River Phoenix Books

When you want to find out where some of the most interesting ideas on the planet came from, this book will help you out. I didn't agree with everything I read in it, but I still loved it. What a great overview of some of the most original thinking of our time.

I first encountered this book as a textbook for a class taught by Dr. H.P. French at Monroe Community College in Rochester, NY. He used the book for a history class entitled "History of Reincarnation". The class was a combination of history, comparative religion, and philosophical thought and it was positively fascinating. I have re-read this book many times over the years, and I refer to it frequently. Whether you believe in reincarnation or not, I think this is essential reading on the subject and it will help you to understand the various perspectives on the idea of rebirth after death. The authors cover everything from Zoroastrianism to Hinduism to modern Western thought on the subject. This will be a wonderful addition to your library.

This is not just a book..it's an experience that takes the reader on an incredible journey through time and history..and beyond! It's about humankind and its fantastic, diverse spiritual development through the ages, but at the same time also about each and every one of us personally, whoever and wherever we may be.
The writing is so clear, the content so spell-binding and the consequences so mind-boggling I was profoundly immersed in it for weeks.
Sorry Amazon, this one I'll keep forever..to start re-reading soon!

The Rise Of The Phoenix is an impressive and engaging debut novel by Dawn Rivers Baker about the impending fate of an Empire, the dark force that menaces it, and the Prophecy surrounding two fraternal twins caught in the twists and machinations of grand schemes. A transcendent and splendor-filled work of high fantasy, The Rise Of The Phoenix is vividly descriptive and complexly woven, filled with intrigue throughout, and enthusiastically recommended reading.

The Rise of the Phoenix
By Dawn Rivers Baker

Fine can describe a number of things. There are fine wines, fine chocolates and fine china, all treasures characterized by elegance and refinement. Fine constitutes a work of superior quality and skill: something free from impurities. An article of fine craftsmanship, then, is one exhibiting a careful and delicate artistry: an end product rendered with both subtlety and precision.

Before I read Rise of the Phoenix by Dawn Rivers Baker, fine would not have been a term I readily assigned to literature. Oh, yes, indeed to Shakespeare, to Kahlil Gibran, but never before to a modern work of fantasy.

To my mind, rising to the level of fine requires a work of literature to be a luxury: a work so delicious that I want to savor it alone in the quiet evening hours after the children have gone to bed. I crave the time, the space, the privacy to leisurely float through it as though swimming in a sea of liquid pearls ... naked. A fine work is one I could never settle for reading once. What's more, it is one that begs to be read aloud at times, just for the sheer pleasure of tasting the well-turned phrase as it lolls across the palate.

In this, and more, Rise of the Phoenix delivers.

But the satisfaction of Phoenix runs far deeper than its poetic constructs. It is an engaging tale of memorable characters struggling against the ultimate dark force of their world, an evil powerful enough to blind the mind and impel good people to heinous acts and indifference. In that, the dark force of Baker's universe is frighteningly real.

Meet Lady Dia of Shae, a young noble of intelligence, independence, culture and subtle rebel leanings, who embarks on her first journey to Ormaerand, seat of the Imperial Palace, in an attempt to re-establish her mind link with her twin brother, Daerus. It would seem, since Daerus's own departure for the Imperial Palace, the link that Dia had enjoyed with him since birth has been inexplicably dimmed, shadowed over by something she cannot comprehend. He has called to her, and only by seeking him out and discerning his situation can she hope to set aright whatever it is that has come between her and her beloved twin.

It is a dangerous and vulnerable time in which Dia travels, a time between ages in a world where ages are marked by the rise and fall of the Phoenix. He is the keeper of time and central to a religion that has fallen from favor with most of the other Houses, save that of Shae. Until the Phoenix rises once again, time is practically at a stand still. Days have become years. A year of frigid darkness has ended as Dia makes her way through a new dawn toward Ormaerand. It is a dawn that will slowly yield to months of relentless sun that will bake the earth dry.

At the Palace, Dia encounters pivotal characters in the persons of Caelon of Aerandos and his parents, whose warm relationships and interplay are delightfully penned by Baker. But almost as soon as she arrives, Dia is besieged by the same darkness threatening to sweep her brother from reach. She discovers that only one grace tethers her to the ability to remain self-possessed: the touch of Caelon's hand.

Without understanding, Dia nevertheless clings to this realization and quickly forges a courtly arrangement with Caelon (replete with playful underpinnings) wherein he is to take her hand in greeting whenever they should meet. His comprehension no clearer than hers, he happily obliges. She does not immediately confide in him that, for some reason, his touch is imbued with the power to clear her mind of the evil fog that threatens to overtake her daily, and the more insistently so the longer she remains in the Palace.

The Rise of the Phoenix is the tale of this couple's coming to understand the roles they are playing in a larger arena: the stage upon which good and evil do ultimate battle. It is at once an adventure, a romance, and a work of high fantasy peopled with richly drawn characters and neatly packaged in the flourish of Dawn Rivers Baker's riveting voice.

The Rise of the Phoenix is a rare find, a work too good to place upon a shelf. Now that I have relished it, it remains by my desk where I sneak a tidbit whenever I hunger for something beyond the meat-and-potato realm of most reading. After all, Hershey's chocolate bars are unstintingly shared with the masses, but a Godiva Chocolate is a jealously guarded treat. So go ahead. Indulge yourself. Read The Rise of the Phoenix and taste the difference.

The scope of this work is astonishing. Originally published in 13 volumes, Parkman's magnum opus is here distilled to a mere 800 pages.

Beginning with Cartier's forays into the Canadian wilderness, Parkman recounts the gradual European settlement of the continent. Along the way, the giants of pre-1776 North America -- Champlain, Brebeuf, La Salle, Amherst, Montcalm, Wolfe and the powerful nations of the Iroquois -- are presented in all their humanity, by turns heroic and flawed. Throughout, Parkman's style is highly readable and entertaining.

Especially wonderful are his occasional lapses into the high-toned style of the late 19th century. The reader is invited to "embark in the canoe of some Montagnais Indian" and cross the St Lawrence to Quebec, to climb the cliffs and, "pausing for breath," behold the tenants of this wilderness outpost in 1635: "a soldier of the fort; an officer in slouched hat and plume; a party of indians; a trader from the upper country, one of the precursors of that hardy race of coureurs de bois;" -- and of course, a Black Robed Jesuit -- none other than Father Le Jeune himself -- the vanguard of European exploration into the interior.

By contrast, the reader is invited to become indignant -- as the colonists were -- at the latter half of the reign of George II, "the unwashed and unsavory England of Hogarth, Fielding, Smollett, and Sterne; of Tom Jones, Squire Western, Lady Bellaston, and Parson Adams; of 'Rake's Progress' and 'Marriage a la Mode'; of lords and ladies who yet live in the undying gossip of Horace Walpole, be-powdered, be-patched and be-rouged, flirting at masked balls, playing cards till daylight, retailing scandal, and exchanging double meanings." Great stuff.

Throughout, you'll get plenty of history and plenty of Parkman, with all that entails. I've seldom enjoyed reading so much as with this book, and I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in the subject matter.

CAVEAT: This book was written over 100 years ago. That means there is no new historicism, no Marxist theory, no psychoanalytic criticism, no semiotics, no neoformalism (or, for that matter, plain old formalism), no structuralism or post-structualism, no analysis of perceptual processes, no modes of discourse or discourse on modes. So beware.

Detailed and focussed on the Volga countryside of Russia, 1917-.
If Trotsky and Lenin suceeded in mounting a succesful revolution, why did they succeed in overcoming all opposition and securing the Soviet State?
Through a detailed analysis of the tensions and pressures that ensue. A little narrow in focus for the first-time reader, it would be difficult to get hold of the fdetails firmly. The general reader in depth should try instead People's Tragedy by the same author. This retains the same readabilityy, but you need to be able to place in context some of the developments in the village and their correspondence with events in the Civil War to get all you can out of it.

Something most British BA students of history will want by them when writing essays to give unreproachable quotable stuff, and MA students in the area will want to have opinions upon.

This book is extremely recommended. Not only does it start at conception of Phoenix, go to his death at age 23, but it goes beyond that. From the funeral to the way the world views his legacy now. It has a section that list River's quotations. I was surprised at how humorous he was. He was very intelligent, and this book proves that to you. Get this one today! You won't be sorry!

I'm glad I purchased this book- I held off for a long time because I did think it was a bit pricey but after reading it I'm glad I did. This book is so informative on River and this life- it was hard for me not to be angry at the end of the book when it goes into his death. Highly recommended.

The "truth" that unfolds in this book is nothing more than propaganda (from family and friends) masquerading as truth. After reading this you would think River was a Sage or even a Saint. Drugs destroyed his life; not Hollywood. There are many sensitive souls in Hollywood who manage quite well without polluting and killing them selves with a lethal cocktail of illict drugs. Sad thing is Generation X doesn't want to take any accountability for their poor decisions. Everybody else is at fault.
River Phoenix's brother (Joaquin) who had the same whacked out parents and unstable childhood hasn't destroyed his life with drug addiction. The fact is when you make bad choices you have no one to blame but yourself. The guy had it all and he blew it...big time. In the end he deceived quite a few people; including himself. Like Icarus he flew too high and plunged to his death. Another life annihilated by Hubris...

This book is a MUST for all River fans. I had spent hours reading about him already before the book was available and I thought, I knew him well. I was definitelly wrong. This book is so full of amazing and detailed facts and background information on River's Life that I could hardly believe it. Barry C. Lawrence really did incredible research and put it together in an extremely interesting and well-illustrated book. I just love it.

An excellent presentation of the life, fanily, friends, beliefs and unfortunate tragedy of an amazing human being.

I would highly recommend "In Search of River Phoenix" for anyone wanting to gain insight into River's life and work. Barry Lawrence's book far surpasses the existing biographies out there because of his tireless efforts to get to the truth and squash the rumors. In this biography, River's story is told by his friends, family members, co-workers and there are even some touching rememberances from people who only met him once. River had his flaws, as we all do. However Mr. Lawrence's book brings out all the elements to River's personality, not in a gossipy, tabloid way , but in a respectful, insightful way. The reader gets a good sense about who River was from those who knew him. I applaud Barry Lawrence's thorough research and his dedication to honoring River's memory.

first things first, it is a very good book with great research but just too morbid for my taste. I prefer sight seeing of star homes, movie studios, the Chinese theater, the wax museum, etc.... where celebrities met their mortality has never interested me...

Wow, This was not a book I purchased. It was given to me for my birthday. I thought, wow, another EJ Fleming Tome. Great. Well, this was a shocker. I am planning a trip down the coast in the spring and planning on checking out many of these Hollywood sites. Fleming does it again and again. He is the most incredible writer of our time!

I love visiting celebrity graves and infamous locations so this book was perfect for me. I even learned about a few scandals I had never heard about before. Mr. Fleming provides good directions and helpful tips so you won't miss a thing. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in Hollywood scandals.

I have family that lives in the L.A. area and when I visit them, they know we will do a "Death Tour". They teased me at first and then when we started seeing the sites, they stopped!! Now they look forward to the next tour that we will take. This book is an interesting compilation of not only where events have taken place, but also the history behind them. Although, the title can seem a bit ominous, there are a lot of other sites to see in the book besides "DEATH" (stars homes, arrest locations, homes used for TV shows, etc.). So, as for the previous review about this being too morbid, I completely disagree. Besides, death is after all a part of life. Enjoy...I certainly have!

This unusual guidebook is structured as a series of sixteen tours to scandalous sites around the Los Angeles area., from Hollywood (central, Western, and more) to Beverly Hills to the outer boroughs. Why are we so fascinated with sites of death and scandal? Who knows?!? We are, though, and we might as well own up to it. Nothing sells better than the true-life stories of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll (or sex, drugs, and Hollywood's big screen, in this case).

This is billed as a guidebook, but, as a Los Angeles resident, I found it more fascinating from an armchair perspective than as a step-by-step trip guide. I have no desire to go on any of these sixteen tours, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the scandalous sites around the Los Angeles area. Much of the text focuses on pre-1930's and lesser-known film stars, so few people are likely to obsessively follow any given tour as a tribute to a fallen movie star. Anyone familiar with the Los Angeles area will enjoy this book and glean ideas for "Oh, do you know what happened here??" during the course of the text. If you are an L.A. resident and ant to impress your friends and visitors, look no further.

The text is a guidebook on the surface, but beneath the exterior, it is truly a guide to every major Hollywood scandal. I don't plan on using it as a driving tour; rather, it has furthered my education about the region. On the other hand, the comprehensive index will allow any fan of specific stars to locate the site of related scandals.

This book was a very informing summary of River Phoenix's life. The first pages start off as a scene from his last few minuets of life. Then it goes to describing the his life and his family. The info. gathered to write this book was mostly from newspaper and magazine articles. Half of the paperback was filled with large, full-paged pictures. This would be a wonderful item to add to a River Phoenix collection

I bought this book used to add to my River collection. Let me say it was like brand new. The pictures of River are priceless. His expressions, the way he had matured. It is all captured. There is one photo that I have trouble looking at actually. It had to be one of the ones shot sometime in 1993 because his face looks a little different. He is wearing a shirt and tie and he looks like James Dean literally. He would have grown into an incredible director I am sure. This book is a nice keepsake of River and I will always treaure it.

You want this only if you are an unabashed fan of River Phoenix. It offers little else than some interesting text and a ton of photos of River in the last year or two of his life (he died at age 23). What's disappointing is that it is not a photo biography of the subject. This title merely collects a bunch of really great magazine cover type photography. Everything is staged. What we don't get, and what just does not really exist for River, is a chronicle of his career and his exuberant personality -- in photos. I mean, get real. The kid was really handsome and charismatic. The only serious works on him are two biographies of dubious value. I had hoped that this book would be an album of his life, something, perhaps that would explain his death. That's a tall order, I know, from a photo book. But for all true River Phoenix fans, that's what we want. An answer to why he's gone. Of course, this book doesn't provide one and doesn't try. It's just got a ton of great pictures.

As it`s title indicates this book is full of excellent color, And some B&W all studio pictures of River Phoenix,40 in all. And has enough factual and intriguing information in the story about the life of this very talented young actor that it is a must read for any person interested in him. The author weaves an intriguing theme throught out her story about the intrersting contrasts,parallels and prophecys of his life VS his ultimate death, like his second last name, "the Phoenix sets it self on fire just to re-live the same life over again."His real last name, combined with is unusual first name to make; River Bottom.Even his middle name,the author reminds us , "Jude is after the patron saint of lost causes" several of his movies parelled his real life, his characters quite often died or were disfunctional. she is refreshingly foward hard hitting reguarding his parents and their unothodox beliefs that they passed on to their young son, "Which he had to constantly explain that to people and justify it" , further budoning him. Denning suggests His parents, Hollywood and ultimately, he himself created such a false and squeeky clean image, that no one wanted to deny. so much so..."that the paramedics who carry an antidote for herion overdose. they didn`t use it because all they were told was he had taken some valium." A well written book.

A fairly thorough and complete book on the unuseual life and up bringing of River Phoenix, complete with an excellent collection of color and black & white photographs,sure to please everyone. the author chronicals Rivers life from his unorthadox birth in small house in Madras Oregon in 1970, to his untimely death on the cold streets of hollywood 23yrs. later. the book is factual,but sometimes lacks in, depth of information on certian subjects of his life.the author writes his story around Rivers 13 films and does a good job of developing Phoenix`s need of a father image,his conflicting values, lack of a formal education, and the continued building of his many secrets,(he smoked,used drugs,had candy bar binges, which he all denied) that seemed to catch up with him in the end, and most certinaly contrubited to his untimely death at so young an age, with his whole future ahead of him. Some of Robbs facts are slightly incorrect,like he says River was born in a log cabin, a myth perpuated by his mother, he was not. that he made 9 movies, when it was 13. and one out of context statement by one of phoenix` girlfriends ,Sue Solgot who Robb said; "When we first met , he seemed really sweet and gentle. At least he is getting some hair now. When I first met him he didn`t have any hair.".. leading the reader to beleve she ment body hair.Actually she met him when he was filming Dog fight, naturally his Marine character was closely shorn, so she ment he had no hair on his head. Other small inacuraces like this exist, but all in all it is a good book to read.

I would have given this book five stars except for the fact that most of the stuff in the book I was already aware of. I am a huge huge huge fan of River and love him to death. If you want to know more about River's short life, than read this book. Unlike some books about stars, this one was not full of mistakes.

This book talked about the life of one of the best actors of all time.River Phoenix.When I first heard that River Phoenix had died,I did not know who he was.So,I wasn't very disturbed by it.But,when I found out that he was the very talented individual who portrayed Chris Chambers in Stand By Me,it was a heartbreaker to find that out.Learning that the character he portrayed would die as an adult was bad enough without the actor himself being dead.This book is a very accurate summary of a good actor.I hope you will publish this review.I only wish that River Phoenix was still alive so I could possibly meet him and tell him what a superior actor he is.When he is around fans,he treats them like people.He doesn't act like he's a supreme being,so I'd say that makes him one.

The Jack-Roller is one of the most famous studies carried out by the Chicago School of Sociology. It's a personal account by a young deliquent about the reasons for his criminality. The study brings us close to the motivations and the reasoning of a criminal and also paints a striking portrait of life in the inner city and the social inequalities present in the 1930's which are still persist nowdays.

this is a story about the real life of a person, seen through the persons own eyes, with his own words