I Books

This book is hysterical. Written in the format of notes going back and forth between Alex and his Mom regarding a pet iguana, you just may like it even more than your child (I think I do!) My five-year-old son loves the illustrations and I could read this one over and over without completely losing my mind.

My daughter picked this one. She liked the cover.

This is a fun book that with give both the reader and listener something to laugh.

Little Alex wants a baby iguana from his friend Stinky and writes a letter to his mother explaining why he needs it and has to have it to save it from the Stinky's dog Lurch. Mom writes back that Stinky's mom will not let that happen.

The exchange goes on as Alex tries all reasoning to get the iguana.

There are funny parts for parents such as one line about cleaning the cage "P.S. If you clean his cage as well as you clean your room, you're in trouble." I especially liked how Alex argued the iguana would allow him to have the brother he never had. He has one.

The artwork is very good.

This book is also a good reader book for new readers. My daughter read it in one sitting.

I purchased this book for my grandsons, I read it first and laughed through out. Then I gave it to them and they also thought it was funny. It's very entertaining, and written for adults and children.

This book is so wonderfully written by Karen Orloff that Alex is able to appeal to all ages, races and genders. If your child has ever asked for a pet you can identify with this book. The mother son relationship is how we all remember our grown and almost grown little boys starting out.

Karen Orloff and David Catrow have teamed up in this one to give us a very funny story of a little boy, Alex, who wants very, very much to have his own pet Iguana. The problem is...obviously, Mom! The entire book is consists of notes, or mini-letters, written between Alex and his mom. The little boy of course is pointing out the obvious advantages of having his own lizard in his room (in his eyes), and his mom counters each note with her own note pointing out the obvious disadvantages of having a reptile in the home..a reptile that can possibly grow to several feet long!. The unique exchange of letters is absolutely hilarious.

Each letter, both from Alex and from mom, is highlighted with some wonderful illustrations and pictures by David Catrow. They fit the text perfectly which makes this book quite easy to read to an individual child or to a group. Each letter allows the reader to open up discussion as to the arguments presented by both mom and Alex. It is fun to have the kids think of other reasons for both sides of the argument.

All in all, this is a fine little book and I do recommend you add it to your library. You certainly cannot go wrong with this one.

This book was a shock to me. It's not just a book of annotations, it's also a history of Ireland, literature, language, and nearly everything else Joyce decided to allude to in his masterpiece. I never would have guessed that just reading the annotations (without the source text) would make good reading, but that is certainly the case here. You do not by any means need this book to enjoy Ulysses, but it does give remarkable insight into the mind behind it

I am still digesting "Ulysses." I read it while walking around Dublin a few years ago. It was marvelous to trace the steps of Leopold and Molly, and to see what they "saw," but the novel remains a distant pleasure to the reader. I must admit it is not the most accessible book ever written, but it gets four stars for its intent ... and that it is better than "Finnegan's Wake." Be warned: This book is not for the casual reader. But this annotated edition makes it all worthwhile. You'll get genuine, comprehensible guidance. If you must read "Ulysses," this edition might be most helpful.

Gifford's book offers fascinating glosses and contextual annotations for Ulysses, but was not quite what I was looking for to help me with my first attempt at the book. The annotations are mostly disjoint explanations of specific allusions and references.

There are other guides to Ulysses that are better suited for the novice Joyce reader, helping the reader to keep track of the plot, the progress of the Odyssey and Hamlet corelations and explaining the shifts in style through the book. This kind of hand-holding may be unnecessary for more sophisticated readers, but for my first read, it was essential!

Just a heads up that this is NOT an annotated edition of Ulysses (as I mistakenly thought in purchasing)(duh). It is 600-some pages of notes only and does not include the text of the novel.

When I first tucked James Joyce's ULYSSES under my arm, Don Gifford's ULYSSES ANNOTATED was tucked under the other. (My biceps became very well developed because of this.) It took me an entire summer to read the books side by side but how worthwhile it was. Gifford's essential line by line, almost word by word, guidance made ULYSSES less overwhelming than if I had tried to tackle it alone. Once I got through ULYSSES the second time (the following spring) I was able to go to the more overarching analyses of Joyce's masterpiece. Stuart Gilbert's ULYSSES and Richard Ellmann's ULYSSES ON THE LIFFEY were particularly helpful.

I love this book. I read this book to my neice everytime she comes to visit. It has a wonderful moral to the story and kids are sure to really be engaged in the story everytime you read it!

My toddler son received this book as a gift for his first birthday. It came highly recommended from a teen friend who had treasured it as a childhood favorite. We weren't disappointed. I am not sure if it is the language, simple illustrations, or the premise but he never tires of It's Not Easy Being a Bunny. Not only do we recommend this book, we have already purchased it for other first birthday gifts. We give it an unequivocal A+ rating.

My little guy doesn't have any patience for books except for this one and "Put Me in the Zoo". We have to read this to him almost 4 times a day, and he can finish the ends of the sentences. It's so fun to see him enjoy books, and hopefully it will introduce him to other books too. I highly recommend this one. It's fun, helps with animal recognition, etc..

Now it's my daughter's (3 years old) favorite book.
I don't know how long it's going to last, but it's been at least 3 weeks that we read this book a couple of time every day.
She knows every word in it. And she loves the fun sounds I make( for Moose and to show the expression of P.J. when he tried to live with the skunks)
I don't know how deep she can understand it right now, but it's fun to read and our whole family enjoys it, bacause at least once a day my daughter asks everyone to listen to it.
I'm sure that it will be a nice book for early readers, because of the repetitive words.

This book is so funny -- as the name of the characters reveal, the Funnybunnies have loads of adventures to which every child can relate.

P.J. isn't happy with his looks. In fact, he despises his long ears and even rejects his cooked carrots at mealtime. He sets off to find his identity by trying out various families in the community. He isn't comfortable with the bears, the birds, the beavers, pigs, possums or moose. Ultimately, P.J. recognizes the merits of being a bunny after all.

This uplifting tale is easy for first readers because of its repetition. Younger siblings will enjoy the brilliant illustrations. Parents will love it for the ability to shout "Mooook" like a moose in the middle of the story.

I'm particularly fond of this book as it is the first book my daughter ever read in English (we are raising them bilingually in Germany).

Hats off to the Funnybunnies, and the author, Marilyn Sadler, who created them.

Christine Louise Hohlbaum, author of "Diary of a Mother" and "SAHM I Am: Tales of a Stay-at-Home Mom in Europe", lives near Munich with her husband and two children. www.diaryofamother.com

Jim Heid doesn't waste time about getting into doing things with the iLife suite. The DVD alone is worth the purchase price if you're a new or novice user. I use the iDVD portion of the DVD with beginning students to video editing. It's a no nonsence approach that keeps things moving.

As a typical instruction-manual-phobic kinda guy, this is a delight. The real clincher is the well-presented DVD tutorial, so I can sit back and learn on "autopilot".

...

This is the sort of guide that Apple should be shipping with every Mac.

...

It's November 2004 as I write this, and I'm surprised and a little distressed to see that this book is still selling fairly well.

Why distressed? Because this book is an older edition that covers the 2003 iLife product.

If you're using iLife '04, be sure to check out the new edition of my book/DVD, called -- amazingly enough -- "The Macintosh iLife '04." Every page has been updated for iLife '04, and the DVD is completely new, too.

Of course, if you're still using the original iLife suite -- or if you want the older DVD, which contains material not present in the '04 edition -- this is the book/DVD for you.

I have decided to review "The Macintosh iLife" by Jim Heid
in addition to the iMovie 3 Visual QuickStart Guide. This book, also distributed through Peach Pit Press, takes a more visual approach to teaching you how to use
iMovie 3 (along with the iPod, iTunes 3, iDVD 2, and iPhoto 2). When I
say visual I don't really mean pictures in the book. The book includes
a feature-length DVD (broken up into digestible parts) literally
showing you how to do the things that are written in the book.

Heid is a quality presenter both in writing and demonstration. It'd be
VERY difficult to watch this DVD and not learn how to do some pretty
sophisticated things. The pace of the DVD is well-suited to the novice
user, but not tedious for those with experience. The book on it own is
a decent reference for each of the products covered, but used as a
follow-up reference to having watched the DVD, it is a powerful
instrument making it easy to recall what you've seen without having to
actually load the DVD back into a player.

While Heid's book focuses more on the most-commonly used features, it
makes up for any gap (say, between it and the iMovie 3 VQSG) by
covering the whole suite of iLife programs rather than just one. Even
if you have the new version of iLife '04 (like I do), you can still
benefit from this book because the material in it is geared toward
utilizing functions that will exist in the new versions too. Even if
the interface has changed a little, I did not find that it was
difficult to follow anything that Heid demonstrated. Unless he
specifically updates this book (and DVD) to match iLife '04, I can do
no less than highly recommend it to all iLife users.

This book/DVD combo is simply superb. I am not technically gifted -- though I'm the son of a rocket scientist! -- but I am totally geeking out. Jim Heid is a master instructor with an utterly uncanny knack for speaking to exactly the point that you want him to address next. His sense of sequence is flawless! Apple has done a stunning job of creating an awesomely powerful, yet completely accessible, package in iLife. I'm already importing tunes, burning custom CDs and running out to buy a digital camera. I am even considering personally creating instructional DVDs for my Los Angeles based media training firm. That, in itself, is a minor miracle. I used to concede everything to IT experts; now I'm not so sure! I think Jim Heid's book -- along with David Pogue's Missing Manual series -- ought to be standard issue with any Mac.
The Mac, in my obviously biased opinion, is the most elegantly intuitive computer on earth. Equally so is this book and DVD combination. You'll be amazed at how quickly you assimilate information and navigate with growing confidence. My only criticism of this set is that I wish there was more. To that end, I plan to check out what else is available from Peachpit Press and Avondale Media (they collaberated on this combo). Well, folks, I hope I've made myself clear: The Macintosh iLife book and DVD are as good as it gets. If you've been on the wrong side of the digital divide, and if you're now ready to advance exponentially in your multimedia skills, then you simply can't go wrong with this purchase. Buy it!

I first read these books when they were originally published in 1983, I believe. I remember the frustration of waiting for each new installment to come out. Then I would devour the book in about a day, and begin the equally frustrating wait for the next issue. Imagine my delight to finally find copies of the entire series again! These books are a treasure! Of course, everything Michael McDowell wrote was special, and it is our great loss that he is no longer with us. I plan to buy several copies of ALL of his books, to make sure I always have a replacement when one wears out from being read over and over and over again. These are quite a find!!!

I had to reiterate what the others who reviewed this series have stated. This is one of the best, if not the best, serial novels I've ever read. It's well written, scary, and fascinating. Well worth the time and you'll read it quickly. In regards to the person who asked about the 6 books being published as one, it was already done. I found the book in hard cover (2 volumes) at a yard sale and of course bought it immediately. I've never seen it in hardcover since, but am glad that I have it. My whole family passes around this story every year for a re-reading. If you want a good read, then pick up the Blackwater series. You won't be disappointed. If anyone finds it on audiobook, let me know. Michael McDowell has definitely left behind a story that will live on through those of us who love it and will recommend it to anyone who will listen. Thanks.

Is this series flawed? Sure. You can't crank 'em out like MM did and not miss some problems. Still, there is much here to enjoy. McDowell's creation is very evocative of the part of Alabama he writes about (I used to live there), and his characters avoid for the most part becoming the one-dimensional "types" so typical of popular fiction.

The characters are all engagingly drawn, quite distinctly individual without clunky self-conscious quirks nailed to them and dragged around the room like you will often find in precious contemporary literary fiction. The characters sometime come off as movie characters, but no more than, say, a John Updike character does, or a Bellow character. They are graceful, cruel, funny, ambiguous, dramatic. We finish the series not know quite how to regard Elinor Caskey, the amphibious Lovecraftian creature that crawls out of the floodwaters and insinuates herself into the Caskey clan. At best, she amoral.

McDowell's prose is a treat to read. He is precise and elegant, a far better craftsman than most if not all of his better-known contemporaries.

In short, this series is a real treat. I read it when it first came out in the early 80's, 25 years ago. I remembered very little, except for a single image, really--the image that occurs near the beginning of the first volume when the preacher woman stumbles upon Elinor soaking in a pool of water--in her froglike state. I loved rediscovering this series.

'The Flood', the first installment of Michael McDowell's Blackwater series, introduces us to 1919 Perdido, Alabama. Yes, a flood wipes out the town. But in its aftermath a mysterious woman appears who befriends the town's most prosperous family. As the narrative unfolds it becomes clear 'The Flood' is actually a southern gothic novel, along the lines of Anne Rice novels.

The best thing about 'The Flood' is how it captures the feel of early twentieth century Alabama. Not sentimental but rather balanced. I also think the author does an excellent job with the characterizations. However in truth the story itself is, well, slow. Never boring, just a slow yet deliberate meandering.


Bottom line: a short novel which begs the reader to buy the next installment in the series, which I did. Recommended.

Reading all these reviews of Michael McDowell's "Blackwater" series on Amazon really was a revelation. I thought I was the only one who loved these books! Now I hear that the Sci-Fi Channel is going to produce a four-hour mini-series based on it and I have to say...it's about time! I don't think four hours can do it justice, though when you consider that "Gone With The Wind" runs under four hours, maybe it'll be great. More importantly, this masterpiece of horror will reach a much wider audience... maybe even to the point of Avon re-releasing the whole series as one large paperback, like Stephen King's "The Green Mile."
One aspect of the story that I love is the duality of the main character, Elinor. Is she good or evil? Monster or angel? The reader feels conficting (and changing) emotions regarding her throughout the story, right to the very end, thanks to the brilliance of Mr. McDowell's writing. That schizophrenia is evident also in the style of the prose; Most often it is languid and lazy, in slow motion, reflective of life as perceived in the Old South. But whenever the horror starts, the paragraphs get longer, the prose gets more acute, and the images evoked are burned into your mind...often unpleasantly so. Then it slows down again, to disarm you until the next time.
I read in one review that the late Michael McDowell referred to himself as a 'hack' writer of pulp horror. Mr. McDowell, where ever you are, please regard these reviews at Amazon, note the five-star average rating (higher than many 'classic' novels), and know that "Blackwater" is etched in our memories, even after twenty years.

The pouty look on the author's face on the cover of the book should be enough for anyone to know exactly how the book will read.
As a current Hodgkin's patient, I was highly disappointed in Only When I Sleep. I kept reading it only because I wanted to be able to write a review here to counter those that convinced me I should buy the book. I am experiencing how personally devastating cancer can be, however, I am ashamed (and a little bit angry) that people might think that all cancer patients behave like spoiled children, moping around in search of pity and verbally abusing those who love them.
There are certain emotions and ideas about cancer which the author writes about that I do agree with; however, it's mind-boggling why someone would want to actually put their selfish and immature behavior on display like this. Shaw-Brawley wasn't happy unless everyone was coddling her; she had to see everyone cry over her before she was happy. Her poor parents and husband deserve some kind of award for putting up with her--they were probably exhausted by the time her treatments were over. I agree that families experience cancer right along with the patient--there's no denying that--but none should have to suffer like Shaw-Brawley's.
I don't doubt that keeping a journal throughout her ordeal was beneficial and cathartic to Shaw-Brawley, it was not something I feel she should share with the world. In no way am I saying that what she was feeling was wrong or that she should have kept it bottled up...it just wasn't worth publishing. Journals are meant for personal reflection and should be kept in a box in the back of the closet.
I gave the book two stars only because it must have took some kind of gumption to show this side of herself in a book. Do yourself a favor and don't buy this book...neither the writing or the editing is that good anyway.

Lisa is a brave and intelligent person. The words she writes of her cancer experience are from inside her soul, they are real. She dares to speak of her fear. You can hear her fear and her courage to fight fear. She insists on explaining this life changing event. She describes cancer's potential and how paraylzing an experience can be. I myself am a (2) time Hodgkins Disease survivor. I can relate to Lisa in many, many ways. The title, "Only When I Sleep," says it all. I strongly encourage anyone to read this book to hear words of a cancer experience and the meaning of a cancer survivor. Those who have experienced cancer and read this book will applaud Lisa for her strength to overcome adversity and commend her for not letting her experience go unnoticed. That yes, Cancer is life changing, it will try to take you down, but for many not without a fight. With a loving support system, you can overcome.
Thanks Lisa, and happy healthy - life to you and yours.
Patti Nowak

This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.

This is a wonderful book. It will make you cry, but will also bring joy to your heart and a smile to your face. It makes you realize the "choices" Lisa and her family had to make to survive where very hard for her and her family. You will admire her strength, courage, and her determination to beat this. You see first hand how it effects everyone in her family. How the love of her husband, parents, family members and friends are unconditional. It shows us how the small things we all take for granted can be taken away from us in seconds and our world can be turned upside down. How Lisa never gave up and if you "believe" anything is possible.

I highly recommend this book to everyone, not just those dealing with cancer. There is a "lesson" for everyone to learn from Lisa's experience. It's a WONDERFUL story of love, courage, faith and determination of a young woman who is fighting to survive cancer.

Only When I Sleep: My Family's Journey Through Cancer is an intensely personal, candid, and compelling account of then 24-year-old Lisa Shaw-Brawley's battle to overcome Hodgkin's disease and give birth to a child. This superbly written and presented biographical account is an inspiring testament to the human spirit in overcoming adversity and striving for a dream against all the odds. Highly recommended reading.

After seeing the History Channel special on Wake Island, I just had to have more, and this book fit the bill. The Alamo of the Pacific, how true that was. Well researched and written, and a nice hefty work to boot. It is hard to believe that you can find them for under $1. Be sure and go for the hardback edition, as you'll want this one to be a keeper.

How often do you read a history book that's so engrossing you hate to set it down? Only as an exception, and this book is exceptional. The background is so well established that you'll feel like an island resident yourself by the time that first wave of bombers hit. The occasional humor further lends itself to making the book multi-dimensional and realizing the normality of the civilians and servicemen who became Wake heroes. I was also touched by some attention being paid to what a person's first taste of combat is like. 'It's okay to shoot at these guys, right? To actually try and kill them, right?'

It's just an amazing account. Read it - you'll think you lived through the whole thing.

To put it simply, Pacific Alamo: The Battle for Wake Island by John Wukovits is an excellent addition to any library. This well written book is thoroughly researched and filled with first hand accounts of this struggle during the opening days of the war in the pacific.

After the successful Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines the American people were in shock. Much of the American Pacific fleet was damaged or resting on the bottom at Pearl. Macarthur's command in the Philippines was in retreat and Pacific skies were dominated by pilots of the Imperial Japanese Navy. The Armies and Navies of the United States and Great Britain, were being driven back by what was considered by many, an invincible war machine. The Japanese were riding a wave of victories and America was preparing for the possible invasion of Hawaii or the west coast, with little left to defend either. Moral was low and the American people needed hope.

Wake Island, a tiny atoll half way between Japan and Hawaii, unprepared and manned by civilian contractors and a small force of marine, navy, and army personnel was about to enter the annals of history

I thoroughly enjoyed John Wukovits publication concerning the battle for Wake Island and the post battle information concerning the soldiers and civilians on Wake. One of the best insights into the conflict focused on the propaganda variable used by the United States to rally a nation. Another important trait is the focus on excellent and exciting detail concerning the battles on the island.

The Admiral who left these guys to surrender really did the military a diservice and I felt like a U.S. reinforcement and resupply would have ultimately held off the Japanese. The courage of those who fought at Wake is definitely captured by the author in "The Battle for Wake Island." The Marines and naval aviators were defenitely inspiring with their heroic defense.

It was also an interesting study of life in the prison camps, with wonderful first hand accounts. The Marines in the Pacific accomplished some heroic feats and it all started at Wake Island. If you decide to read this book you will be blessed to learn about some great American heroes. The civilian factor on the island and some of their heroic feats also adds more interest into this incredible account of combat and survival. The book also does a good job in telling the story of the Japanese as conquerers and then being conquered by a mightier moral/military allied nation.

An excellent and recent recounting of the struggles faced by a hopefully never forgotten saga in both American and Marine Corps history.
John Wukovits provides the reader with an assembly of perspectives from the defenders on Wake, the American WWII home front, and the Japanese attackers stitched together with the recent (2002) accounts of the surviving defenders themselves.
Wukovits `s addition to the Wake Island literary anthology is a gripping study of the atoll's most historic moments. The story follows selected men, not just Marines, from their stateside civilian lives to their enlistments or private construction contract jobs on Wake.
Every tale of Wukovits's interviewees will hopefully make the reader value the many freedoms we take for granted.
The book is a fair and noble salute to the men, all the men, who faced off with the Imperial Japanese Navy to lift the United States out of its Pearl Harbor gloom.
REVIEW EVERY BOOK YOU READ-AUTHORS DESERVE YOUR OPINIONS TOO!

My daughter had been struggling to read more fluently so I got the Bob Book Series for her & it was such a struggle to get her to want to read them. A teacher working in a bookstore recommended this series & it was amazing how excited she was to read to me every night. We quickly went thru the Prereader & Level 1 & 2 & now I am waiting for the level 3 books to arrive. They are funny & the illustrations are nice & colorful. Loves putting the stickers on when she has finished the story. They made a big difference in her confidence & she can't wait to read them. Highly recommeded as a confidence builder!!

Before we got these books we tried a lot of the ready to read paper backs that were Dora, Barbie and other topics. My 6 year old daughter would get frustrated since there wasn't enough repetition for her to help her internalize the phonics behind the words she was reading. The 'Now I'm Reading' series have been the best set we've found. The pictures are light years better than the Bob series. My daughter loves to read now. Tonight she asked if she could read all 10 in one of the sets. If you read the books in order, they'll build their skills in progression learning short vowels 1st and long vowels 2nd. She also likes getting the stickers to show that she is reading them. I really like the parent guide and questions at the end of each book. It helped me understand how to help her read beyond just listening or reading to her. My only complaint is that it was hard to tell how many sets there are at each level.

This was a great way for my five year old in helping him read. He was so excited about learning how to read on his own and getting stickers for completing each book. I love these books and am planning to but levels 2 & 3.

I highly recommend these books by Nora Gaydos for parents who are teaching their child to read at home. My son has known the sounds of all the letters and has been able to sound out three and four letter words with short vowel sounds since he was three. I thought he would be an early reader, but at age 5 now he has not liked any books we have tried as beginning readers until now. He became so bored with the Bob Books, McGuffey's primer, Step into Reading books, etc... that he started pretending he didn't know the sounds anymore. He still loved me to read to him, though, but he would not try to read by himself.

Then I ordered these books a few days ago and amazingly, he was so intrigued by the illustrations, he sat down and read three of them straight through to me. He has never been a fan of stickers, but for some reason, the incentive to place a sticker inside each book when you finish reading it really has appealed to him. We got the Animal Antics and the Playful Pals sets two days ago and he has already read five of the books three times each by himself! I am so amazed and excited that he is happy about reading again.

These books are very well done. They follow a good phonics program, with funny stories that actually make sense. The illustrations are superb and really get the child interested in what is happening in the story. I wish I could give these more than five stars! I also recommend the other Level 1 books called Animal Antics. The books are a little bigger but the stories are different and continue in the same vein as these Playful Pals. Both sets contain 10 readers each. You could do the first five of each set first, which are easier, and then the second five of each set. Happy Reading!

my son now six has known his letter sounds since he was four and just would not be willing to sit down and read even the simpliest of books to me, and I have a lot of emergent readers and leveled readers. This was the set That did it for us. He begs to read these books, he thinks they are so funny and they are wrote in a way that works for him. These books really concentrate on phonics and not very much on sight words, so be prepared to back up this set with books that use more sight words, like "go dog Go" and "Are you my mother" from DR. Suess.
If your child is resisting reading this set just might do it for you. 10 pages per book with a couple words to start and building onto the sentence with each page, encourages child to sound out a new word or two each page, but uses lots of familiar words from the previous page to help the child stay motivated and unlike other phonics readers these stories make sense and are fun to read.

This set focuses on consenant blends and is the second in the set of level one books about animals, the other level one set uses mostly 3 letter words, while this one has a larger variety of four letter words, but still using short vowel sounds. Words like: splat and flat.

The level 2 set works on long vowel sounds
and the level 3 set continues to add new letter combinations.

I've been studying the life of Lawrence nearly all of my own 50 years, since I was thirteen. I've read and reread all I could find about him, especially his own Seven Pillars of Wisdom. How refreshing it was to read Professor Mack's excellent book which covers so much more than I'd ever found before and with surprisingly brilliant insight. A fresh look at this enigmatic figure with modern eyes and a richer understanding. A great read.

I have now read several books both on T.E. Lawrence, the Middle East, World War I and English governmental history. This is by far the best biography on T.E. Lawrence and the situation in the Middle East that I have read. John Mack did an outstanding job of researching Lawrence for this book. One of the most interesting sections of the book was reading the endnotes. They provide even more information about Mack's research as well as to clarify some previous misstatements about Lawrence.

Although Lawrence suffered greatly from depression and other disorders he was a truly great man. That he was able to be an outstanding friend to so many people while enduring personal suffering is amazing. John Mack portrays Lawrence in an honest light which actually makes Lawrence and his achievements all the more spectacular because of his personal struggles.

John Mack's biography shows us that great people are not perfect nor does their greatness make them happy. He also shows that people who, if truth were know, live outside of societies norms can do world changing things and be loved by society. Lawrence seemed to have been very accepting of all people, other than himself.

To call Lawrence's life tragic in some way diminishes his accomplishments. Was Lawrence a great man because of his problems or in spite of his problems? I think that Lawrence was capable of being a legend because of his problems. The psychological struggles he endured were who he was. Society is so quick to discount a person because of psychological problems, whether they are great people or not. If society were honest with itself, it would realize that everyone has some problem or other. Some, as Lawrence was, are open (relatively) and honest about their problems while most choose to act as if they don't exist.

Winston Churchill, a contemporary of Lawrence's, also suffered greatly from depression and probably some other things as well. Churchill was also hero and a legend and was largely responsible for keeping the world free from Nazi Germany when few noticed the threat or appropriately dealt with it.

It appears to me, that the greater the leader and the more astounding his or her abilities, the more "different" they are from what society believes is normal. A good thought to ponder.

John Mack does an excellent job of providing a well-documented biography of T.E. Lawrence as well as an outline of his psychological makeup. Mack does not claim to understand Lawrence or to explain every behavior. I had expected to read more of a detailed psychological report and was, at first, a bit disappointed. However, the longer I read the more apparent it was that Mack was portraying Lawrence's personality through an accurate telling of his story rather than trying to lecture on "who Lawrence really was" and "why he did everything he did". John Mack also did not fall into the overly Freudian theory that Lawrence did everything because of sex. Sex obviously played a role in his psychology but did not appear to be the overriding theme.

For years, I have studied the life and works of T. E. Lawrence. My research has lead me across the pages of hundreds of books including his own Seven Pillars of Wisdom, but the best biography and analysis of Lawrence I have yet encountered is A Prince of Our Disorder.

Dr. Mack's thorough examination and explanation of the effect of Lawrence's childhood on his adult life and mentality is brilliant. Instead of merely stating his opinions, he touches on those of other biographers as well and then proceeds to state how and why he feels they are accurate or inaccurate, providing quotes from military reports, other Lawrence books, interviews with Lawrence's relatives and friends, and Seven Pillars of Wisdom.

If you read A Prince of Our Disorder, I can almost 100% gaurantee that you will have a better understanding of Lawrence's personal role in the Hejaz Campaign and the lasting effects of his experiences in Arabia on him physically and psychologically. Thankfully, it is beautifully written, and not at all confusing.

From the moment Mack "introduces" you to Lawrence you will have a desire to learn more about him, and as Mack walks you through his troubled life, you will feel pity and awe for this untouchable man.

I think that A Prince of Our Disorder clarifies the line between the legend of the indestructable, hero-Lawrence and the lost, soul-searching man Lawrence really was.

Dr. John Mack's study of Lawrence is one of the most absorbing reads I've ever enjoyed in my lifetime. As Irving Howe wrote, "What finally draws one to Lawrence, making him not merely an exceptional figure, but a representative man of our century, is his courage and vulnerability in bearing the burden of consciousness." The impact that the trial by fire in Arabia appears to have had on his post-war life is shocking, and teaches us once again not to envy our great heroes. Lawrence wrote of General Allenby that great men cannot be judged by ordinary standards, anymore than the sharpness of the bow of an ocean liner can be judged by the sharpness of a razor. After reading "A Prince of Our Disorder," I recognize now that Lawrence was probably thinking of himself while writing those kind words about his former master, asking that he not be be judged by his hidden afflictions, torments, and self-doubts, all the while laying out those same imperfections for all the world to read. Lawrence warned us,"The documents are liars ... No man ever yet tried to write down the entire truth of any action in which he has been engaged." No man is truly capable of understanding his own subconscious motivations, but I doubt that anyone has ever struggled harder than Lawrence to achieve self-understanding. We will have to try to read between the lines, learn what we can, and apply that knowledge to enrich our own poor lives.

So sad for all of us that our leaders are not of the same introspective type. Dr. Mack comments in his introduction that "The destructive leader, and the eagerness of a large segment of the population to identify with him, comprise one of the central threats -- if not the greatest threat -- that faces human society. There is perhaps an increasing unwillingness to entrust our well-being and our lives to individuals and characters we do not understand and whose ultimate purposes we are ignorant of." Let's hope so.

Jeremy Wilson's massive biography "Lawrence of Arabia" may better satisfy military readers interested in extensive contemporary document citations, and includes much more detail on Lawrence's Cairo years. Wilson also has a better set of photographs. The 1922 Oxford full text of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," edited by Jeremy and Nicole Wilson and available from Castle Hill Press in the UK, is most highly recommended to all who find "T.E.L." fascinating.

While searching for literature on the man in the movie `Lawrence of Arabia', otherwise unknown to me other than knowing him as the brother of D.H. Lawrence, I stumbled across this most authoritative biography on the man who David Lean so magnificently portrayed in his film. He is one of the men who could be placed in par with other great leaders of Britain during the early part of the 20th century.

While Lawrence's autobiography, `Seven Pillars of Wisdom' gives gory picture of his life in the desert and his adventurous war campaigns, Mack's book gives more insight into the man's psyche just as Judith Brown did on Gandhi in her book `Gandhi - A Prisoner of hope'. His many questionable traits (exhibitionism, homosexual tendancies, overemphasis of his achievements) are wonderfully analyzed with information gleaned from tons of historical materials. While the west looked at him as a great war commander (though some question his contributions during the great desert wars), the east, even the people who worked with him, do not consider him as a man who helped Arabs gain their freedom from Turks other than agreeing to the fact that he helped king Faisel in wars.

Lawrence's genius is considered twined with his behavioral disorder, a not so common association among people who have schizophrenic symptoms except may be for rare cases of autistic geniuses like Peter Guthrie (not the Scottish mathematician but a not so well-known artist). There have been debates during his later years as whether Lawrence was in fact an autistic. At any rate, as reflected in one of his most famous quotes, he was a `dangerous' daydreamer who dreamt with open eyes and made things happen unlike night dreamers who dream in their dusty recesses of their minds only to wake up in the morning to see they are vain.

T.E. Lawrence's life and his untimely death (by motorbike accident) left us with lot of questions as who was he and what was he doing in the middle east and what made him to completely depart from the politics of middle east and lead a secluded life of 23 years in the Royal Air Force (not forgetting his contributions to the invention of new types of speed boats). His appearances in Arab's traditional attire in Versailles during 1919 Paris Peace Conference with the King Faisel and with other western dignitaries draw a stark similarity with Gandhi's appearance in loin cloth and shawl during the Round Table Conference at London. Though Faisal trusted him as his benevolent, he did not entrust Lawrence completely as he always thought him as a British spy.

I would suggest anyone who is inquisitive of T.E. Lawrence, also see David Lean's much acclaimed epic motion picture `Lawrence of Arabia'. If the movie `Lawrence of Arabia' captivated me, Mack's biography enthralled me with its abundance of well researched information. As with any other great men, Lawrence's life also is worth researching into. And these biographers are the ones who make legends live and help sustain the new generations' interest on these great people. A great biographical work!

Mere coincidence or not, John E. Mack died of a car accident in New York in 2004.

If you're looking to learn SEE (Signing Exact English) then go no further. This book really has it all. A better way of signing then ASL in my own opinion because this teaches all the proper uses of the language, and in turn shows in writing and such. Good sized images for each of the signs.

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This is a great signing book for adults. some of the actions are a little tough even for me to be sure on. But gives you pretty much everything you need.

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