On-the-print

This book was relatively boring compared to many other business books. To much detail was given to mundane topics. Not a mentally stimulating book by any means.

This story of greed and glory is one that has been acted out in all types of businesses - large or small, service or product, new or old. It is a parable of overinflated egos, hyperpolitical environments and the inability of individuals to see their limits when blinded by the light of self-glorification. It is essential reading for anyone in a shared leadership role - partners, executives in tightly run corporations, etc. - and is most valuable for the lessons people should learn about themselves through Lehman's demise.

Auletta chronicles the activity at Lehman Brothers during the months between July 1983 and April 1984, immediately preceding the firm's takeover by Shearson/American Express. During that brief period, Auletta reveals, Wall Street's oldest investment banking partnership was simultaneously buffetted by the ambition and greed of one faction and by the complacency and misplaced self-assurance of another group of partners. Details shared after the fact with Auletta by many of the participants make clear, often with self-serving insight, that blame for the takeover could well be shared by more than just the two principal players. This tension born of petty human motives is all the more striking when set against the sophisticated investment banking environment. Most business collections will want this title.

I was not as enthralled as the other reviewers.
The main articles in this book dealt with music and thermonuclear weapons.
The author is, with reason, a fervent opponent of nuclear weapons; who not? But he must admit that in the field of basic science there have never been cutbacks in the financing of research on thermonuclear weapons!
On the other hand, I agree that it is not easy to write about music. But these texts are not at the same level as, for instance, the brilliant 'Penguin Guide to Compact Discs'. I am also a big fan of Mahler. That's why I bought this book and read it.
I should however quote an important remark by the author : twentieth century science has provided us with a glimpse of something we never really knew before, the revelation of human ignorance.

If you are looking for a short, exquisite book about humanity and life and science (and the connection among all three) look no further. Lewis Thomas gives just the right touch, always keeping the writing at the educated layman's level.

Starting with an outdated plea for peace (the USSR was still semi-viable at this time) he touches on human senses - sight, smell, hearing, touch, language - and inserts a brilliant little chapter on his own Seven Modern Wonders. Essays on altruism, music in all its splendored forms and the brain follow. The last chapter is a requiem for life and the loss of life.

As a one-time practicing physicist (now just an "arm-chair physicist") and lifetime music lover, I have found this beautifully-written little book irresistible over the 17 years it has been in my library. In 1983, when the original hardcover edition came out, this book was given to me as a gift by someone knowing my musical tastes, figuring that it would be the perfect gift. It turned out to be, but for reasons that are largely non-musical.

As an arm-chair scientist, I've read and enjoyed more than a few popularizations by well-known scientists over the years. These include Richard Feynman with his wry humor in virtually everything he wrote (I number myself among those physicists who "cut their eye teeth" on the Feynman Lectures in Physics), Stephen Hawking, Brian Greene, Carl Sagan, and even Brian Swimme. (The Swimme of "A Walk Through Time" goes down easily, and covers much of the same ground that Thomas does, but in a quite different way; the Swimme of "The Universe is a Green Dragon" is a much harder sell for me due to its hard-pressed attempt to oversimplify.) But for sheer elegance and poetry and breadth of scope, and for essays that provoke thought on the part of the reader, none can hold a candle to Thomas.

Everyone who reads this little masterpiece will have his or her favorites. Here are a few of mine:

In "Things Unflattened by Science" (an essay on unaddressed and/or incomplete challenges that future scientists might well undertake), a paragraph on how biologists might endeavor to better understand what music is, and how it affects the human condition, starting with a rather small-scale assignment to explain the effect of Bach's "The Art of Fugue" on the human mind.

In "Altruism" (an essay on the symbiotic interrelationships among species), how it is that such a condition actually exists, and a challenge to future scientists to better understand how our own species might become more altruistic (and adult) than it presently is.

In "The Attic of the Brain" (a cautionary essay on the risks of psychiatry, most importantly psychoanalysis, in terms of performing "total brain dumps"), the need for all of us to carry around a little clutter in our lives, as insurance against the chance that we might inadvertently lose our ability to retrieve something truly important.

In the title (and final) essay, another cautionary tale, this time on thermonuclear weaponry, the most lucid description I've ever read regarding the true meaning of this music as envisioned by Gustav Mahler. In a few brief but sublime paragraphs, Thomas has captured the essence of this remarkable opus in a way that no musician (and that includes such Mahlerites as Bernstein, Karajan, Klemperer, Rattle and Walter) ever had. Until very recently, that is, with the release a few months back of a staggering performance by Benjamin Zander, conductng the Philharmonia Orchestra. But that is another topic, and another review.

In the seventeen years since the initial publication of this book, quite a bit has changed in our worldview, in some aspects of society and science. But not enough! The observations and challenges that Thomas lays out will endure for centuries, provided only that we endure as well.

One of many topics reviewed in this excellent book, possibly, but hopefully not the last of Herman Wouk's great literary career. From the author of numerous fictional works, including the epics Winds of War and War and Remembrance, this is the second of his major nonfiction books, published some 40 years after his first, "This is My God."

This 300-page book spans a greater time span, and is certainly more up to date than Heinrich Graetz's encyclopedic, multi-volume "History of the Jews." Aside from providing a succinct history of a people spanning over three millennia, Wouk addresses an even more important question of what will become of the Jews, having survived centuries of invasion, overthrow, exile, persecution and the Holocaust, only to be threatened with extinction through intermarriage and assimilation in the United States, and secular Judaism in Israel.

At times a difficult read because of its complex vocabulary, cultivated from Yiddish, Hebrew, Biblical and Talmudic colloquialisms, this is more than compensated for by its succinctness, its eyewitness perspective, and its inclusion in respective appendices, a glossary of terms, and biographical names.

Wouk certainly knows of what he speaks. Having been born into and Orthodox American Jewish family, Herman Wouk, is the grandson of a Russian Orthodox rabbi who moved to the United States in the 1920's, who later made aliyah in the 1950's, a member of what Tom Brokaw calls "The Greatest Generation," a World War II naval officer, a lifelong student of history, Old Testament, Talmud, Judaism, and Israel, Wouk has personally met such prominent figures as Prime Ministers Ben-Gurion and Ehud Barak of Israel, the Nobel winning physicist Richard Feynman. A must read for anyone interested in Jewish history, prognosis, Israel (ancient or modern)

At 84 years of age, Herman Wouk, one of the giants of contemporary American Jewish literature, presents his view of the survival of the Jewish people. His narrative moves back and forth between a thumbnail sketch of Jewish history and a colorful personal history . He indicates that the two motivating forces that have kept Judaism cohesive and growing during the twentieth century--the Holocaust and the birth of the state of Israel--are no longer of recent enough memory in the younger generation to ensure Jewish survival. Are there other factors, as the twenty-first century begins, that can influence young Jews to preserve their ancient heritage? This is the tough question the author attempts to address.

Wouk's whirlwind tour of Jewish history is unsatisfactory because it flies through time and presumes an in-depth knowledge by the reader. Far more satisying are the author's personal reflections as to how his life experiences and knowledge of the past allow him to appreciate his Jewish heritage. What seem to be lacking at the beginning of the book book are fill-in-the-blank kind of things. It is almost as if the author's intention is to get his readers to find the missing information by going to Judaic sources and reading what they need to know to preserve the Jewish faith. Nice ploy!

THE WILL TO LIVE ON concludes with Wouk's thoughts about the survival of the Jewish people into the distant future. His impressions differ regarding the Jews of Israel and those of the diaspora. He has one especially important thought to share about how diaspora Jewry can ensure their survival. It's not worth peeking at the last few pages of the book ahead of time, however, because the strength of Wouk's case slowly builds throughout the narrative. The reader can then sit back and truly savor the elderly author's insightful conclusion.

In a career of fifty years or so, Herman Wouk has published less than a dozen novels. Fortunately, the time he puts into his work shows and nearly all of his works are five-star quality. This book, a non-fiction follow-up to This Is My God (which is the only book of his I haven't read), continues the high-quality trend.

Although designed for a Jewish audience, this book has plenty to offer anyone who wishes to learn more about Judaism and the direction it is going. This is a good blend of history, theology and memoir, well-organized and filled with detail without losing readability. I found of particular interest the second part, "The Heritage, or the Power of a Dream" which describes the sources of Jewish thought and tradition.

Although not very religious myself, I am often fascinated with religion, and this book is a good addition to my collection on the subject. As he states in the Afterword, "If this book in any way helps readers to rethink the [future of Judaism] for themselves, I will have done, to the best of my ability, what I set out to do." He has accomplished this task very well.

"Seraph on the Suwanee" provides interesting dialog details into the lives of the "Florida crackers" (i.e. poor southern whites) in the early 20th century, but at times, it's difficult to follow where this story is going.

The novel follows the marriage of Jim and Arvay Meserve. The novel paints Jim Meserve as an ambitious and resourceful, yet also chauvanistic and sometimes violent man. The central character is the wife, Arvay, who is timid, uneducated, and (overly) sensitive. Told from Arvay's point of view, the problem with the story is that it is essentially one-sided and is more like the story of her life from her point of view. Only toward the later 1/3 of the book is she given a challenge and a mild conflict emerges when she is challenged to prove herself worthy of her husband. Here is where I think the novel fails-we never really see any growth, development, or maturity in Arvay throughout the novel. It is only in the last couple of chapters that she has a "self-awakening" experience caused by the death of her mother. This "self-discovery" and the following reconciliation with Jim is weak and disappointing in my opinion. I enjoyed the book, Hurston is simply a great story teller-- she paced it appropriately, injected lively dialog, believable characters and situations, and provided colorful imagery. However, I think I would have enjoyed this story if it were two-sided; I found myself wanting to know more about Jim, his background, his thoughts and motivation.

I love Seraph on the Suwanee. Hurston captures the struggles of accepting oneself and accepting love like no other author I have read. It's a great story about, in my opinion, a woman's struggle to find strength in herself and through that, be able to accept and give love to others. It's not quite as entertaining as Their Eyes Were Watching God, but is still incredibly interesting and inspirational.

This is my all time favorite novel. Although I already have several copies of this book, I'm buying another copy today.

A nice little story following the ups and downs and misunderstandings of a married couple on the brink of divorce. Very romantic and sweet.

However, I could not help but think that 184 pages of heart-wrenching domestic torment could have been resolved by one of the characters simply saying, "Honey, I want kids." I mean, really! How difficult would that be to do? It was so painfully obvious that this was the main problem in their marriage.

But hey--if one of the characters had said that early in the story, there would be no story, would there? And that wouldn't make a good Harlequin romance, would it?

This book does not deserve a bad rating. The book is an emotional roller-coaster filled with very sensual and intense scenes! Its a fast paced and involved read. Its the type of story that will stay with you long after you've read it. I definitely recommend it. If you love romance novels you'll love this one! I've been reading Sandra Marton's books for some time and she always comes through for her readers. Her work is suberb!

Natalie and Gage have been married for ten years but ever since they lost their baby, things have gone downhill. The failing communication between the couple has caused so much pain that divorce seems the only solution. But if they can take the risk and reveal their feelings, will there be anything left to salvage? They just might surprise themselves and each other.

This novel is a fast and involved read. You understand both characters so well that they seem to come alive. They are well-rounded and realistic. The secondary characters are great as well.

I became emotionally involved in this book and felt for the characters and their situation. The story stayed with me long after it was over.

Sandra Marton is a wonderful writer. I have 25 of her novels and she has quickly become one of my all time favorite authors. I recommend all of her novels!

I love dogs but if I had wanted to know the ins and outs of dog obedience training, including the different levels snd sub-levels, I would have bought a manual. I wanted a mystery with fully fleshed out characters and a plot that kept me guessing. I got neither. The characters were neither likeable nor substantive. Except for the cop next door, I have no idea what they even look like or what, if anything, they care about besides dogs. The plot was predictable and the action stuck in first gear. Maybe the series inmproves after this book. I'm not taking that chance.

this is one of my all time favorites and has to be one of the best books i ever read. an exellent beginning to an extremely good series.

What a great story for dog lover's! I think I finally understand how obedience titles are awarded. Miss Conant draws the reader into the cozy Cambridge world and successfully portrays the unusual relationships that often form in dog training classes. People from such diverse backgrounds join together with one thing in common - a love of dogs! She accurately depicts some of the eccentric and frankly, zany personalities one finds in the dog show world. Her relationship with her vet adds further intersting and romantic plot direction. Her insights into how we all cope with the loss of our best friends were very touching. I enjoyed the book immensely and look forward to reading others in her series.

This was definately better than "Cat of a Different Color". Perhaps not the most realistic, but it's a good book to read if you want a whole lot of mystery and quirkiness going on.

A Cat on Stage Left! Does this sound as though a cat on the left in a play is pertinent to an on stage mystery and is, in actuality, center stage. This idea is supported by the inquisitive stare of a, seemingly very much alive, cat on the book's jacket. Can we judge a book by its cover? Adamson's book captures the reader's curiosity through every paragraph, page, and chapter.

It may be that we characterize the book as a realistic fiction; however, could it be that the event actually did transpire? Is there a real person named Alice Nestleton? After all, Alice herself relates clearly and succinctly every brief chapter of this mystery story.

Suspense invades the life of out-of- work actress and amateur PI, Alice Nestleton with a telephone call from Mary Singer who seeks Alice's service for four days as a cat-sitter at twenty-five hundred dollars cash, up front. Twenty minutes latter, right before Alice's eyes, Mary with the carrier is shoved from the back seat of a Bentley. Then suddenly the chauffeur sends at close range a bullet through the head of Mary. A "Canadian tourist" films the murder and Alice spread on all fours by the impact. The TV plays and replays the scene.

For four hours Alice responds to police interrogations. With the help of Sam Tully, a derelict, Alice trudges through Manhattan in search of clues. Foremost among these: "Edward the Second", a stage play, those who performed in it, and the feline, Dante. Along with these, she recalls the deep wrinkles in Mary's face.

This mystery, the sixteenth of the Alice Nestleton series, is appealing to all fluent readers. It moves quickly and descriptions and characterizations are for the most part gleaned from the conversations and expressed thoughts of Alice. This sleuth adventure is intriguing from beginning to end.

this was a great book. . . . if you like lydia's books read this one.

Perhaps this novel might have nostalgic appeal to adults who read these books as kids in the 50's when they first came out, but kids today are far too sophisticated to take Blyton's books too seriously. The characterizations and storyline are largely outdated to modern kids. Also, they will not identify with a lot of the British idiom the characters speak. Even the mindset and worldview of these characters (who even by 50's standards must have been living under a rock in some fairy land), are laughably quaint. The writing itself is passable at best. Blyton's pacing is painfully slow and she knows little about building suspense. If adults want a trip down memory lane while reading "safe" suspense to their kids, try "The Hardy Boys" instead. The concept is the same, but the writing is better and American kids will identify with the material much more easily -- even if they still find the characters too scrubbed up.

I'm 14 years old and i grew up with Enid Blyton.I was never really fond of Famous Five, but i loved her other books like "Come to the Circus" i dont think the books are available anymore though.i think her fairytales like about Pip the pixie are the best. i think all her books should be published again and if u order Enid Blyton through the web the best place to look would be amazon.co.uk they have a lot of her books.

I have loved every single Famous Five book...have read all of them when I was little. I think all of Enid Blyton's books are great to grow up with, I hope kids still continue to read her books and continue to love them.

Coming off the total fabrication of the 'Red Tent' this collection of essays is simply a dirty mirror of the far more organized book they were made into. Capitlizing on interest in feminism and the Bible these essays serve up a cold plat eof fabrication and misinformation, mostly detailing the life of Dinah and her relations with other women of the tribe of Joseph, unfortunatly Dinah comes off as a harlot, and her friends as Pagans and idolworshipers full of a mishmash of psuedo-pagan religions, none of which actually existed at the time of Jacob but this book simply fakes these other religions pretending that the women in the Red Tent would have resorted to heathen barbarism when not in the presence of Jacob and his sons. The reality is that no acts of human sacrifice or the bleeding of cats took place among the women of Jacobs family and since none took place this read is mere conjecture.

PITCHING MY TENT by Anita Diamant, author of THE RED TENT, is a collection of short and personal essays on family, friends and religion. Arranged by topic, the essays are, for the most part, light and enjoyable reading. Gathering many essays from her days as a columnist, PITCHING MY TENT reflects the things that are most important in the author's life, and they are things that will resonate with many readers.

Diamant begins by exploring "Love, Marriage, Baby Carriage." In this section she shares personal and general thoughts on marriage and partnership. These thoughts, like those in the rest of the collection, in many ways center not just on marriage, but on a life lived within a particular religious tradition. She shares how she and her husband celebrate Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, and his conversion to Judaism. While this section of the book is actually dedicated to her husband, she does discuss her first marriage in frank emotional terms. From pet peeves to health issues, from mutual friends to the birth of their child, Diamant is candid about her marriage; the specifics she shares point to universals.

Next, Diamant dives into the topic of motherhood and her focus is on her daughter Emilia. She writes loving essays about parenthood as both "an adventure and an education." Two essays in this section stand out. The first is entitled "One" and discusses Diamant and her husband's decision to have only one child, despite the pressure to give Emilia siblings. The other is "The Mother's Bat Mitzvah Speech." This speech is a touching and tender tribute to her daughter on a very special occasion.

The third section in PITCHING MY TENT gathers essays about friends and friendship. These are short yet sweet.

"Time Zones" is the fourth section and one of the most interesting topics of the book. Here, Diamant examines sacred time and ordinary time by looking at the Jewish year and some of its holidays and commemorations. In essays about Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, the holidays of Sukkot, Chanukah and Purim, as well as Thanksgiving and Christmas, Diamant writes about being Jewish in a culture both Christian and secular and how she celebrates and understands Jewish (and non-Jewish) holidays. The essays are quite short but are full of insight and honesty. As a daughter of Holocaust survivors, she writes about Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, and the idea of memory as a sacred trust. Both this essay and the brief one in tribute to her father are poignant and nicely written.

Diamant also has collected essays on middle age but she ends the book with more discussion about religion in her life. She writes that Judaism is her "journey" and her "home" and that it is an "essential lens" through which she understands herself and her place in the world. But these final essays are not as solemn as the introduction to the section would have you believe. Here, Diamant addresses serious issues such as congregation politics and the expectancy that all Jews read Hebrew --- but she does so with a light and witty touch.

PITCHING MY TENT is not exactly a book about religion or family in general but about Diamant's family and her religious life. Her essays are insightful if not challenging or academic. This collection is a great gift idea for fans of Diamant, those who enjoy easy yet interesting reading, and especially for Jewish mothers. A personal look at contemporary Jewish life, PITCHING MY TENT will not generate controversy or create the kind of following that THE RED TENT had, but it won't disappoint those who are looking to learn more about this author.

--- Reviewed by Sarah Rachel Egelman

As a long time fan of Anita Diamant's work - THE RED TENT and then GOOD HARBOR, I was thrilled to see that a new one from Ms. Diamant was on the shelves! I bought it right away!
PITCHING MY TENT was a fast read but one that I can see revisiting from time to time. In this compilation of articles and musings, the reader will get a real sense of what it was like for a woman who had choices and took chances - while her faith in Judaism and living a Jewish life blossomed!
Written in such an honest and personal way, this book stirred many thoughts and emotions and really made me think about life.
This is a book to give to the women in your life, messages that we will all identify with. It may even enourage you to pick up a pen and jot down some of your own memories!

I find it interesting that this book was included in the selection of Horror Anthologies.

Given the way I feel about golf, it was all too appropriate!

I am always a little at a loss to review a work like this which has 30 essays, short stories, and poems in it, humorously illustrated by the talented Paul Szep. Obviously, in a thousand words I cannot review each work. However, there's also no relevant way to give you an overview except to say that this is much of the best writing about golf that anyone has ever done, looking beyond how to improve your score.

Let me share a few highlights with you, much like you might compliment a golf partner on the best shots in his or her round. Imagine that we are all having a tall cool beverage while I do this after finishing a long, hot round.

I thought the funniest work was "Drinking from a Cup Made Cinchey" written in 1959. Updike has obviously had a golf lesson or two, as the other works make clear. This essay is a satire on all of those instructional articles that you find in Golf Digest. Updike begins by pointing out that occasionally there's a slip between cup and lip (but he humorously avoids that phrase). So he takes the simple task of picking up a cup and drinking something from it, and writes it up in golf instructional style. I couldn't stop laughing. I think I got a better idea of the golf swing from this non-golf swing instruction than I ever did from taking a lesson!

"Swing Thoughts" from 1984 captures the problems that we all have with using the conscious mind too much, but with more self-consciousness than even the most self-conscious golfer ever had.

The part I least agreed with was "The Trouble with a Caddie." Updike doesn't like them, but I find having a caddie one of the pleasures of the game. He dislikes everything from the company to handling the tip. Perhaps it is hard for someone with a solitary occupation like writing to get over that preference for solitude. Book tours must be rough!

The best fiction was "Farrell's Caddie" from 1991 with all due respect to the Rabbit Angstrom material that is well known from the Rabbit books. It transcends golf in a valuable way.

The best poem was "Upon Winning One's Flight in the Senior Four-Ball" from 1994. Many of Updike's later works look ironically on the effects of our changing golf fortunes as the body starts to produce less and less satisfying golf. This one is very well done without having the negative tone that some of the others do, hinting at decay and death.

The book is divided ino three sections: (1) Learning the Game (2) Loving the Game and (3) Playing the Game. The works are about equally distributed among the sections.

If you're a golfer, you know that people love to give golf-related gifts but never know what to give. I suggest you solve their problem by putting this book on your Amazon.com wish list. Then on those cold winter's nights, you can curl up with this book to help you conjure up your own golf dreams!

When John Updike brings the depth and breadth of his intelligence to bear upon a subject, the light of his insight and wisdom radiates from his silky prose. One expects to be enlightened as he reviews contemporary novels or tackles current questions of theology. I didn't know what to expect from his essays on golf, but having read "Golf Dreams", I would say that Updike loves this enigmatic game every bit as much as he loves fiction, theology, and philosophy. If we find a writer's love in his attention to detail, then in these essays Updike shares his deep love not only in the details of the game itself, but in the details of playing of golf in New England and his love for his golfing companions. It is as if in a life of a writing discipline, book tours, speaking engagements, and other demands, Updike can rely upon the fidelity of his foursome and the bucolic mysticism of golf itself as a source of constant and dependable pleasure. Fortunately, because like most of us who play, Updike's pleasure does not depend upon his mastery of the game; but our reading pleasure does depend on Updike's mastery of lucid prose to express his golf dreams.