Movies Books

This book is a must for any Batmobile fan. It has lots of information and photographs about all the cars that George Barris has designed for famous people and for well known TV shows and films.

If you love cars like the 60's batmobile,fireball 500,munster's coach just to name a few then this book is for you.George Barris known for his modified cars and rods has put together a collection of photos and details of several cars.Not a comprehensive of all his cars but enough to please most people.

I had the opertunity to meet george barris at the Houston Autorama. He not only took time to autograph his book but to visit about custom cars. We visited for quite some time and he went to look at my custom car. I was impressed by his down to earth genuine interest in my projects. Movie cars built by Pegasus Motorcars he liked my designs and the wild wing on the back was his favorite. Thank you George Barris you are my Hero. Charlie Van Natter. .

I had the opertunity to meet george barris at the Houston Autorama. He not only took time to autograph his book but to visit about custom cars. We visited for quite some time and he went to look at my custom car. I was impressed by his down to earth genuine interest in my projects. Movie cars built by Pegasus Motorcars he liked my designs and the wild wing on the back was his favorite. Thank you George Barris you are my Hero. Charlie Van Natter. .

Great coverage of TV's Batmobile and the Munter's cars. Authors also remind you about cars you didn't know Barris did: The Beverly Hillbillies truck, the Flintstones (film of course) cars, updates of the Knight Rider Firebird, the Jurassic Park Explorers, and the infamous sitcom "My Mother the Car" (the butt of many Johnny Carson jokes). But also taking up space are forgotten cars from forgotton projects...the Bugaloos dune buggy and a TV special "Romp". Cars I would have liked to have seen but didn't make the cut include the Monkee Mobile, the Green Hornet's "Black Beauty" and the Stutz replicas made for the TV adventure series "Bearcats!". Overall a good book, but I have a hunch that only the surface of Barris' career has been scratched. How about a large format book with lots of color and details on the surviving movie cars and "Kustoms" that made Barris the legend he is?

I'm a screenwriter, and I bought this book because I wanted to see Nolan's revisions after Goyer had written the first draft. The script isn't formatted as neatly or aesthetically as the "Dark Knight" script (here it's in regular book format, TDK has it in sleek PDF) but it's still a solid script.

It has interviews (Goyer's is really short but Nolan's is substantial and informative) and artwork. The artwork is good if you wanna see how people in the industry do shot-by-shot scenes. Buy this book if you like reading scripts. Otherwise pass.

This is a legit, professional product. If you're purchasing this for either leisure or for study, you'll definitely be getting your money's worth. There's nothing wrong with those screenplays that they sell for a movie that is chock full of glossy, full-color photographs, but those publications change the layout of the script, which is another aspect of scriptwriting a student of that particular art needs to learn. The screenplay for "Batman Begins" has the complete script, a full storyboard collection, and interviews with the director and screenwriter of the film. Black and white. No frills. Professional. I highly recommend this product. You'll love it!

I've always found it fascinating on how they make movies nowadays. I've taken film classes, but it wanted to see the scripts that they use. This is the complete screenplay to the movie " Batman Begins." You not only can read the linings, but you can see how they decided to put together these scenes through the storyboards. This is an excellent item for any movie buff, or any butting filmmaker. It will give you an idea on how to start writing a screenplay, and you can go behind the scenes in see how they put together this blockbuster.

Batman begins is a awesome movie. Sweet special effects, very,very,very,very good actors, great storyline, some good princibles....ect. Don't even worry about rent'n it first, because if you like action, suspense, sweet special effects, and all that comes with a action movie, you might as well buy the dang thing!!! And you won't regret it!!! HIGHLY recommend this movie.

Being a huge Batman fan, I waited in anticipation for this movie to be released. I wasn't disappointed. After seeing it, David Goyer and Christopher Nolan have really "got" the whole idea of the myth that is the Batman.
They have stayed true to the Batman history, and have delivered what many believe to be the "ultimate comic book movie".
While probably not for the kids, this version of Batman is definately what this Bat-fan has been waiting for - tough, dark and intimidating.
This screenplay seems to reveal the original script that Goyer/Nolan pitched to Warner Bros. I say "seems to" because there are a few notable changes from the film version as released. I can only assume that Warner Bros changed certain areas to ensure that the film recevied a PG13+ rating in the US, while here in Australia it received a M15+.
Without giving too much away, the script as presented in this book has a darker edge to certain scenes, and in my opinion, is exactly how the movie should have been done.
I rate this as 5 stars based on the way Goyer and Nolan have finally portrayed the Batman as he was meant to be.
I only hope that Warner Bros can secure both Nolan and Goyer for the sequel.

Two people came together with nothing at all to offer each other except the probable opportunity to cause themselves pain and they didn't fear to love. (To love without the promise that there would be a tomorrow for them.) This is a good script and an incredible movie...Nice soundtrack unfortunately it is unavailable. Linklater is groovy!!

I was delighted by the movie, and immediately looked out for the book or anything related with it.

It's a subtle book, it shows in a very poetic way how communication can connect everyone. You can perceive it in every frame of the movie, is not casual that a location as Vienna has been choosen to develop the story.

Time, life, freedom, love, poetry, signs are important issues.

Before Sunrise is one of my favorite movies of all time, and I can't imagine a better book to accompany it. What makes this book so great is that it does not contain the actual script, because I think the shots and technical description would just ruin the magic of the dialogue, which is the best thing about the movie. The pictures are brilliant (for they're not only copies of the film's shots), and the poem at the end of the book is simply a touch of genius. I lost the book, though. So I was wondering if anyone could help me find a copy. All expenses will be paid. Thanks!

It is a great movie that we just can't miss it in our life. When a man meets a woman in the way like the movie goes, something is expected to happen. It is amazing that everything is so natual, so romantic.

The story makes me desiring a romantic love everytime I am in a journey...

It is pity that I miss the opening of the movie. I've tried to get the VCD of the picture but I can't make it in Hongkong. I can't find the book neither...

Anyone who was a fan of the movie "Before Sunrise" will want to have this book, which does *not* contain the actual script for the film, but does feature most of the wonderful dialogue along with a number of photos of Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke and a forward by Richard Linklater and Kim Krizan.

Its not only readable but funny at the thought the wrestlers become crime fighting geniuses! Mr McMahons amazing touch is all over this!!! a definite buy for fans and critics alike!

I too was surprised at how good this book is. The story is actually well crafted and it moves along pretty quickly. I look forward to future installments!

In my life as an English Professor, I have had the joy of reading any of a lare selection of classic books, brilliant treatises on the human condition, and some of the most brilliantly revolutionary prose that hallmarked the great movements in human history. I feel, though, that my faith in literature has been increased to a level I truly did not feel possible after reading this book.

It is truly rare when a book changes your life in a fundamental way. For some, the Bible was their path to a new and better life. Others feel that Paine's Common Sense is a truly great piece of political propaganda that tries to raise humanity to a higher level. Others, on the other hand, are partial to Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto.

I say "A pox on ALL of these houses".

Like a very special episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger", WWE's "Big Apple Takedown" manages to simultaneously make one weep at the emotionally taut imagery, laugh at the rapier-sharp wit, and contemplate the deep, inner discussions of the soul that are the hallmark of sweaty guys with questionable drug habits.

And, honestly, the book is a little infuriating. Why IS the government wasting its money paying for a military with many nuclear missiles when ALL that is needed to save the world from evil and chaos are the occasional errant chair shot, a knee to the groinal region, followed by an overly elaborate finishing sequence?

The decision to use WWE superstars --- "wrestlers" does not remotely do legends like HHH justice, let's be frank --- to sniff out a drug cartel is the kind of inspired genius that makes lesser authors like Poe weep in their beer. You didn't see George Orwell use imagery as subtle as a glistening body of pure, pent-up, moderately eroticized squashing drug kingpins in 1984, did you?

I tell you, next to this book, Madame Bovary has as much plot as a 3rd grader's book of Mad Libs.

I, personally, enjoyed the discrete reference to another classic of American literature --- "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind", with a plot that, bluntly, ripped off this book's plot in the most diabolical and sinical of manners.

Kudos to you, WWE. You have clearly demonstrated that the dramatic masterpiece that is the average episode of RAW is not an accident. This is the book that makes one appreciate the subtlety of a good fart joke or an unexpected "puppies" reference. I can only hope they keep Mr. Josephs on the payroll to produce storyline that can even approach this level of inspiration.

I bought this book the other day with absolutely no expectations. I actually bought it hoping to find humor in how bad it would be. I wound up reading it cover to cover in 24 hours because that's how hooked I was. The book is absolutely full of suspense and I honestly would love to see a movie. Maybe if WWE had gone this route instead of the ill-fated "See No Evil" movie, they wouldn't be the laughing stock of the film industry. This book was surprisingly very gripping and for the price, I totally have to recommend it. If you are one of the many people who would have to be skeptical of the the WWE's forray into fictional novels, then check this out and be proven wrong. I must admit that I couldn't believe it, but the book is an addictive thrill ride, very well written.

I HAVENT FINISHED READING THIS BOOK YET BUT I AM CLOSE TO FINISHING IT. THIS BOOK IS ABOUT 6 WWE WRESTLERS(BATISTA,CHAVO GURREO,TORRE WILLSON,JOHN CENA,HHH,AND THE OWNER OF THE WWE VINCE MCMHAON) JOIN A SECRET AGENCY CALLED THE NSA. THERE MISSION IS TO TAKE DOWN A BIG DRUG RING AND THEY ALL GO UNDER COVER TO GET ENOUGH EVIDENCE TO ARREST THE PEOPLE IN THE DRUG RING AND THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF THE DRUG RING. THE BOOK IS GREAT AND IT HAS LOADS OF SUPENSE. AND I HEARD THE ENDING WILL SUPRISE YOU. IF YOUR A WWE FAN(LIKE ME) BUY IT. OR IF YOU ARE NOT A WWE FAN YOU SHOUD STILL BUY BECAUSE YOU WILL LOVE IT.

When I was in the 5th grade (way back in 1976-77), our teacher used to read to us after recess each day. He turned us onto several great books with fun and compelling stories. Of these, three books (Freaky Friday, A Billion For Boris and The Phantom Tollbooth)have become some of my all time favorite books. Books that I've read and re-read several times.

A Billion For Boris is by far the best and my personal favorite from the entire 'Andrews Family' series. I loved Freaky Friday and love A Billion For Boris even more. I couldn't get through Summer Switch. It just seemed like a complete retread of Freaky Friday but not nearly as engaging.

Who can forget when Anabell made her catastrophic, cataclismic boo-boo? Great line.

The story is just as described. Ape Face fixes an old TV of Boris's and then suddenly it shows programs from one day in the future. Anabell wants to use it to help mankind. Boris just wants to make money to improve his and his mother's life. So, they compromise. Then things start to get out of hand. The ending is charming, funny and quite sweet.

All in all, a really great book with lots of hilarious moments. I highly recomend it to everyone who loves just a good story.

This is a book that everyone ages 9-99 will enjoy. Its exploration of what happens when a couple of kids get ahold of a TV that plays tommorow's news is hillarious. Its a book that can be read over and over again and not lose its appeal. This is deffinitely a book that will stay on your shelf for the whole family to read. A winner!

A Billion for Boris' attention-span is good. It's a page-turner for ages 8-88. Ape Face tinkers with an old TV set so it shows tomorrow's news. Boris manages to get it back, and he and Ape Face's sister, Annabel, decide to us etheir new knowledge to help Boris' writer-mother get more money and refinish Boris' apartment. How? By betting on horses. A book which kept me reading until the last page. The sequel to Freaky Friday and the book before Summer Switch, it is ultimately one of Mary Rodgers' masterpieces.

I agree w/ the review below--this book is better than Freaky Friday. I've never forgotten how I wanted my own TV set that broadcast tomorrow's news today. This story has such charm, magic, and realism in it. Every child should read this book.

Since that Freaky Friday when Annabel Andrews switched bodies with her Mother, things have gotten much better. At least, in her opinion. I mean, at least she's not a kid in an adult's body anymore. But, now something new is going on. Annabel is still in love with Boris, and her younger brother, Ape Face, is still being a pest, but who planned for this? When Ape Face fixes a broken TV that Boris sells to him, something VERY strange happens. Suddenly, Ape Face is watching tomorrow's TV shows, today. Not only that, he's watching the news a day early. Annabel wants to use the TV for good, to help humanity, and Ape Face just wants to watch tomorrow's movies today, but Boris has some different plans of his own.

This is the sequel to the book FREAKY FRIDAY. In my opinion, I found this book to be even better than the previous. Rodgers has come up with a brilliant and entertaining plot, that all kids will enjoy reading about. Boris is a funny, and mischevious character, as is Ape Face, and Annabel is a fun, and kind character, who has matured greatly since FREAKY FRIDAY. A must-have book for all fans of the weird and unexpected.

Erika Sorocco

All of Bruce Henderon's books are worth a dozen times what he sells them for; flawless, stunning reproductions of great movie posters. Buy them ALL!

Everyone has their own favorite film genre (animation, action and adventure, science fiction, etc.). Next to crime/film noir films, animation is mine. The beautiful thing about this book is the unexpected. Rather than delve into the standard Disney fare (which is included in great detail nevertheless), this book includes artwork from posters from "lesser seen or only mildly popular" titles. Besides Disney, everything from Fleischer to Avery is represented, works of art that can only be bought for thousands of dollars today at many of America's high echelon auction houses. If you are the least bit interested in the jaw-dropping beauty of what has become a lost art -- the exercise of drawing images associated with the advertising of a Hollywood film -- this is the book to have. This book is part of movie poster maven Bruce Hershenson's exhaustive multi-volume series of books highlighting the history and beauty of what much of mainstream America has only in the last ten years begun to recognize. And that is movie posters are a "popular art" form that can stand proudly next to all other styles of art from gothic to modern, from expressionist to impressionist. Great film art borrows from all of these styles and this volume, which focuses only on posters associated with animated films, illustrates innumerable examples whereby despite the restrictive nature of the genre (cartoons), not all posters went in the same direction in terms of style and presentation. From Pinocchio to Popeye, Hershenson and Allen have built an incredible archive (and legacy) of images in all of his books, capturing a period (when all posters were drawn by hand and then printed, as opposed to today's method of using photographic stock and manipulating them digitally and printing them by the thousands) that would otherwise be lost forever. A fine book for any collector (get the hardcover edition if you can, it's harder to find; if Amazon doesn't have it, it's available from Mr. Hershenson directly at mail@brucehershenson.com).

As previous reviewers stated, this is a marvelous book, & it does have far too many Disney & Popeye posters in it. Considering the wealth of other 'vintage' cartoon posters that are around (even just searching on the net), Im suprised they didnt have a better selection for us to look at. Otherwise, Im very happy to have this book, and I'd LOVE to see a volume 2 some day!!!

I'll be truthful: I received Bruce Hershenson's CARTOON MOVIE POSTERS as part of a "grab-bag" special he was throwing a couple of years back. My tastes lie in the somewhat more arcane area of Horror & Science Fiction posters. What would a guy like me who covets copies of posters like BEAST WITH 1,000,000 EYES want with...harmless, namby-pamby kid's stuff? Plenty, as I soon discovered once I opened this excellent book. First-the reason I had been so unaware of cartoon posters, especially ones from the seven minute variety, is that so many of them are practically extinct. Cartoons, being the VERY bottom of the bill, were treated as 4th-class citizens, and if the studios bothered to make a poster at all, there weren't very many of them and the vast majority of those were tossed. What a shame! This book, which contains close to 400 exqusitely printed images, is an absolute riot of color and imagination that easily rivals any of my beloved fantasy pieces. Starting from cartoon pioneer Windsor McCay in 1911 and ending with the X-rated FRITZ THE CAT in 1972,(and touching on all points in between), Bruce includes examples ranging from the obvious (Disney, Warner Bros, & Fleischer) to the wonderfully obscure (there are several pages of pictures from Ub Iwerks'fairy tale cartoons from the 30s that are gorgeous, more than a little strange, and as rare as hen's teeth.) If you have even a passing interest in movie posters, it is mandatory that you order at least a couple of Hershenson's poster volumes. If you are a rabid, hopeless poster fiend like myself, they are invaluable for both reference and entertainment. Everything about them is first-rate: the printing, the choice of posters (ah, those 30s & 40s Disney 1-sheets...!)the short, inobtrusive, well-written snippets regarding the history of various posters: it's very tough to find fault here. This is the perfect gift for hard-core poster geeks and casual film/cartoon aficonados alike. Five stars all the way, and...abbah-dee, abbah-dee, abbah-dee....That's All, Folks!

This review can easily apply to any of the books in the Bruce Hershenson edited series of film poster history. Hershenson rightly treats film graphics not just as pop culture artifacts but true works of art. His books are filled with a curator's eye for superior choice and reproduction, each poster in striking color and with a clarity of printing that rivals most any coffee table art book. Somewhere between advertising and illustration, film posters, like book jackets and record covers, inhabit that imaginative and atmospheric zone where one art reflects another. It's not just the history of film or the history of film design, it's a history of twentieth century Saturday afternoons and Saturday nights. How often we would go into the dark theatre armed only with the ideas and ideals of the posters outside, and then return to them afterward, perhaps with nodding affirmation or smirking disillusionment, but still a vision of what could be. This series of books should be subtitiled: THE FINE ART OF ANTICIPATION, for no matter if expectation was filled or emptied by the films behind them, their posters kept on shining.

I am 47.
I started to see Allen's movies a long time ago.
Every year, 90 minutes with an unknown friend,
sometimes fun, sometimes tragic, always entertaining.
Every important moment of my life could be associated with a Woody's film.
Every sentimental feeling, as well.
I have the habit to discuss a movie, after having seen it, usually in a "Pizzeria" with my friends.
I want to reassure Mister Allen that this habit is alive.
The book shares with us his professional story along the years, from the sixties right now.
It's a fantastic way to live all the emotions from the opposite point of view,
and it is a real pleasure.
I share also more of Mister Allen's reflections about life and death, and i was very
disappointed when his italian voice (Oreste Lionello), in a recent TV interview on an italian network,
used Mister Allen face to express ideas completely different from the author.
Explicitly, but anycase a sort of violence against Mister Allen.
Woody, life is very difficult, but it would have been worst without you.
Thanks a lot.

This is a great way to learn about Woody Allen, his craft, and his films. Organized thematically and chronologically, you see what films Allen really cares about and what he did just to fill the time. Some of his films were clearly throwaways for him. He made them because he's always working, but hardly remembers them and doesn't care to (Scoop, Small Time Crooks, Sleeper). Others are passions, like The Purple Rose of Cairo or Husbands and Wives. Allen is also, not surprisingly, self-depreciating, believing that his career is mostly self-indulgence that only a small audience appreciates. Of course, this underestimates himself and how impressive it is that he can have a regular output of one or two movies a year that, regardless of whether they are one of his best, are always well made, well acted, and interesting. The insights into how Allen works and how quickly, are interesting for fans. It also makes those of us who fancied ourselves writers realize what a true talent is. The best part of this book, there is no diversion into Allen's personal life which may be of interest to some, but not this reader. This is a great way to read about Allen's career, his collaborators, and his methods.

If you are a die hard Woody Allen fan you will love this book. It's a ringside seat to what goes on in his brain from writing to casting to directing to when the film is released. If you aren't a die hard fan, but simply like some of his movies you will appreciate him as a writer and a filmmaker. It's a really interesting book about Woody and his movies over a 30 year period!!

This is one of those rare books where we actually get a clear insight into the creative process of a great filmmaker. Techniques, style, philosophy and approach are covered in great detail. Gives awesome insight into the man and the movies he made. I really enjoyed it.

Ok I don't like Mr. Allen...I simply thrive upon his presence in this universe.

I never just saw a Woody Allen movie, read a Woody Allen short story or listened to a Woody Allen monologue...I was a participant in them. No I don't think I am psycotic, maybe a semi-adjusted bipolar person, who is cynical and overly critical about most things in this life, however swimming in the wake of Mr. Allen I somehow manage to smile at the "awful grace" of this existance. I do feel guilty since he does the heavy lifting and I benefit from it.

Recalling his movies is like recalling my first kiss, scoring my first touchdown, pineing my first broken heart or noticing death for the first time.

I recall each flick; when, where, who I saw it with, and the state of mind I left the theater to pursue the endless nuances of the adventure.

To the book. I hesitated picking it up as it is four hundred pages and did I really want to be mesmerized by Mr. Alllen and Mr. Lax during this very busy time. I resisted for almost four days then I was seduced, trapped and on my way to an intellectual orgasm that seems to continue when I turn each page.

These two guys are like friends you wish you had who made you totally comfortable hearing them talk and thilled that you are allowed to just be in the room and honored to be listening.

If you are an educator you must study it, if you are a doctor you must examine it, if you are performing artist you must value it, if you are a writer you must consume it and if you are, like myself an everyday person you gotta love it.

Bravo guys you gave me a great holiday gift.

My 2 year old daughter loves this book. We have seen this episode of The Backyardins countless time and I have now read this book countless times. She picks it every night as one of her bed time stories.

My 3 year old loves the Backyardigans and really likes this book. The story is about a good and bad switch on the robots. The flaps are fun for him to open. The show is successful because of the music but this book works well. At the end I always make sure to flip the good switch on on my son, it cracks him up!

Our two year old grandson LOVES "Cops and Robots". Not only does he share it with anyone who will read it to him again, but, he will also just sit by himself for long periods of time going through the pages and lifting all the little windows.

What a wonderful book to have for my grandaughter age 16 months. She loves the colors, she recognizes the t.v. characters & the pages are easy for her to flip.

My grandson loved this book. It is nice and colorful.

How can crime be bad and yet so good! Look inside the cover of these pages for the answer. Not much reading required but plenty of illustrations. And what illustrations!! Cigarettes, dangling from shadowey faces, killer guns begging for victums, and behind every crime there's a "good" women to lead him on to both heaven or hell. These images can usually sum up the classic Crime Movie Poster. In cronological order the images take us from the birth of this gendre to it's present. This is no small feat, as the first poster is dated 1913! That's how many years? Page after page is loaded with poster art that grabs the eye and makes you want to view the film. Vivid coloring shows the excellent printing quality of this volume. One only needs to turn the pages to discover "the stuff dreams are made of".

Absolutely stunning! Superb graphics of some of our favorite movie posters! Highly recommend.

How can crime be bad and yet so good! Look inside the cover of these pages for the answer. Not much reading required but plenty of illustrations. And what illustrations!! Cigarettes, dangling from shadowey faces, killer guns begging for victums, and behind every crime there's a "good" women to lead him on to both heaven or hell. These images can usually sum up the classic Crime Movie Poster. In cronological order the images take us from the birth of this gendre to it's present. This is no small feat, as the first poster is dated 1913! That's how many years? Page after page is loaded with poster art that grabs the eye and makes you want to view the film. Vivid coloring shows the excellent printing quality of this volume. One only needs to turn the pages to discover "the stuff dreams are made of".

Every last shot heard in the world of motion pictures is displayed here. From Pre-code films like LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT to the Code-in-your-face PULP FICTION, Bruce Hershenson captures the poster art of these films in splashy high quality color. A bonus is that Bruce always includes lobby card art, cherished by many a collector, but not displayed often.

Everyone has their own favorite film genre (animation, action and adventure, science fiction, etc.). This one is mine. If you are the least bit interested in the jaw-dropping beauty of what has become a lost art -- the exercise of drawing images associated with the advertising of a Hollywood film -- this is the book to have. No other genre, in my opinion, was more dark and foreboding and in turn experienced a burst of creativity than posters associated with the film-noir period of Hollywood, which roughly ran from the mid-1940s to the mid-1950s. This book is part of movie poster maven Bruce Hershenson's exhaustive multi-volume series of books highlighting the history and beauty of what much of mainstream America has only in the last ten years begun to recognize. And that is movie posters are a "popular art" form that can stand proudly next to all other styles of art from gothic to modern, from expressionist to impressionist. Great film art borrows from all of these styles and this volume, which focuses only on posters associated with crime and film-noir films, is my favorite. It illustrates innumerable examples of the ranges in style, despite the superficial expectation that all art from this genre was the same. It was not. From Gilda to This Gun For Hire, Hershenson and Allen have built an incredible archive of images in all of his books, capturing a period (when all posters were drawn by hand and then printed, as opposed to today's method of using a montage of photos and manipulating them digitally and printing them by the thousands) that would otherwise be lost forever. A fine book for any collector (get the hardcover edition if you can, it's harder to find; if Amazon doesn't have it, it's available from Mr. Hershenson directly at mail@brucehershenson.com.

This is a book that makes you think, the characters are not described within a few lines, divided into good and bad, like it's so often true in books selected for clubs across the country. Snip: (...)

In 1987, I read what is still one of my all-time favorite books--DAD, by William Wharton. When first his mother, then his father, become ill, John tremont attempts to sort out their affairs and obtain the best care he can for them. But the book is about so much more than that; it's about the relationships between fathers and sons, about coming to terms with a parent's infirmity and mortality, about letting go, accepting new roles within the family, and realizing that, when all's said and done, your parents are just people with flaws like everyone else. but most of all, DAD is about the final days of Jack Tremont, John's father, and how much John, and everyone else, loved him. Jack was portrayed so well that I loved him too, and I could tell John loved him the way I loved my Grandpa. Grandpa was diagnosed with cancer around the same time I read DAD, and I really identified with John and his feelings of grief, frustration, anger, helplessness, and his incredible love for his dad. It was the kind of book I wished would never end. A real tear-jerker!

This is a perfect book about what it means to be a father and what it means to be a son. The novel presents three generations of men who meet in a tragic moment when their wife, mother and grandmother had a heart attack. The main hero Jack had run away from America to France to follow his dream of becoming a painter but a message from his native California brings him back, to tend to his father who is clueless when his wife was taken to hospital. The two men estranged for years clumsily and slowly learn to live together and discover love they never managed or (as most men do) bothered to express.
This is an extremely personal book. William Wharton claims he could not publish it before the death of his parents. He wrote it to express his own feelings after his father's death. When the book was ready he invited his mother over. They met daily on the beach and he read the novel to her. When he finished they were both crying. You will be crying too.

Dad snuck up and bit me. I found it uneven. It is a book to be taken apart and studied in chunks. The sequence of the son caring for the parents was incredible; gritty and raw. So many questions raised: what IF you can't stand your own mother but you still have to live with her? What IF there is another and better dimension for your beleagured father? What do you do if you find your father has pooped his drawers? What if there is no nurse to bail you out? (The image of a middle aged man tranking out on pilched oxygen haunts me) Read this book and weep: this could be you and your life in a few years. Take what you have now and hug it tight. You will slowly but surely become your father. Wharton digs in and hands you the goods. No holds barred. I am a better though sadder person since I read his work.

This was a great book and i would recommend it to everyone. It's deeply upsetting, emotional but not whimsical or sloppy like other novls of this genre. This book steers clear of the protentious narrative [stuff]that we often find ourselves bombarded with. It's funny, sad and clever and should be read by all.