F Books

Vacca's new book provides a comprehensive overview of the emerging wireless data technology. The book is geared toward experienced Internet professionals who need to learn how to install wireless networks quickly. It provides numerous hands-on examples, such as an access network protocol, and useful discussions about issues such as the implementation of homeland security (currently most available protocols and products have huge holes). A large portion of the book is devoted to the design of wireless networks, dealing with issues such as standards, robustness, ease of installation and use, and, of course, security. Detailed schematics demonstrate typical filter and uplink applications. The final chapter offers a series of recommendations to support Vacca's assertion that wireless technology is the key to the future of communications and concludes that future networks will require a new methodology that integrates all layers of network design. The book is organized to move from an overview of this emerging technology through the planning and design, installation and deployment, and configuration phases. It also supplies advanced solutions to wireless design problems and new directions of the technology. Altogether a must for those people who are charged with implementing this type of network in their organizations.

This is the practical stuff you can't ever learn by going to grad school.
Wonderfully comprehensive and chalk full of highly useful information for today's high tech world. Wireless Data hits every conceivable corner of wireless technology with a well balanced mix of overview, technical depth, and hands on applications. The diagrams and illustrations are very well done. Highly recommended for the spectrum of tech managers, network engineers, and technicians. This book will be a mainstay for my reference library.

Vacca provides a unique value in his books in allowing the reader to drill down to the technical level required. This one is certainly no exception. His top-level scenarios are enlightening and encourage you to leap onto the technological bandwagon, but I particularly appreciate his caveats - particularly where he indicates what standardisation or legislation is required within the industry, as well as his very specific cautions against over-design within your application. Subsequently, he proceeds into the technical rationale for such limitations, and where it can be bypassed or overcome.

As I have spent the majority of my applications career interfacing between management/marketing ideals (necessary for progress) and technical viability within the available staff (typically pessimistic after the first few confrontations with external technical reality), I sincerely appreciate Vacca's substantiated presentations of current viability, emergent solutions, and futures.

JohnVacca has again written a book about a subject that has great application in the near future. As notebook computers are fast replacing desktop computers and as flat screen monitors are replacing CRT monitors, wireless data is replacing data transmission via cables of different types. Several companies have already replaced their local networks with wireless networks at work place where their employees can move about the work place and be connected to not only the company's Intranet but also the Internet. This book provides a good explanation in the understanding of wireless data transmission and the challenges for companies that provide wireless transmission to improve this technology as more companies and organizations will soon depend on this application to conduct business.

I have added also this new book by John vacca to my Company library. Practically all of John books end up being used to train all of our employees . You did it again John!
Keep at it , you are the best

Tullio Bortoletto

I wanted to thank all of the folks who have taken the tie to review "First Art", a book of art projects and experiences for toddlers and two's. I've read every single review! How happy I am that this book is bringing great experiences to kids, and to their moms too. Thank you so very much to each of you for your wonderful reviews that remind me I am doing the right thing with my life!!!! ~ MaryAnn

I purchased this book so I could have more fun with my daughter, about a year and a half at the time of this review, and teach her a thing or two about creativity along the way. When I first got the book and read it, I LOVED it. There were tons of homemade recipes for saving money, ideas seemed relatively simple, yet fun, directions thorough... However, when I started implementing the ideas with my toddler, I slowly changed my mind.
I see a number of problems with this book:
Homemade recipes sound wonderful. You save money, you use ingredients you already have in your pantry, and you feel like such a handy supermom, what's not to love, right? Well, wrong...
First, the recipes often call for things I definitely don't have in my pantry, I was not even sure what some things were. For instance, cream of tartar. I wrote down a list of things I needed for a project and asked 3 employees at the store for it and all of them pointed me to tartar sauce. So, I had to go home empty-handed and do research online to find out what it was and why I needed it and where I could buy it, what I can substitute it for, etc. Most of the sources online seemed to indicate that it is something that used to be big in baking, but hardly ever needed now that we have baking powder. It'd be nice if the author provided some substitutions. I ended up using baking powder and it seemed to work alright. I later accidentally found cream of tartar in the spices section of my grocery store - and I looked in baking to no avail.
Another things is that a lot of recipes (80%, I'd say) call for tempera paint... If I'm going to buy paint, why buy tempera paint and mix it with stuff to make finger paints, might just as well buy finger paints - will probably end up cheaper. Same goes for, for example, a home-made blackboard. You need to buy the tape that has that chalkboard surface or chalkboard spray paint. Well, both are rather pricey, so it is almost as cheap to buy a ready-made chalkboard easel (not to mention much less trouble). Also, some recipes call for things like "an old grater you no longer use" (because you're going to be grating a bar of soap, for example) or "a big appliance box". I don't know if it's just me, but I think my Mom still uses the same grater she had when I was a year and a half and I don't buy big-screen TVs on a monthly basis... So, I don't really have all these lying around the house, nor is it always easy/cheap to find/buy one just when you want to try a project - often it really is easier and maybe even cheaper to just buy whatever it is you were going to make (case in point - beads).
Also, many recipes call for huge amounts of flour, salt, cornstarch, and food coloring. While those aren't that expensive in and of themselves (and food coloring CAN be), they add up! 4 cups of flour here, 4 cups of flour there, with a lot of these recipes not having the same shelf life as the store-bought equivalents. So, once again, the savings are questionable, even if we don't factor in the time we have to spend preparing stuff versus buying it ready-made.
The quality of projects.
My daughter is a pretty determined and focused toddler when she wants to be, but a lot of those projects are too contemplative to really keep her attention for more than 10 seconds. For instance, exploring the sounds and textures of a piece of foil or the much-favored by many feeley goop. My daughter was done exploring the sounds and textures of foil in 5 seconds and she did not want to explore the feeley goop at all after the initial try, so how was I supposed to make her realize that it has some unique qualities? The same goes for quite a number of projects that are meant to just "explore", but I realize that it is highly individual and there might be children out there who love those projects, just be aware that it is not automatic. Perhaps some of these activities would work well in a group, where children can feed off of each other's ideas and where interaction is already exciting enough, but for one child they can be a tad on a boring side and are over too quickly to be called an "activity".
Another thing in the projects I often have issues with is their messiness. The author does do a good job of outlining how to prep the working space, but with some projects, the colors will get splashed all over the place - it's toddlers we're talking about! I can cover a relatively large portion of the floor and the whole table, but I can't cover the walls and the ceiling... Not to mention that toddlers are known to run away in the middle of a project. So, unless you have a whole room you don't mind getting dirty and where you can contain your child (porch, sunroom, child-proof play room?), some of those projects will be just too much of a risky business to attempt in a nicer room. We live in a fully-carpeted apartment, and there is no way I'll be able to clean it up nicely if my child decides to have too much fun with one of the messier projects.
Finally, I find some "cooking" directions a little too sketchy. I have never made this thing before, I don't know what it should look and feel like, I actually ruined a couple of projects because I did something too soon or too late, even though I thought I was following the instructions religiously - there went 4 cups of flour and 2 cups of salt :-). Just so you don't think I'm a complete idiot, I do bake regularly and cook quite a bit too, and while sometimes my pizza dough made from scratch does turn out a little drier than I like, it is always edible, never a complete failure.
Overall, I'd say it's a good book with good ideas. If I were a kindergarten teacher, or had 2 or more kids of different ages, I'd probably rate this book better. But as a parent of only 1 child, I'd probably ever use only 1/3 of all the ideas of the book, with 2/3 being eliminated for one or several of the reasons mentioned above, which I find rather disappointing, since I am not paying only for the ideas I'm using...
Our favorite project so far? The bread. It did not taste spectacular (although was edible), but my daughter loved messing with the flour, watching it turn to dough, playing with the dough, etc.

I'm not very imaginative when it comes to "projects" for my kids (who are currently 3 and 1) so I love this book. I am thankful that there are people in the world with great ideas who share them in books. :P

First Art : Art Experiences for Toddlers and TwosI teach children 18 to 24 months great book with great ideas

My then 18 month old and I took "My First Art Class" at our local community center this past summer--it's a class created by the author's of the book. She had a great time with many of the activities and now that I'm back at work for the school year, I wanted to be able to continue her art experiences. This book is very easy to read, breaks down all the activities so you know how long it will take, if it's messy, etc. We made homemade playdough and have great plans for the other projects. Lots of neat ideas!

"It's a comprehensive and exhaustively researched offering and a fine addition to Wolf's career in helping Pennsylvania anglers better know and respect their home waters. With its detailed maps and hatch charts, it also will help traveling anglers find and fish their way around the Keystone State."

"Over the years, a number of books have been written offering insight to the best places where (fishing) opportunity can be found. However, none is as complete as recently released, Dave Wolf's, Flyfishers Guide to Pennsylvania. This book is complete and provides tidbits of information overlooked in the past, but not in this book. The book can not only serve as a fishing guide, but for travel as well, covering where to stay, restaurants, fly shops and much more."

"Wolf, although an ardent trout fisherman, includes in this book information for the ever-growing number of anglers that have taken to fishing for cool and warm-water species using buggy-whip techniques. And it doesn't end there. It is a great reference to the special waters of Pennsylvania even for bait and spinning tackle anglers....

I've had this book for several years and I've found it to be a very useful resource. The hatch charts are extremely helpful, especially for trout anglers. While the author made a better than average attempt to cover the warmwater opportunities in the Keystone State, for the most part only the most well known sites were covered. Certainly Pennsylvania has some world famous trout streams, but the variety and quality of our warmwater fisheries is truly extraordinary. Some of the streams that were covered specifically for the trout they hold probably offer better bass fishing over most of their length. Trout centered thinking is far too prevalent in the fly fishing community and as a result this sort of overemphasis on trout is typical of many fly fishing guides. Indeed, the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission is guilty of killing thousands of trout annually by stocking them in waters so warm they are almost certain to all die by Memorial Day. I know that Mr. Wolf is a skilled and avid warmwater fly fisher. I hope in the future he will update this guide and give our warmwater fisheries the coverage they deserve.

If you are looking for a book to give you general knowledge on better known trout fishing streams in Pennsylvania, then this book will meet your needs. Unfortunately, the author does not do a good job of covering remote streams in many parts of the state that are excellent producing streams and beautiful places to fish. I was especially disappointed in his lack of coverage of streams in McKean and Warren County. I would not recommend this book to an avid Pennsylvania fisherman. The book is adequate for an out-of-state fisherman who is looking to fish some of the more popular streams in PA.

President Ford has not been the most prolific writer as far as Ex-Presidents go. This unique insight into one of the most important events in the last 50 years is an American treasure. Ford has forever been reluctant to discuss this topic, and used this unique forum to give what will likely be his "final" views on the topic. A must read for those interested in history. If you are a book collector you will be extremely impressed with the quality of this volume. The quality and workmanship should redefine what we come to expect in a leatherbound book.

First off, I am of an "age" where this Kennedy controversy was nothing but something folk argued about over the years. I was an infant when the assassination took place, so I have no emotional involvement in either side of the story. That having been said, let me say about this book:

From the "outside", this volume "oozes" quality, elegance and opulence.

On the inside, the "old" story of the Warren Commission, which I admittedly never really believed, is told again with additions that augment the original report. I have seen other documentaries, and one or two I saw "proved" to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that these folk from the 1960s knew what they were talking about.

To have such an elegant edition of a book, signed by the only surviving member of the Warren Commission, is a must-have for any collector, whether you "believe" what it says or not.

A wonderful book full of new thoughts on the assasination of JFK and even hand-signed by President Gerald Ford. A beautiful piece of art that has a living soul that you can not find in a book any more. This book is worth every penny that is spent and will only go up in value from here. I am glad I have been lucky enough to have come across this book before the big bang happens and prices skyrocket. I recommend this book for any collector. A truly great piece of American history!!!

It's often true that form is indeed content. This handsome leather volume is uniquely produced and the fact that it is signed by President Ford further enhances its desirability. This important publishing event is a credit to The Flatsigned Press. The new foreword by President Gerald Ford offers new material published here for the very first time. Wonderful. We're happy to have it in our collection.

This volume is nicely put together, beautiful leather, tight binding. Signed by President Ford! Brings back all those memories of Nov. 1963. Very worthwhile investment! Should last a long time and be handed down. Well done!

I am so glad I read your book. You explained things I needed to know and corrected things I thought I knew. Most important, your book helped me develop and refine the marketing plan that I am now implementing for my newest book.

I have been authoring materials and involved in media (producing and hosting radio & TV) for more than 20 years. After reading your outstanding resource for small publishers, I am changing the way I do things. Thank you for taking the time to compile your book and make these materials available to help others. My work will be more effective because of your work.

If you've just published a book and want to know the ins and outs of promoting it, this 192 page brand new book (2000) can really give you the insight. Writing the work is most demanding, but promoting it properly will spell your success or failure. It's a very fast read with highlighted topics for ready reference. Topics range from: Nuts and Bolts of Publicity, Signings, Publicity and Marketing, Getting Free Publicity, Book Reviews, Television Promotion, Radio Talk Shows, Web Promotion, and much more. A wealth of information to help you get started. Its completely indexed. The emphasis of the work is successful promotion on a small budget. Provides you with the tips of the trade. Worth reading.

As a firm believer in truth in marketing, I had mixed feelings about this book. The information it contains is excellent and helpful for authors looking to promote a book, but at the bottom of the front cover it says: "A step-by-step guide to promoting anything from books to businesses." Sorry, that's not accurate. 75% of the book has to do with book promotion only. If you've got another kind of business, choose another book.

As an author, I recognize the importance of publicity and promotion; a high priority! Linda is the self-publisher's "Maze Maven." Have a book to promote? You must follow her lead!

The book stands out as a very good guide for the first time entrepreneur or the self-publisher. Linda Radke both as author and editor presents all the know-how you will need to properly advertise your book or business.

"Promote Like A Pro" consists of two parts. The first one shows how to prepare an excellent marketing plan for your book. And in the second part of the book, contributing experts share their knowledge on marketing and publicity. Publishing experts uncovers us their tips and secrets how to market books.

"Promote Like A Pro" is a must read for anyone wishing to begin a self-publishing promotion. It is very exciting and has many good pointers. Definitely recommended as a way to help successfully promote yourself, your business or your book.

The self-promotion ideas in the Linda Radke's book look quite new and fresh for reader in Russia. I think, nobody in Moscow knows the tips how to promote a book. And I'll try this secret weapon with my next book. Thanks for sharing, Linda!

Like so many reviewers here, this book was a wonderful part of my childhood. Such a rich and inventive tale, and it captures a different tone, time, and place that will infuse your spirit.
As an adult, I searched for this book at antiquarian shows. My mother had given my copy away in a cleaning spree and I was heartbroken and always searching for a copy. Finally, I found one. You don't want to know how much I paid for it. But I'm thrilled to see that there is such a huge following and appreciation for this book. It's wonderful.

This book was read to me in the second grade (that would be about 1964) by my all-time favorite teacher. I haven't seen it or heard of it since. A few years ago, the title just popped into my head and a search yeilded republication.

It is amazing after all those LONG years, the things a seven-year-old retained from being read to.

This is a treasure that needs to be handed down to the next generation.

A can't-miss journey, either back to childhood or ahead to new territory.

The Magical Land of Noom is the only book I have ever read to my children and grandchildren that fascinated ALL of them without fail. Building one's own flying machine and going to the moon appears to strike a universal five year old chord!!

Forty-five years ago they didn't know a lot about dyzlexia and other learning disabilties and my little first-grader brother really had problems learning to read. He even got held back in first grade which made him sad and he actually started to hate reading and books in general. The teachers and our parents treated him like he was dumb and school was turning in to a nightmare for him. Then in second grade he had an angel for a teacher. She was patient and she loved her students and she read THIS special story book to them. My little brother came home every night and at the dinner table he would tell us all about the adventures from the magical land of Noom which is "moon" spelled backward. His eyes sparkled and his speech became animated. He couldn't wait to get to school the next day to hear more. He did so much better that year and he kept trying with books because of that kind teacher and this enchanting story book. Johnny Gruelle, who created Raggedy Ann and Andy, knew how to reach children with his light-hearted, funny adventures and his utterly charming illustrations. Please share this magical book with children you love. I bought a brand new copy for my "little" brother even though he's all grown up now and tons more successful than I, the "genious" of the family.

Forty-five years ago they didn't know a lot about dyzlexia and other learning disabilties and my little first-grader brother really had problems learning to read. He even got held back in first grade which made him sad and he actually started to hate reading and books in general. The teachers and our parents treated him like he was dumb and school was turning in to a nightmare for him. Then in second grade he had an angel for a teacher. She was patient and she loved her students and she read THIS special story book to them. My little brother came home every night and at the dinner table he would tell us all about the adventures from the magical land of Noom which is "moon" spelled backward. His eyes sparkled and his speech became animated. He couldn't wait to get to school the next day to hear more. He did so much better that year and he kept trying with books because of that kind teacher and this enchanting story book. Johnny Gruelle, who created Raggedy Ann and Andy, knew how to reach children with his light-hearted, funny adventures and his utterly charming illustrations. Please share this magical book with children you love. I bought a brand new copy for my "little" brother even though he's all grown up now and tons more successful than I am, and I'm the "genious" of the family.

FOUND THE GENERAL INFORMATION OF SPECIFIC DISEASES AND ITS POSSIBLE TREATMENTS. VERY GOOD AND PRECISE INFORMATION.

We purchased the Mayo Clinic Eeference guide to serve as a family medical book. We are very pleased with the descriptions and information about comon medical issues. I highly recommend this book for individuals who want more information about common and not so common medical difficulties.

This is a book no household should be without. Very informative and helpfull. The index is great and the information is to the point... Excellent photos and drawings. Only drawback: a bit bulky!

I like the format of this book. The six sections seem designed to truly make the work user friendly.
They are:
Part I: Living Well II: Common Conditions and Concerns Through Life's Stages III: Making Sense of Your Symptoms
IV: First Aid and Emergency Care VisualGuide: Anatomy and Common Disorders Part V: Diseases and Disorders
VI: Tests and Treatments
The great prayer is that most of what one learns from reading and going through this guide will not have to be useful or relevant.

The Mayo Family Health book is a "wealth of information."
My husband recently became ill and was hospitalized. We were able to pinpoint symptoms in the book which helped us along with our health provider get appropriate testing and treatment for his condition.

With healthcare today, we must be "informed consumers".
I have worked nearly 35 years in clinical laboratory medicine and I still learn something new everyday....this book certainly helps.

I love this book!! The squirrel is adorable and I love how he has his own art exhibit in the end!! Great art appreciation! I also love the great use of vocabulary in the text! I had to grab a dictionary on a word and that was great to show my children that even adults are always learning!!!
My 2 1/2 year old and 6 year old fell in love with Micawber as well!! Well written and CF Payne does wonderful illustrations! A perfect gift for a budding artist! I just bought 2!!

My nine year old daughter thinks this was a really good book which was easy to read and very creative. Loved the pictures!!! Great childrens book!!! I completely agree with her. This was a very cute book with a nice message!

It's a cute story, but I'm a little unsure about the morals behind a squirrell using someone's paints without permission. It's kind of...um..stealing. It's cute for a young reader who may not yet have the concept of property.

Might be a little confusing for kids because of the big words (I had to look a few up!) but it is so much fun to read. I really liked that my son questioned a lot of the words he hadn't heard before so he learned some vocabulary too. At first I thought it wasn't a "kid's" book but now I think it's awesome.

With no intended offense to Mr. Lithgow, I've not watched many episodes of "Third Rock from the Sun". I've never seen him on Broadway. Chances are, I'll miss his new show that's slated for TV's fall season. But without a doubt, I am one of his biggest fans, and so are our twins.

Mr. Lithgow's affinity for cadence, rhyme and the wonder of under-used words is nothing shy of invigorating. Mr. Lithgow doesn't shy from vocabulary that may be naively viewed as "daunting" to child readers/listeners. Instead, he embraces the intricacies and beauty of language. How excited I was to be asked to define "peregrination" to my listening audience! Not since Judy Sierra's "Wild About Books" have I discovered a book I so look forward to reading aloud repeatedly; our 5-year-old twins feel the same about hearing it.

Our duo received this book as a birthday gift from great friends, and it's been read almost daily since. For a museum-minded family such as ours, the heroic squirrel (of the title) embodies all our creative and curatorial cravings.

C.F. Payne's inimitable talent, and familiarity with the styles of great masters, facilitates illustrations that visually companion the text pluperfectly.

After enjoying Micawber, I dare you not to rush out and purchase The Remarkable Farkle McBride !

F. J. Sheed was a brilliant writer. His To Know Christ Jesus, like Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ, is a great help to reading all four Gospels at the same time coherently, for as the author states, they were not written with chronology in mind, therefore the sequence of Gospel events could be confusing at times. Sheed not only guides the reader step by step through Christ's life, but as a friend of Christ (clearly the author was a man of deep prayer) he also makes the reader stop at certain places along the way to help him meditate and bring depth to the reality of Christ and the significance of His actions on Earth. This is truly a masterful spiritual work. I recommend reading it with the Bible open. It will deepen anyone's understanding and knowledge of Christ and give one a keener sense for detail, and one cannot love what one does not know well, hence the importance of this book.

This book provides the best gospel commentary/reflection known to man.

For every gospel story, this book has a thorough look at the passage along with comments on related passages. This book is well-written and easy to read. You can skip from chapter to chapter, or just read from start to finish.

Though it is easy to read, the material is dense. I've re-read this book 3 times and I'm still getting new stuff from it.

There are few books that I will *specifically* require my children to read. This is one of them. (Though I guess I'll have to wait 'til the kids are about 15-16.)

I checked the web site at www.ignatius.com for this item using the ISBN 13: 9780898704198, and the description there is of a paperback book.

The description below is from the Ignatius site
[ ISBN: 9780898704198
Author: Frank Sheed

Length: 399 pages
Edition: Paperback
]

I think that back in 1992 the book was published in hardcover under ISBN 10: 0898704197, but that edition appears not to be available any more.

I am providing this review solely about the edition that is available here rather than about the content of the book. I haven't read the copy I received yet, it was a paperback even though i was expecting a hardcover.

Frank Sheed takes the four Gospels and brings them together masterfully into one volume. Great explanations of the times and customs surrounding the events also. A must read along with Fulton Sheen's Life of Christ.

You should think you know everything about the life of Christ. try to read this book, and you'll see you have lots to learn. I think it is a really interesting book.

In response to comments made by Mark Wilson in his review that Susan Fromberg Schaeffer stole Ms. Brodman's (Anya's) life story, the events detailed in "Anya" are common in some way or another to nearly every other Holocaust survivor. An idea, account of events or even the ability to relate those events verbally is entirely different than actually crafting that idea or account into a well written story or engrossing movie.

Writing/directing well is not easy. I'm sure Ms. Schaeffer likely spent hours, days, months and years researching, writing and rewriting her book. Why should Ms. Schaeffer not receive credit for all the hard work she put into the book?

That being said, I'm not a huge fan of the book. The prose is beautifully descriptive but is too wordy for me (more like a romance novel - not really my taste). Also, the main character, Anya, comes off as preening and fairly unsympathetic. I prefer works like "The Great Gatsby", "Shawshank Redemption & Rita Hayworth", "Fight Club", "Atlas Shrugged", "I, Legend", "The Thief of Always" and "Red Dragon" - to name a few.

The books listed above are not special because of the tag line. Those books are worth reading because they are exceptionally well written. It's all in presentation. An idea/account is only an idea/account until someone puts time and sweat into making the idea/account into something tangible.

Give several authors/directors an idea/account and each will mold that idea/account according to individual talent, personality, background, education, etc. Look at the differences in the way "The Shining" as a movie was directed by Stephen King (awful) versus Stanley Kubrick (genius), in the Harry Potter movies(some darker, some lighter) and in the Thomas Harris movies(Hannibal was a comedy compared to the first two).

There really are no new ideas (themes, characters, plots, etc.)-just new ways of presenting/mixing. In fact, most stories are covered or at least alluded to in the Bible and mythology. Look at how Jane Austen's "Emma" was modernized in "Clueless" or how differently J.D. Salenger and Sylvia Plath portray young people dealing with growing pains in "The Catcher in the Rye" and "The Bell Jar". There are lots of other examples.

The bottom line is that Ms. Brodman, unless she voluntarily chose to execute a nondisclosure agreement, had the opportunity to take the time to write her own book in her own words in whatever language she desired so that her book could be judged on its merits accordingly.

ANYA is one of the best modern novels I've ever read. Susan Fromberg Schaeffer does a great job getting inside her protagonist's head. Wonderfully atmospheric, ANYA sets you right down in Anya's world from the first paragraph. I first read the book as a teenager and spent the days reading it and several days afterward in a fog--I was completely in Anya's world.

I am a 16 year old sophomore in high school and I came across this book for a book report.As I read I was drawn in as if I were an eye witness to the events happening to Anya Savikin Lavinsky, her daughter, and her family during the holocaust. It really gave me a first hand experience of the horror,hope, and determination of the victims of the holocaust. It was moving and touching.I would recommend it highly. Bravo Susan Fromberg Schaeffer!
Lyn Shakespeare "Jacki" (Illinois,USA)

I first read this novel after reading "First Nights". I must admit, I was attracted to "First Nights" by pure marketing and cover art, but was I a lucky consumer. I completely fell in love with Susan Fromberg-Schafer's style of writing and have read and loved almost everything she has written (Buffalo Day Afternoon was not a particular favorite). "Anya" has become my favorite novel of all time. I have re-read it at least 3 times. This comes from someone who loves to read and has almost never read a book twice. I can't say enough about it except that you should also give "Autobiography of Foudini M Cat" a try if you have ever loved a pet.

Happy Reading!

I moved across the street from Mrs. Brodman (Anya) in Sarasota, Florida in 1979. She lived there with her husband until the day she died. I have been gone for two years now, but believe Mr. Brodman still lives there.

The story is riveting because it is true! It did not come from the imagination of Susan Fromberg Schaeffer. Mrs. Brodman and her husband told me that a lawsuit was filed against Ms. Schaeffer and that Ms. Schaeffer lost. I was told they never wanted the money from the settlement and gave it to an fund for orphans in Israel.

It is shocking to see it listed here as one of Ms. Schaeffer's novels. Mrs. Brodman told me that the book was the result of a series of tapes she dictated and that were transcribed by Miss Fromberg. Though Anya spoke many languages (including English), she said it was too difficult for her to 'write' in English and so she dictated her story. This is what I was told.

Mrs. Brodman told me it hurt her greatly that Miss Fromberg took credit for her life story. Yes there are facts that were changed to also protect others (i.e., she changed the name of her husband, Mr. Brodman, for obvious reasons). My understanding was that the outcome of the lawsuit was to stop Ms. Schaeffer from continuing to take credit for 'Anya's story'.

When I found an out-of-print copy (many years ago) I asked her to dedicate and sign it. I will treasure this forever!

I too heard Anya tell me many stories. I took Mr. Brodman's advice and started reading one of Ms. Fromberg's books. I put it down... no comparison.

Mark Wilson