american-literature Books

The book brought me into a new world,in which people don't know their heritage. I had never heard the word Melungeon before. The author made it easy, interesting reading.

An excellent book, scholarly and very readable. the Melungeons are a fascinating people. VandeBrake does a very good job of explaining them and how they have appeared in the literature. I expect we'll hear and read a lot more from this author.

Katherine Vande Brake's How They Shine is at once a scholarly examination of the depiction of Melungeons in Appalachian fiction and a readable overview of the topic. Though Melungeons have been characters in Appalachian fiction for many decades, no one has yet analyzed the way in which these misunderstood people have been presented. In this book, the first to address the issue of Melungeons in fiction, Vande Brake has filled that gap.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. While Vande Brake imparts a great deal of information, her style is quite conversational. Reading the book feels like sitting at a kitchen table in conversation with an old friend over a cup of coffee. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good book about books or anyone who seeks information about the Melungeon people.

How They Shine is engrossing and captivating. I found it to be a superb book! Vande Brake opens a door into the mysteries of the Melungeon culture. In doing so, you can feel Vande Brake's love of literature and great admiration of this quiet, obscure community that has its roots in Appalachia. While reading, I gained a great respect for the Melungeons as a group. Vande Brake brings to the reader's consciousness that Melungeon characters are used in literature to conjure up an image stereotypical to this group of people in the mountains of North East Tennessee and South West Virginia. Their tenacity, snake handling, moon shining, physical features, and exclusivity to the outside world are all part of this characterization.

How they shine is a fascinating work, full of haunting images of a special community of people who have lived in our United States for centuries.

Vande Brake writes vividly. How They shine is a scholarly work with well-documented claims yet it is an easy read. Those looking to do research or those lay people who are looking for an enjoyable book about another culture will find it satisfying.

Vande Brake's writing makes a complicated topic understandable to any reader.

Buy it!

How They Shine: Melungeon Characters In The Fiction Of Appalachia by Katherine Vande Brake (Associate Professor of English, King College, Bristol, Tennessee) is the first critical study of Melungeon characters in written fiction. Focusing on the wealth of Melungeon culture and how the Melungeon people have been viewed through the ages, particularly through the eyes of writers who identify them with the virgin Appalachian ridges before European colonization, How They Shine is an ground breaking, seminal, scholarly analysis that takes apart stereotypes and delves into the heart of human perception. How They Shine is a remarkable, informative, superbly presented and persuasive literary account.

The book is excellently written and beautifully illustrated. A must read for kids of all ages.

Howard Thurman's Great Hope is a picturebook biography of the early years of African-American civil rights leader and preacher Howard Thurman (1899-1981). Born into an era when racial segregation pervaded, he dreamed of attending college; through hard work, perseverance, and the unexpected generosity of a stranger he achieved his dream and much more. The color illustrations work in harmony with the text of an truly inspirational life, in this highly recommended addition to children's library collections.

A beautifully told story of a young Howard Thurman and his early struggles to complete his education with little financial resources and many barriers of racism to overcome. This is an important read for every child.

A moving and inspirational story of Howard Thurman's hope for an education. A great book for young and old of any race, for anyone with dreams and hopes.

As a seventh grader in racially-segregated Daytona, Florida in 1914, Howard Thurman despaired at the thought of having to end his schooling and find a job. Daytona had only one public school for African American children and it ended with the seventh grade. Howard worked hard in school and he savored every minute; learning felt like piecing new ideas together in a jigsaw puzzle. He also worked hard before and after school delivering laundry to and from the fancy beach hotel in order to help his mother and grandmother make ends meet.

Despite the obstacles posed by poverty and racial discrimination, Howard pursued his dream of attending college with fierce determination and with the help of some generous mentors who believed in the potential of this brilliant young man. Howard not only graduated from Morehouse College as valedictorian, he also went on to become an ordained minister, a prolific writer, and an influential spiritual leader in the U.S. civil rights movement.

This powerful book pays tribute to an extraordinary man who devoted his life to promoting racial equality and social justice. Heavy topics perhaps, but the author skillfully wraps the biography into an enjoyable story, complete with the tale of a mysterious stranger at the railroad station whose impromptu donation to Howard's train fare prevented his hopes from getting dashed. Howard Thurman's life history, which this valuable book makes accessible to children, can prompt younger generations to see the inspiration that comes with kindness, role models, and big dreams.

The first time I opened the cover of 'Hunger' I anticipated a "nice interesting little book". Since I had just finished Margaret Atwood's 'The Robber Bride' I did not expect anyone to measure up to Atwood's genius for reaching inside and stirring up the old emotive cauldron. I STAND CORRECTED! After the first dozen pages, I knew I was in for the emotional ride of my life. It seemed as if Ms. Miller had somehow gotten her hands on the journals I kept during my late 20s and 30s. So many times I too had longed to escape. With 'Hunger' I found the perfect hideout in the ghost town. It can be a bit disconcerting facing old foes, but it has certainly been a growing experience. You can escape from everyone but yourself and that is the one spirit you must face up to. I am now on my third reading. 'Hunger' is not a book for the shallow of heart or mind. But anyone willing to step out on that literary tightrope will be richly rewarded.

I felt the writing was almost surgical, folding back layer after layer of ego and emotion to explore the essential self. Her focus is on women's sexuality and self image, but she doesn't shy away from exploring, and honoring, the masculine. Very courageous. The question of, "who am I when no one else is around?" at the center of the title novella is one I'm sure everyone has asked themselves. Miller answers mystery with mystery. The reality in this story seems more flexible than ours; I was thoroughly intrigued. Six short stories continue to address issues of self, sex, and society in the second half of the book. I found the writing so compelling I wanted to read them one after another -- but I also wanted to savor them one at a time. There's so much to enjoy and think about here, it definitely did not leave me hungry.

I felt the writing was almost surgical, folding back layer after layer of ego and emotion to explore the essential self. Her focus is on women's sexuality and self image, but she doesn't shy away from exploring, and honoring, the masculine. Very courageous. The question of, "who am I when no one else is around?" at the center of the title novella is one I'm sure everyone has asked themselves. Miller answers mystery with mystery. The reality in this story seems more flexible than ours; I was thoroughly intrigued. Six short stories continue to address issues of self, sex, and society in the second half of the book. I found the writing so compelling I wanted to read them one after another -- but I also wanted to savor them one at a time. There's so much to enjoy and think about here, it definitely did not leave me hungry.

I read my sister's book Hunger... when she sent me an early copy. I'm always amazed by Michelle's gut-deep grasp of the North American male-female psycho-sexual quotidian. She makes me a little nervous sometimes, because I was s'posed to be the true art & rock'n'roll rebel of the three of us Miller kids, but she's farther out on the beam. When I read Miche's stuff it's kind of like I knew it already... but when I read it-it's verified. I sure as heck hope some Hollyweird producer jumps on this book (but doesn't put Meg Ryan in the lead.) More like Judy Davis.

There is a hunger in everyone for something...the type and intensity of the hunger just varies from person to person. This book explores many types of hunger and a wide range of feelings experienced, if not readily admitted to, by everyone. When I read this book, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.'Hunger' is mysterious, haunting, and intriguing on many levels...and entertaining too! As I read deeper, into and past the words, I found myself wondering what I would do were I in a particular character's shoes or thinking "Hey! I know how that feels!" It's a journey well worth the taking down an interesting literary trail...though I'm still wondering where the ghost town heroine ends up.....: )

Accompanied by her friends (Hilary, Luisa and Ben), Rachel and her fiancé Peter visit his parents on the West Coast for the weekend. Rachel plans to behave with decorum so as to not make any waves. However, during the engagement party thrown by his parents, Hilary dumps Ben before leaving the gala.

Not long afterward Rachel receives an enigmatic message from Hilary asking for her help. As Rachel and her posse try to find Hilary, they learn she was seen frolicking with Igor "Iggie" Behrenz. As one clue leads to another, Rachel realizes someone is setting them up, but is not sure why even as she begins to have commitment doubts again.

This is an engaging amateur sleuth (though Ben is a professional) that readers will enjoy especially the chick lit asides from the heroine as she has increasing doubts about Peter even as she tries to behave in front of his parents. The story line is fast-paced as the posse work in humorous ways to win THE HUNT for Hilary. Readers will enjoy this fine tale and seek Rachel's backlist of misadventures (see THE PACT, THE JINX and THE KEY).

Harriet Klausner

While I have always remained partial to Sturman's first book in the Rachel Benjamin series, 'THE PACT' I have to regretfully admit that I now have a new favorite in this engaging series...'THE HUNT'! Not only was this installment filled with unexpected twists and turns (not only in the whodunit but also in Rachel and Peter's relationship) but it was also laugh out loud funny!

In the 'THE HUNT' Rachel finds herself, not so successfully in her opinion, trying to fit in with her super normal in-laws-to-be when her best friend Hillary seems to be abducted by a billionaire who does not want some sketchy information leaked just days before his company is supposed to go public. And journalist Hillary has collected all sorts of nasty tid-bits about this billionaire and his company and is all set to write her article when she disappears. Now it is up to Rachel and Company to find Hillary, thwart the company's endeavors to go public all the while trying to impress her soon to be in-laws! Stir all of these ingredients together and you have one hilarious concoction!

If you have enjoyed the rest of the series get ready to enjoy the best!

I'm happy to say that the 4th Rachel Benjamin mystery lived up to my expectations. Rachel is quirky, real, & a good laugh as well. This time, the mystery moved from New York City to San Fransisco, & the change of scenery was welcome. Rachel's college friends (from "The Pact") were also a big part of the story, which I enjoyed. The mystery itself was a sort of scavenger hunt that made for an interesting & fast paced read.

I hope that Ms. Sturman continues this series because I am looking forward to the continued growth of Rachel & Peter's relationship.

I got this book yesterday, and I loved it. Watching Rachel, her fiance, and their friends try to peice together clues to find someone was great. Jennifer Sturman hasn't lost her touch where writing these characters or her stories are concerned. I waited for a year for this book to come out, and it was worth the wait.

I wish it had been longer though. I noticed out of all of Ms. Sturman's books, this was the shortest and the thinnest.

I don't know how she does it, but Ms. Sturman has given us another delightful read! This time, Rachel finds herself in San Francisco juggling niceties with her soon-to-be (probably) in-laws with trying to track down her somewhat headstrong friend Hilary who has disappeared and seems to be mixed up with a sketchy internet mogul! So witty (I actually laughed out loud 4 times) and suspenseful, the book (unfortunately) flies by. How soon til the next one, Ms. Sturman?

For any woman who has wondered what she might have to say, or who has longed to find the voice to say what she holds inside I Gotta Crow is an empowering, insightful and inspiring book. A true gift.

"We owe it to ourselves to find our voice. This companion will guide us along the path of discovery and then teach us how to nurture our gift. The interviews with women writers bring us true inspiration."

Rita Watson, author, "The Art of Decision-Making," (Lowell House), and "A Serenity Journal: 52 Weeks of Prayer and Gratitude," (Paulist Press).

I Gotta Crow - Women, Voice, and Writing by Jill Hackett carries women writers on a path of discovery - to their truest writing voice. Jill shows women writers how to write without fear and to search within themselves for the true authentic words that only surface once the mind, heart, and soul connect. I Gotta Crow brings women writers together and upholds their strength to CROW - to listen to their inner soul and to write without reservations. Jill's interviews provide a "cradle of resilience", allowing women to write from within. I Gotta Crow provides the support, encouragement, and the roadmap women writers need to find their unique writing voice.

Sheri' L. McConnell, MAOM
Founder of the National Association of Women Writers

Jill Hackett's I Gotta Crow: Women, Voice, And Writing, is a book about women writers finding the voice within and letting it out onto the page. The first section deals with useful guidelines for finding one's voice and conveying it; the second consists of personal interviews with an eclectic variety of female authors who discuss the nature and implications of the voice in their work. An excellent survey of the soul of women's writing, I Gotta Crow is a strongly recommended addition to personal and academic "Women's Studies" and "Writing Skills Development" supplemental reading lists and reference collections.

Jill Hackett's training as a technical writer serves her well in her first book. Her prose is lucid and beautiful. Her explanation of the concept of "voice" --its origins in childhood, its resonance with our social environment -- helped me harness my own unique perspectives and gifts. These women's stories, though different from my own, now keep me company in the very solitary process of writing.

Anyone, male or female, can learn from what these women have to share. I highly recommend this read to all who aspire to be more expressive in their writing.

This book is written at a very readable level for third and fourth grade, easy enough for the student who struggles and interesting enough for more competent readers. I have used it in my classes for years. Students and parents have loved it.

As a school librarian, I often get specific requests for books from teachers. This book was one such request. This is a Scholastic book that has been sold through Scholastic for years as a paperback, but I wanted a hard back copy of it. It's a terrific book for our 3rd graders who are studying Martin Luther King, Jr. and for Black History month in February. I was thrilled to find a hard back copy from Amazon.

This is a Good book and I really enjoy reading it. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a hero of all time. He has save all the Black, and he gave their freedom.

The Scholastic company along with Margaret Davidson has put together a very informative book for youngsters. The book doesn't delve too deeply into the social consciousness so it will keep a youngster's interest. It is an excellent book to show how, against all odds, a man no more slated for greatness than any other American, had a dream to change the way African Americans were treated. It is also an excellent book that demonstrates how conflict-resolution can be achieved through peaceful means. This book makes for a wonderful read aloud to herald in the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's Day.

As a third grade teacher I use this book on a yearly basis during the month of January. Davidson does a wonderful job of allowing the children to connect to young Martin. From the early chapters she eloquently weaves Martin's words along with those of his friends and colleagues. Children are certainly saddened when Martin is eventually killed. Well worth reading!

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK AND IT CAME WHEN IT WAS SUPPOSED TO. I THOUGHT IT WAS FOR YOUNGER CHILDREN THEN IT WAS FOR. BUT STILL A GREAT BOOK.

Ida B. Wells needs to be better known among the American public. This book introduces her to middle and high school students, and it is very well done. She is one of the early voices in Civil Rights.

Ida B. Wells was an African-American woman of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. She was born and grew up in the South, born in Mississippi during the Civil War. It is significant the impact of the legacy of slavery on her life -- she recounts how her parents, who were married as slaves, remarried each other as free persons after the war. Wells was a determined and intelligent woman -- her parents died while she was young, yet old enough to be left with the responsibility of her younger brothers and sisters. At the age of 14 she found herself at the head of a household with five younger children.

She worked hard to make sure that her education did not suffer, and eventually (a rarity for women of any colour in America at the time) went to work for a newspaper.

In an incident that foreshadowed Rosa Parks, she was once removed from a train for sitting in the wrong section, despite her ownership of a valid ticket for the seat. She sued the railroad and won (newspaper headlines read 'Darky Damsel Gets Damages' without concern for the racist tone), but the judgment was overturned on appeal, and she later discovered her lawyers had been paid off by the railroads, and the appellate judges had thought she was just being uppity to pursue the matter.

Such was the state of the African-American community that none came to her assistance as she pursued this fight. This made her more determined to organise and fight.

Several of her newspaper partners and other friends in Memphis were lynched for these efforts, and Wells was threatened herself, and left the South, but did not give up her crusade. Where ever she went, through cities and towns in the North as well as over to Europe (where, she said, she felt like she was treated as a real human being equal with others for the first time) she decried the injustice of laws which dismissed charges or gave light sentences if victims were coloured, and prosecuted more strongly, gave out harsher sentences, or even resorted to lynch mobs if the defendant (who was often not guilty) was coloured.

'She fought a lonely and almost single-handed fight, with the single-mindedness of a crusader, long before men or women of any race entered the arena, and the measure of success she achieved goes far beyond the credit she has been given the history of the country.'

She continued speaking and publishing up to her death in 1931. She was never afraid of making herself unpopular, and often upset the African-American community by being critical of their complacency (especially the upper and middle classes). She became unpopular by standing against the military service during World War I, because of prejudicial and discriminatory practices, and never quite recovered in popular esteem from that.

But Wells had courage and determination that is rare in persons, male or female, of any colour, of any time, to take on such a task as the exposition and combat of lynching in the South during the post-Civil War decades. Talking directly with governors and even a president, Wells made her voice heard, and it was a difficult hearing in a difficult time.

Grades 5 and up will find this an excellent biographicalcoverage of the mother of the civil rights movement, providing 178pages packed with facts and black and white illustrations. Thisexamines the life and times of Ida Wells, considering her early years, her civil rights campaign, and her anti-lynching campaign which succeeded in nearly abolishing the popular practice. An eye-opening account of not only her life, but her times. Highly recommended and vivid.

It is a travesty that the name of Ida B. Wells-Barnett is not more widely known in the most common lists of American heroes. This great woman, though little in stature, was a giant in the fight for justice and racial equality in this country. This book was a very thorough look at the life of an early champion of the civil rights movement in America. After my chilren an I read about her being physically thrown off a railcar, sueing the railroad company and actually winning her lawsuit, we could not put the book down. Although many of the discriptions and photographs were gruesome, they offered a realistic and brutally honest look at the horrors of lynching. I would recommend this book for sixth grade and up.

If you are not familiar with Ida B. Wells and her work, by allmeans become so immediately. I will be recommending this book toeveryone I know, and I am a children's and young adult librarian. Ida B. Wells is one of the greatest Americans of all time, and most of us have never heard of her. What she did to better the lives of African-Americans and, especially, to stop lynching, is moving, stirring, and heartbreaking. I never knew that people were burned at the stake in the USA, but they certainly were--and the crowds who came to see them die were happy to have so much fun watching "the nigger burn". A great book.

"Honestly, if Possible" may quite possibly be the most wonderful short story I've ever read. Like other newer Sinclair readers, I'm amazed with the currency of all his work, and even more amazed that he isn't more widely known. I'm doing my best to get the story out-I've got a lot of PEP!

I was surprised at how relevant the stories were to the current times. Despite being written between 1915 and the early 1920's, workers ( and employers ) were faced with problems of sexual harrasment, boredom, stealing employees, and office politics.

Definately, you can detect parts of Babbit in many of the characters in the book.

All of the stories were worth reading. Some are amusing, some sad, and a few happy. All of them, however are thought provoking.

Overall, a great book to get a hold of, especially if you are a Sinclair Lewis fan.

Lewis' early magazine pieces, printed here for the first time since their original publication in 1915-23, unmistakably contain the seeds of his later Pulitzer Prize-winning satirical novels and are irresistible in their own right.
The language is dated, and the modern reader may find some usage jarring (e.g., "love-making" for what we might call "flirting"), but it is remarkable in this postmodern age of Dilbert and e-mail that so little has changed in human nature, especially as expressed in office romances and politics. Look closely and you may see in some of Lewis' hucksters someone looking back at you; someone uncomfortably familiar.
(P) (The "score" rating is an ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)

If you made a short list of notable literary efforts from America's first Nobel Prize in Literature winner, the inestimable Sinclair Lewis, titles such as "Main Street," "Babbitt," and "Elmer Gantry" would probably sit near the top. More discerning fans of the master satirist might throw in "Dodsworth," "It Can't Happen Here," and "Kingsblood Royal." What you wouldn't find anywhere on this speculative list are the short stories between the pages of "If I Were Boss: The Early Business Stories of Sinclair Lewis." Why? According to the intricate yet astoundingly informative introduction by Anthony Di Renzo, none of the fifteen stories contained in the anthology have been republished since their original appearance between the years 1915-1921 in magazines like "The Saturday Evening Post." If you stagger under the knowledge that works of a Nobel Prize winner have been out of print that long, you'll really have a fit once you read this collection. Every one of the tales in this book is wonderful. Everything you know about Lewis-his scathing wit, his boundless cynicism tempered with a secret hope for the triumph of humanity, his spot on ability to recreate the American vernacular-infuses every page of every story.

If I had to pick a specific story as my personal favorite, I would pick the four stories that make up what is the Lancelot Todd cycle. Lewis spent many years of his life working in advertising, loathed the profession, and promptly took his revenge with stories like "Snappy Display," "Slip It to 'Em," "Getting His Bit," and "Jazz." These four tales document the unsavory career of Lancelot Todd, America's premier advertising guru and an unbridled charlatan. Always on the lookout for the perfect con, Todd spends his days writing peppy newsletters for large business concerns and spewing out self-help books designed to teach the workingman how to get ahead. He devotes his free time to seeking a higher position in society and cultivating a cirrhotic liver. Lewis scathingly paints a picture of Todd's machinations only to bring him down in the end as his latest caper falls apart. The best example is "Slip It to 'Em," where Todd runs a car company into the ground only to find he must transport his latest wealthy conquest to an important meeting in one of the lemons his company foisted on the public. You haven't laughed until you have read a Lancelot Todd story. The only thing I could think of after these four stories was where I could get my hands on more of them.

All of the stories in the collection pertain to issues still relevant today. In "If I Were Boss," salesman Charley McClure strives to make a name for himself at his firm only to discover the same issues he excoriated his own boss for come back to haunt him years later when he runs the show. "Honestly-If Possible" explores the sometimes painful relationship between men and women in the office place. So does "A Story with a Happy Ending," but in a different way. Leonard Price eventually undergoes the humiliating experience of working for a woman he initially hired years before. The confusing experience of workplace conflicts finds expression in "Way I See It," where Lewis uses a shifting perspective to examine the contentious relationship between a rental agent and his boss. Even corporate takeovers and office backstabbing get a spotlight in "The Whisperer," an unnerving tale about a fast buck quack obliterating his internal opposition in his bid for the top spot at an unprofitable pharmaceutical company. Repeatedly, I was amazed at how the many issues Lewis raises in these stories continue to have importance in today's corporate world. It would seem we haven't advanced very far since the 1910s and 1920s, at least regarding gender roles and business ethics.

Don't think for a minute that Lewis completely despises his subjects. In "The Good Sport," the author brings one of those fly by night, wiseacre salesman who run from job to job down to earth in a particularly humbling yet ennobling way. "A Matter of Business" finds a businessman agonizing over whether to remain loyal to a local supplier or whether to buy trendy yet shoddy products from a national concern. The last story, "Number Seven to Sagapoose," is a truly beautiful heart wrencher about a traveling shoe salesman's ability to make a huge difference in the lives of certain individuals and, by extension, humanity as a whole. It is in these stories that we see Lewis's caustic barbs and deep cynicism stripped away to reveal a man who fervently hoped that mankind could overcome its ridiculous social constructions and petty trappings in order to achieve a higher, nobler purpose.

As I closed the cover to "If I Were Boss" for the final time, I felt a deep kinship with Sinclair Lewis, realizing that he and I share many of the same thought processes and beliefs. I couldn't help but think that I would have gotten along just fine with Lewis if I had personally known him. I think I understand him as a person, however misguided that assumption might be, and now realize how difficult his life must have been. When one sees humanity in the way Lewis sees it, when one recognizes the pettiness and banalities we surround ourselves with, one quickly understands how difficult it is to function in life. That's why I think Lewis relied so heavily on humor in his stories: if you cannot laugh at the utter ridiculousness of modern life, you will quickly find yourself screaming with rage. These insights on my part hint at the powerful qualities of the author's stories and his writing ability. If you're the eternal cynic who can still laugh, pick this book up right away.

While I have enjoyed Lewis's novels, I have also found them to be somewhat angry and bitter. These stories are a different matter. Several of them are uproariously funny, in many ways reminiscent of Ring Lardner's best, where the outrage is hidden behind a mask of humor.

The introduction provides an interesting background in terms of both America's history and the events of Lewis's own life.

I use this book when I am teaching forms of poetry and when I am teaching the Word Choice element of the 6+1 traits of writing. Beautiful illustrations and the haikus are absolutely lovely.

This anthology of poetry includes a variety of haiku poems by Jack Prelutsky. The poems share a common theme of creatures including both animals and insects. An index at the back of the book details each creature's name.

This book was extremely interesting to me because I enjoy writing Haiku, but I know it is often disliked by young students because it is often quite symbolic in nature. In contrast, Prelutsky's collection is somehow insightful enough to keep adults intrigued, yet simple enough for children to enjoy. I think Prelutsky's work in this collection might inspire some young writers to try Haiku poetry.

In the classroom, I might use this book as a morning mystery reading...reading one poem aloud each day and encouraging students to guess the animal being represented. Then I would reveal the animal at the end of the day. I would also encourage students to find the patterns in the words and attempt to write their own animal Haikus.

This is a collection of haiku poems. There are 17 in all. Each poems is about a different animal. Paired with the poem is a picture of the animal the poems is about.

The book was a great introduction for young students on the haiku style poem.

This would make a great book for teachers to use in the classroom during a poetry unit.

For years and years now a curse has been floating over Jack Prelutsky's head. The curse reads, and I am quoting here, "Thou shalt make no silly poem books without being compared, first and foremost, to Shel Silverstein at all times". Mr. Prelutsky has labored under this curse for years, finding his own way to express himself but undoubtedly gritting his teeth whenever someone, however innocently, says, "It's good. But I think I like 'Where the Sidewalk Ends' better". View now Jack Prelutsky's greatest hour. In this, quite possibly the best book of haiku for children, he has teamed with remarkable watercolor artist Ted Rand to bring us one of the most beautiful, most well-written, and most deeply moving books of poetry to hit the market in a long long time. I don't usually bite my cheek in frustration when a book is not awarded a Caldecott Honor after publication, but I do so now (painfully) in spades.

The book contains seventeen sweet and simple haikus. The titular poem reads, "If not for the cat / And the scarcity of cheese / I could be content". This sort of sets the tone for the rest of the book. For once, Prelutsky isn't afraid to bring out the big guns. He throws out large words that kids will learn simply by reading the poems in the context in which they occur. Says a jellyfish of deep blue, "Boneless, translucent / We undulate, undulate, / Gelatinously". The humor of these poems is of a slower sweeter nature than you'll find in books like, "Baby Uggs Are Hatching". A particularly Yoda-like sloth comments with baby on its chest, "I am slow I am / Slowest of the slow I am / In my tree I am". I better stop copying down these poems word for word, but you get the idea. They're all remarkably well-written and some carry a slight philosophical bent. Of these, the sweetest and most meaningful comes from the surprising source of a mother kangaroo and her joey.

The pictures? The pictures are breathtaking. It's no wonder that the image of a hummingbird sipping nectar was taken as the cover of the New York Public Libraries Best Children's Books of 2004. Using a mix of sumi brush drawings in India ink, traditional watercolors, chalk, spatter (no idea), and printmaking techniques on BOTH rag stock watercolor paper and rice paper ... well let's just say a lot of work has gone down here. I could literally flip through this book all day just staring at the images. Whether it's a small delicate white moth nearing a homey if dangerous candle flame or a sweet playful otter cracking red spiky urchins on its tummy, Rand has given us a book that is truly worth reading.

At a certain time of year teachers will enter my library and ask for recommendations of haiku for their children. Before, my suggestions were always half-hearted well-I-heard-this-was-goods. Now I have a book to be excited about. Even if you don't particularly like haiku as a form (like myself) you will adore this book. It brings out the best in its author, its illustrator, and the style itself. One of the few must-purchase picture books currently in stores.

A visual feast.
A literary delight.
(You'll feel for the mouse.)

Haiku is simple enough in theory: it's three lines, each with five syllables, seven and then five again. Here, poet Prelutsky and illustrator Rand show how the simple can be made sublime in the hands of true masters.

A third-grade friend, having looked at the book and heard the 'rules' of Haiku, immediately composed a poem to her pet hamster:

We scurry like mice.
We run from nighttime to dawn.
We are soft and cute.

(I'd mention that my friends are now e-mailing each other in Haiku, but if you hadn't read the book, you wouldn't understand...)

This book is a treasure for children of all ages.

And would someone PLEASE get that poor mouse some cheese!

Maxine Kumin has given us a gift. "Illness, disability, the specter of permanent damage... are deeply personal, immediate, and terrifying," she writes. Indeed. This chronicle of recovery from a cervical spinal injury sustained after her horse bolted is a courageous foray through the intense first ten months of recovery.

More than a story of pluck and resilience this book delivers joy in its reaffirmation of what nourishes us: loving relationships. Relationships with husband, son, daughters, and friends--both old and newly formed in recovery-- and relationships to the land, to its bounty. It seems impossible for someone so connected to life to ever give up on it easily. Kumin narrates, in journal form, her struggles and how she didn't quit.

Kumin's life unfolds in this book. We see the stoic formed when her adored father "hovered in the doorway" when she was ill as a child; the horse lover who takes "deep pleasure" in seeing her horses in action; the gardener describing cauliflower and broccoli lovingly planted in May from seeds started on living room windowsills; and the poet who says of her farmhouse, "All of my doors are held open by stones."

The mother and wife are here, too. Kumin's daughter, Judith, spends months with her mother. It is comforting to read of a supportive, caring, daughter/mother relationship that flourishes during a time of great stress. Kumin is not afraid to tell us about moments of guilt and despair: "How I feel about my accident is quite simply that I screwed up everybody's life by living through it."

All this is written within a flowing narrative style that is groomed by this writer's cumulative knowledge of what is important in language and life.

Maxine Kumin is one of my favorite poets. I cheered when this well-paced chronicle led to a spring when this writer was finally back in the "peaceful kingdom" of her farm in New Hampshire. I am grateful the author has offered a book that allows us to witness her struggle as she looked inward and reached out.

Pulitzer prize winning poet-naturalist Maxine Kumin chronicles a period of nine months, from the horrible horse-and-carriage accident that left her with a 5% chance of survival, and an even tinier prospect of ever walking again, to the time she is once again able to scramble up steep hills on her farm in New Hampshire again, albeit with difficulty. Hers is a statistically improbable recovery brought about not just by discipline and determination, and certainly not by faith (she is an atheist), but by love -- her family's love of her, and her own love not just for husband, children and grandchildren, but for horses, dogs, birds, vegetable garden, the seasons, and above all art and her craft. A passionate biophiliac, Kumin's love of nature can not be separated from her love of others, or her will to survive. This is an inpsirational book at so many levels. I completed it within hours of getting my hands on it, with my husband (a medical doctor) urging me to keep going, because I was reading it out loud to him and to my thirteen year old son. Inside the Halo... is wise, upbeat, gorgeously written and utterly inspirational. Someone you know scheduled for an operation? Had an accident? Run into some discouraging news? Forget the card. Send this book.

Like many of Maxine Kumin's devoted reader/fan/friends, I came to her poetry through Anne Sexton's poetry/life.

However, as wonderful as Sexton's poetry is, and I love Anne Sexton's poetry, Maxine Kumin's poetry and prose can well stand on its own considerable merits.

Inside The Halo is a wonderful, gutsy, thoughtful book.

Having had some "orthopedic trauma" myself, though nowhere as severe as the accident Kumin survived, I can attest to the abundant truth she tells about the frustrations and joys of rehabilitation, and the "tough tenderness" of the best therapists.

Kumin also speaks movingly of how her amazing husband, children, and grandchildren rallied to see her through.

This is a difficult book to write about, because words like "uplifting" have become debased with casual use.

However, I am of the unshakable opinion that all doctors, nurses, therapists, and lovers of great writing would find something real in this fine book.

Putting thoughts into words is the salvation of many, particularly Maxine Kumin, who describes her recovery from paralysis in "Inside the Halo and Beyond." I was recently paralyzed myself, so I keenly identified with the account of her rehabilitation. Yet I felt pangs of jealousy because she walks again and the chances are nil this will happen to me.

Still, this book deserves an all-star rating for Kumin's eloquent and starkly honest description of her connections to poetry, literature, current events, international suffering, nature, equestrian riches, gardening, familial and friendly relations. She evokes empapthy and compassion without resorting to sappy sentiment or references to God. She explains, "My agnosticism eroded eventually to the skeletal remains of atheism and there I still stand. I'm not sure whether I should envy or pity the faith of others. Yes, it would be nice to have, but it seems a luxury of pietism I cannot afford."

Her love of words is eloquent: "I've always been a galloping reader, racing for information, hurtling past intervening advertisements or cartoons, breathless and fascinated with language."

It's a fine book.

Maxine Kumin has given us a gift. "Illness, disability, the specter of permanent damage... are deeply personal, immediate, and terrifying," she writes. Indeed. This chronicle of recovery from a cervical spinal injury sustained after her horse bolted is a courageous foray through the intense first ten months of recovery.

More than a story of pluck and resilience this book delivers joy in its reaffirmation of what nourishes us: loving relationships. Relationships with husband, son, daughters, and friends--both old and newly formed in recovery-- and relationships to the land, to its bounty. It seems impossible for someone so connected to life to ever give up on it easily. Kumin narrates, in journal form, her struggles and how she didn't quit.

Kumin's life unfolds in this book. We see the stoic formed when her adored father "hovered in the doorway" when she was ill as a child; the horse lover who takes "deep pleasure" in seeing her horses in action; the gardener describing cauliflower and broccoli lovingly planted in May from seeds started on living room windowsills; and the poet who says of her farmhouse, "All of my doors are held open by stones."

The mother and wife are here, too. Kumin's daughter, Judith, spends months with her mother. It is comforting to read of a supportive, caring, daughter/mother relationship that flourishes during a time of great stress. Kumin is not afraid to tell us about moments of guilt and despair: "How I feel about my accident is quite simply that I screwed up everybody's life by living through it."

All this is written within a flowing narrative style that is groomed by this writer's cumulative knowledge of what is important in language and life.

Maxine Kumin is one of my favorite poets. I cheered when this well-paced chronicle lead to a spring when this writer was finally back in the "peaceful kingdom" of her farm in New Hampshire. I am grateful the author has offered a book that allows us to witness her struggle as she looked inward and reached out.