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This book was an excellent work of fiction despite the fact it really sounds like the genuine soldier's experience in Vietnam. I don't typically read novels about war, but I could not put this one down. My cousin recently enlisted and I was struck by how similar his boot camp experience is to the characters in the book. Ben Reed promises to deliver many more excellent works based on this debut. A must read!

Nowhere have I found myself as personally caught up in both sides of the Vietnam War. I could feel the elephant grass scatching at my legs and smell the smoke of battle, as our guys lived through hell for us. My Dying Breath is fiction, but it comes across as the real thing. It's well worth six stars.

Ben Reed is a brilliant new author and will continue to be sucessful in his future books. Stories based on war were not my first choice of reading; however, this story kept me in the midst of the battles (both physical and emotional)and the families on both sides of the war.

It continues to amaze me how a work of fiction was based on so much truth. The boys that quickly became men, the family and friends that grew with them, the unanswered questions that I had since young bodies were sent home in 1968 have been explained in a way that continues to make me proud that they had the courage to fight for us, our children and grandchildren.

I just completed my second reading of this book and look forward to more stories from Ben Reed. I can't wait to go along on "another ride" of fear, laughter, tears and happiness with the characters that influenced Tuck Richard's life. As a mom, I would have been proud to call him "son".

If you "get" Liz Renay, get this book. it's hysterical! She's like a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Penelope Pitstop! Danger seems to lurk around every corner for Ms Renay in her search for stardom--and if it isn't getting her, it's getting her kids! They fall out of second story windows, get attacked attempting to visit her in prison, and even end up stripping with her. Through all her trashy tales though, Liz manages to emerge as a lovable eccentric: a warm-hearted optimist, which saves 'My Face..." from ever becoming the maudlin "could-have-been" saga that it might have been. On a par with Mamie Van Doren, only more entertaining, Liz's quirky narrative entertains from start to pulpy finish. Oddly inspiring!

It's clear that despite all the mistakes and unfortunate circumstances of Liz Renay, she is clearly one of the happiest people alive. The camp value is definitely there and your hooked after the first paragraph - read between the lines and you'll connect with a woman who's happiness has been put to the test. Her belief in loving herself and to love others (as simple as it is) is an emotional level few people in life actually reach. Have fun reading this book - I sure did. Now, if only John Waters will make a movie version!!!

This book is very entertaining, and it's a shame that it's out of print. Liz, who is best known as a star of one of John Water's films (DESPERATE LIVING), was a woman with a lot of chutzpah and cujones. She was independent before being so was acceptable. She lived life her way, without regrets, and this book tells it in unadulterated detail.

Joseph E. Scalia - author "FREAKs" and "Pearl"

Set against the backdrop of World War II and the Ringling Brother's Circus fire of 1944, "My Father Is A Clown" is the story told by Margaret (Mags), the 13-year-old daughter of a circus clown. From the opening lines her conflict is clear: All the real heroes are in uniform, or in war movies like John Wayne, but he father is just a 4F clown. At school Mags is driven by this notion to create the "Big Lie" and a new father, at the helm of a Navy ship in the South Pacific. Her essay about his bravery under attack by a Japanese submarine leaves her class spell-bound and Mags with a sense of guilt and the fear of her lie being discovered. In the course of her summer on tour with the circus and her best friend Cassie, who cares for the elephants, Mags learns the truth about real heroism.
Ms. Kolb tells her story of circus life in a clear and straightforward style that is easy to read. Her inclusion of a Glossary of circus terms makes the reading even clearer. Her characters are fictitious but her story is based on historical fact and she is able to draw her readers into the plot from the first page. Buy it. Read it.

This review is by Tricia Gross of Roundtable reviews:My Father is a Clown is a poignant, inspirational tale about learning to be proud of yourself, and your loved ones, no matter what anyone else might think. Not only is Ms. Kolb's writing entertaining, it is also pleasantly educational. She laces the story with war-era terms and circus lingo in a relative manner, and includes a helpful glossary. As the saying goes, "children of all ages" will enjoy this touching book.

A thought provoking book is Diane Kolb's, My Father is a Clown for readers aged nine to eleven. This is a wonderful story and I recommend it to any parent who wants their child to understand that all fathers are heroes in their own way.

This book is about so many different things it's very difficult to know where to begin. It's a remarkably easy book to read. Remarkable because it is such a difficult, even gruelling subject matter--the deterioration and death of a parent--but the book is so gorgeously lucid, so vivid, that it's very hard to stop reading.

Of course, it isn't just about the life and death of Charnas' father but about how little we know about one another, how horrible (though sometimes glorious) old age and death can be. This is a book about not knowing your father (a difficult relationship even for those of us whose fathers didn't leave us), about thwarted artistic aspirations, about the impossible choices old age brings, and the ways in which every human being has a story, a life, and some of the unexpected things most of us never find out.

I cannot reccommend this book more strongly. I have not been able to stop thinking about it. It's a book that really can change your life.

This is a story about real life. An artist father of a writer daughter. A father who walked away when she was eight. A father who in his last decade of life became dependant on his daughter, the stranger.

Don't expect saccharine, 'cause there ain't any. No sugar cookies and milk, this is molasses and tea: bitter, dark, and poignant. Revelations, yes, but not of the TV sitcom kind, which are easily provoked and resolved in half an hour. This is deep history, it's the sand in the backyard and the gnarled old olive tree.

It's a story told with exasperation and something like love. A story told brilliantly. Thought-provoking reading for those of us with parents heading into their last decade -- parents with whom we share a bad history.

Here's a woman who offers refuge to a man who is going blind, and who holds a menial job in a restaurant. She offers him a free home in the sunshine, and the chance to do art.

He arrives on her doorstep and proceeds to be exactly the same man he's always been: cantankerous, rude, and skeptical. He doesn't do any art -- not by choice, as it turns out. He doesn't have the emotional resources to make friends and have his own life. Heck, he doesn't even have the ability to make his own dinner.

It's a fascinating story, and Charnas is an amazing writer. We get an unvarnished portrait of this man, his daughter, and a series of glimmers into why he left her mother, and why he's such a crank. If another living situation would have been ideal, well that's too bad because they're caught in the vise-grip of American medical economics. He's here to stay, like it or not. Then when his health fails completely, maybe he's too sick to stay home, but maybe not sick enough for Medicare to pay for a bed in a nursing home. Do she and her husband bankrupt themselves to give him adequate care? Charnas' livelihood hangs in the balance, not to mention her sanity.

Who hasn't been there? And if we haven't been there, we will be soon. For those of us with difficult parents, it's enlightening to see how one woman's choices begin to unfold. She's no angel of the house -- her own discomfort comes through, and she combats it with exasperated humor.

MY FATHER'S GHOST left me with a lasting understanding of tradeoffs. Good parts, bad parts. What I could stand, and what I couldn't. I can't make the same choices she did -- unless, like Charnas, I have to. But the whatever happens, at least I'll go in girded.

This is a wonderful book, and hard to compare to any other. Sort of a biography (but of an unknown man, a failed artist, someone without any of the usual qualities calling for an official biography), sort of an autobiography/literary memoir (by the author of hard-hitting feminist science fiction, fantasy, children's books, etc.), a personal investigation into what happens to the old and helpless in America, a daughter's memoir of her difficult father... I'm not usually attracted to memoirs, but like Suzy Charnas' fiction so much that I gave it a chance -- and am so glad I did. It is every bit as gripping and absorbing as one of her novels, and, amazingly for a work that focuses so much on her father's declining years, it's not at all bleak -- there are some unexpected surprises along the way, and the lasting impression is an uplifting one. The book raises many important issues around family relationships and aging in America today; it's thought-provoking, and informative, whatever your age and whatever your relationship to your parents. (Well, perhaps the super-rich and the extra-young could give it a miss, but as for the rest of us, this book is important.) Undoubtedly, one of the best books I've read this year. In non-fiction, it goes right up there with Barbara Ehrenreich's "Nickel and Dimed". Highly recommended.

This book, just like the first "Where's My Teddy?" book, teaches with humor. The illustrations are really eye-catching and this story teaches parents and children about the importance of having friends. We love it.

My 3 year old loves the bear stories. In this story, the boy Eddie gets trapped behind the Bear's huge teddy bear. He pretends he is the huge teddy by speaking back to the real bear who is sad. The two become friends. My son laughs everytime we read this. It is a complement to the other bear book by the author, in which Eddie is left out in the woods with the Bear while his mother runs back home to fetch an item for their picnic. This is a wonderful read. Highly recommended!

This is a delightful, relational story. It's cleverly written, and beautifully illustrated, and one that became our favorite imediately! This is a book that I have shared with friends and often give as a present. I cannot say enough about this book (or author)!

Fran Abbott's first book is remarkable. In this journey she takes you back to her abusive childhood, thru her struggling times as a single mother, and to her purpose in life. This is a remarkable book about a remarkable woman. The largest part of the book is about Frances fighting to adopt a child from India. A must read for those who have adopted and those who plan to adopt. I felt I was fighting right along aside her to bring Kannu home. This book will make you an advocate for adoption and children everywhere.

This writer is amazing. Her story is real and well written. But the message it sends is important to everyone who inhabits the earth - that what happens to one human being affects all human beings. She knows first hand what abuse and neglect mean to a child, but her journey to rise above it and become an advocate for these children all over the world will forever affect how you think about this subject. After reading this wonderful story in some small way you may never be the same again. Thank you Fran Abbott for sharing your pain and triumphs so thoughtfully.

I found this book difficult to put down and read it in a single evening. Frances Abbott is an engaging writer with important messages for prospective adoptive parents and adoption professionals. With perseverance and love, Abbott and her husband navigated the conviction that their daughter was meant for them. Readers will be emotionally charged as Abbott depicts her family's frustrating trials and ultimately realizes the triumph of bringing her daughter home. Despite the discussion of some difficult and sobering challenges, Abbott's book is absolutely a positive advocate for building a family through adoption.

"My Duck" is a quick tale about a first or second grade girl who is assigned the challenging task of writing a story in school. Her imagination bursts forth with the logic of childhood (the yellow-green duck needs shoes, so that he can leave home). However, her creativity is not rewarded by her teacher, and she must restart her story several times. The characters she draws as a part of her story-writing attempts then take on a life of their own, continuing on in their own adventure. In the end, she finds a way to please her teacher's desire for realism without giving up her own creativity. Primary teachers will understand that there is a place for realism in education, but children and parents will rejoice in the heroine's ability to maintain her confidence in her imagination while meeting the requirements of the assignment. The text is written at a first/second grade reading level and the illustrations appear to be kid drawn, lending to the appeal of this story. Primary students will be able to relate to this story and enjoy it!

This book was given to us and has become my favorite children's book. It celebrates creativity, imagination and is beautifully illustrated. I'm buying 5 more copies as gifts for my best friends and their children.

I found My Duck to be a wonderful tale for children and as a first-grade teacher ordered copies of the book for two of my classes.

This book is an homage to the 1930's "screwball comedy" MY FAVORITE WIFE starring Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, which was remade in the late 50's as MOVE OVER DARLING (one of my fave movies) with Doris Day and James Garner. It was in the process of being filmed a third time as SOMETHING'S GOT TO GIVE starring Marilyn Monroe and Dean Martin when Marilyn was fired from the film and then died (along with the film) in 1963. It's the story of a man whose declared dead wife reappears on the day of his marriage to his second wife and the complications that follow.

Indiana Jones-like Chaz Vincent disappeared five years ago while on an expedition in the Amazon jungle. Though Kelly has searched and refused to give up hope, she is finally persuaded that Chaz is not coming back. She has him declared legally dead and moves on with her life. She has decided to marry her longtime friend and co-worker Spencer Preston, though she has never stopped loving Chaz. In a bizarre twist of fate or timing, the memorial service for Chaz is scheduled for the same day as her wedding to Spencer! And so the former Kelly Vincent, now Preston, just hours after her wedding, attends the funeral for her first husband. But when a familiar-looking bearded, deeply tanned man dressed in khaki shorts (!) appears at the memorial service Kelly is stunned to discover that Chaz is not dead but standing right in front of her! What a perfect time to faint!

At first Chaz is chagrined that his sudden reappearance has come as such a shock to Kelly, followed by sheer joy at being with her again, but when he discovers that she has just remarried, feelings of betrayal rise to the surface. How could she do this when memories of her were all that kept him going for all those years in captivity? But on the other hand, how was she to know that he had been held captive by a tribe of pygmies? Now they must figure out what this means for the future. Is Kelly legally married to Spencer or to Chaz or not at all? And more importantly, to whom does she WANT to be married - the steady, dependable but sometimes dull Spencer or the wild, spontaneous but often absent and in danger Chaz? Laughs abound when Kelly, Chaz, Spencer and Kelly's brother Scott - along with several other players who further complicate things - all wind up at the resort where Kelly and Spencer were to honeymoon. Chaz and Spencer engage in some serious competition to win Kelly and she really is torn. Who will she choose? And will that resort ever be the same after their wild stay?

This would have been a 5 star story, but toward the end I felt that the antics got a bit tedious and silly and I just wanted her to choose already. And I concur with the other reviewers here that a book on Kelly's brother Scott would definitely be welcome! A really fun, enjoyable read and highly recommended!

After searching five years for her husband, Kelly has Chaz declared legally dead. However, the memorial service for Chaz was accidentally scheduled hours after she married her second husband, Spencer. But who ends up walking in during the memorial service but the not so deceased Chaz who's been held prisoner by Pygmies in the Amazon. Kelly, of course, does what any self-respecting woman would do under the circumstances, she faints.

Chaz, expects his marriage to Kelly will pick up right where it left off in spite of the pesky little detail of her wedding to Spencer. Spencer, who is waiting for his bride in the honeymoon suite, thinks otherwise.

What follows is a madcap; laugh out loud adventure similar to the screwball comedies of the 1930's. Enter Garcia, the delusional woman Chaz was imprisoned with. She's decided she's going to marry Chaz even though he's disliked her from the start and wants nothing to do with her. Add in Kelly's brother, mother, boss, Chaz, Spencer, Garcia's brothers & Kelly. Put them all together in the same hotel and shake! The result involves hiding in closets & bathrooms, putting up with a snotty hotel clerk, dodging reporters & climbing up trellises.

I stayed up all night to finish this one and at one point woke my husband up because I was laughing so hard! I can't wait for Scott's story!

A zany take on a zany movie (My Favorite Wife). If you like screwball Grant comedies like Bringing Up Baby and My Favorite Wife, you'll probably enjoy this book. It's rather light and utterly implausible, but features pleasant characters and multiple plot twists. The outcome is clear from the beginning, but the ride's fun. I hope there's a book about Kelly's brother on the way!

My First Year as a Teacher was an inspiring book of essays from beginning to end. Each of the 25 stories discussed different situations and the meaning behind these teachers' first years. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in becoming a teacher, anyone who is in their first year, or anyone already teaching wanting to reminisce. It was wonderful!

After finishing my first year teaching, I can relate to many of the stories submitted in this book. Each story is unique and reminds us why we have chosen to teach. It helps us first year teachers to understand that we go through during our first year is unique and the stuggle will help us be stonger and better teachers!

I am currently enrolled in the business college at the school I attend but have recently grown tired of worrying about "maximizing the bottom line". Recently, I have seriously contemplated teaching in order to "maximize peoples' lives," which I find much more rewarding and important. With that in mind, I have bought a few books about teaching experiences so I can know what it is actually like.

This book has a collection of 25 stories related from first-year teaching experiences. The stories cover a spectrum of wealth, class and racial circumstances which was nice because it gives you a feel for the slightly different struggles each circumstance gives. This book gave me more hope that perhaps teaching is the road I want to go down. Through all of the trials, there is joy in the end for these teachers. I would be naive to think that the case for all teachers but if one is to teach, it should be to get a certain level of joy from it (I think).

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a taste of first year teacher jitters and how it IS possible to deal with them. I only I hope that the teachers-to-be, in school today, deal as well in their circumstances as the teachers in this book did...it's a great book.

I remember being really taken with this book when I read it as a kid, so I found a used copy to read to my kids. We make a big deal of Hanukkah so that Jewish kids don't feel gypped compared to everyone else, but hardly anyone really knows the story of Hanukkah in all its graphic detail. We should not shrink from telling our kids this story, and Fast's book is the only popular book I know that does it. The kids will not only have a better appreciation of the meaning of this holiday, but will also have a better appreciation of current events.

This review is dedicated to all the sons and daughters of Israel who have fell in defence of that remarkable land.
This wonderful book is essential for any Jew who wants to learn about his or her roots, any Christian who wants to learn more about the Judaic roots of his or her faith, and anyone else who wants to learn about the soul of the Jewish people.]
This is the story of the Maccabees- 5 glorious brothers who lead the rebellion by the Jewish people of Judea, against the cruel tyranny of that land's Greek and Syrian occupiers.
It is particularly relevant today, when the Jewish State is fighting for its life against cruel and ungodly forces that have decided that the Jewish people are no longer entitled to their homeland, and that Israel must disappear.
"We where slave in Egypt - and we will never forget that we where slaves in Egypt. So it must have been then, in the long ago, when our people, twelve tribes of them, sick with wandering and longing for rest, came out of the desert and saw the wooded hills and fertile valleys of Palestine'.
Once more the Jews have returned from their homeland, this time after two thousand years of persecution, and soon the lion will be awaken in the souls of the Jewish people to protect their land, from those who would kill their children and take it way, as the Maccabees did so with the Greek and Syrian invaders.
We read how a pretty eight year old girl, Deborah, the daughter of the schoolmaster Lebel is brutally murdered on the orders of the Greek warden of Judea, Apelles, and we are reminded of the slaughter of Jewish children by Arab terrorists, who much of the world, today support. It is these many incidents of cruelty and the desecration of the Jewish peoples' holy places that leads the peace loving people of Judea to become fierce warriors who's message to the world is: "We have extracted the price of freedom, which is always counted in blood, even as Moses did, and Joshua and Gideon too. From here on, we will not ask forgiveness, only for strength, for strength."

In a chillingly familiar parallel the attitude of those who support Palestinian terror,we read of the edict by the Greek King Antiochus, that to kill a Jew is no longer a crime but a virtue".

We learn how the peaceful Hebrew people, a people who ask nothing more than to determine their own future, in their own homeland, are forced to become warlike and to avenge the blood of its children: "They will pay -for every lick of flame, for every drop of blood, for every hurt."
There is always a message of hope: 'Simon a free people cannot be conquered - for us it is always the beginning, always the beginning."
It is this hope enshrined in the depiction of the beauty of the land of Israel, the only homeland of the Jewish people, and the beauty of it's children living in peace:
"Never was Israel like this before in all it's time, for the children played without fear, laughing as they ran through the grass, and splashed in streams. On the hillsides, the white lambs bleated for their mothers, and between the rocks pink and white flowers grew. Nowhere was there a break in the terraces; layer upon layer, they climbed the slopes, and the crop was a good thing to see, so rich and verdant. Who could see such things and deny that this was the land of milk and honey, blessed and thrice blessed".

"My Glorious Brothers" was once given my by a friend, about
30 years ago. He told me it was among his favorite books. I
soon found out why. Written in a beautiful, almost poetic
style, Howard Fast (a great and prolific writer) presents the
story of the Maccabees. These were the heroes of the amazing
Jewish Revolt against the mightiest world power at that time --
the Syrian-Greek Empire. From the small village of Modin, a
father and his five sons organize a rebellion to free ancient
Israel from its cruel occupiers. It is a thrilling account,
written from the perspective of Simon -- one of the five sons.
Fighting perhaps the first "guerilla war" in human history,
the Maccabees lead their nation of farmers and scholars against
the greatest organized fighting force in the world. It is a
thrilling and inspiring story of the few against the many; the
weak against the mighty. Their triumphs and sorrows are told
in one of the most moving books I have ever read. The Holiday
called Hanukah, celebrated by Jews the world over, commemorates
this incredible story.
Over the last 30 years I somehow lost this wonderful book,
and have spent years looking for another copy. I finally found
a used copy on Amazon, and paid a small ransom for it, gladly.
I am re-reading this story and will pass this book to my son.
It is truly one of the most treasured possesions in my life.