Clubs Books
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Solid, well done compilation of activities.Review Date: 2003-07-13
Wild, crazy, FUN!Review Date: 2002-11-21
Make Some NoiseReview Date: 2000-04-28
Terrific resource!Review Date: 2001-11-30
Two thumbs up; three if I had another!Review Date: 2003-02-18

A Very Much Under-rated NovelReview Date: 2008-06-21
The story is told through the eyes of a character called Max Reddick, a slightly hip, emerging intellectual, who wants to write like Charley Parker plays the Sax, but yet he is still a very much struggling black writer. Max seems to have as his number one goal in life that of decoding the game being played against blacks by the white man. Or maybe (and the novel leaves this up to the reader) this goal is just a normal by-product of being a black man in a white man's world. Very quickly Max realizes that "politics white boy-style" is just another way white people try to lead black people back to their proper "place" in society: in effect telling them through indirection how to think, feel, and when and how to act, and even how to suffer.
Max travels to Europe where he ends up in a select intellectual circle, that very much respects his manuscript, and where he eventually marries and later divorces a Danish woman who remained his friend even long after the marriage has ended, and who takes care of him at the end of the novel as he dies of cancer.
At the meta-psychological level, the novel proves Ishmael Reed's postulate: that writing, "is fighting and struggling by other more respectable means," as Williams gets to use his pen as his last, and most profound act of rebellion. The book thus is as Walter Mosley has described it as "a shout from deep within some existential void" that resonates on the same frequency of all struggling blacks: suspended invisible in a world that rejects blackness without the need for a cause or a reason, where "Black people have been hollering out in pain for centuries, fighting for freedom, dying in slavery, belittled by little [white] men, and denied by kings and history. Sometimes these black folk have just laid down and died. But mostly they have survived with deformed psyches and distorted notions of the world. Sometimes evil has begotten evil and the one-time slave has slaughtered and even cannibalized his oppressor."
As his personal life spins out of control and he contracts cancer, Max puts down on paper in a scatological way, what everyone else in everyday American society is thinking but cannot say aloud, and in this respect, William's novel is not only a shout from the void, but also a supremely iconoclastic and urgent psychological analysis not unlike Dostoyevsky.
While its organization is structurally very scattered, it still gets its message across. Clearly the novel has a deep existentialist basis and draws on existential themes and metaphors. However, at its core is the notion that at the end of the day, when everything is said and done, the only thing "real" in American society is white racism. Everything else its humanity, its values, its ideals, are subordinate and are carefully calibrated and measured in terms of how they affect the sensitively regulated "white supremacist status quo." According to Max's way of thinking, equality, freedom, and democracy are merely the chips used to move the pieces around the white supremacist chessboard. America and all of its "so-called" ideals are just byproducts of the hard core white supremacist ideology, which lies deep in the nation's bosom. Toward the end of the novel, Max leaves no doubt that "the man" will go to great lengths to protect his white male hero system--including the complete annihilation of the black race if necessary. Max thinks blacks are up to the task, able to match whites, evil for evil to the bitter end. [I, for one, think he is wrong in this regard.]
The book is sprinkled with deeply troubling characters and scenes that reflect Max's deteriorating state of mind, such as the following passage about Moses Boatwright, a Black cannibal and Rhodes scholar, who, after being run mad by racism, killed a white man and ate him. In a mock interview, Boatwright tells Max (acting as a reporter) that: "This world is an illusion, Mr. Reddick, but it can be real. I went prowling on the jungle side of the road where few people ever go because there are things there, crawling, slimy, terrible things that always remind us that down deep we are rotten, stinking beasts. Now, because of what I did, someone will work a little harder to improve the species." (page 53).
The book is filled with images such as this one that have both over and under tones that are frightening in their symbolic implications. This is deep, modern, intense writing. Fifty stars.
A MasterpieceReview Date: 2007-08-24
One Of The Best Books I've Read In A Great WhileReview Date: 2006-11-13
A warning of horrors to comeReview Date: 2006-02-09
After reading the book, however, I realized that Williams was fictionalizing the McCarran Act, which set up the very scheme the kid was worrying about.
That law is still on the books.
A great book I only recently discoveredReview Date: 2002-11-25
The story begins near the end as Max, who's dying of cancer, sits at an outdoor café in Amsterdam where he's come to investigate the mystery of the death of his friend, Harry Ames, "the father of black writers," a few days earlier in Paris. What he eventually discovers is mind-blowing.
Throughout the novel, Max opines on a multitude of subjects like: Marxism, African independence and African attitudes towards Americans, sexuality and interracial relationships (he works past some of his homophobia too), the different styles of reporters from 5 major NYC newspapers, the theory of the rich president and other political theories, the "lie" of Christmas ("the rich man's chance to dissipate the image of Scrooge"), American cars (with their "long, buttock-smooth lines"), existentialism, and Alban Berg's atonal opera, "Wozzeck" (whose climax, a child's scream, punctuates Max's argument with his woman). Max interprets bebop's message as, "we can not be contained," and modern jazz becomes the avatar of his literary aesthetic: "He wanted to do with the novel what Charlie Parker was doing to music -- tearing it up and remaking it; basing it on nasty, nasty blues and overlaying it with the deep overriding tragedy not of Dostoevsky, but an American who knew of consequences to come: Herman Melville, a super Confidence Man, a Benito Cereno saddened beyond death."

Great!Review Date: 2005-04-17
The best REALISTIC BSC bookReview Date: 1999-01-29
The best BSC Book EVER!!!!!!!!!Review Date: 1999-01-02
Readers have to say good-bye to Mallory PikeReview Date: 1998-12-10
Mallory's leaving. Can the BSC go on without her?Review Date: 1998-12-18
Collectible price: $10.00

Excellent!Review Date: 2008-12-03
book a must for kidsReview Date: 2008-01-23
A Favorite Book Since ChildhoodReview Date: 2007-11-09
I recently purchased this book for my niece and for the older children of two families who will be having a new addition. When I was asked to present a child's book to my class in middle school this was the book I chose.
THE MITTENReview Date: 2003-07-18
Rich with color and imaginationReview Date: 2004-10-13

A favorite in our houseReview Date: 2008-11-30
prefect for teaching preschoolers about bakingReview Date: 2008-10-12
great bookReview Date: 2008-07-08
Mr. Cookie Baker- our all time favorite!Review Date: 2003-02-28
An easy read - but, oh, so much to it!
Pizza at Sally's Delivers!Review Date: 2007-09-29
The illustrations, "colored copies of photos, labels, and other ephemera" pasted on gouache-prepared paper have a toy-like quality, as if your Lego decals leapt from signs and trains onto the pages.. Coupled the informal font, the look is a relaxed photo realism. The combination is much warmer than most of the computer-generated images I've seen. Photos of Sally's (she's the pizza maker) tomatoes complement shiny drawings of patterned green leaves, and tall background buildings with luminescent colored windowpanes hint at the urban setting. "Sally the pizza maker grows tomatoes in her community garden in the city." This is an exciting setting for non-city kids who have never seen a rooftop garden. Wallington also skillfully mixes farm scenes with their destination: The neighborhood stores where Sally buys her pizza ingredients. There's a beautiful, atmospheric picture of the cheese shop with giant company labels hanging from the wall, and Wallington adds an unexpected lower panel that shows us the cows grazing many miles from the cheese shop interior. It's a bold montage that works extremely well.
At 11:00 AM, Sally--with her ubiquitous cat smiling up at her--begins making pizza! It's homemade of course, "Cut, chop, stir, and simmer. There are good smells in the air. Sally makes her tomato sauce." Yeast, oil, salt, and flour start the pizza dough, and we see a mixture of foods and measuring devices on one 2-page spread. At this point, I began to ponder a very serious question: Does Sally belong to the "through the dough" school of pizza-making, or whether she disdains such dramatics? (These two methods are hotly debated wherever pizza is taken seriously.) Culinary merits aside, I was thrilled to see that Sally twirls the dough--"Whoosh"--up in the air. Finally, "everything is ready to put together." As she layers the ingredients (the cat with its paws on the counter), Wellington uses some artistic license to bend health code regulations), hungry kids wait with great anticipation.
And the verdict? The pizza certainly looks delicious, and you can almost smell it as Sally slides it into the fiery oven. However, Sally's customers are the best judges, and the youngsters grab slices and close their eyes in pizza ecstasy. When the shop closes at 9pm, the chalkboard says "Arrivederci," and Sally and her little feline helper relax and enjoy a slice together. A truly kid-pleasing book might include Sally's pizza recipe as an après-story treat, and, as with the entire book, Ms. Wellington does not disappoint. There's much to savor in this sensational book!

Used price: $4.45
Collectible price: $35.00

Book ReviewReview Date: 2005-08-03
My Life in FearReview Date: 2004-12-23
An excellent bookReview Date: 2004-11-28
A Must Read!Review Date: 2004-04-21
A must Read!Review Date: 2004-03-01
Used price: $0.22
Collectible price: $14.45

A sweet trip back in time!Review Date: 2008-07-12
AliceReview Date: 2008-05-09
Clever ABC BookReview Date: 2005-08-17
Great Older Readers, but Not an Ideal Alphabet BookReview Date: 2006-05-13
This is an entertaining book but not one that would be appropriate for a very young child. It would be more appropriate for children that are five years or older. On each page, there is a lot of activity. Not only are there two characters, a place, item being sold, and two animals, the illustrations also convey confusion or chaos. For example, the W page says, "W my name is Winifred and my husband's name is William. We come from Wales and we sell whistles. Winifred is a WOLF. William is a WEASEL." The illustration shows the wolf and weasel blowing whistles as seven other animals fly through the air and cover their ears. There is also a clock shattering and two signs with fine print. With so much commotion on each page, it would be difficult for a child to focus on the intended words that showcase the letter for that page.
Another reason this book would not be a good choice for a very young child is that Bayer frequently uses animals, names, and places that might be unfamiliar to the child. For instance, "C my name is Clara and my husband's name is Claude. We come from Calcutta and we sell cakes. Clara is a COW. Claude is a CONDOR." On this page, the author could have chosen more well-known names (Catherine or Carl), place (Cleveland or California), and animals (cat or cougar). However, the author does include notes at the back of the book about some of the less familiar creatures.
All of the reasons that this would not be a good book for a child just learning the alphabet are the reasons as to why it would be extremely fun and entertaining for any child or adult past that developmental stage. The unusual words can provide an instant vocabulary lesson. The illustrations help support the text by clarifying any words that would be unknown to the reader.
A My Name is AliceReview Date: 2005-09-24


Soooo sexy and romantic!Review Date: 2004-06-23
Higly sexy and beautifully written.Review Date: 2004-04-06
Very good.Review Date: 2004-07-08
Nicely done erotic novel.Review Date: 2004-06-16
I liked it.Review Date: 2004-06-28

Sweet writingReview Date: 2008-04-05
Cut-rate Mencken but still entertaining...Review Date: 2007-09-02
Liebling tries too hard to emulate H.L. Mencken's style, and he doesn't have the chops for it...but, at the same time, he knows how to describe the action inside the ring. (Not as well as Jack London, but well enough.) At all times, you sense the depth of his love for boxing.
Another reason to recommend this book is that Joyce Carol Oates thinks Liebling was a racist. (I know, I know...who the hell is Joyce Carol Oates?) If you read the book, you'll discover that he wasn't...and a few more things besides.
Rest In Peace;Floyd....Review Date: 2006-05-31
in the fifties)was voted the best sports book ever, by Sports Illustrated.The incredibly colorful characters Liebling focuses on would be hard to beat by any writer in any field,even if he may not have gotten all of it right.For example,he seems to actually get along with Rocky Marciano's manager,Al Weill,even though evidence elsewhere suggests that Rocky may have retired to get away from him.And I think he resorted to cliche in describing Irish Billy Graham as as "good as a fighter can be without being a hell of a fighter"(p.250);Graham is a Hall of Famer who was robbed in a welterweight title fight against Kid Gavilan-and my (Jewish) uncle idolized him.But Liebling,who wrote on "serious subjects" for 'The New Yorker'and was an award winning war reporter, attended the first fight ever held in Yankee Stadium in 1923-and remained optimistic about the future through the lens of boxing,concludes,"I reflected with satisfaction that old Ahab(Archie)Moore could have whipped all four principals on that card within 15 rounds,and that while (Jack)Dempsey may have been a great champion,he had less to beat than Marciano.I felt the satisfaction because it proved that the world isn't going backward,if you can just stay young enough to remember what it was rewally like when you were really young."
Great Stuff!Review Date: 2006-05-13
Boxing as cultureReview Date: 2006-03-18
The fighters themselves - Marciano, Moore, Sadler, Robinson, Patterson, Farr - come across less as legends and more as contemporary sportsmen. It seems incredible to me that once upon a time you could just buy a ticket and stroll into the Marciano-Moore fight! For me, that fight and many others was the stuff of mythology and yet Liebling succeeds in making it real and tangible.
Final note: anyone who after reading this feels an uncontrollable lust to acquire Pierce Egan's Boxiana volumes will be enthralled to know that there is a company in Canada, Nicol Island Publishing, who have published at least three of the total of five volumes. Unfortunately, Amazon does not seem to sell any of them.
Used price: $2.49
Collectible price: $18.50

Painting on Rocks for KidsReview Date: 2008-09-30
Creative Ideas and Simple Review Date: 2008-07-27
great ideas for working with my after school group. thanksReview Date: 2008-03-03
Painting on rocks for kidsReview Date: 2007-06-19
One of the best books we've ever bought!Review Date: 2007-01-09
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