S Books

I have read many of John McPhee's works. They are all excellent and captivating. He writes on so many subjects, it is amazing that they are all great. No wonder he teaches at Princeton, or did as I remember.

This time John McPhee turns his hand to one of those
anomalous natural treasures that has survived in
spite of intense urbanization. The Pine Barrens are
two-thirds of a million acres-an area the size of
Yosemite that sit beside a major artery of the most
developed region in the country. With the New Jersey
Turnpike to the west and bustling, chintzy Atlantic
City to the East, it's hard to imagine that this great,
weird wilderness could be so little known.

McPhee is the perfect guide to the Pines. He is as
sensitive to the natural history as he is to the
culture. He has a sympathetic ear for both the natives
and the outsiders who wander in from time to time. He's
a writer who can focus on a detail-a threatened fern or
the quality of water and then pull back to the big picture.

A thoroughly entertaining book.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of THE NEW SHORT COURSE IN WINE and
the novel bang BANG. ISBN 9781601640005

Those of us from the Northeast know that wilderness can be found if you're willing to hit the road and search for it, and also that it's precious and worth protecting from the onslaught of industry and sprawl. But even those familiar with the region's wilderness offerings will be surprised by the natural bounty and remoteness of New Jersey's Pine Barrens area. The masterful essayist John McPhee published this travelogue and study of the area back in 1967, when the depths of the Pine Barrens still offered genuine seclusion form the outside world, with hardy folks still living off the land by picking berries or making charcoal. And this beautiful area was surrounded on all sides by the most urbanized and industrialized blight on Earth. Things aren't quite so rustic there anymore, but reading McPhee's engaging treatise on the area should make modern folks wish to both visit the Pine Barrens area as a valuable slice of nature, and to protect it as a precious and dwindling resource. That's what makes this short but lovable book from the great McPhee a timeless classic for nature lovers. [~doomsdayer520~]

My wife gave me this book in 1978, and I devoured it in one evening. I have since been all over the world, and no matter where I go, the pines are always the reference point for me. My teen years were spent in the pines, with my good friend Tom, where we would travel its dirt roads, canoe its streams and fish its lakes, and hike its trails and roads. Mr. McPhee weaves a story that is so true, so historically rich, and for me, so reminiscent of the years of my youth. Please read this book, and then go and make your own memories.

I'll keep this short and sweet: McPhee's The Pine Barrens is an entirely outstanding, fascinating look at the unique area that is the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. McPhee covers Piney culture, the unique ecological nature of the region, its history, and its hidden treasures. The writing is poetic and rich, the people interesting, and the information detailed, thorough and never dull. A really great read that anyone living in NJ should get.

This book covers it all, from the beginning all the way to the end. A great read, couldn't put it down. Historical accurate and very touching, two thumbs up!

To my knowledge, no other comprehensive presentation of the Pacific theater brings home the chilling reality of the US Marine Corps island campaign as Strong Men Armed by Robert Leckie. It's all here: the frenzied horror of amphibious assault under massed fire, the slogging through sodden, malarial jungles, the hand-to-hand slugfest required to rid each island of an entrenched and implacable foe, and the truly uncommon selflessness that led to a multitude of Medal of Honor recipients.

Gaudalcanal, Bougainville, New Britain, Tarawa, Iwo Jima, Okinawa and other Pacific assaults are presented in detail from the perspective of enlisted and commissioned marines. Both infantry and air wing receive their due as Leckie is equally skilled at describing the Marine Corps aerial domination of the Japanese fighter and bomber.

I've read my fair share of WWII history and it is in awe and suspense that I ripped through this gritty, sometimes ghastly, yet ultimately inspirational book. Leckie's Strong Men Armed is a military masterpiece. I cannot offer a stronger recommendation. 5+ stars.

Robert Leckie's vivid account of WWll Marine Corps history is a must read for any military enthusiast. Reading this gripping tale of Leathernecks fighting their way through the steamy jungles of the far east isles with such distant names as; Guadacanal, Saipan, and Iwo Jima, will leave you with an unequvical respect for the valient men who sacrificed their lives for our country. As a former Marine I have a greater appreciation for the price that was paid in the Pacific Theater. This book will never let me forget the cost in blood and lives my beloved countrymen paid, so that we may have our freedom. Leckie's book memorializes our fighting Marines: Men like, Manila John Bastilone, Chesty Puller, Red Mike Edson, and countless others who,"went above and beyond the call of duty", for the love of our country, God, and Corps. STRONG MEN ARMED, should be read by every boot, NCO, and Commissioned Officer of the United States Marine Corps as a reminder of the heroic and gallant sacrifice our Marines paid for our way of life. May the Marine Corps live forever!

Robert Leckie is one of the best writers of history and this maybe his best work. This is a clear, concise, comprehensive account of the Island War in the Pacific. Clearly written, Leckie puts his reader into the picture while teaching, producing a potent combination of entertainment and learning. You can get hooked on history reading Leckie; I did as a teenager.

Robert Leckie lived many of these actions and his personal experiences makes the narration more real as the reader senses his feelings and experiences. However, this is a history not a personal account and we never get lead down the path of experience. This is the best account of the Island War ever written by a top-flight author.

An excellent overview of the US Marine Corps campaigns in the Pacific against the Japanese. The author conveys the intensity of the violence and difficulties faced by both the marines and the Japanese. I had not appreciated how tenuous the Guadalcanal campaign was and how close to disaster it came. Leckie also outlines the gradual shift of the Japanese attempts to defeat the marines (i.e. 'win') to a strategy of inflicting as many casualties as possible, knowing they would ultimately be defeated, in the hopes that the US would be forced to negotiate a peace settlement. As I read the book, I was struck by the similarities with the present anti-terrorist campaign in Iraq. They cannot win in a classic military sense, but are willing to carry on in the hope they will inflict as many casualties as possible, breaking the will of the US. Overall, an excellent read and a very good reference for anyone's library.
JM Garrick
Cdr USN (Ret)

This book provides meticulous details about QA for integrated software and component-based software .This particular book teaches how to approach testing and QA in a systematic manner .The book gives an organized and detailed description for the Software Quality assurance for the software components. It teaches all the way from very basic step. Beginning with Black Box testing and following White box, Regression testing, Performance, System level testing .The approach includes various different validation methods that needs to be rigorously applied and a detailed QA approach which teaches all the possible Test Cases. Overall this book provides a complete teaching of the Component Based Software. Being Professor Jerry Gao's student, have completed software quality and testing courses under him. This book has increased my knowledge for component-based software testing as it describes different testing methods, phases, issues, challenges etc. I highly recommend this book for college graduates and professionals who want to brighten their career in QA and testing areas.

This is a very unique book on QA and software testing topics because it discusses some of the testing techniques & concepts extended from research world and also covers the modern software component concepts and the applicability of these techniques on them. The book is divided into IV parts. The first part introduces the reader with software components and it's testability. The model based solution to some of the issues and challanges can be applicable to the SOA based softwares as well.
Part II of the book discusses the fundamental black box and white box techniques. A section is devoted on white box techniques for object oriented testing.
Part III of the book focuses on most important challanges of todays software. The UML based approcah to software integration testing discussed in this book uses an unique approach of content and context based relationship of objects. Regression testing for maintaining software is discussed in detail.
Part IV is entirely devoted to QA topics. They fully cover QA measuremnet and validation topics, standards and certification.
This is a must have book for software developer, Test engineer and QA professionals. The references at the end of each chapter reminds you to go deeper and dig into IEEE and ACM papers on the subject. I have already recommended this book to my fellow software developers and managers.

The book has detailed coverage of all software testing terminologies and methodologies such as black-box, white-box, test automation, integration, and performance testing.Over all, this is a very good book for learning Testing techniques for component based software.This book is extremely well organized and should be useful for both novice and experienced software testers.

I learned many new concepts about Software Testing from this book. I learned how to do the manual testing, automation testing of the component software using this book. White Box Testing, which involves Control Flow Graph is documented well in this book anyone who wants to learn about the White Box Testing can easily learn through it. This book is very user friendly in terms of doing Software Manual Testing.
Automation Testing is described well too. I recommend anyone from Software Engineering planning to go into Software Testing should read this book atleast once.

This book helped me gain good knowledge about Software testing, its objectives and various approaches for real time experience. It helped me understand the basic concepts and fundamentals of Software component testability. Through this book, I got a basic idea about the rules and methodologies that are being implemented and followed in current software testing field, as per industry standards.

Black box and White box testing techniques and their relevant issues, challenges and solutions, the various test models, everything is explained very visibly. It serves as a good guide for the beginners as well as the Software professionals of all levels. Information on testing methods like Regression, Integration, Performance and System testing are detailed in a systematic manner.
The information in this text book, taught us to follow the best ways to achieve a well defined test coverage criteria by deriving a definite plan for the project- a plan for managing the schedules, designing and testing the software based components to meet the requirements in the project within a deadline. We, in a team, worked on a Simulated ATM machine, for a practical experience, and the book helped us as a good start. Each chapter has a good introductory part, which gives a clear synopsis about the complete chapter.
The book explains the role of different testing tools, designing and handling the test cases, how to perform component testing quickly and efficiently through automation testing, without manual involvement. Manual testing is time consuming and hence to solve this issue, Automation testing has been introduced lately and this information has been illustrated by the authors very clearly in the book, with suitable examples for the readers understanding.

I personally found this book very helpful and knowledgeable. A Software component's life cycle through the testing phase has been explained well, alongside giving us information about the methodologies to improve the quality of a product, and how to derive a test case to support the functionality; everything is mentioned in this book. My only suggestion is, this book is a complete pack of information on testing of a Software component and its Quality assurance, and hence, from college students to Software professionals, everybody has to experience this book, if they are seriously looking to pick up their career in Testing.

I've read a number of books over the years, both about WWII and other topics. I can say that Torpedo Junction is the most fascinating book I've ever read. Even though the author gives lots of details about the attacks, he keeps it moving along at a steady clip. I didn't want to put the thing down. It's very well-documented (albeit with some secondary sources), but also provides a lighter narrative style along to way to break up the "action reports."

Ultimately how good I like a book is if I'm committed to finish it. Torpedo Junction by Homer Hickman is a book I had to finish, but I was so interested in what it revealed I hardly wanted it to end. Many factors were at work here. First, Mr. Hickman's writing is so clear and linear that it belies the painstaking research such an easy to read factual narrative requires. Thank you Mr. Hickman for doing the work so I could both be reviled and astonished!

This little known yet very tragic part of World War II played out right at our doorstep. Because of Japan's audacity to hit us with one massive surprise salvo the even more insideous U-Boat war on the U.S. coastline played out largely unknown to the general public. For months that seemed to drag on and on the Germans sank boat after boat after boat. Maybe for our protection or maybe because we couldn't quite get a handle on how to stop the German U-Boat threat the mounting damage was kept quiet. It was a tremendous tragedy which caused great loss of life as well as massive destruction of resources. With Torpedo Junction we can finally see how close to home death truly came. Also, we get to know the true courage of those who protected our home shores so we could both support the war effort as well as keep that all important semblance of a "normal life" at home. To know the facts surrounding the North Atlantic U-Boat war helps to rectify those long years of not talking about it.

I recommend this book as both educational and entertaining. As with Rocket Boys I was pulled inside a time and place as if I was there. Storytelling really doesn't get better than this.

As the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Dione's lead soundman during period of Hickman's book I can attest that he did a wonderful job telling our story about some real hazardous duty. Homer's collaboration with our Radioman 1st, Swede Larson really paints the futility and danger of our sub chasing before and after convoys. I'm so glad Homer wrote about us. Now maybe we won't be forgotten.

Reads like a Clancy thriller. I recommend this book along with Michael Gannon's "Operation Drumbeat" so one can understand the havoc wreaked by German U boats along the Eastern seaboard against totally unprepared and in many cases complacent ships in the early days of World War II.

I KNOW NOW FOR SURE THAT I WOULD NEVER WANT TO BE A MILITARY OR MERCHANT SAILOR OFF THE ATLANTIC COAST IN 1942. TORPEDO JUNCTION WAS EXTREMELY WELL DOCCUMENTED AND RESEARCHED, BUT ALSO DESCRIPIBED BY SURVIVORS FROM U-BOATS, NAVY AND COASTGUARD SHIPS AS WELL AS MERCHANTMARINES. MY LOWER RATEING COMES FROM THE FACT THAT IT MADE ME UNCOMFORTABLE TO ACCEPT THE FACT THAT THE U S WAS ALMOST HELPLESS AGAINST THE STEALTHY GERMAN U-BOATS, AND THAT THE DATA WAS HARD TO STOMACH (I'M NOT A BEAN COUNTER). THE MOST VALUE I SEE HERE IS SOME BASIS FOR HICKAM'S LATER BOOKS, ESPECIALLY "THE KEEPER'S SON".

So far I've only gotten throught the first chapter. It's a dense amount of information, but it is incredibly well written and informative. No extra words just to take up space and get something into book format. It's definetly a text book. The first chapter gives you an extensive review of the human relationship with drugs since the beginning of time, and forty pages later, I feel enlightened and full of ideas. Incredibly insightful and well worth the price for someone with a deep interest in this field.

This is a wonderfully written book with lots of great information. However, I really dislike the newspaper column width of the text. It is very hard to read from such a thick book with this layout.

The item shipped quickly and was brand new as I was told. I am not impressed with the Study Guide, and the book itself is rather disjointed. It's hard to find the information within all the quotes from addicts. I would set it up so that the information came first and then the quotes would be placed at the end of the text in each section.

If you work in human services or if you're just interested in learning about substance abuse, this is the only book you'll need. This was my text in grad school and a decade after I'm still recommending it to clinicians.

The authors, Darryl Inaba and William Cohen do a great job of keeping this book very open and simple. They cover almost every drug (5th edition) which a counselor may run into when talking with his students. As a research or higher level order book though, this would not do as it is just too brief on most subjects to really get to know indepth pharmacology or pharmacodynamics on most of the psychoactive drug actions. There is a lot of history, and even a CD-ROM to help you familiarize yourself with many topics of addiction in a very short period of time. In some sections, there is some really good information on drugs I have not seen on the pharmacy shelves for at least 12 years. If you are someone who wants to quickly get to know the subject of psychoactive drugs, then I highly recommend this book for you. His vocabulary is such that it is easy to read, without too much of a serious tone-- and you will not even need a highliner to remember the facts. This book is packed with knowledge. Very enjoyable reading for a change, with lots of good and interesting photographs that make you think. You will enjoy this book, for it is written in a very unique format that makes you want to relax and just turn each page and learn. guyairey

I've been having back pain in the morning for the last few months after some furniture moving. I stopped at Borders for a coffee and picked this up to read (ok, I'm shameless). After about an hour with the book, I developed a game plan for dealing with the backache which I learned is of a very common garden type. It might be too early to declare victory but I woke this morning with almost no pain after sleeping in the prescribed position with a heating pad and taking a few NSAIDS before bed.

I have family members that opted for surgery years ago and it ruined their lives - possibly even led to a death of a cousin from OD of narcotics. I wish that they had had this book to read. A lot has changed in medicine and it seems like the author has much more modern thinking than most of the medical profession that still seems bent on drugs and surgery first.

This book is laying on the floor next to my bed. Why? I do the exercises every morning, and refer to the chapter to make sure I don't miss any. I do most of the exercises on the floor, so that's where the book lives. It is a part of my life now.

I've suffered from low-grade back pain for years, and learned a lot from this book. I especially like the integrated mind-body approach, the solid, realistic information about the mechanics of the spine, and the practical advice for care and recovery.

I've spoken with a chiropractor and an MD about my back problems, and the advice they gave me is identical to the advice in this book -- and the book was far less expensive.

Unless you were injured, your back took years to get into its current condition, and it will take a while to improve. This book is a first-rate map of the road to recovery.

This books covers a lot of territory but I did not find it particularly helpful. It feels like it has a lot of filler material to get it to "book length", without focusing in on the most useful information. Also, it completely ignores the neck, apparently assuming that all problems are lower-back problems.

Save your money on Back Pain Remedies for Dummies or just check it out of the library and skim it; in my opinion it is not worth the space it takes up on my book shelf.

Overall, a very informative book, as everyone else says. My only reservation - be careful doing the exercises in the book. The author also has a warning about this - he says "at no point during your back exercise program, should you feel that you are straining...to the point of significantly increasing your pain."

I tried doing a lot of the exercises in the book, and it did add to my pain, so I then got a referral to a physical therapist, who then worked with me, showing me the 9 exercises that were best for me - using the big exercise ball. Those exercises (and perhaps the glucosamine that I take) have gotten me back to where I can again play badminton once a week, and no longer have the serious back pain I had before. (The book does mention, of course, the possibility of getting help from a physical therapist.) I'd recommend the book - just don't increase your pain by overdoing the exercises - as the author warns, in that chapter.

i love this book! its so easy to understand, and it really put my mind at ease on alot of pain issues.it covers so many topics that you dont usually read about, such as: the pros and cons of back surgery, who to seek help from, exercises, getting back to work and the feelings associated with it,etc. a definite must read!

I gave this book as a birthday present to my boyfriend, who is a lover of vintage robots. He was thrilled with the book! Lots of great pictures and interesting bits of information. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys in robots or vintage toys, either as a serious collector or just someone with a general interest.

As the author of ZAP! Ray Gun Classics, I've looked at a LOT of books on vintage space toys and in my opinion this is the very best one. The diversity of items, production values, factual information and other comments are all superb. I return to this book whenever I need a space toy "nostalgia fix" and I always seem to find something new. No vintage space toy collection should be without it.

More than merely a definitive catalogue of the subject, Blast Off is a socio-historical journey. Toys offer provide the prism through which the authors examine fascinating sociological phenomenon. Make no mistake this is the definitive book for this topic, but it becomes a tour de force by examining the history, economics, and sociology implied by these fascinating products from our recent past.

More than merely a definitive catalogue of the subject, Blast Off is a socio-historical journey. Toys offer provide the prism through which the authors examine fascinating sociological phenomenon. Make no mistake this is the definitive book for this topic, but it becomes a tour de force by examining the history, economics, and sociology implied by these fascinating products from our recent past.

Blast Off! is a fun and fascinating read for any fan of science fiction, space toys, or comic books. It's a beautiful coffee table-sized book with sexy images of robots, ray guns, and toys of all types that make you feel nostalgic even if you don't remember these toys from the first time around.

This book offers a history of "in the know" type stories about specific toys and the personalities who created and purchased them. There's the Buck Rogers XZ-31 rocket pistol that led Macy's and Gimbels into their most vicious price war ever, dropping prices by the hour to support the most successful toy promotion the world had ever seen. And there's the collector Bob Lesser who pays double the sticker price to win dealer loyalty. And there's a never-been-published story of the untimely death of Flash Gordon creator Alex Raymond. Plus the authors offer insight into how toys have affected history, entertainment, and the space program.

If you're a fan of Buck Rogers like I am, you should also check out Blast Off! author S. Mark Young's interviews with Erin Grey in Filmfax (Oct/Nov 2002 and Feb/Mar 2003) for a sensitive rendering of a sensational story.

I love Pearl Buck's books. She is so adept at taking the reader right into a foreign world and making it understandable. One begins to see how we are all really the same underneath our outward appearances and social customs. In this book, wealtlhy Madame Wu changes the course of her entire family's lives because of her strong desires to ultimately satisfy self. At first, her actions appear to be somewhat self-sacrificing in a certain way. Some readers may find her attitudes and actions quite modern, but there are far-reaching consequences to those actions and one wonders how selfless those actions really are in the end. I found the surprise turn in Madame Wu's relationship/feelings for the exiled priest to be a bit far-fetched for a wealthy Chinese woman of her time, but life can take odd twists and turns. To me this book is a moral tale of actions and consequences. I do not belive she or her family were better off in the end in spite of her taking over the care of the priest's orphans. Very interesting reading...food for thought.

The movie was good but it doesn't follow the book and the book is much better.

I would have never picked this book up if it weren't for my book club. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down till I was finished with this book. It is a very moving and thoughtful book ~~ opening my eyes to something else that I would have never thought of reading.

This book is about Madame Wu, who decided to retire from married life at the age of 40. She suggested a concubine for her husband as she believes very strongly that his needs need to be met ~~ just not by her. Her excuse is that she didn't want to bear any more children, but that is just a public excuse, one she offered to everyone who asked. The truth is, she didn't love her husband and wanted to retire from that part of her marriage. Needless to say, it unsettled the entire family ~~ even the concubine was unsettled. It reverberated throughout the entire book till the very end, when everyone seems to have moved onto their own problems.

This is a book on a busy wealthy Chinese family. It is about traditions and ideas, non-traditions, love and finding purpose in life. It is about family relationships between father, son, mother, son, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, friendships, and even between mistress and servant.

Madame Wu never thought she'd find peace and happiness till one of her sons' instructors came along. He was a Jesuit priest and they struck up a friendship based on conversations (which she remembered after his death). He literally changed her life and thought process. From being a woman who always did what she was told, she was liberated to being a free-thinking woman who strove to find peace in her soul.

It is a book that I would recommend to all readers ~~ and it is definitely a book for a book club to discuss! It is a timeless classic novel ~~ and definitely a great introduction to an author that I have heard about but never have read. I can't wait to read her other books!

3-30-07

Wow. I find Pearl Buck to be an author that really holds my attention, and write about complex characters that I don't really always like, but in the end, because of the author's writing and vision, I come to see them as really complex human beings.

This book, in particular, I think is really spiritual. I really wish that I had a book group to discuss this book with. At the beginning, I didn't really care for or understand the main character, Madame Wu. She decides after her 40th birthday party, that her husband can have a concubine and that she can turn inward. In the beginning, this is really quite a difficult concept for me, but in a way, it's also very liberating. It's a form of birth control for her, and also a way to keep her husband satisfied. In the end, Pearl Buck, as an author, really shows this woman to be very multidimensional, and I feel, quite spiritual and not so superficial as I think she starts out to be.

In the background, there are daughter in laws who are more liberated than Madam Wu, and the chafe at the idea of a concubine. They are too modern for that and would not stand for having a concubine in the house. Some of this is quite historical fand relates gently to the communist revolution. Also it is showing generational differences and lack of understanding between generations. In the end, Madame Wu, I feel , is far more liberated than her daughter in laws, no matter how modern they are.

There is also a DVD of this story, and I think the DVD cover is on the book cover that I read. If it shows a white man in an embrace with a Chinese woman, as if they were about to kiss, I want to warn you that this Hollywood image is not really the book at all. And in fact, that picture does not occur in the book either. Really, that image is an abomination of the book.

I do know, by reading Pearl Buck, why she is a Nobel prize winner in writing. For me, it's this. She helps you to see characters (people) that you might really hate or disagree with in real life as real, very multifacted people. And though I might not always come to agree or fully care about her characteres, through her writing, I will learn to understand and respect them more than I would have if I had not read the book. And more than that, Buck weaves in real history and fact and makes is very interesting.

Please read her books. You won't be disappointed.

After reading and thoroughly enjoying her novel, "Pavilion of Women" (written in 1948), it was not difficult for me to understand why Pearl S. Buck earned the Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1938. As a natural storyteller, Buck allows one to enter the heart and mind of her main character, the beautiful and accomplished Madame Wu, so fully and painlessly by using simple explanations that seem so effortlessly illumined that they transcend the cultural differences of a mid 20th century China and allow this magnificent multi-dimensional creation to speak as a fully flesh and blood universal woman.

As the title suggests, the plot revolves around the day to day happenstances of the oppressed `pavilion of women' that provides a wealthy Chinese gentleman's `happiness' in the form of siring future generations and keeping him pleasured as befits his rank as lord and master. Madame Wu, the one and only wife, on the day of her fortieth birthday decides quite calculatingly to acquire a concubine for this husband whom she has never loved, allowing her to rid herself within the complicated etiquette of the Chinese upper class of the burden of servicing her husband conjugally. As the mother of four sons, in her eyes and in the eyes of society, she fulfilled her duty as a wife. Fully knowing that she will continue to oversee the management of all who live under her domain, she nevertheless anticipates her retirement with relish, planning to read and self-educate herself within the confines of her father-in-law's well-stocked library. As a mother and mother-in-law, she must tactfully and eloquently steer her sons and daughters-in-law towards a rich and satisfying future in a newer less understood world while still buttressing the Chinese family infrastructure to continue what she herself withholds as traditionally correct.

As China plummets towards modern thinking and communism, Madame Wu discovers that she must make concessions. Thinking to arrange the marriage of her broader-minded third son, she hires an unconventional Italian priest, Brother Andre, to teach languages and the known sciences to better endow her Fengmo with the intellectual assets he now needs to captivate a more progressive bride.

Instead, the self-disciplined Madame Wu finds that she is mesmerized by the foreigner's gentle persuasiveness. With him she explores the idea of the soul and its ever pressing quest for freedom and realizes that throughout her life thus far she played the role of a wise albeit voyeuristic manipulator rather than that of thinking and feeling woman. Her gentle yet intense spiritual love for Andre reinforces Madame Wu's innate strength and enables her to make free, wise and joyous decisions that bring a warm happiness to the inhabitants under her domain.

Bottom line: While the storyline moves along nicely, what makes "Pavilion of Women" an absolute pleasure to read is the clarity of Madame Wu's portrait that Buck allows us to form first from the inner workings of Madame Wu's mind and then from the soaring aspirations of her soul as it communes with that of Brother Andre. Buck's language flows from one `pavilion' event to the next; her style is relaxed and easy to read, the development of Madame Wu's identity both believable and beautiful. Highly recommended for its ability to entertain and depict an alien culture.

Diana F. Von Behren
"reneofc"

This a great collection of poems from the past! If you enjoy whimsy, this is for you!

with eliot, a maximum of content is achieved through a FORM worked with a
care and conciousness not seen perhaps since the greeks. he understood,
as he once wrote, that the novel form ended with flaubert. in the centuries after picasso and stravinsky there is no place for anything in
literature which makes people remain sitting, whithout standing and perhaps dancing. the same thing could be said about pound, very different though very twin.

The Eliot of despair, the Eliot of 'Prufrock' and 'Wasteland' is contended with and overcome by the Eliot of the 'Quartets'. The message of modern mankind's meaninglessness, the broken fragments ( of Tradition) shored against his ruin is replaced by the vision of sacred turning, a Christian vision of redemption. Eliot is a writer whose work and life break down into these two distinct periods each of which has its champions in defining what is best in him.
As one raised on 'April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land' and 'Let us go then you and I when the evening is spread out against the sky, like a patient etherized upon a table' the most memorable lines are certainly of the first phase where it ends not with a bang but with a whimper.
Yet my admiration for the hypnotic power of Eliot's memorable lines is strongly qualified by my knowledge of his 'Burbank with a Baedaker, and Bluestein with a Cigar' with his all too fashionable literary anti- Semitism. Of course Eliot was not preaching death camps and extermination but he did connect his work to the tradition of Christian Anti- Semitism.
Thus I have always had difficulty being comfortable with my 'enjoying of Eliot's poetry. And I have never been able to sympathetically read 'The Quartets.' They have always seemed to me to be too impersonal characterless and abstract.
Eliot who for most of the century strode the English Departments as if he were a colossus did noble work in reviving interest in 'The Metaphysicals' but somehow failed in my mind to write a poetry humanly rich in the deepest sense.

When you think of the best poets ever, T.S. Eliot is one of those that comes to mind. His work is well crafted, intelligent, beautifully written, and has a flow to it that few poets can match. And this is a fine collection for the Eliot lover or for the reader unfamiliar with Eliot. It's divided into several sections. The first section is his Prufrock section, poems from 1917, which contains probably his finest poems: "Prufrock", "Preludes" "Rhapsody on a Windy Night", "Hysteria", among others. Then there is the Poems 1920 section which also contains many fine poems ("Sweeney Erect" and "The Hippopotamus" being my favorites). Then follows his masterpiece The Wasteland. Then The Hollow Men which is followed by the wonderful Ash Wednesday. Then the Ariel Poems (which contains "Journey of the Magi"). Then there are two unfinished poems, "Sweeney Agonistes" and "Coriolan" which I thought were weak. Maybe they would have been great had he ever finished them. Then there is a section called minor poems followed by the mediocre "Choruses from 'The Rock.' And then there is what I consider to be his true masterpiece, "Four Quartets." And the book finishes with some occasional verses, one of which is a sweet and touching poem to his wife. This is a great collection of poems.

Yep, this is a great collection of Eliot's works. I initially found out about Eliot throught the Movie 'Apocalypse Now' in which Brando is heard reciting the poem 'The Hollow Men'. The poem sounded so good I hunted it down and came across this little book.

My favourite poems would have to be 'The Hollow Men', 'Love song of Prufrock', 'Ash Wednesday' and 'Rannoch, by Glencoe (perfectly captured, drive through Rannoch and you'll see ;-)

Yep, definetly worth a read.

I want to add my kudos to the other well written reviews of this book. Congressman Dennis Kucinich tells the story of the first 22 years of his life. He details his experiences with abject poverty, moving 21 times in 17 years, alcoholic parents, and living briefly in an orphanage. Through his industry, determination and intelligence, he was able to overcome these obstacles. His story inspires me to make the most out of my life, too.

This is an amazing story of a kid who overcomes a lot to become Mayor of Cleveland. You will get into this book fast!! I still don't agree with his politics, but I respect him more now.

--Gerard Zemek, husband of author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

The Courage to Survive by Dennis J. Kucinich is a wonderful story. Even though I am not very interested in politics or political figures, I thoroughly enjoyed this autobiography by Dennis Kucinich, former Mayor of Cleveland. It is a fast read because it's so well written and fascinating. He shares how his family lived in poverty and struggled along. He had health problems but still had a desire to help other people. Parts were sad while other parts were cute and humorous. It gave me insight into how the poor live and a new respect for Dennis Kucinich. It also showed how people can make a positive difference in someone's life.

--Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

Kucinich has an interesting book. You'll read stories you wouldn't expect to hear from a political figure. He's very detailed about his beginnings.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen more of include his time in office and how he's addressed the Republican regime.

AMAZING is right.

Dennis Kucinich's book has something for everyone. People often tell me it's America's ultimate failure that we judge presidential candidates on who is "likeable" and who "isn't." But, I'll say it right now: I LIKE Dennis Kucinich.

It's very easy to relate to his story, which makes it all the more effective. The story behind the politician is what every person should know-- and now they can. Hearing of someone's accomplishments in office is one thing, but seeing how that person got there is just as important- it says a LOT!

Thank you, Phoenix for publishing this motivational book. And proving politicians are real people too!