Hold

As a future teacher in an ethnically diverse society, I am very concerned about presenting positive views of other cultures. I stress "positive" because too many books present a negative, stereotyped view of others who fill our world. My search for the perfect "good" book to present a positive message about a black child who did not speak English incorrectly was not easy. I finally did find a book which turned out to be better than I expected.

Hold Fast to Dreams, by Andrea Pinkney, is about a 12-year-old black girl and her family; her sister, mother and father. The family moves from an all black neighborhood in Baltimore, Maryland, to an all white neighborhood in Wexford, Connecticut. Deirdre, the main character, is very nervous about going to a school where she will be the only black person in the entire school. She is a very smart girl and loves photography and the poetry of Langston Hughes, a poet whom no white student knows anything about. The book focuses on the dreams of each character and how those dreams were affected by changes in life's situations. The book touches on racism, blind prejudices, and stereotyping while teaching acceptance, friendship, trust, and recognition.

Here is a brief synopsis of the book, Hold Fast to Dreams. Deirdre Willis, the main character, seems to want to remain resistant to the strangeness of her new situation. Her sister, Lindsay, chooses to force her acceptance by the white students by "acting white." She is a good athlete and so tries to prove herself the best at the new game of lacrosse, which neither of the girls knew how to play; in fact, they had never heard of lacrosse. The girls' father's dream was to provide the very best for his family. His promotion to vice president of the new company was the beginning of his dream. Their mother actually gave up her dream of being a second grade teacher in support of her husband's dream. Deirdre, Lindsay and their father all come up against some serious racism issues. Everyone at Deirdre's school is afraid of Deirdre because she is black. One very popular girl, Stacy Sneed, is especially afraid of her. One girl, whose nickname is Web, however, sought out Deirdre's friendship. Web always felt different from the other girls in her school because she is a redhead. Lindsay, because of trying to "act white," came up against a group of girls who challenged her in an unfriendly manner. This challenge, in which Lindsay was completely embarrassed, forced her to lie to her mother. She did not want to go back to school and she lied and pretended to be "sick." Mr. Willis had to deal with a racist guard at his company who forced Mr. Willis into a corner and demanded to see his company id. The guard knew that Mr. Willis worked for the company. He was simply showing his racism. Mr. Willis told his daughters that it felt like that guard had taken a piece of his integrity. (This is an obvious deep rupture of emotion that a thoughtless act of prejudice can cause.) I liked the book because it presented these very serious issues and then worked each issue out in a realistic manner. In the end, Deirdre won second place in a school contest and she realized that she only needed to please herself. Her sister, Lindsay, also realized that she did not have to change her behavior in order to be accepted. Mr. Willis was no longer challenged by the guard. Mrs. Willis relaxed a little each day knowing her family would be okay.

The language of the book is beautiful. The author uses a plethora of figurative language which clearly paints a picture in your mind of the scene. She spoke of "the half-circle moon glowing into the kitchen, casting a creamy haze over the room" (1). "The rickety noise was part of my room's rhythm, along with the steady ticking of my alarm clock" (27). "The sun's glare lighted the dew on the leaves, making the trees in the distance twinkle like a forest of crystal-drop chandeliers" (63). "The moon hung high and full in the blue-black sky. Its pearly, glistening light followed us along the road" (106). Simply exquisite language from the beginning of the book until the very end!

"Hold Me!" is a delightful collection of Jules Feiffer's cartoons in dramatic form. A series of short skits about life and anxiety and marriage, I have fond memories of playing one of the many-roled male parts in this wonderful assemblage. It's a great read as well as great fun to act.

This is perhaps my most favorite book. It deals with life in Southern Rhodesia before and after independence from Britain. It's a very accurate, albeit fictional, account of the lifestyles of the 'white africans'. This is also a passionate and moving love story set in the turbulence of those unsettled times. I feel the author has accurately portrayed the ambivalence of white settlers in Africa - benevolent autocracy yet patronising towards the blacks and their aspirations. If I were to write a book, I hope I could convey the emotions of this book. Given the instabilty of the current black government in Zimbabwe and their attitude towards aids, civil rule of law, the author could quite easily say" I told you so!"

FROM THE AUTHOR: My romance novel HOLD NOTHING BACK seeks to step outside the traditional boundaries of the genre to deliver a fresh, sexy story. As a family law paralegal by profession, I have seen scores of marriages and relationships founder on the same issues for over 10 years. Women and men are unfortunately ignorant about what the other gender wants. As a writer, I have taken up the challenge to produce a classic contemporary novel that approaches romance with a realistic eye. Traditional romances get pretty tiresome because you always know how they are going to end. No matter how skillful the storyteller, the lack of suspense can diminish the pleasure. Rarely is there any suggestion that failure can be as instructive to relationship development as success. The action of HOLD NOTHING BACK takes place in the 1970s, a time that is both close to and distant from our own. I deliberately chose a bygone era, to demonstrate that some things never really change. In the novel, a 23 year old, emotionally vulnerable Patrick Compton uses his diary to record his feelings for the young women he encounters, aware that his college-educated peers are deep into the process of choosing partners. The tale has unexpected results. This is my second full length fictional undertaking. It is a significant departure from my first book, PERMISSION/THE PERFECT WIFE (published in one volume by Masquerade), which is more of a sensuous novel than a romantic one. I wish to thank my publisher, iUniverse, for the opportunity to bring this highly original, somewhat risky work forward. I also deeply appreciate the speed with which it went from completion to publication. It is my sincere hope that Amazon.com customers will enjoy reading this change-of-pace romance novel.

If you are looking for a book that will make you laugh outloud you need to look no further. From a pet possum named Jethro to humorous repartee between good ol' boy Rucker McClure and ex-Miss Georgia Dinah Sheridan, this book will have you in stitches. This book is the first in a series books. It is followed by Caught by SurpriseLs 290( Millie Surprise worked for Rucker), Never Let Go Ls308 ( the conclusion of Rucker and Dinah's story from the shocking end of Caught by Surprise, Sundance and the Princess LS326,( which features Jeopard Surprise
this book is part of Deborah 's Cherokee Trilogy) and Sara's Surprise Ls376( which features Kyle Surprise).

Hold On To My Heart by Judi L. Strider is a dramatic novel of love rekindled and the threat of murder. Jillee is a widow who has unexpectedly lost her husband Michael in a drunk driving accident and feels that she will never love again. When a chauffeur named Marc meets Jillee in beautiful Hawaii, he finds that winning her heart is an uphill battle - made even more difficult when it comes to light that someone wants the widow Jillee as dead as her late husband. Highly recommended reading, Hold On To My Heart is an enthralling, romantic, and adventurous story.

This music speaks to me, and it speaks for me. I could never have articulated the words to reflect my feelings as brilliantly as Michael McLean does but once I heard the words in the songs, I immediately connected. Especially on the feelings of loneliness and fear. I also felt the heartache the young unwed mother felt in giving up her child, all out of love for that child. The music and words, and the stories behind the songs, have helped me better understand my own feelings and then develop much needed hope for a good outcome. Thank you Michael!

What a ride...
The adventures of spiritual and physical adventure are captivating. It touches the heart and soul.

An engaging short novel about an engineer, interspersed with side-bars on philosophy, history, and several well-known historical case studies. Like many other successful books on engineering ethics, co-authorship by an engineer and a philosopher/ethicist results in a thoughtful perspective on practical dilemmas that any engineer might encounter. By the time the reader has finished the book, essentially all of the categories of ethical conflicts encountered by engineers and addressed in professional engineering codes of ethics have been illustrated. This book (or just sections of it) would be a valuable supplement to almost any engineering design course.

My three- and five-year old children love this book. I found my three- year old telling her teacher how pepperoni is "peppery meat that comes from pigs," which is a direct quote from the book! The book is effective in helping youngsters understand that their meals and food items don't just exist in nature as they appear on the plate, and gives them a sense of how the environment relates to our food and bodies. The illustrations are colorful and practical, and aid in a child's understanding of the text.