history

Oh My GOD! this book is sooooo funny, i was laughing outloud the whole time! You don't even have to know 2gether, they tell you all about each episode and the movie! I bought this book because i have LOVED 2gether for about a year now, they are the best band ever. My favorite is definetly Chad Linus aka. Noah Bastian. I know everything there is to know about him! Anyway you should buy this book right away! It helps the Michael Cuccione Found too!

This is one of my favorite books! I do enjoy "real" literature, novels, and that sort of thing -- don't get me wrong. I just think that this is written very well and it's extremely hilarious. You find out stuff about these guys that you've never known before. For example, did you know QT really couldn't write? He signs his name with an X! Never before seen pictures of all the guys (ever wonder what Doug's high school yearbook pic looked like?) are included, too. A little bit of old skool Whoa! is in here as well. If you ever watched 2Gether, this is a great book to have! Besides, it's cheap enough. Give it a shot. Or else Chad will cry.

2Gether is the best musical grop and will always be the best, there cd's are funny, and good, whenever I have a bad day I put in one of there albums and it makes me feel better. The guys of 2Gether are talented, cute, sweet, and adorable. Noah is my favorite member and he sings beautifully and I love him with all my heart. I would like to say R.I.P. to Michael Cuccione, he was a brave kid until the end, he's a great singer, actor, and he is defintly a role model to all people. I will always love you.

Thank you Elisha Rhodes Hunt for drawing me into the inner circle of those who fight for right without malice and without pretention. Hunt suffered the mud, famine and blood of the battlefield, the boredom, stress and anxiety of waiting out winters and lulls in fighting, but wrote cheerfully, truthfully and insightfully about the spiritual and physical lessons learned during his four years of fighting for the Union. Surviving bullets, cannon shells, hand-to-hand combat, disease, heat and pompous generals bent on personal achievement, Hunt remained loyal to the Union cause and found inner peace exceeding the horrors of bitterness, rage and slaughter he endured. The details of the life of a solder in the civil war come alive in his diary entries and letters as battles lull or exhaustion prompts a short stopover. No one should mistake the source of Hunt's strength to endure. Every page speaks of spiritual victories, church meetings, revivals, prayer meetings attended by genrals and privates alike or personal pleas for God's mercy and strength for victory. Hunt's journal with editor Rhodes accurate footnotes and historical fillers left me impressed with Hunt's empassioned loyalty to God and country no matter the cost. The prhase "All for the Union," appears as a battle cry and word of encouragement during the darkest moments, yet show how a right and just perspective can motivate.

An interesting, informative book.

This is an account of one man's participation in the American Civil War (1861-1865). Elisha Hunt Rhodes joined the Rhode Island Volunteers in 1861 as a private and left as a colonel in 1865; having earned the respect of not only his peers but his superiors as well. The book is a diary (plus a few letters) he kept during his army life: it includes daily to weekly accounts of the people and places he got to know and see, plus the battles with which he was involved.

The diary is well written (better than you'd expect from a 19-year-old in 1861). There are accounts of the marches that covered seemly unbelievable distances: wearing the men in to a state of complete exhaustion. (And often, after reaching their destination, would have to march back to where they started) There are tales of deprivation, hunger, prolonged stress, boredom and even some humorous moments as well. The descriptions of some of the carnage is told in a rather detached, matter of fact manner, (probably understandable, given the circumstances) even though he was in the midst of several of these bloody scenes and lost countless friends and colleagues.

The diary was recorded chronologically and with dates: also included, is an excellent map of the area. The map even outlines the marches that the 2nd R. I. Volunteers participated in during their 4 years at war. This is a wonderful addition to this book that not only makes following the events easy but also makes you appreciate the distance that these armies traveled, mostly on foot.

All in all, an interesting, personal account of the American Civil War: one that gives new insights into an era of history that has significantly shaped the United States into the country that we know today. Highly recommended!

Letter writing (in one's own hand) is a dying and almost lost art. Historians obtain much of their research from perusing original letters; there is a human touch in writing not present in email where my "e" looks just like your "e" and my "Q" is a clone of yours.

The book of Reagan letters is an almost perfect example of understanding a man by reading his words in his own hand. The same can be said for Elisha Rhodes, a soldier from Rhode Island in the Civil War. Reading these words penned around a campfire or in a tent or out in the fields gives a literate person a deep sense of sadness. The richness of the language, the vocabulary and expressiveness, the descriptions and talks of morals and purpose and duty...in our hurried, wealthy lives it seems we have lost something precious, an ability to express ourselves in rational language.

One follows the trevails as they traipse from battle to battle. (Reading the list of battles this unit participated in inspires awe.) The everyday details of a soldiers life are featured in startling clarity. His true character is reflected in his life after the war. He married, went into business, organized various soldier's groups, was a Deacon at the Paxtuxet Baptist Church, became involved in civic duty and almost ran for governor. He died "at the age of 75...having spent his life in the service of his church, coutnry, state and fellow man." They don't make them like that anymore.

Even as one who has studied this subject for many years, I was impressed with the author's coherent and expansive treatment of the subject. Philip Dray covers the whole of U.S. history. He does an outstanding job of placing the barbaric and terrible practice of lynching in a historical and political context.

Especially enlightnening and revealling in this work is the pure
heroism of African American activists such as Ida B. Wells-Barnett, W.E.B. DuBois, Walter White and others in the fight against lynchings as contrasted with the craven political cowardice of the likes of Teddy Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The utter and consistent failure of
America's political leadership to bring this lawlessness and violence under control is a permanent stain on the history of this nation.

You will not be able to put this book down. It should effect you deeply. This book would be required reading for every high school student in the U.S. if we were truly interested in preserving our democracy.

Philip Dray provides us with a vivid picture of a world that has been buried deep in society. The racial hate, the accusations, the feeling that the taking of an African Americans' life could mean so little, and yet so acceptable for the Afro American to live with on a day to day basis that they could be lynched at any time for no good reason.

This unspeakable horror of lynching is clearly documented and will more than likely leave you searching, searching for reasons why this has happenned and what kind of world was this alien place that it would put such little value on the human life.

You will be on the internet for hours trying to find answers as to WHY or How could this happen.

Could Hate be that deep? How could you sleep at night? How did the victims family feel?

This book is shocking, read it and weep.

This is one of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. Dray has done a magnificent job of exploring a very painful subject. Often times, while reading the book, I shook my head in disbelief, saying to myself: "This happened in America?" Too often the incidents described in the book smack of something one would expect to find in the Middle Ages.
Dray explains "what" happened. But more important he explains "why" it happened. This book is a tremendous contribution to American history.
Lynching is a subject most people know very little about. Dray raises the curtain and shows the world the shocking and
devastating legacy of lynching. The impact was not just lost lives, but a message of fear and intimidation toward African-Americans.
This book should be read by anyone interested in American history. You will find yourself in disbelief that these incidents happened in the United States of America. It's time to talk about slavery, lynching, Jim Crow, etc. How did this happen in the USA? It's mind-boggling.

Betty Grable was the star whose pinup photograph was the most popular among World War Two servicemen. The vibrant blonde star also set a record that has never come close to being equaled in reigning as Hollywood's female box office champ for an incredible ten years. What made movie fans throughout the world love Betty Grable?

Scottish author Tom McGee supplies the answer to that question in his entertaining biography of the popular film great. A personal friend of Grable's who had the opportunity to interview her at length on many occasions, McGee etches an enduring portrait of a wholesome, caring woman who always put warmth as a human being and loyalties to family and friends above star persona. Ego was never a problem with the popular superstar in an industry often overcome by it. When one sees such a warm and totally unaffected woman emerge in the pages of "The Girl With The Million Dollar Legs" it becomes obvious that people the world over loved Betty Grable because of the vibrance, warmth, and sweetness they saw in her.

McGee's book is also rich in photographs capturing Grable and the luminous era in which she starred. There is also a warmly affecting Foreword by fellow Twentieth Century Fox blonde glamour girl, Alice Faye. Grable and Faye became great friends with no animosity or jealousy ever emerging.

This book is a must for Grable fans and all those who love the exciting cinema era of the forties and fifties. It is so refreshing to read a movie biography devoid of trashy gossip and petty commentary.

If you are a Betty Grable fan this is the book you want. It is written by Tom McGee who knew her and used her words to write it. Not only does it have her film history and fantastic photos of her, but it shows Betty Grable as she was when the cameras weren't rolling. In this age of stars with huge egos and terrible personalities it is great to find out Betty was such a wonderful person who loved life and those around her. A true star, a great actress and a wonderful woman who many people obbviously loved for more than her legs. She, like all of us had her faults and problems. But, she overcame them as only a person with her kind and wonderful personality could. With grace and dignity, which is a novelty in this day and age. Million dollar legs, with a Billion dollar personality. Great job Tom McGee!!! Thank you for sharing the real Betty Grable with us. Sure beats the heck outta those sloppy hearsay dirt-digging books we see about her. Want the truth about Betty as a person, this is the book for you!

A wonderfully researched and well-written book about a trully magnificent woman.

This book covers the year time period after the Tet offensive during the Vietnam War. Given the title of the book I was prepared for a page after page description of savage combat. What I found was that the book was not just a description of one firefight after another, but a comprehensive account of the Vietnam War effort during this one-year period of time. The author does a great job of describing the experience of American soldiers in the Vietnam War during the year after Tet.

The author provides the reader with a brief, but complete and readable historical background for the war up to 1968. He also gives us very clear and vivid descriptions of the battles and everyday life of the foot solders. We also get a good run down of the South Vietnamese corruption that worked against the American effort to save their country. This was the part that really surprised me the most, it seamed like the South Vietnamese wanted and needed the war to continue to keep the profitable drug trafficking, smuggling and protection rackets going. What made me furious were the details of the United States supplied food, gasoline, and equipment that the South Vietnamese were selling to the North Vietnamese.

The author also spends some time talking about the drug use by the soldiers and the difficult race relations. This section of the book was not as surprising given that was the same environment in the states at that time. Overall, this book is a well-written and informative, but not a rundown of overly descriptive bloody fights. He does a wonderful job in describing the environment, how hot it was the difficulties in moving through the country, the differences in the front line and the support areas. This is a good book and a great way to introduce yourself to the Vietnam War.

Spector's book is not just a history of what happened after the Tet Offensive of 1968, but a history of the entire war in microcosm. Plenty of other folks here have sufficiently addressed the merits of Spector's book so if I may, I'd like to address something a little different. I have little tolerance for military historians who don't include details about weapons and equipment. It may seem an inconsequential thing to many, but understanding how the belligerents were clothed, equipped, and armed is very important. So important in fact that John Keegan addressed that very issue in his book "The Face of Battle." So, kudos to Spector for explaining to the layman the details of an RPG and a LAW, an M-16 and a Kalashnikov, jungle boots and tire-soled sandals. Anyone who wants to more fully understand the Vietnam War should definitely read "After Tet."

Yes Tet of 1968 was hell for those of us that were over there at the time. And then came May and August of 68, which were also two of the bloodiest months of the war. I was with the 1/27 25th Infantry Division at Cu Chi, which was a major area of tunnels for which the VC and NVA stored weapons and supplies. As a "tunnel rat" I experienced some herrendous experiences there. Ron Spector has made some very good conclusions regarding the war and points out some of the many problems that we 19 year olds had to incur. Great book for those of us that were there as well as the rest of you who just want to gain some understanding as to why we lost the war, and some 56,000 young men as well.

This book is an essential read for those who wish to learn more about the various Asian ethnic groups that have shaped America in the early 20th century. Carlos Bulosan, in this autobiography, describes his days of hunger, pain, loneliness, joy, whimsy and fantasy in "big brother's" country, America, with fellow Filipino "manongs" and sometimes not-so-friendly Americans. This book will touch your heart and make any Filipino-American remember and appreciate his or her roots.

Bulosan is the voice of this era. If you must learn anything about Filipino-American history, read this beautiful prose. His autobiography reads like a novel! The first time I could barely put it down and have re-read passages over and over. The struggle he brings to life can touch any immigrant's soul. He is not only telling the story of his life history, but of the history of America's immigrant struggle. The story is universal in the humanity it brings to the reader.

Writing a review of Carlos Bulosan's AMERICA IS IN THE HEART is a deceptively difficult thing to do. What gives? It is an easy read, very straightforward, and well articulated. On the surface, the ARCHIVE (in the Foucault sense) point to a death by a broken heart. However, closer examination points to a death brought on by the collective affliction, deprivation, and maltreatment since his arrival in the early 30s - not to mention the bouts of excessive drinking and violence. The book, moreover, leans toward a united effort to combat global fascism; but this poignant autobiography is really a testimony to those years of struggle against racism and violence.

An autobiography in four parts, Bulosan takes us back (literally and figuratively) to his roots in Binalonan, Pangasinan. Bulosan is keen to intimate his adolescent years were his family barely survived on four hectares of land (which they eventually lost to the moneylender and the absentee landlords) and the efforts of the DYNAMIC LITTLE PEASANT WOMAN. In the end, things just got SO BAD that the men (most barely boys) in the clan eventually opted for the promise of jobs and such in America. This begs the question (and often overlooked by scholars) that the suffering really started at home. His habitus was so bad, it seems, that despite the ravages he (and his direct kin as well as kababayans) experienced, they elected to remain in the US. That seems to be the common plight of most immigrants to the US - and I say this guardedly.

At this point, I would like to juxtapose the optimism and the rage that formed the collective consciousness of Carlos Bulosan and his inability to reconcile the contradiction.

AMERICA IS ALSO THE NAMELESS FOREIGNER, THE HOMELESS REFUGEE, THE HUNGRY BOY BEGGING FOR A JOB AND THE BLACK BODY DANGLING ON A TREE. AMERICA IS THE ILLITERATE IMMIGRANT WHO IS ASHAMED THAT THE WORLD OF BOOKS AND THE INTELLECTUAL OPPORTUNITIES IS CLOSED TO HIM.

WE ARE ALL THAT NAMELESS FOREIGNER, THE HOMELESS REFUGEE, THAT HUNGRY BOY, THAT ILLITERATE IMMIGRANT AND THAT LYNCHED BLACK BODY. ALL OF US, FROM THE FIRST ADAMS TO THE LAST FILIPINO, NATIVE BORN OR ALIEN, EDUCATED OR ILLITERATE. WE ARE AMERICA!

Carlos Bulosan, excerpt from AMERICA IS IN THE HEART

Almost echoing the angst of Richard Wright, Bulosan and his proletarian experience is translated quickly to a racism tour-de-force. It cuts right into the heart of his critique. Despite being laced with communist verbiage, the autobiography is a critique against the savagery of prejudice. The subaltern has spoken. We simply need to take heed.

One of the most compelling or fascinating issues brought up in AMERICA IS IN THE HEART is the issue of gender discrimination. The laws prohibiting marriage to white women by so-called Mongolian (and later changed to include Malay) was to exacerbate the racist problems. What is the REAL impact on the psyche of a law such as this? What are the long-term effects of ignorant eugenic laws such as these? Who knows?

Despite the clarity of the writing, it would seem that the book was written in good faith but it certainly fumbles from a lack of sophistication (which does not pose a problem for me). I don't think Bulosan meant this work to be representative of the entire Filipino-American experience but it certainly suffers an editorial/historical problem. Bulosan certainly edits his experience. Punctuated with a sense of disgust for the human experience it makes me feel that he lacks pathos. In terms of the veracity of the entire book, I have no problem believing the accuracy of the experience but history is already removed one step to us via the writer and one more step removed again by the writer to his actual experience. We may never get to the REAL truth and the REAL extent of the violence. However, if but one experience of violence against a Filipino AS SUCH, or a denial of lodging to a Filipino AS SUCH (or any group for that matter) is accurate then an injustice has occurred. We as a body politic should take note. AMERICA IS IN THE HEART is therefore a book that is also a call for collective agency.

To re-iterate, this book may not be fully representative of the PINOY experience and certainly Bulosan should be read carefully. It is an indictment on a negative social condition - where one man can create an OTHER in a society that plays up universal brotherhood. Not to trivialize the concern, this is not an uncommon malady. The question that begs to be asked is: Does Bulosan write AS IF he is writing about the whole truth?

In closing, Bulosan is a necessary read because it augments the selection of the Asian-American experience in general and ethnic studies in general. It is a deep and cutting exploration into a Filipino experience - it adds to the complexity of identity creation. If anything, this book is a pause to be self-reflective of the past for both the SAME and the OTHER. In loving memory to a brave kababayan...

Miguel Llora

Dave Lowry writes with a clarity that is accessible and moving. In Autumn Lightning, Lowry explores his early interest in the arts of the bugeisha (samurai-in-training). He trains with the ken/katana, and learns much about the world of Japanese Martial Arts.

But this is not simply a martial arts book. What makes it so unique is its easy realationship with the reader. It is like having a discussion with an old friend, and hearing all the wonderful stories that friend has to tell. Lowry expands on his experiences with his neighbor/sensei and relates them both to his life and, by proxy, the life of the reader.

This is a book I loved from cover to cover not just because it bridges certain cultural constraints (which it does with wit and candor), but also because it is a delightful story. Hearing the stories about the author, his sensei, and even his sensei's wife, are inspiring and thoroughly entertaining. If you have any interest in the martial arts, Japanese culture, or just open thinking in general, this book is most certainly going to excite your literary pallete.

Out of print for nearly ten years, Shambhala Press makes this masterpiece available to another generation of martial arts students and Westerners who are interested in the Japanese "student-teacher" relationship. As a young teenager, Lowry learned of a "Japanese swordsman" living in the same University town. In the tradition of old Japan when a student seeked an instructor, Lowry stopped by the house every day, asking the woman who answered the door if there was an instructor who would take him as a student. Lowry's persistence paid off and he was "adopted" by Kotaro Sensei (teacher), a master of Yagyu Shinkage-ryu swordsmanship. Lowry instruction was by no means limited to the physical techniques of the sword. As the subtitle implies, Kotaro Sensei transformed this wet-behind-the-ears teenager into an "American Samurai." Lessons learned within and without the dojo (training hall) taught Lowry that a "samurai" has to live ALL aspects of his or her life to a higher standard. While his schoolmates were busy experimenting with drugs and worrying about the Viet Nam war, Lowry's spare time was spent learning honor, respect, courage, virtue and justice through this sacred relationship between Sensei (teacher) and kohei (student). Lowry takes an interesting and very effective approach to the assembly of the book, alternating chapters that chronologically detail his experience and historical anecdotes about the martial arts that reinforce the lessons he learned. Lowry is a true "master of the sword AND pen," his masterful re-telling of his experience almost allows the reader to experience the same struggles and joys he experienced, yet he keeps this writing accessable. This book would be equally valuable to a nine-year old beginning karate student as it is to a 80 year old master of the arts. I have been involved in the martial arts for only ten years, but have read and collected more than 100 books on the subject. If I had only one book to recommend to students of the arts seeking the "definitive text" on what the "teacher-student" experience is SUPPOSED to be, this would be it.

This book is outstanding because of its authenticity, clarity, and humility. It is the privileged description of a traditional Japanese martial arts education undertaken by a mid-Western American. He places his education and training in its historical context, and makes sense of it (from a Western point of view) as few others could have done. And he writes beautifully. If you have the slightest interest in this topic you will not regret purchasing this book.

Fast moving, action packed, superbly researched and easy to read. A standard bearer for all future books based upon the life of Billy the Kid. Robert M. Utley has been uncomprimising in his efforts to convey the true exploits of the 'Kid'. The author displays an extensive knowledge in this field, and it is hard to fault the texts contents. Plenty of other sources are cited and scrutinized by the author, for further reading and information in closely related topics ie. the Lincoln County War.

Clearly, one of Robert M. Utley's strengths is how well he argues the evidence, an ability he exerts throughout this truly enthralling biography. This only adds to the enjoyment of the book. To be fair there are several areas that could be expanded upon, such as 'the Kid's' earlier relationship with Pat Garrett, but there is no evidence to suggest that this work was to be completely exhaustive. But certainly this book is an exceptional building block for further research and any emerging new evidence. If you are interested in the life of Billy the Kid, and you've not read this book...READ IT! You will not be disappointed.

I WRITE THIS REWIEW FOR THOSE WHO TRY TO FIND A BOOK ABOUT BILLY
THE KID AND THEY DONT HAVE ENGLISH AS THEIR MOTHER LANGUADGE.
THIS BOOK IS EXCACTLY WHAT YOU LOOK FOR.ITS EASY TO READ,SIMPLY
WRITING AND UNDERSTANDABLE BY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS STANDAR ENGLISH.
UTLEY KNOWS VERY WELL NOT ONLY THE STORY BUT AND HOW T0 TELL IT
AND MAKE US UNDERSTAND HOW THE LIFE AND THE ATTITUDES WERE AT
OLD WEST.THE BOOK IS SEPERATED IN SMALL CHAPTERS OF ABOUT 10-14
PAGES EACH AND THAT MAKES THE READING RELAXED AND EASY.THE ONLY PROBLEM IS THE MAPS.THEY NEED TO BE BIGER AND WITH MORE DETAILS.

I became curious about William Bonney, AKA Billy the Kid, when I first saw the movie Young Guns starring Emilio Estevez. I loved the movie but wanted to know how much of the story was Hollywood hype and how much of it was history.

Accordingly I found Utley's book on Billy the Kid and found, to my satisfaction, that not only was much of the Young Guns story was accurate but that the life of Billy the Kid was as interesting and complex as any to be found in the annals of the Old West.

The debate rages on as to whether young Billy was a poor, misunderstood folk hero or whether he was an ignorant, bloodthirsty miscreant who needs to be vilified and forgotten. Utley's well-researched and well-written book takes a multi-faceted approach to considering the complex history of young man who, despite is very short life and his even briefer career, continue to spark the imagination over a century after his death.

I read this book in 1980 not long after it was first published in 1979 and I found it to be a very easy to read account of Hitler and the German Army during the early period of World War Two. As mentioned in the earlier review, the author offers a general overview of this period but covers such things as Hitler and his relationship with the German Army and its commanders, Hitlers 'style' of warfare, the concept of 'Blitzkrieg' and the weapons & tactics involved and finally the camapign in France. The book is well researched and is very easy to read with 20 maps, 59 B&W photos and a number of line drawings and charts to assist the reader. I do not think that the book or any of its ideas has aged since it was first published in 1979 and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to understand how the German Army conquered all before it in 1940.

This is a well researched, heavily illustrated and easy to read book on the subject of Blitzkrieg or 'Lightning War'. The specific area of interest is it's application by the Germans in their invasion of Holland, Belgium and France in the summer of 1940. The meat of the book is in the middle. Part 3 (Blitzkrieg: Weapons & Methods) looks at the development of the Blitzkrieg concept, originating, Deighton says with Prussian military doctrines. Ideas by English Tank experts such as J.F.C. Fuller and B.H. Liddel Hart were added later. This section of the book naturally spends a fair amount of time on the emergence of the Tank and it's use as one of the principal weapons of Blitzkrieg.

Blitzkrieg is defined as 'a swift, sudden military offensive, usually by combined air and land forces'. Deighton adds - 'and as evolved by Heinz Guderian and used by his forces', giving credit to the man who perfected the concept. Indeed, the German breakthrough at Sedan in May 1940 (see Part 4 'The Battle of The Meuse') and the subsequent routing of the French army is a spectacular example of the use of Blitzkrieg. Offcourse any discussion about battles in France in 1940 must conclude with the Germans surrounding and trapping over 250,000 men of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the French coast near Dunkerque.

It is to do with Dunkerque that the most startling supposition emerges from the book. The introduction was written by Gen. Walther Nehring, who in 1940 was Guderians' Chief of Staff and was with him at Sedan. Nehring writes with conviction, and Deighton's arguments seem to support the view, that if not for a precipitous Halt Order by Hitler, the German forces could have captured the entire BEF. It is argued that the prospect of a 'Disaster at Dunkerque', rather than the miracle that we have come to know of, would have been too much for the British to stomach. The opportunity for sueing for peace and of obtaining an end to the war by May 1940, would have been a real possibility in such circumstances.

This is a well-written, well-researched, "quick read," chock full of interesting details, many of which I was unaware of, despite 40 years of reading World War II history. Deighton, author of many engrossing spy novels, uses his considerable story-telling technique to carry the reader along in a story in which its history is well-known, and the end familiar to all. Nevertheless, the book will hold your interest and add greatly to your knowledge of the subject. Imagine the satisfaction you will receive at cocktail parties when you put that smug know-it-all in his place when you correct him and state that the Wehrmacht was actually INCREASING the use of horse-drawn artillery, rather than motorized carriers. You can just sense that comely blonde off to the side of the room begin looking at you with growing interest!

When I read the description on the jacket I thought, "No way will this work. He's going to tell us about the 60 rounds he shot, stroke by stroke, such as.... and on the seventh, a tough par five, I got out my trusty three wood etc., etc., etc." It is that but it is more. Slack shares with us the feeling of what it is like to stand at the first tee of a course you have never played on a beautiful spring morning in New England. He introduces us to the people he meets on the course, from the potato farmers of Maine to the Florida "snowbirds" who flew South to escape the Northern winters. Did the book work? I'm getting my clubs ready to try a West Coast version.

Through the eyes of a gifted writer, we travel as the author's partner from Maine to Florida and play golf with a spectacular array of people and in a delightful selection of places. With striking insights and humor, Charles Slack let's us in on the joys of playing the game with the rich, the poor, the sophisticated and otherwise. Nifty historical tidbits spring from every page as this amiable young man fulfills a dream to make this journey. The book is beautifully written by a seasoned business reporter who had the guts to slip off not just for an afternoon--but for three delicious months. Anyone who likes golf--or likes just knocking around with a nice fellow--will love this book.

slack is no slacker when it comes to writing about golf.....watching the americans come back at the ryder cup may have been more exciting, but nowhere near as entertaining as slack's masterpiece. i truly believe there is a medal waiting for him in stockholm thanks to his words in this book.. thelast book i read that came close in terms of sheer insight, humor and wit was james solomon's real world book of a couple of years ago. this should be mandatory reading for anyone who plays golf, knows someone who plays golf, or knows someone whose father once knew a guy whose buddy played golf. a must read.