Biking USA's Rail-Trails. This book is your complete resource guide to all major smooth surfaced rails to trails, towpaths to bike paths, and highways to bikeways across the USA.

An "indispensable book for bikers, hikers, walkers, joggers and families who want to enjoy our Nation's trails." This colorful paperback book includes a map for each state showing their statewide bicycle trail system. Photos of various scenic trails around the United States are included as well. This book includes a state by state listing to bicycle trails & rail-trails for all 50 states ranging from 1 mile to 235 miles and shows information about trail surface (asphalt, concrete, smooth crushed gravel), trail use (biking, roller blading, horses, wheelchair, hiking), end points (from point A to Point B), and points of interest for each state's "highlight trails." Shawn E. Richardson provides information for major bicycle contacts thoughout all 50 states as well as information for nationwide bicycle contacts. Whether you plan to bicycle around the Country or just in your own regional area, this book is a must for any cyclist!

Five go to Smuggler's top is Enid Blyton at her very worst. The Five visit Sooty's "exciting" old house, which is actually not an exciting house at all.As with all Enid Blyton stories, it has no suspense or mystery at all. I think it's crazy to buy a book like this.

As a child I remember reading and re-reading certain passages of this book, which have stuck in my memory through to adulthood. I am so excited to have found the proper title(s) of the "Famous Five" series that I plan on purchasing and rediscovering as many as I can.

In this adventure the five stay with Sooty in his exciting house on Smugglers top. In the usual famous five style there is mystery, adventure, villans and of course lots of great fun. Jan Francis reads with the same pinache that she brought to "First term at Malory Towers" and "The Twins at St. Clares". Overall, a real winner.

the reason most black men don't go to church is because it's a white man's religion and most black men instinctively know that it is wrong to pray to a man and be in the religion of their ancestor's oppressors

In this book, Jawanza Kunjufu endeavors to discern why black men are not in church and how the church might bring them back. After giving some anecdotal evidence of the problem, statistical evidence of the plight of the black male in society, and a discussion of the success of black Islam, Kunjufu gets to the heart of the book. In chapter 5, Kunjufu reveals 21 reasons black men do not attend church based on a survey and interviews he performed. In chapter 6, he posits solutions to the 21 problems that keep black men out of the church. Finally, Kunjufu surveys some models of ministries to black men.

Kunjufu never details exactly how he performed his survey--how he distributed the surveys in a balanced way, how many surveys he distributed, what kind of return he got, and so forth--and this might call his results into question. Nevertheless, the answers Kunjufu's respondents provide resonate strongly with the common sense of any churchgoer, especially to a man. The 21 reasons he cites as to why men do not attend church are themselves worth the price of the book. Most of these reasons cut across racial and socioeconomic lines as well. Kunjufu's list is indispensible for anyone doing evangelism among men of any color.

Nevertheless, this golden core is barnacled by much worthless dross. Most of the solutions Kunjufu gives to the 21 problems are superficial. Many of them are apologetic arguments for church practices that the unchurched men deplore, but these arguments will not bring these men into the church.

Further, the book is very sloppily edited, if edited at all. Kunjufu claims that the book was written in five days, and it shows. The organization is not tight, the formatting is not always consistent, there are numerous mechanical errors, and Kunjufu routinely gets carried off in a torrent of rhetorical questions that lead nowhere.

Ultimately, this book is worth its low price for the responses of the men Kunjufu interviewed. But the same goal could have been accomplished with the edited publication of chapter 5 in a widely read magazine.

This book opened my eyes as to why there are so few African-American men under the age of 50 in many inner city churches. It also gives some insights on how Orthodox Islam and The Nation of Islam are making inroads among young African-American Men. This book clearly shows that a African-American male can be Christ centered and Afro-centric at the same time.

What a waste of time this book is. Bourland tells you nothing you don't already know. The first third of the book, for instance, informs you that you may be stressed-out, teary or hungry (from pre-wedding diets) before the big day. No kidding! Or how about this gem of advice: if you can't afford the honeymoon you want, just charge it...never mind that financial difficulties are a leading source of stress for newly married couples. The worst part is when (quite unnecessarily) she injects her own political views into the book (same-sex marriages are civil rights! virginity before marriage is out-dated!). I returned this book within three days.

Very enjoyable book. Being newly engaged, I enjoyed the pre-wedding/engagement sections. If you are looking for a serious book about relationships and marriages, this isn't the book for you. It's a fun, entertaining book.

My only complaint with this book is that the first couple chapters are about the engagement/wedding part. Other then that, I thought the book was great. It's mostly geared for couples who didn't live together beforehand. I'd been married 3 months when I read the book and it's helped alot with the transition. Before reading this book I didn't really understand our conflicts or some of my emotions, but this put them all into words. It was a very easy read and I'd recommend it to all new brides (or even before the wedding since there are those few first chapters....).

Okay, I am a bit of a Miles fanatic and hence I bought this book. That said, it is absolutely worthless in terms of insights, anecdotes and information about Miles. Much of the "inside" stories contained here (and there are precious few) have been documented elswhere. What's more, the book is poorly written as well.Don't waste your money. This one won't even make the remainder table.

I was hoping to get some insight to Miles' great live band from '73-'75. Instead, we're treated to the author's sexist view of women, his total idolization of Miles and seemingly barely-remembered anecdotes of life with Miles on and off the road. Interspersed are stories of life on the road with David Allen Coe (nope, Miles wasn't playing trumpet in his band), visits with Johnny Cash (ditto), stories of personal drug use and abuse and the bedding of various women. When Murphy calls Orleans (remember those guys? They [stunk]) a "great band" it's time to break out the hula hoops. Sorry, but I'm glad I checked it our from the library rather than blowing 17-plus dollars on this poorly-written book.

There's hero worship and then there's idolatry. Miles was and still is one of my musical heroes - an almost personal relationship exists with your heroes, even though I never met the man. Even though this book for the most part operates on the level of blind adoration of Miles, those who have been touched by his music, and therefore his personality, are bound to get [drawn] in. So I found myself enjoying all the stories. It's like what Joe Zawinul said about Miles: the greatest conversation piece in 20 years . . . Fortunately, the author doesn't delve too deeply into giving "insight" into the music - there are perhaps others who could do that better, namely some of the musicians who played with Miles. But the author has offered up what I feel to be a sincere and heartful account of his time with Miles, coming from a person whose perspective is not usually heard from - the roadie!

I bought this book thinking it would be really great to find some new and different places to take my son. Well we have gone to these new areas but didn't get to do anything because they were out of business. I'm sure that they were all there in 1998 but it is now 2001 and there should have been some updating and checking on these places. I already knew of quite a few places in the book by doing web searches. Save yourself the money and look for places on the web.

A travel book cannot be all things to all people. This book tries, within the parameters set by the authors, to try to find places unique to New England, that are fun for parents and kids. In this, they do succeed.

But because they cover *all* the New England states, each section is necessarily full of capsule information, and no useful maps. (the state map of MA, for example, doesn't even show some of the towns mentioned in the text, or show where sites are located in relation to each other) It's basically a useful list with phone numbers, addresses and hours. The authors assume that the reader will have maps available, since written directions are nonexistent. So, I'm not sure if this a travel guide for native New Englanders, or visitors. Either way, it's damned inconvenient.

It did surprise me with some of the selections - like Harvard's Museum of Culture and Natural History and Myopia Polo; but coming from Boston myself, I noticed there wasn't a heck of a lot "new" in the MA section. In all fairness, it's hard to come up with new kid friendly sites in Boston. Most guidebooks cover that territory exhaustively. Restaurants are featured in each section (excellent idea) but no listing tells you how near the eateries are located to sites. Do you need to make special trips to eat out?

Another quibble I've got is that many of the sites chosen assume that readers are families with older children. However, it is angled for families going on weekends or vacations together, so I can't complain too much about the limited number of listings for those with toddlers in tow.

I sound pretty negative. I bought this book expecting to find lots more listings relevant to my needs (at this time), and am only partially satisfied. However, the authors have done their homework. You can tell that they visited the sites they mention, and that's no small thing. What they do say about the places they visited has a ring of authenticity, and I feel I can trust their word. It's hard work researching (esp with children in tow)...now if only they could fix up the flaws.

Not just the usual suspects, like the Children's Museum in Boston, but some intriguing possibilities, like a lobsterboat cruise in Maine and polo matches in Massachusetts. It's obvious that the authors searched high and low to come up with some inspired, creative choices. This book is a great gift for expectant parents; everybody we've given it to has raved about its usefulness. This is the kind of book you'll reach for, time and time again. We've discovered nearby places like a butterfly arboretum and a museum with real suits of armor, that we didn't know existed. A good family guide for native New Englanders and vacationers alike.

read this boys life or bevvy of other books dealing with coming of age in a sincere and relevent manner.

you'll love this book. . .
A long meditative piece on the coming of age of artist Linda St. John this book never really produced a true feeling of empathy from me and instead made me feel I was listening to someone paint a picture of exagerated victimization. Her family is abusive poor white trash but some how it escapes that both her and her father are PhDs. In my opinion most people have messed up families but it takes an artists ego to write an extended whine about it and think that half of america doesn't live some version of that . . .

Linda St. John is a wonderful talent and tells her remarkable story of surviving a stark upbringing with wit and insight in the package of a really good read. The story moves along. Her characters are tremendously vivid and orginal.