literature

This book is the very best our family has every read for keeping our interest, not wanting to put it down. We are all adults-sorry no kids live here, unless you can see the kids in us. We're 67,67 37, and 31. Fifty Heroes could not be better. Succinct, excellent, accurate, wonderful in every way. We are going to give copies to our siblings for them to enjoy and to share with all their grandkids when they visit, copies to a couple neighbor kids, a foster grandson, the list will go on and on in time. Besides being succinct, excellent, accurate and wonderful in every way, Fifty Heroes is written so kids can understand and be inspired to be a hero/heroine right away. We cannot say enough about this splendiferous book. Thank you so much for all the toil, sweat, stress, and thoughtfulness you endured to produce this greatest book of 2001. All of us in the Patches household wish you both the very best in your lives and forthcoming publications. Sincerely yours, Roger and Joan

What a wonderful book - well written, entertaining, educational and even great looking! A perfect answer to that age-old summer question "What can I do? I'm bored." The book offers all sorts of activities to challenge and interest children. And it's not just for kids. I was surprised to read a lot that I didn't know about "real" heroes. I recommend it for the whole family.

Dr. Dennis Denenberg and Lorraine Roscoe have written a book so inspiring and appropriate for children that this book should be in every classroom in the United States! Hard as if may be to believe, I have literally bought more than 60 copies of this book to share with parents and educators around the country. Every one I've spoken with who has seen and read this book has nothing but rave reviews to give it!

My title sums it up. This is the ultimate book to bring on a field trip to watch whales and dolphins. The illustrations are clear and crisp and would aid anyone (even an expert would have a need for such a book) in the identification of any species (and it covers all the known ceteceans).

This durably jacketed guide to all known cetaceans contains easy to use identification information and illustrations. This is THE take-along field guide to use if you are going whale watching or traveling anywhere you want to know about the whales, dolphins/ porpoises you are seeing, as well as some explanation of behaviors and how they live. We used it in Antarctica; it's field tested. José Kirchner

This book is extremely useful to both the general reader and to those with a serious interest in cetaceans. The book is well organized for quick reference and beautifully illustrated to aid in species identification in the field. Cetaceans are grouped by family and unique characteristics are clearly defined and illustrated. In addition the book is lightweight and easily carried on a boat trip. Highly recommended.

I am 1st generation American. I grew up drinking tea and hearing the stories of Ferdowsi but it didn't seem to capture me completely into my father's culture.

When I came across this book, I fell in love with my culture! I understand so much more of my father's past, his sorrows, his joys, and his beliefs. I also learned more about myself.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the Iranian culture!

"A World Between: Poems, Short Stories, and Essays by Iranian-Americans," edited by Persis M. Karim and Mohammad Mehdi Khorrami, is an excellent anthology which greatly enriches the world of ethnic American literature. The pieces in this collection deal with many issues: language, biculturalism and the anxieties of assimilation, family ties, male-female relationships, Islamic fundamentalism, the role of Zoroastrians as a religious minority, war and its aftermath, etc. Although many such issues are specific to Iranian-Americans, others are universal to all "ethnic" Americans. The stories take place in both Iran and the United States, and one even takes place in France.

Some of my favorite pieces in this book include the following: "Made You Mine, America," Ali Zarrin's joyful poem which invokes both Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes; Mariam Salari's humorous short-short story "Ed McMahon Is Iranian"; Ramin M. Tabib's story "Tuesdays," about two Iranian-Americans in the L.A. club scene; Nazanin Sioshansi's essay "The Suffocating Sense of Injustice," about Zoroastrians in Iran; and Siamak Namazi's fascinating essay "Finding Peace in the Iranian Army," about an Iranian citizen who returns to fulfill his military obligation after living in the United States.

"A World Between" really opened my eyes to some of the pain and beauty of the world(s) of Iranian-Americans. This anthology would be ideal both for classroom use and individual reading. For a fascinating complementary text, try "Boricuas: Influential Puerto Rican Writings," edited by Roberto Santiago.

I read this one soon after it came out--and it informs some of my thinking about current events in and around the Persian Gulf. I'd encourage it for the non-Iranian American who lived through the 'Iranian hostage crisis' period especially. Poignant.

My husband is one of Betty's nephews.All of the sisters had an incredible wit about them - probably because of their mother Sidney Bard. She did a wonderful job raising her children with out her beloved husband Darcy. It's too bad the children and grandchildren didn't learn lessons from Betty's books. She would be sad to see the way the family turned out.

I have read and re-read each and every one of Betty MacDonald's Books. Simply cannot think of a writer that matches her brilliance in humour! If any of you other devotees know of any similar authors, I would be most grateful for the information. You may also want to check out the following: Ann Combs "Smith College Never Taught me to Salute" If you like Betty MacDonald, you'll like this one too!!!

This is a sweet, wonderful book about the a family living through the depression in a Seattle that bears little resemblance to the blandly affluent city that today bears its name. The writing is still fresh and entertaining even though the book is more than fifty years old.

This is a great book for kids, as it explains the realities of the depression in a way that is much more understandable than most historical accounts. I first read it in 1977 when I was 12, and it gave me a wonderful insight into the lives of my depression generation parents.

I would recommend that everyone search out Betty's books and read them over and over, especially if you are a resident of Seattle or its environs. They are marvelous books from a marvelous author.

Gabriel's Story was one of my favorite books of last year. Walk Through Darkness looks like it's gonna be a favorite for this year. This book will probably end up getting compared to other books about slavery, but to me it was more like Cold Mountain - but where the main character is a runaway slave instead of a runaway soldier. There's a similar voyage across a troubled landscape. There are meetings with a variety of characters. Like Charles Frazier's character, William in this novel is on a trek to reunite with the woman he loves - and as such it's a love story. The other main character, Morrison, is one of the best I've come across in a long time. He shows that white immigrants to America also had a tough time of it. He carries internal wounds that come to light only slowly but that build up to a helluva ending.

I'm ashamed to say that when I used to think of great American authors I tended to think of white writers. Not anymore. Mr. Durham is fast earning himself a place among our best. Color has nothing (but also everything) to do with it. Based on the strength of these two books I'd read whatever he writes next. If his third novel was about a mouse trying to chew through a paper bag I'd give it a try... Which is my way of saying that he's really quite good.

Not every book has the ability to affect the reader as deeply as Walk Through Darkness affected me. David Anthony Durham, author of the critically acclaimed Gabriel's Story, has written a haunting novel about William, a fugitive slave. One may surmise that the force behind William's escape is freedom. Freedom is, of course, part of the reason William flees his harsh laborious conditions. But even moreso is his desire to find Dover, his wife, who is pregnant with his child and has moved North to freedom with her mistress. The story alternates between William's point of view and Morrison's, a Scottish slave tracker. Somehow these three people, who are separated by miles and life experience, are connected.

Durham's writing is refined, articulate, and descriptive. He makes you feel the fear, terror, relief, pain, joy, and a plethora of other emotions felt by the protagonists. The characters are in no way shallow, instead powerfully constructed with a certain profundity. The author uses a historical setting and breathes new life into it, providing the reader with a raw, fresh story in lands never traversed. Transcending race, time, and status, this Walk Through Darkness will make anyone see the light...

The novel maybe fiction but the story is truth, masterfully told. Truth may hurt and truth may offend but Durham has dared to tell the truth. He has fingered the pulse of America and touched the heartbeat of those years of infamy that have left a scar on the nation until this day.

Walk through darkness is a vivid portrayal of man's inhumanity toward his fellowman. It runs the gamut of the pathos of a people. If pain and suffering could be measured in miles, the agony of the black race would reach beyond the sun. Durham has skillfully conveyed the physical and mental anguish of a people; the strength, tenacity and faith that enabled them to endure the brutality and savagery of those years infamy and still carries them in its aftermath. Anyone interested in learning what it was like in America when it was a young land will find it in the painful pages of "Walk Through Darkness."

Jessica and Shelia have been best friends since kindergarden, but everything changes on the first day of seventh grade.I would recommend this book to a girl in the fifth, sixth, or seventh grade. I would also recommend Wonder to a girl who likes to read books about two best friends. Since Shelia is now popular and Jessica is a social outcast, Jessica doesn't think she will ever have friends again. One day jessica becomes popular and shelia becomes the social outcast. The last reason i would recommend this book is because it teaches you a lesson. The lesson is always remmber who your true friends are.

When I first read this book, I was a struggling fifth grader trying to fit in with her friends, but her best friend hated her and seemed to go off with the cool group, giggling and laughing and ignoring me. Then came the fact that our narrator, Jessica, faces: gets to know some of the girls. I took this advice and got to know three girls I thought I'd never want to know. It absolutely worked, and today I'm a happy sixth grader waiting for the next thing to happen!

This is my favorite book, and the situations in it are things that happen in real life. I found it easy to relate to some of the characters, and a lot of them reminded me of my friends.I loved the ending, and anyone with major problems at school or with friends should read this book to see that the situation could be much worse.

For those who want to learn more about the men and women behind the curtains of their favorite book, About the Author provides a solid, general introduction. Around 125 writers are reviewed here; the information about them is presented in the same format throughout the book. A brief overview of the author's life is given first, followed by a section entitled "Good to Know". Trivia and interesting facts are listed here. Next, an overview of the author's works, recommendations of the author's best books and links to other resources (Author Societies, other books and websites covering the subject of the writer). Sidebars present an image of the author, family and date of birth and death.
The information given doesn't delve too deeply into any one person, but this book never claimed to be comprehensive. It is instead a guide to juicy bits of information. It does this well. One thing I didn't quite understand how it was decided on which author to include and which to leave out in the book. There seems to be a lean toward 20th Century writers than "classical" authors like Shakespeare and Hugo. I've listed out the authors included below.

I was hoping for a few more anecdotes on each of these writers. If you have read biographies or articles on a certain author here, you are probably familiar with the information within. The sheer number of writers present, however, makes this book worty a look.

*Some* of the Authors included:

Jane Austen, James Baldwin, Ann Beattie, Saul Bellow, T.C. Boyle, Truman Capote, Lewis Carroll, Ray Chandler, John Cheever, Agatha Christie, Tom Clancy, Mary Higgins Clark, Conrad, Pat Conroy, Patricia Cornwell, Michael Crichton, Don DeLillo, Dickens, Ralph Ellison, Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Grisham, Joseph Heller, Hemingway, Zora Neale Hurston, John Irving, C.S. Lewis, Jan Karon, Norman Mailer, Toni Morrison, Mario Puzo, J.K Rowling, Salinger, Danielle Steel, Tolkein, Tolstoy, Twain, John Updike, Vonnegut, Thomas Wolfe, Virginia Woolf

This book deserves a place on every reader's bookshelf, especially if you are thinking of tackling the works of the giants of literature.

I would also recommend the book for those with children. It offers an excellent springboard for youngsters to find out more about famous authors, and also authors with a similar writing style. If the youngster enjoyed reading a classic in class, the book will point him towards other works and authors he may like.

Each author is profiled with a brief history, a quote by or about the author, a list of their works, and even a suggestion on which book is best to start with if you want to, say, read all of Melville's works.

Both classic and contemporary authors are profiled, all in alphabetical order. The selections are very good, and I did not detect any major omissions (of course, I'm not an English Lit professor or anything).

Selected authors include Dickens, Tolkien, Salinger, Melville, Tolstoy, Toni Morrison, Garrison Keillor, and many others.

An excellent reference title, and very affordable. The writing style is condensed, but easily accessible to readers of varying skill levels.

As I say, no home with school-aged kids should be without it.

The Glossbrenners have done it again. They have created an extremely user friendly book packed with interesting tidbits about my favorite authors plus it has enticed me to read others. I've purchased this book for many friends and family and they've been thrilled. A wonderful book for the reading connisseur and a great primer for those just beginning to explore classic fiction.

Barchester Towers is a sly, funny novel- that is not for every taste. It is a Victorian story within an ecclesiastical milieu- and yet, it could be any modern corporate, non-profit or 'faith-based' arena.

The engaging settings include mansions of the bishop, an ancient and peculiar manor and a variety of homes of archbishops, deans and rectors. The characters range from a morally questionable, lame, Italian Countess- and her child, 'the last of the Nero's', to anachronistic nobles and a cuckolded, weak-kneed Bishop. An impudent newcomer and assistant to the new Bishop spurs a rebellion of sorts- this upstart, Mr. Slope, fulfills all the qualifications for a sweaty, sneering, fox who will offend the congregation- including all of the other rectors at his first sermon.
From that point onward, as Mr. Slope's sexual drives and greed seem to collide within him, and his hold on the power in the diocese requires war; the tale has tension, comedy and ultimately romance.

There is certainly a resemblance to Jane Austen here, but Trollope does not lend himself to a feminist interpretation. His heroines are either well-meaning 'spinsters' or dutiful, yet quietly influential wives. Their villainous counterparts are overbearing, seditious or vampish- not particularly modern, definitely engrossing and fun.

"Barchester Towers" has proven to be the most popular novel Anthony Trollope ever wrote-despite the fact that most critics would rank higher his later work such as "The Last Chronicle of Barset","He Knew He Was Right" and "The Way We Live Now".While containing much satire those great novels are very powerful and disturbing, and have little of the genial good humor that pervades "Barchester Towers".Indeed after "Barchester Towers",Trollope would never write anything so funny again-as if comedy was something to be eschewed.That is too bad,because the book along with its predecessor "The Warden" are the closest a Victorian novelist ever came to approximating Jane Austen."Barchester Towers" presents many unforgettable characters caught in a storm of religious controversy,political and social power struggles and romantic and sexual imbroglios.All of this done with a light but deft hand that blends realism,idealism and some irresistible comedy.It has one of the greatest endings in all of literature-a long,elaborate party at a country manor(which transpires for about a hundred pages)where all of the plot's threads are inwoven and all of the character's intrigues come to fruition."Barchester Towers" has none of the faults common to Trollope's later works -(such as repetiveness)it is enjoyable from beginning to end.Henry James(one of our best novelists,but not one of our best critics) believed that Trollope peaked with "The Warden"and that the subsequent work showed a falling off as well as proof that Trollope was no more than a second rate Thackeray.For the last fifty years critics have been trying to undo the damage that was done to Trollope's critical reputation."Barchester Towers"proves not only to be a first rate novel but probably the most humorous Victorian novel ever written.

This is the second of the six Barsetshire novels, and the first great novel in that series. THE WARDEN, while pleasant, primarily serves as a prequel to this novel. To be honest, if Trollope had not gone on to write BARCHESTER TOWERS, there would not be any real reason to read THE WARDEN. But because it introduces us to characters and situations that are crucial to BARCHESTER TOWERS, one really ought to have read THE WARDEN before reading this novel.

Trollope presents a dilemma for most readers. On the one hand, he wrote an enormous number of very good novels. On the other hand, he wrote no masterpieces. None of Trollope's books can stand comparison with the best work of Jane Austen, Flaubert, Dickens, George Eliot, Tolstoy, or Dostoevsky. On the other hand, none of those writers wrote anywhere near as many excellent as Trollope did. He may not have been a very great writer, but he was a very good one, and perhaps the most prolific good novelist who ever lived. Conservatively assessing his output, Trollope wrote at least 20 good novels. Trollope may not have been a genius, but he did possess a genius for consistency.

So, what to read? Trollope's wrote two very good series, two other novels that could be considered minor classics, and several other first rate novels. I recommend to friends that they try the Barsetshire novels, and then, if they find themselves hooked, to go on to read the Political series of novels (sometimes called the Palliser novels, which I feel uncomfortable with, since it exaggerates the role of that family in most of the novels). The two "minor classics" are THE WAY WE LIVE NOW and HE KNEW HE WAS RIGHT. The former is a marvelous portrait of Victorian social life, and the latter is perhaps the finest study of human jealousy since Shakespeare's OTHELLO. BARSETSHIRE TOWERS is, therefore, coupled with THE WARDEN, a magnificent place, and perhaps the best place to enter Trollope's world.

There are many, many reasons to read Trollope. He probably is the great spokesperson for the Victorian Mind. Like most Victorians, he is a bit parochial, with no interest in Europe, and very little interest in the rest of the world. Despite THE AMERICAN SENATOR, he has few American's or colonials in his novels, and close to no foreigners of any type. He is politically liberal in a conservative way, and is focussed almost exclusively on the upper middle class and gentry. He writes a good deal about young men and women needing and hoping to marry, but with a far more complex approach than we find in Jane Austen. His characters are often compelling, with very human problems, subject to morally complex situations that we would not find unfamiliar. Trollope is especially good with female characters, and in his sympathy for and liking of very independent, strong females he is somewhat an exception of the Victorian stereotype.

Anyone wanting to read Trollope, and I heartily believe that anyone who loves Dickens, Austen, Eliot, Hardy, and Thackery will want to, could find no better place to start than with reading the first two books in the Barsetshire Chronicles, beginning first with the rather short THE WARDEN and then progressing to this very, very fun and enjoyable novel.

One can address to a classic book like this from Xenophon in many ways. As an historical analyst, as an epic lover, as a thriller seeker as a war lessons teacher and many others. No matter what you are looking for, I recommend to read it as a pleasure itself. If you are able to moved yourself away to that time, and really feel your are in their boots, you will be thrilled to bits. Change your rol from Xenophon to a plain soldier (in the middle an hostile land, surrounded by enemies and without information of the land you are in). Do you feel better?. Can you imagine a better plot for a novel or a film?. In this case you don't need to add on "based on a true story".

I have read Greek classics before, by several publishers, but I really like Loeb Classic version of this book. As a story it is very exciting to see how Xenophon and his army fought their way out of Persia, only be to broken up by internal dissent.

I also enjoyed the format of this book because the original greek was printed on the left side of each page, so for Classics experts, you can see what Xenophon is really writing and come up with your own interpretation.

However, I feel that the interpretation is a good one though (evidenced by the many footnotes explaining why the translater did what he did). All in all, this is a great book for Classics experts and those who aren't, but just want to know what happened.

Xenophon wrote several books that survive: "A History of My Times" and "Cavalry Tactics" to name two, but the one he's most famous for, and arguably the best read is "Anabasis". A detailed accounting of moving 10,000 troops through hostile country, ulimately extracting them back to Greece. The fact that this is a "Classic" shouldn't put off any readers who've plodded through ancient literature. Xenophon wrote in an informal style, with much detail about the areas and peoples he encountered. It's almost as much travel story as a study in military leadership; but it IS ultimately a recounting of leadership under the most deadly conditions.
There are some timeless lessons here for military and civilian leaders. Xenophon fully explains his decisions (when he can), and ALWAYS asks for advice from other generals. This was critically important in an army of mercenaries whose loyalty was to themselves. Getting other leaders to "buy into" his decisions gave them a sense of empowerment (to use TQM jargon) and a stake in the outcome. He tries to be fair and cares for his troops-though he doesn't hesitate to risk lives if the mission calls for it. In battle he uses what might be termed asymmetric warfare: always pitting Greek strengths against enemy weaknesses; avoiding fighting the way his enemy fights best.
This is a great memoir of an amazing feat of arms and personal leadership. Highly recommended.

This is an amazing and enlightening book. For instance, did you know the catholic church had a list of banned books known as the Index that was in effect into the 1960's? Catalogs a good cross section of books that have met with the disfavor of those in power through out the centuries. Is far from a complete list but takes you from books censored for hundreds of years on religious grounds to books people have sought to ban for the use of a single word. Of particular interest is the recent ban attempts, (during the 1970's- 1990's) in the US by those who feel freedom of speech and the press is great as long as it meets their personal criteria. The fact that we can look at a book like this and see how far we have come is great. However, it means nothing if we stop defending the rights we claim to love.

If you are a wholehearted proponent of the First Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States, this is a book you will find it
absolutely essential to own.

Nicholas Karolides, Margaret Bald and
Dawn Sova have compiled censorship histories of 100 books that have
been suppressed on political, religious, sexual or social grounds, and
they are truly eye-opening. Many of these books have been censored
within our own country, where freedom of speech is supposedly
protected by the First Amendment.

Under the category of religious
censorship, not only have documents challenging the major world
religions' accepted beliefs come under fire, but these religions'
essential works -- the Bible, the Koran and the Talmud -- have also
been supressed at some point in history.

Works suppressed on sexual
grounds run the gamut from mild language or situations to depictions
of explicitly violent and humiliating sexual acts. While I find the
latter absolutely abhorent and choose not to expose myself to this
type of content, "100 Banned Books" is a valuable reminder
that, regardless of your personal opinion of what is not appropriate,
it is all to easy to cross over the line and try to deny others access
to these materials.

Read this book to familiarize yourself with
past instances of censorship, and then look in present-day society for
examples of ongoing censorship attempts. The results will truly be
eye-opening.

I couldn't put this book down. The stories of censorship are fascinating and provide keen insight into the histories of the times when the books were published. In particular, the authors do an excellent job of bringing out the societal forces that were in conflict. I highly recommend this book.