Street

I withheld a star for 2 criticisms: First and foremost is the way the binding obscures part of each map, this is a problem when an avenue falls in the crease (I have the first edition with the cool cover, I hope they will correct the binding in a later edition). Second, there is no zip code map.

Putting a bookmark on the index page and reading the symbol page will help you navigate this atlas, then get out there and enjoy my beloved city!

Imagine you are a talented artist. You're just a teenage girl, still, but you have talent. Imagine losing your memory after a horrible accident that you have absolutely no recollection of.

Imagine having a dream -- a nightmare -- of drawing a gleaming, cold, silver line across the middle of your sketchpad with your ordinary pencil. Imagine drawing another line below it. Color seeps from it. Blood-red color seeps from the creasing, glittering, silver line. It is blood.

This is what happens to Martha. She cannot remember ANYTHING that happened that one cold, dreary, lonely night.

The ending will keep you guessing, keep the pages turning, keep your toes curling in fear. You will not flip to the back to find out what happens for fear of ruining the ending to such a gruesome, horrifying book. I recommend this to anyone daring enough to flip the cover. You will never regret it [unless you're reading it at night...]

Fall's account of the French Union Forces' experience in Southeast Asia is gritty, down-to-earth, fearless, & accurate. He went beyond the official communiques & press releases, beyond the brief of the usual war correspondents of the French Indochina War & thus, into 'Street Without Joy', Fall perspicaciously packed wealth of detail & nuance.

'Street Without Joy' is a bit dated in lexicon (but this latest edition contains an apt new foreword that does much to help the reader gain a useful appreciation of Fall's viewpoint), but its central truths remain accurate & valid & worthy of absorption by citizens, politicians, & military leaders alike. This book is a "must read" for any Vietnam-era scholar or writer, & many of its lessons continue to apply today in the war against terrorism.

Of course one should follow reading 'Street Without Joy' with a reading of Fall's masterpiece on the siege of Dien Bien Phu, 'Hell in a Very Small Place'. This pair of books has enduring value as histories, & as illumination for present-day & future citizens, soldiers, & leaders.

Being an adoptive parent of a child from Korea, I found The Unforgotten War to be a book that has helped me have an understanding of what it it can be like to be adopted from another country. This is a great book not only for people who have adopted, or are adoptees, but for everyone!!!!!!!!! Thanks to Mr. Clement for sharing such a well written, informative, life experience book with us.

It must be stated up front that this autobiographical account by Thomas Park Clement is not comparable to the one written by Elizabeth Kim, author of 10,000 Sorrows. Readers wanting to read a captivating, authentic, and verifiable story of a mixed race Korean War orphan will find The Unforgotten War a truly memorable work. His book is filled with names, dates and photographs of himself with other people, including his adoptive family and friends. In the end he shares with readers how he might be contacted. Kim on the other hand tells a gripping and emotionally loaded story of her alleged life as a mixed race orphan that seems to attract tragedy after uncontrollable tragedy. She portrays herself as a survivor of numerous and horrendous abuses, however she provides no substantive information to lend credence to her story. Given the lack of verifiable data, one can only conclude Kim¦s book is actually fiction disguised as fact.

Clements¦ life was no bed of roses either - however unlike Kim, he does bravely reveal the name of the orphanage where he suffered both physical and mental abuses. And unlike Kim who seems determined to be the queen of all martyrs, Clement is able to put his personal experiences into productive and admirable perspective. Most readers will find it incomprehensible to learn that Clement was abandoned by his birth mother when he was about four years of age. They will be drawn in by his poignant memory of his last time with her, how she carefully and lovingly buttoned up his coat for one last time before leaving him alone on the street to fend for himself.

After his birth mother abandoned him, Clement tells chilling tales of how he was beaten up on the streets because of how he looked and smelled, and how he would go days before finding a piece of garbage that would temporarily ease his hunger pains. After several years of fighting the other street orphans for every bite of food, he finally meets a young Methodist missionary who takes him to an orphanage.

Orphanage life provided Clement both good and bad aspects. He describes haunting stories of life in the orphanage, bringing to mind images that anyone else who has ever been an orphan in a Korean orphanage would recognize. At the orphanage Clement is initially thrilled with being given a fresh pair of socks and clean clothing. He is delighted with getting one meal a day, even though it is very diluted and hardly substantial for a young boy. However Clement soon learns that he has to fight the other children and staff if he wants enough to eat. He learns to tuck his blanket around his body at night, so he doesn¦t get his blanket stolen and awake freezing. He also learns, like in the streets, that his mixed race looks means he is the lowest of the low even among the other orphans and staff. Along with the other children, he experiences both physical and mental abuse until it becomes known that a family in the States wants to adopt him. Not surprisingly, he is fed more and his physical bruises allowed to take a break.

As he leaves the orphanage, Clement is told menacingly by an orphanage worker that if he ever tells anyone of his experiences in the orphanage, that they would come after him and take him back to Korea. Terrified, he is relieved to finally board the plane where everyone is smiling, happy to see him, and not interested in hurting him.

Adopted life in the States brought numerous challenges, as well as wonderful benefits. At his first family meal he is introduced to the concept of having his own full plate of food, and then offered seconds and then at future meals thirds! His story about how he had a hard time adjusting to a raised bed is just one of many cross-cultural transitional stories that most Korean adoptees would similarly recall. Another time his adoptive mother invites a couple of Korean students over to the house in order to have them talk with Clement about what had happened to him in Korea. Terrified Clement refuses to talk, choosing instead to hide behind his adoptive mother¦s skirt, frightened that the students were going to try and take him back to Korea and the war.

From beloved son to: mixed-race bastard, street fighter, orphan, adoptee, rock musician, motor cycle dare devil rider, group home worker, carpenter, administrator, emergency ¦medic,¦ husband, father and humanitarian Clement has led a rich existance. His stories are amusing, serious and thoughtful. His outlook on life commendable. In a presentation for adoptees Clement said, ¦If I think about the Korean War, living on the streets and the orphanage, I could be ¦totaled¦ by these thoughts; or I could use these life experiences to feed the fire...feed the fire to motivate me to make a positive change...make the world a better place for our children in the future.¦ Certainly those words are ones that all parents, regardless of adoptive or birth status, would find memorable.

The meetings were always enjoyable until the stories that Talia wrote began to come true. Everyone also began to believe that she was the murderer...

I feel that the plot was quite predictable. I've already have an idea who the mastermind was behind all these early in the story. A few parts were certainly spooky.

I enjoyed the parts of the story that took place in the past the most, the historical details were fascinating. But Corlis drove me crazy with her reasons on why she kept being able to see the past, just accept it already! And could the auther possibly italicize more words? The kidnapping of King seemed to kind of just come out of the blue, and it seemed to be solved and wrapped up too easily.

All in all, I wouldn't say that this book was unreadable and there are some fascinating elements in this book, but the characters were just hard to get past.

You should understand how car salesmen work before buying a car, why not understand how mutual fund salesmen work before investing, especially since the amount of money is probably going to be a much larger amount.

It is the naïve and uninformed get soundly fleeced everyday in the financial markets, at the very least, read this book before making any large financial decisions that involve trusting the advice from a financial advisor, banker or stock broker. These often have built in conflicts of interests that could cost you money.

While pros and those in the know will probably not find anything here new, and stock brokers and other financial salesmen probably hate this book, I strongly recommend it to any that are thinking about entering the financial markets.