On-the-print

I see both strengths and weaknesses in this book. Carter's descriptions of life among the Apaches during Geronimo's lifetime are powerful and convincing. He is compelling when he recreates Apache war raids and evokes the tactical brilliance with which Geronimo waged his twin wars on the Mexicans and the Americans of the Southwest. Carter makes it abundantly clear that Geronimo was not so much a chief as a War Shaman, that he was motivated as much by extraordinary spiritual insight as by courage and valor. But the book fails when it attempts to portray Geronimo's enemies. With a few, not very important, exceptions, the Mexicans and Americans in the book are all dishonest, mercenary, coarse, corrupt, loathsome, vain--and, because they are so predictably despicable, they are cardboard characters, not real men. Carter seems not to understand (or, if he understands, to care) that, in an epic conflict such as the one the Apaches found themselves faced with in the last years of the nineteenth century, both sides can be principled; both can be motivated by what they believe to be right; but, because they are creatures of different value systems, their respective concepts of right can differ momentously--and with epically tragic consequences. Carter was obviously a gifted writer. If his Apaches were not always the "good guys"--if some of the really important Mexicans and Americans in his story had some redeeming qualities, this could have been a very good--perhaps even great--novel. As it is, it is an interesting (albeit often satisfying) failure.

This book just grabs you from the moment you open it and you cannot put it down. I don't know when I've read a book that left such a lasting impression. You get a completely different perspective of "how the West was won". You feel as if you are there walking beside our Native Americans of the past and seeing through their eyes. Geronimo comes alive as the story unfolds. Awesome!

I was assigned to read The Education of Little Tree while in college. I was so impressed with the book I recommended it to my mother, who had the same opinion. She was so impressed she bought all of Forrest Carter's book and she insisted that I read, Watch For Me On The Mountain. That was close to ten years ago, and it still stays with me. Carter's writing is direct, to the point, and extremely vivid, almost raw. I was haunted by much of this book and perhaps it is that feeling that forces me to re-read it so many times. I have always had a great respect for Native Americans, but knew very little, if anything, about the Apaches. Carter helped to alleviate some of that, even though the book is listed as fiction. It gave me the extreme basics of what the Apaches went through, and how amazing Geronimo really was. The book does paint an extremely dishonest portrait of the U.S. Government, as well as the Mexicans. But, let's be honest, our government didn't really give us much to be proud about. Unfortunately, much of what Carter writes about is true. In short, Forrest Carter was an oustanding writer, and Watch For Me On The Mountain is an outstanding book. Hands down.

Sisterchicks on the Loose is an instant classic! Robin Jones Gunn wrote a book that really illustrates the true meaning of friendships. Sisterchicks stay together through thick and thin. It's nice to read a book when the girls get to take off and go exploring, not having to worry about the daily routine. After reading this, I made a pact with my sisterchicks so that when we're in our thirties, we'll take off on a much needed vacation!

One cold January, Penny decides it is time to head to Finland in search of her relatives. Sharon, her best friend, will be the perfect traveling companion.

I knew I was going to like "Sisterchicks on the Loose" when I saw that Robin Jones Gunn was the author. Robin is gifted at making her readers laugh. Even better, there is depth to this story. Penny & Sharon grow in exciting and inspiring ways during their trip to Finland. Sharon determines to move beyond the role of facilitator and join Penny in the fun. Penny discovers defining truths about her late mother and is freed by them.

Realistic details, a sprinkling of Finnish vocabulary and lots of entertaining surprises will delight those who join the adventure!

I've heard a lot about "Chick Lit" lately-- those books that center on our woman-to-woman, girl-to-girl relationships. I wanted to see what this new genre of literature is all about, so I picked up Sisterchicks on the Loose.

What a delight.

Yes, it's fun-- full of experiences like lacy underwear shopping in Helsinki and savoring chocolate on more than one continent-- but Robin Jones Gunn's delicate use of language and emotion take us much deeper. There are word images in the book I will never forget-- like touching the translucence of a fragile bone china teacup or seeing a lone star through Sharon's eyes or watching snowflakes incinerate on sauna-heated skin.

The spiritual element unfolds just as inticately as the relationship elements. I wouldn't have missed this book. I'm ordering Sisterchicks Do the Hula.

Agatha Christie creates a delightful set-up for mystery fans. It is a dinner party with eight guests and a host. Four people who may have gotten away with murder in one room playing bridge and four detectives playing bridge in the another room, including the always clever Hercule Poirot and the wacky mystery writer Mrs. Ariadne Oliver. By evening's end the host and organizer of this odd dinner party is dead and only one of the four possible murderers could have done it. The author and the four detectives, and thus the reader, have a lot of fun with this conceit. The book spills its tale quickly and makes for a rapid, wonderful read, even if the denoument becomes a little tangled and far-fetched. It is a crazy ride worth taking for a few hours.

Mr. Shaitana, a wealthy collector of objets d'art, has an unusual idea for a dinner party after a chance meeting with Hercule Poirot in an art gallery. He invites to dinner four detectives plus four people he suspects may have gotten away with murder.

Along with Poirot are two detectives we have met in earlier Christie works: Colonel Race, the trouble-shooter from the Foreign Office, and Superintendent Battle of Scotland Yard. Introduced in this book is Mrs. Ariadne Oliver, a best-selling mystery writer, who has been compared to Christie herself. Like Mrs. Christie, Mrs. Oliver eats large quantities of apples while writing and Mrs. Oliver's books are about a quirky Finn who is not unlike Mrs. Christie's quirky Belgian. Mrs. Oliver will return in six additional novels.

The other four guests that evening are: Dr. Roberts, a successful physician; Mrs. Lorrimer, an affluent widow who loves to play bridge; Major Despard, an African and South American explorer and guide; and Miss Anne Meredith, a young lady Shaitana met in Switzerland.

After dinner, a game of bridge is arranged. Shaitana directs the four detectives to one room while the other four guests play in a separate room. The host says he does not like the game so sits and dozes by the fire in the room where the four possible murderers are playing. When the guests prepare to leave later, it is discovered that Shaitana has been fatally stabbed at some point in the evening.

All four detectives tackle this case in their own way. Bridge players will delight in the way Poirot handles the case. He concentrates on the game itself, the hands that were dealt, and the method of scoring. If you pay attention to the game, you just might guess the murderer.

This is one of Christie's classic surprise endings and, in my opinion, one of her best works.

Cards on the Table is classic Agatha Christie and one of her most memorable efforts. The victim, Mr.Shaitana ,is murdered during a game of bridge and all suspects are known at the outset.This is , in effect, a "locked room" mystery and it is up to Hercule Poirot to unmask the murderer. Christie keeps you guessing about the identity of the murderer until the very end. Each suspect in turn appears both innocent and guilty and there are many, many twists and surprises to keep you on your toes. Excellently plotted and masterfully written, this is a superb mystery. Highly recommended

For 15 years the disappearance of three little girls has occupied the minds of the villagers of Danby, a Mid-Yorkshire hamlet that is usually concerned with their sheep--or their re-location due to the construction of a lake that has caused many to be uprooted and moved. The disappearance has also occupied the mind of Andy Dalziel, Reginald Hill's chief character in "On Beulah Hieight"and superintendent of the local CID, who knows his Mahler like the next guy. "Fat Andy" was in charge of that investigation and the fact that it wasn't solved has long bothered him. Now, another child has gone missing, opening up old wounds and introducing new ones. Signs have been spray painted around town that "Benny's Back" and that also unnerves the locals, especially those with young children themselves. Benny Lightfoot was the chief suspect those years ago but because Dalziel didn't really believe he was guilty, let him go, and then he disappeared. The villagers--and the readers--are on edge, to say the least. Dalziel, along with Peter Pascoe, Sergeant Wield, and WCI Novello, begins his methodical search, this time determined not to let this one get through. Author Hill, in his usual manner, guides us through with a hop here, a skip there, and a leap over there at, but the reader generally stays "on target" with this book, and, unlike his earlier "Pictures of Perfection," Hill takes his work seriously and we don't have to wonder if there's going to be the "surprise" ending that "Pictures" produced. In "Beulah," however, so many references are made to "Pictures" that it helps if one has read that one as well. Allusions to previous Dalziel/Pascoe investigations are there, which can be a pain for readers who may have decided to pick this book for its own merit (Martha Grimes is also quite guilty of this, as well). Hill's prose remains the same, and he seems determined to make us think he has a bigger vocabulary than P.D. James. He writes, "Dalziel pondered, his great face brooding like God's over a tricky piece of epeirogeny." ("Deformation of the earth's crust by which the broader features of relief are produced"--I looked it up for you in Webster's Seventh Collegiate!). He also includes "pendentious" but my Webster doesn't carry that one: perhaps it's a Yorkshire term. Hill continues with expressions like "Pascoe prevaricated." (Note to Hill: James would have simply said "he lied"!). Add periodic bouts of melodrama and you have the minus side of the book. The pluses, however, outweigh the minuses, and the aforementioned obstacles aside, "On Beulah Height" is a sound, almost mesmerizing story. There are enough solid examples of fulfilling the needs of this genre to make this one--and all the other Hill books I have read, at least--worthwhile. Hill is not guilty of being too simple in his plot and character developments and both ring true. Dalziel's acid wit and at times crude, boorish behavior work just right and with Pascoe's urbane, refined side, Hill has concocted a winning team. English television has made a number of the Dalziel/Pascoe cases into movies and one can only hope that they will continue, as it eliminates some of the minus of Hill's prose, and the actors cast seem quite appropriate. As a venerable American baseball player might once have said, "It ain't over till the Fat Man sings." And so far, Andy hasn't started singing. Let's hope he keeps those tunes to himself, as Hill's adventures are worth the effort!

In his recent Dalziel-Pascoe detective novels, Reginald Hill has stretched the genre well beyond its normal limits - by probing the psychological background and personal lives of his investigators (even, in this book, the Pascoes' daughter); breaking the narrative for flashbacks; and introducing subplots that, in the end, more or less flow back into the mainstream of the narrative. In The Woods Beyond, the main back-story device was too schematic to be convincing (see my review of that if you're interested); here, though, in spite of a story that is if anything even more complex, throwing in elements ranging from a child's fantasy to the Mahler song cycle Kindertotenlieder, Hill pulls it off more coherently.

The case involves the disappearance of a young girl, which appears to have links to another series of disappearances 15 years earlier, in a Yorkshire village called Dendale. Around the time of the earlier disappearances, Dendale was de-populated, its inhabitants relocated, and the village disappeared under a new dam. At the time of the present case, the village's ruins are reappearing because of a severe heat wave that is drying up the dam-created lake. (This aspect of the plot is oddly similar to that in Peter Robinson's In a Dry Season. If Yorkshire really has such bone-dry summers these days, global warming must be a fact!)

Mystery fans unaccustomed to Hill's latter-day style who come to this novel expecting a conventional, straightforward police procedural may find themselves thrown off balance. If that is you, I recommend you stick with it: your indulgence will be rewarded. Those familiar with the Dalziel-Pascoe series will respond to all its usual virtues, including the contradictory character of "Fat Andy" Dalziel, crude and sarcastic yet possessed of a kind of psychological x-ray vision that penetrates the lies, stratagems and evasions of a suspect in short order.

One annoyance: the publisher of the American edition has seen fit to change the British spellings to American ones where they differ. That makes no sense, commercially or artistically. Any reader who enjoys, or can accept, the thick Yorkshire dialect in which the characters speak is hardly going to be deterred by a few spelling variants. What was anybody thinking?

Fifteen years have elapsed since the small Yorkshire village of Dendale of was flooded in order to create a reservoir. However, the orderly moving of the residents took a bizarre twist when three young girls disappeared and the prime suspect Benny Lightfoot vanished. Detective Superintendent Andy Dalziel never closed the book on this case.

However, a drought has occurred, leaving the reservoir at an all time low. The village has begun to reappear. At the same time, graffiti proclaims the return of Lightfoot and a girl has been reported missing. This time around Dalziel and his partner, Chief Inspector Peter Pascoe, hope they capture the culprit before anyone else disappears.

No review can do justice to the multi-layered, incredibly complex, but brilliantly written ON BEULAH HEIGHT. This novel has so many dimensions yet due to the tremendous talent of Reginald Hill, they all work and blend together so that the reader never feels lost. It's strongly recommend that fans read the entire series, but especially this masterpiece that showcases the mystery genre at its best.

Harriet Klausner END

My Grandma didn't like books with naughty language and excess sex. In the '80s, I started to read different mystery series that I thought she would like and the Mrs. Murphy books fit the bill. Even though Grandma's gone, I still read the Mrs. Murphy books because I'm hooked on this lightweight, but cute series by Rita Mae Brown [and Sneaky Pie Brown]. Murder On The Prowl, the sixth book featuring 'Harry' Haristeen, postmistress of Crozet, Virginia, and her very talented companion animals, is not the best book in the series, but is still an entertaining read. St. Elizabeth's, Crozet's private high school, is the focus of the multiple mysteries in this story. Film classes, false obituaries, field hockey, high tech car washes, and halloween dances are some of the things that occupy the time of our now familiar cast of characters. It has never been difficult to accept the fact that the animals can communicate with each other or that they solve the mystery before the humans do. My biggest complaint involves the poison used on the second murder victim. Malathion can't kill people in the way it supposedly did in the book. That out of the way, I recommend that you read Murder On The Prowl and the 5 previous Mrs. Murphy mysteries.

In Cozet, Virginia, the best kept secret is that all the animals fully comprehend English to the point of being able to talk to each other and read the language. Humans are unaware of this ability. When the headmaster of a local school, a film director, and a female assistant are all murdered, Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen and her two cats (Mrs. Murphy and Pewter) and her dog (Tucker), independently investigate the killings.

Rita Mae Brown with the help from her own feline, Sneaky Pie Brown, demonstrates why she is such a popular author. She creates an exciting mystery series that deftly anthropomorphizes animals so that readers believe in the fantasy world she has devised. MURDER ON THE PROWL is a particularly well constructed mystery that is a brilliant blending of The Lady And The Tramp with Ms. Jessica Fletcher.

Harriet Klausner

When phony obituaries begin appearing in the Crozet, Virginia's local newspaper Harry knows that something strange is going on. But when dead bodies start turning up, she begins investigating. But even before she can find out what's going on her furry companions, Tee Tucker (Welsh Corgi), and Pewter and Mrs. Murphy (cats) are on the case trying to find out who will turn up murdered next, and trying to keep their owner out of danger.

Rita Mae Brown has done it again. This is one of the best Mrs. Murphy mysteries to date, and a must-read for fans of the cat-cozy genre.

I'm married to someone who has prosecuted death penalty cases, so I'm well aware of the pros and cons. Scott Turow, whom I consider the best legal mystery writer of this generation, recently wrote a fine death penalty novel in "Reversible Errors." This book is non-fiction and a bit dry compared to his novels, but it's very insightful--Turow, who was appointed to a blue-ribbon commission by then-governor George Ryan of Illinois to study death penalty reform in that state, is forthright and honest in sharing his own ambivalence about the government executing its own citizens. Whether you're staunchly in favor of capital punishment, strongly against it or somewhere in between, you'll find this brief book most illuminating--Turow covers every facet of the lengthy appeals process, and he looks closely at the circumstances surrounding several on death row who in his estimation deserve execution and others who don't.

Turow does not attempt to win you over to his side--in fact, there are times throughout this book he seems both for and against capital punishment. The last quarter of the book is footnotes, so you're looking at 120 pages--something you can read in one sitting on a long drive or airline flight. Very thought provoking and honest. You'll certainly want to read "Reversible Errors," since Turow discusses his motivation to write a death penalty novel, and you can't go wrong with any of Turow's six novels from where I sit. I even recommend "One L," which was released in 1977 and is Turow's look at his first year of law school. Well worth your time, like everything else with his name on it.

Scott Turow's ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT: A Lawyers Reflection on Dealing with the Death Penalty is his reflection on the work he did on Gov. Ryan's Illinois Commission to examine the Illinois Death Penalty Law. The commission's purpose was to study and determine the justice of how the Death Penalty was administered in the state of Illinois.
Turow, in addition to being an accomplished author, is a practicing attorney in Chicago. Turow's began his career as an attorney as a federal prosecutor in Chicago. Turow also prior to writing this book was involved Pro Bono as an attorney for two separate cases involving the Death Penalty.
ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT is not a detailed, lengthy study of the Death Penalty in Illinois or the United State. Turow admits that at the start of the commission he was an agnostic of the Death Penalty. Rather the book is an examination of how the Death Penalty is applied and if it can be used as a just punishment for crimes. Turow accepts that there are circumstances when the death penalty could be appropriate, he then examines if the criminal justice system can judicate those cases correctly. Turow examines how the Death Penalty was applied when it was reinstated (under 5 specific conditions,) and the slow evolution of that application to greater than 21 possible conditions. Turow also briefly mentions on the political basis for the Death penalty, which could have been touched on in greater detail.
ULTIMATE PUNISHMENT has extensive footnotes and supporting material in addition to the discussion. Turow also provides the opening statement from the Illinois' Commissions report for the reader.
The Death Penalty is a one of the most serious issues facing the Justice system in the U.S.A. and Turow gives a good and detailed, in brief, discussion of many of the issues involved in the Death Penalty. Turow's ultimate conclusion that the Death Penalty is not fairly administered and cannot be without serious, and politically risky, changes is important and should be strongly considered by the reader.

For those interested in reading the four to three vote Florida Supreme Court opinions regarding two more death sentenced persons whose innocence is an authentic issue, please go to www.flcourts.org, then go to "Opinions and Rules", then chose the correct year and scroll down to the following two cases:

Roy Swafford: April 18, 2002 Case No. 92.173

Peter Ventura: May 24, 2001 Case No. 93.839

These two cases are findable under "Court Orders: Case Disposition Orders" and "Briefs in Other Cases" sections of the "Press Page":

Roy Swafford: March 26, 2004 Case Nos. 03.931 and 03.1153

"The Rescue Season" tells the courageous story of the rescue teams, primarilly the "PJs" of the U.S. Air Force, who ply their trade in Alaska, particularly in and around Denali National Park. Author Bob Drury recalls some harrowing tales of rescue and tragic death and portrays his protagonists as rugged heros who seem driven to do what they do by their own genetic makeup. Drury is a fine writer and his prose is eminently readable. He introduces the reader to plenty of interesting characters and locales.

That said, the book is also a bit disjointed. There is a main search and rescue story that is introduced in the beginning and which Drury returns to at times over the whole course of the book. Drury also tends to throw a lot of geography, geology, meterology and history lessons into the mix (at least once, I got the impression that he was showing off his knowledge). All of this is interesting, but gets in the way of his narrative. He also makes a couple of mistakes that I noticed, for example once referring to the "Seven Summits" as the "Seven Sisters." Ultimately, the book doesn't hold together as a story, like with "Into Thin Air." Instead, it is a collection of good stories that should be quite pleasing to anyone with an interest in the subject matter.

The Rescue Season Is a great book.It is a true tale of the dangerousnes of beauty and nature and the entergetic men who live in the greatest heroic tradition as they risk their lives in an unimaginable ways on behalf of strangers. You should read this book because it is very exciting and thrilling.

PJs have been going through the pipeline, and more have tried, for years, and it's about time they were recognized for their hairy, heroic efforts that would leave most men dumbfounded with their pants wet. (I can only hope Mike's daughter inspires a sequel to this book!! You go girl.) Bob Drury really did justice to the work these men, and the others in the Forest Service,etc., put in every day, and the camaraderie that goes with risking their lives together.

"Whenever you try to control nature, you've got one strike against you." pg. 13

This book tells 3 informative true stories of man's attempts to control nature. The Mississippi River, a massive lava flow in Iceland, and the incredibly powerful debris flows of the San Gabriel Mountains.

The first story describes in vivid detail attempts to control the Mississippi River from taking a new course... Atchafalaya. If the river takes this new route, say goodbye to New Orleans, B.F. Goodrich, E.I. du Pont, Uniroyal, Monsanto, Exxon, Mobil, Texaco, Shell and Union Carbide just to name a few. Four major floods in 10 years and 32 disastrous crevasses in a single spring weren't enough to suggest to the Army Corps of Engineers that levees alone might never be able to handle the job of controlling the river!

The second true story involves Heimay, a volcano that dumped enough lava in 1973 alone that would have been enough to envelop New York's entire financial district, with only the tops of the World Trade Center towers sticking out like ski huts! Will pumping 11,500,000 gallons of sea water a day on the flow be enough to save the harbor from being closed off? Find out! Also find out what I mean when I say McPhee decided to "pissa a hraunid"! :) The ending to this story will surprise you in more way than one!

The last story involves the mighty San Gabriel Mountains, with average slopes of 65-70% grade, climbing faster than almost any mountain chain in the world, and dumping 7 tons of regolith each year, that threaten Angelinos (L.A.)! Drought, fire, and flood; The real seasons in Los Angeles, and instead of the occasional storm, we get the occasional Earthquake! Will more than 2,000 miles of underground conduits, concrete-lined open stream channels, and an army of debris basins be enough to stop the beast? If it does it does it at the expense of the beaches! If it doesn't?... It does it at the expense of the beaches anyway! Find out why in this great book!

You'll learn of lot of interesting facts while at the same time get a great story of the battle of all battles! Man against nature!

Only problems with the book: There is no such animal as a mudslide. Mud flows! And Earth is not spelled with a lower case and it isn't "the Earth", its just Earth. You don't say "the Mars" or "the Jupiter", so why say "the Earth"?! My worthless pet peeves... :)

The Control of Nature is a collection of three long esssays about people trying to engineer their way around forces of nature. The first one about control of the Mississippi river to keep it in the current streambed, the second about anticipating volcanic activity in Iceland and the last one dealing with the literal moving of mountains as Los Angeles population pressure pushes people to bulid in the San Gaberial Mountains of California.

McPhee, as always, tries to stay in the background and let the participants speak on the page, but there is no mistaking his memorably vivid descriptions of people or nature. His prose are first rate with an eye for compelling detail.

The book itself is a quick, thrilling read that leaves the reader with a better understanding of unsung heroes and follies.

My favorite McPhee. A warning about some of McPhee's other books: My eyes seem to always glaze over when I attempt one of his "rock talk" full length books on geology.

In what are really three long essays, McPhee explores the debris flows of California's San Gabriel Mountains, volcanos in Iceland (and Hawaii), and the controlling of the lower Mississippi. Fascinating as always, rich in both technical detail and the personalities inside the stories, this book was exactly why I like this author. Except for the practically unpronounceable Icelandic names, a fluid and engrossing book all the way through.

i couldn't decide between three and four stars. at first i wondered, "why am i reading this?" because the book is really kind of pointless. but some of the stories made me laugh. each story gives an interesting perspective and reminds you of the odd people and places you've known, so it wasn't entirely a waste of time. but i still couldn't figure out why the stories were really compiled together into one book--when i first picked it up i understood that the book was a compilation of stories and vignettes, but it also gives the impression that they are in some way linked by a common thread or something. but they're really not. in the end i'm glad i read it.

How often do you laugh out loud as you read a book? "For a good time" IMMEDIATELY turn to the short story titled "The Computer Lesson". It will hit your funny bone

She is wonderful. I only wish I had one of her books to read every week. Ms. White makes me feel like I know her family and her kinfolks. I think she has a marvelous gift with words and I just love her books. I would recommend this book to anybody who needs to feel happier

Those who gave this book a negative review have probably never understood up-close the nature of severe neurological problems. Moreover, they must have failed in their reading of his other books to recognize Oliver Sacks' consistent respect, fascination, sensitivity, and intellectual humility when dealing with the neurological complexities of his patients. Here he IS the patient. In other words, this book is operating on several levels, and Sacks is now not only identifying at a clinical distance with what others experience but he is inside the neuro-beast himself and describing with great literary power and sensitivity the horrific inner struggles of that subjective experience! In my opinion, the only Sacks book better than this one is The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat. Sacks is a master storyteller, and A Leg to Stand On is one unique story. No, it's not strictly a neurologist's textbook analysis, but here Sacks walks (or limps?) his talk.

In this the most personal of all his books, neurologist Oliver Sacks tells the story of an injury he sustained while climbing a mountain in Norway and the terrifying, bizarre aftermath when he realized with horror that his leg felt alienated. It did not feel like it was part of his body, but a foreign object somehow attached to him. This sort of disembodiment, with alterations in the mind-body image that affected Sacks deeply, was as confusing as it was frightening. When he finally recovered, he experienced unbounded joy and a new wonder for being properly "oriented" to his body. With insight, learning, and an unusually unbuttoned metaphysical self-revelation in which he discusses his religious background and doubts, Sacks shows how the soul is stirred by the changes in the body.

This is an eminently readable book, free from the conglomeration of footnotes and asides that accompany most of Sacks' other books. I read it in one day, fascinated and entertained throughout the reading. Besides being an autobiographical, neurological novel, this book also explores what it is like for the physician to become a patient, how experiencing something firsthand can change the way a physician views and practices medicine, and how the mind-body image so strongly affects our worldviews.

I should stress from the start that this book is extremely well written. It requires a special talent to combine scientific, clinical prose with personal, emotional and philosophical insight. This book is remarkable on many counts, but its value lies in Sacks' honesty, uninhibited rendering of the personal, by and while incorporating his desire to see his profession, neurology and psycho neurology, evolve from a largely 'veterinary business", the dualistic approach to the mind as 'mental' or 'physical', to a science combining both approaches, in what he would like to call the "neurology of identity". In his terms, he would like to see neurology take "a great jump - to jump from the mechanical model, the "classical" model, it has espoused for so long, to a totally personal, self-referential model of the brain and mind". (p.189) This text eloquently strives in this direction.

In the early seventies, Sacks experienced a hiking accident that severely damaged his left leg. This near death experience (he was stranded alone on a mountain miles away from civilization) began a journey of a profound personal nature, existential, professional, philosophical, spiritual and physical, which changed his views about many things. The first chapter, 'The Mountain', has all the suspense and narrative style of a well-written thriller. To a large extent, in the next chapter, "Becoming a Patient", has all the hallmarks of the familiar insensitive doctor as mere technician, evolving a more empathetic view of the patient, developing that essential 'bedside manner' that can be so lacking, though essential, in the medical profession. Sacks describes his thoughts and feelings as a patient, having to relate his condition and feelings to his carer's, and the utter dread, loneliness, frustration, and alienation that comes with becoming ill and having to be institutionalized as a result. Anyone who has been ill and hospitalized will relate to this chapter.

The essential aspects of the text are the medical insights Sacks' gained as a result of his damaged leg. He experienced first-hand the phenomenon of intense loss of 'body-image', that is the damaged leg became entirely 'alienated' from his primary consciousness. This is more than just forgetting how to use one's leg after damage, but an actual vanishing of awareness of the limb itself. In his terms, a total collapse of memory/identity/space, "...an abyss or hole: a hole in memory/identity/space" of the limb. He goes on to write, "A Leg to Stand On is not just a story of a leg, but an account, from inside, of what primary consciousness is like; an account such as the experience of alienation..." (P.187)

This book is a splendid tale about the journey of healing. As all great philosophical writing does, it asks us to question ourselves, question our environment and attempt to see what has been right before our eyes from the beginning. It also affirms that human experience is a community affair, that we all share these experiences and can ultimately learn from them.