Alex To Books

This novel fills an important niche in young-adult literature, telling the story of one boy's coming out experience through his own eyes and from the perspective of one of his close friends at school. Frederick is just starting the eighth grade as a new student at a California middle school. During his first week he meets Xio, a girl of Mexican descent who is immediately attracted to his "kick-butt blue eyes and sandy blond hair spiked in front." Xio and her girlfriends welcome Frederick into their circle, with Xio clearly thinking of him as boyfriend material. But what does Frederick himself want? At first even he is not sure.

Alex Sanchez writes "So Hard To Say" using the alternating viewpoints of his two main characters, Xio and Frederick. Their individual voices are distinct and go a long way toward establishing them as vivid, identifiable people. Xio is outgoing, sometimes brash. Frederick is circumspect, more shy around boys than he is with girls. He also becomes confused as he realizes that Xio is gradually turning up the heat, trying to nudge him into becoming a proper boyfriend for her.

Someone who causes a different kind of confusion for Frederick is Victor, the charismatic boyfriend of one of the girls in Xio's circle. Frederick doesn't quite know what to make of the easygoing attention he gets from Victor, who like many of the boys at Frederick's new school is not afraid to be physically affectionate with another guy. Victor regularly throws his arm around Frederick, nudges into him when they're walking together, puts him into playful headlocks, and at one point even picks him up to throw him onto a bed. As time passes, Frederick finds himself thinking more and more about Victor. He is fascinated by how the other boy's muscular build contrasts with his own, slighter one, and he frames a photograph of the two of them togther and places it at his bedside. He even allows Victor to call him by a nickname ("Rico"), something that nobody else is allowed to do. At first Frederick rationalizes his interest in Victor by noting that other boys at the school also defer to him. It is not until later that Frederick comes to realize that his own feelings go to different depths than theirs.

A peripheral character for most of the story is Iggy, another boy at Frederick's school who is rumored to be gay. Frederick overhears how others talk about Iggy and watches as they treat him like an outcast, so his own initial reaction is one of keeping a wary distance. All the same, he is fascinated by Iggy's dimpled smile and feels mysteriously drawn to him. What keeps him from acting on those feelings is mainly the fear of being thought of as gay himself.

Of course, with pressure from Xio to be her boyfriend and his feelings for Victor only becoming stronger, something in Frederick has to give. During the last part of the book he finally gets a chance to be honest with Xio and to come to terms with Iggy. The book ends on a hopeful note.

In the story teen readers will recognize many familiar artifacts from their own world -- computers, MTV, Playstation 2, instant messaging, email -- although, curiously, cell phones don't enter into the mix. Teens will also recognize many of the issues they themselves deal with in their everyday lives -- unrequited attraction, divorce, the challenge of how to balance the desire to be popular with your sense of what's right and wrong.

At times the character of Frederick tilts perilously close to that of the stereotypical weak, effeminate gay kid (he has "milky white skin", a "pouty mouth", suffers from asthema, and dabbles in interior design) but at the same time he is not afraid of sports and does quite well playing the goalie position in his first soccer game with Victor. I also like how the author takes the reader on a vivid tour of Mexican-American culture, making it a key part of the characters' lives. I think it is great that Wisconsin native Frederick is the odd man out, yet eagerly embraces the new experiences that his California friends offer as they welcome him into their lives.

Sexual content is limited to a scene of necking at the movies, some kissing between various boys and girls, and a kiss between two boys. Parents or teachers may want to discuss the book with very young readers as they make their way through, but I think most teens will be able to handle the material.

Frederick has just moved to California from Wisconsin. His first day of school he meets Xio. They immediately become fast friends and she introduces him to her friends called "the sexies". As they become closer it is obvious that Xio wants to be more than friends. Frederick likes her but for some reason he is not feeling the same attraction. So starts this book where one of the main characters (Frederick) battles back and forth wondering why I am not attracted to this young lady but yet when he sees one of his classmates Victor he daydreams about him. It is a coming of age book where each individuals have to face grown up facts. Frederick that this feeling he has makes him a strong candidate of being homosexual, and Xio who has to come to terms with her father leaving the family and her father too possibly being gay. Great read.

Ye who has not written a children's book raise your right hand!

In the age of saturation-and shameless saturation at that-there appears to be not a soul left on planet Earth who has not penned a book for children or young adults. From television show hosts to pop music queens, and from B-movie actors to rowdy political pundits, everyone (particularly the celebrity circuit) has something to say, a lesson to impart, an age to memorialize. Can the success of J.K. Rowling and her Harry Potter books have been so effortlessly winning as to inspire an onslaught of dollars-grabbing children's literature on self-acceptance, acceptance of others, stealing, envy, greed, and lying, among other topics?

With much to vie for the attention of consumers these day, and especially young adults (videos and video games, the Internet, the fickle fashion industry, the even more fickle music industry), children's lit has turned into a money chomping machine of its own by turning books into films, and films into a sea of endless merchandising. It is of no amazement if one is left wondering if there really are any substantive lessons being imparted in all these books.

Then there arrives a work like Alex Sanchez's So Hard to Say, and all suspicions are immediately pushed aside. Infectious from the very first paragraph, the author of the highly successful books Rainbow Boys and Rainbow High has again struck gold with a story that is as original and heartwarming as it is insightful and heartbreaking.

At the plot's center are two likeable protagonists. Maria Xiomara Iris Juarez Hidalgo, nicknamed Xio (pronounced C.O.), who is a Leo (like Madonna), is also a plucky, feisty, and funny thirteen year old Mexican-American. Uniquely constructed, chatty Xio is a strong and opinionated chica, who is also by turns insecure and doubtful about the direction of her future. She lives with her mother and younger brother, and feels abandoned by a father who has left the family under mysterious circumstances. On the first day of class, she befriends-and immediately develops a crush on-new student Frederick (not Fred or Freddy or Rick or Ricky), who is a recent Wisconsin transplant to California. They strike up a fast friendship that has deeper implications for Xio. Frederick, on the other hand, is a thoughtful and deliberate fourteen year old, and by turns himself insecure and trepidatious regarding his choices in life. After all, he is experiencing waves of strong emotions that leads him to question his sexuality; he believes he's gay.

While this may sound like a simplistic story (girl meets boy who wants boy), its masterful, sensitive, and intricate execution delivers an admirably satisfying book. Sanchez, a naturally gifted writer who has been twice nominated for a Lambda Book Award, has also created impressive characters who hold up mirrors to the reader, yet are well drawn enough to be individualistic.

Nearly everyone in So Hard to Say, particularly the teen characters, act and react to everything on two levels: intellectually and emotionally, making them the most balanced constructions in recent memory. Case in point: when heartthrob Victor-Frederick's soccer buddy-is confronted with a rumor regarding Frederick's sexuality, he strokes his chin and insightfully ponders the situation, despite his sometimes rowdy and machismo behavior. When Xio is faced with hard truths about her father, she acts out forcefully, but then is adult enough to later sit and discuss her feelings openly with her mother. Frederick's evolution is never more apparent than when faced with a test: should he openly befriend the handsomely dimpled Iggy, who everyone believes is gay, and who gets very little respect from anyone. Even family.

The skillful shifting between thought and emotion, adolescence and maturity, light and heavy moments, and even English and Spanish, makes So Hard to Say easy to digest. Sanchez's ability to move the story along and tighten its dramatic tension without resorting to sensationalism is also remarkable. Everything-and everyone-remains in the realm of plausibility, even as the book moves through character and plot development, and introduces Xio and Frederick's variously colored circle of friends and family.

Poignant and brave at its conclusion, So Hard to Say will leave audiences with warm, lasting impressions of both its subtle lessons and its characters, of whom one can't wait to meet again. Which is saying much, because in the age of saturation-and shameless saturation at that-readers young and old will probably be left cheering three little words to Alex Sanchez: más, más, más. Which in English means more, more, more.

I just can't say enough good things about Alex Sanchez. I have had the opportunity to meet the author on a few occasions as he swings through Orlando and I must say that getting to know his books is truly getting to know him.

Although his previous books have been about gay youth, this story moves back to junior high, reminding me of all the wonderfully painful moments and realizations made during that time. Fredrick and Xio are two brilliantly written characters who could walk right out of the book they seem so real. There is some very subtle humor written into the plot as Fredrick realizes he is gay and his friend Xio becomes more and more frustrated until the realization hits her as well. A story many of us know all too well. Although the book is written for a much younger audience, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the story, remembering my perspective as a 13 year old. I suspect there will be a follow up to this book as there are just too many possibilities for the transition of this cast as they move into high school.

I don't think I got as involved with this book as I did Rainbow Boys and Rainbow High, but again, it wasn't written with me in mind. I am looking forward to the follow up in the Rainbow series sometime next year.

A well-hewn story illuminating the subtle gradations involved in coming out, So Hard to Say takes on the challenging task of one 13-year-old boy's progress from childhood to manhood.

Frederick is a typical middle-school student dealing with the maze of finding friends, wanting a girlfriend (maybe Xio, a forward classmate who adores him) and trying to understand his role in a rapidly-changing role.

As he explores his feeling for Xio's friend Victor, a confident, handsome, fair-minded athlete, he slowly comes to realize it's not Xio he loves. On the scene is Iggy, an outwardly gay youth who is tormented at school.

While it might sound like a typical young-adult novel, it certainly is not. Author Alex Sanchez thought this through throughly before writing. The evolution of emotions blossoms perfectly, revealing growth and its counterbalancing immaturity at the same time. Most writers wouldn't take on the story of such a young teen's coming out. But Sanchez does it with incredible skill and inimitable grace.

This book is OK, I'm reading it after reading Stoned Free and I notice that it uses alot of things I've read in Stoned Free (published around 10 years earlier). I would definitely recommend this book for teenagers or even adults who want to get into a different state of mind without using any substances. This book, despite the cover (which I don't like), actually has good information with tons of different methods to get you where you need to be. As someone who has been interested in this subject for years I can say this book doesn't fall short of my expectations for a book on the subject and is actually quite informative. The content is great, the cover...not so much, but hey, it's worth it.

High School students want to know what other kids to get high without drugs or alcohol.

I bought this for myself and i love the activities inside. the help you relax and have fun too

I have yet to see if I can get a COMPLETE copy of this book, but I don't want to return it, because it seems to be a great book.

It must be a publisher error that these pages are missing, since they clearly don't appear to be torn out, and the book is in perfect condition in every other way.

Wise Highs: How To Thrill, Chill, And Get Away From It All Without Alcohol Or Other Drugs by Alex J. Packer (President and CEO of FCD Educational Services, Inc.) is a thoroughly "reader accessible" and invaluable reference for practical, fun, innovative, and healthy explorations into living a life free of alcohol or other mind altering drugs. Introducing the reader to over 150 creative, legal, playful, and insightful "highs", Wise Highs acts as an educational and informative compendium for teens with everything from tips for breathing highs, to exercise highs, help with physical pains, and a collection of Zen and Zen-oriented information. Wise Highs is very strongly recommended to all teens, and their parents who are searching for a positive, knowledgeable guide to a good time.

Every intelligent, moral, law-abiding person knows God doesn't exist, right? Wrong. In this book by Alex McFarland with a Foreword by apologist Lee Strobel, atheism, agnosticism, creationism, and other belief systems of our culture are debunked. Christian answers to your questions about God, human intelligence and common sense, as well as people's innate moral compass, are presented in a straightforward, easy-to-read style.

McFarland, an apologetic, or in layperson terms, someone who defends the Bible, uses catchy chapter and section titles along with cliches that actually work to get his message about God across to both Christians and non-Christians alike. It doesn't matter which side of the fence you lean against, this book is for everyone. The writing is simplistic enough for the younger crowd, especially those searching for answers to some of their faith-based questions.

The use of footnotes and the simple breadth of information about Darwin, Nietzsche, as well as God, society, culture, religion and historical events, are phenomenal. Not only are questions such as: "Why does a loving God let bad things happen?" or "Would God really send someone to hell?" answered, but call-out quotations and end of the chapter Summary Responses add to your reading experience.

If you do or don't believe in God, reading McFarland's book will get you thinking and arm you with information as well as biblical passages to look up for you to question your belief system or strengthen it.

This book contains an enormous amount of information, and not just about Christianity.

Armchair Interviews says: A must-read for anyone, no matter what your position is on God and the Bible.

An excellent book to get you started with apologetics. I loved it!. Alex McFarland does a great job at explaining and providing solid answers to the most common objections we face, as believers, on a regular basis. I highly recommend this book.

Poor justification for the authors premise that the earth was created by a God approximately 6000 years ago and then he suggests a series of arguements to support his primise. Only ignorant souls will profit from thia book.

C. M. Staehle gives poor justification for his premise that the book is about God creating the earth "approximately 6000 years ago." But, in fact, the book makes no such claim. Only ignorant souls will profit from his book review. Staehle apparently hasn't read the book.

Read the book objectively and come to your own conclusions regarding the evidence that Alex McFarland presents. He makes a good case and the book is well worth reading.

I returned to college after 15 years. Before taking the math placement tests, I studied Algebra 1 and Algebra 2 - I placed into precalculus and received an A in this class. I credit the books for giving me these results - prior to this I was a poor math student. I have just finished calculus (1st class) with an A. I really recommend both of these books. They helped me enormously - and I have regained confidence in my math abilities.

VERY POOR TEXTBOOK. POOR EXPLANATIONS. POOR EXAMPLES. POOR TEACHING TIPS. THIS BOOK SHOULD NEVER BE USED IN SCHOOLS.

As a seventh grader who took algebra 2, I can say I know math. This textbook is a wonderful apporach and gives real life applications for seemingly useless algebra. Great book! If interested in algebra, buy it!

Good textbook. Plenty of examples and a lot of practice problem

This is an outstanding survey of some of the best writers and best works written. The book's condensed background and critical literary text sections are vastly improved from the previous edition. The model readings and essays are outstanding and illustrative of exactly the kinds of writing approaches necessary to succeed in introductory and advanced collegiate literature study.
Most importantly, this book has great writing that will whet the appetites of serious scholars-in-training, as well as general readers who wish to fill in blanks in their reading backgrounds or explore familiar writers once again. The poetry sections are especially good, as well as the selection of classic and modern plays.
This is both an invaluable book for a literature professor and students, as well as a fun book that curious readers will enjoy exploring time and time again.

I used this book in my class in college.
I throughly enjoyed the poems, stories etc. The writing information was clear and easily understood. I disagree with the reviewer blaming the book for the lower grade. I got an A.

I had to write a review after seeing the only other review for this book. It sounded like some kid who had to take a class he didn't want to and blaimed the book for it. This is a great book. It's super dense, it contains a great deal of analysis of the various components of writing with illustrative examples (short stories) by a wide variety of contemporary and classic authors. This is a great anthology. It contains almost 1,500 pages and contains poetry, plays, and fiction. Also, it contains some biographical information and has a glossary of literary terms. A bargain for the price if you ask me.

I had a class where I had to use this book and I only got a B in the class thanks to this book. This book should be strictly kept in libraries for its lack of educational value. On the bright side the best thing about this book has to be the cover. I didn't read the whole book but as far as I can tell it dosent have anything to do with the content inside the book.

This is a great book it is classy and informative

This book is particularly helpful for anyone who is inexperienced in sex and sexuality. Alex Comfort, M.D., D.Sc, covers all aspects of physical and mental interaction which surround sex. He is very informative on the mechanics of sex, kind of a how-to, and addresses issues many other authors shy away from such as alternative lifestyles, sex therapy, and swinging.

For anyone who has their fair share of experience it may not be particularly informative in regards to positions or new ideas to spice things up, but there is a lot of content that deals with sexual problems and special needs that may be kept on hand for future reference.

The book is beautifully illustrated, which may be much better than explicit photos that have the potential to make people uncomfortable if they are not open to adult materials. Most of the illustrations are black and white and show the same couple throughout the entire book. The only thing I did not care for was the male model used (he reminded me of a seventies porno star).

Overall, I feel it would be extremely beneficial to individuals, or couples, with little practical experience or beginners who are exploring who they are with their sexuality and what it is they want from a partner.

I really like the way this author covers the issues of sex and sexuality. He delivers his message with well written and easy to understand information and covers not only the physical side of sex but the mental side of it as well. I found this book to be very informative and covers everything from multiple partners, positions, alternative lifestyles, lack of sexual interest to offering wonderful advise on how to spice up your lovelife and make exploring your partners(private parts) alot more fun and understanding. My partner and I read this book together and although it's a little outdated, we found it very educating and fun to read.

Right... the 'Joy of Sex' covers mainly the technicalities and the author doesn't go on very much about psychology etc, although it shines through. 'More Joy' is heavily about psychology, on the contrary... it may have been necessary when the book was puslished (early seventies) and may be again necessary now... the book clearly shows its age... and if his views don't agree with your personality (he does get preachy at times) the book is not for you.

Instructions are clear and well written. Some of the patterns are difficult to read the shadow words because of the letters being hidden behind the flowers.

I disagree with Alex's instructions to embroider the flowers first then trace the letters and embroider them. This requires going over the design twice.

Projects are great and general instructions very good for completing them. The patterns may be adapted to any of the projects in the book.

A basic knowledge of embroidery is helpful.

What could be more American than Redwork? How about Redwork with inspiration? Alex Anderson has spun a new twist to an all-time favorite needle art, by producing a clever and creative book on this uniquely American craft entitled, "Shadow Redwork". By including a subtle message of inspiration or love in the background using ecru embroidery, Alex has devised an interesting look, which causes the viewer to ponder more deeply our handiwork. For those of us who labor to produce personalized heirlooms for special folks, a few extra oohs and ahs goes a long way! Ms. Anderson's directions are simple to follow, with some handy tips interspersed along the way. Most appreciated are her Stitch Directions including diagrams for both right and left-handed needle crafters. She includes some simple enough designs for those new to Redwork, including her "Nasturtiums Pillow" as well as the "Seasons Banner", along with some more challenging projects for the seasoned Redwork enthusiast. A tip from one of those seasoned Redwork enthusiasts - when tracing the Redwork part of the pattern, try using a red, .05 Micron permanent pen. If your stitches are slightly off the tracing line, you will never notice! Keep up the great work, Alex; we look forward to your next imaginative quilting venture!

Alex has done it again. The designs in this book are beautiful and can be adapted to many different projects. Instructions are clear and well written, and include left and right handed instruction. Good for beginners and more experienced redworkers as well. I highly recommend this book.

After this book arrived I couldn't wait to get started! The directions are very clear and the samples beautiful.

This book should be an official text book in our public schools. Most people in Puerto Rico take for granted the prosperity and the quality of life we know enjoy. Every body in the island should read this book in order to know about how it happened, and which were the circumstances and factors that shaped our economic development. The reader will realize the importance to focus our political discussions on economic development rather than status issues. The show how important factors as geographic location, scarce natural resources, big population, and political relation with the US played a mayor role in our development past. It helps to understand the present economic situation, and to develop strategies for our future growth. The leadership, and entrepreneur spirit, and passion of Teodoro Moscoso, has been inspiring.

Alex W. Maldonado is an excellent writer, and the book is written in very understandable English. It is unfortunate, that this book is not currently published in Spanish.

Luis Negrón Hernandez: El por muchos años periodista de El Mundo y The San Juan Star, Alex W. Maldonado, aporta a nuestra historiografía: Teodoro Moscoso and Puerto Rico's Operation Bootstrap. Moscoso, a cargo de la promoción industrial de Puerto Rico a partir de la década del 1940, junto a otros extraordinarios tecnócratas, contribuyó como pocos al desarrollo y futuro de Puerto Rico. Lea cómo lo hicieron.

This political biography of Teodoro Moscoso, the brain behind Operation Bootstrap, straddles between epical and history. Moscoso is presented as a hero who singlehandedly transformed Puerto Rican history. Moscoso's failures as U.S. ambassador to Venezuela and Director of the Alliance for Progress are presented as fatefull events out of his control.

Well written but too bent on presenting Moscoso as a hero, rather than as an actor of history, the book becomes a one sided apology rather than a balanced political biography.

Maldonado opened with his book one of Puerto Rican history important moments, operation boostrap. To my generation Operation Bootstrap (Manos a la Obra) seems as something so far in time, but in reading Maldonados book I understand how this economic changes shape the lives of my family and therefore in the longrun me. Maldonado achieve to expose all the different aspect of the operation and all the problems it confroted. Maldonado proves is objectivity by recognizing the mistakes that were made and how they have influenced outcome events. I really recommended this book.

Human minds differ but share some important similarities: the craving for certain order, the propensity to identify patterns, some basic aesthetic preferences... Alex Calvo draws attention to the importance of considering these qualities in software design. Unpretentious and simple, yet not simplistic. An enriching reference for any software designer.

This book gives you the impression that you are working alongside of a savvy teacher who has been in the profession for a long time. It walks the fine line of handling all of the issues that arise - no matter how trivial - without being condescending. Even experienced designers will be able to come away from this book with some new tips and tricks. I highly recommend this book

I hate to be the odd man out on the reviews, here, but I found this book to be nothing more than a list of the available Windows 9x controls.

With that said, it is a good reference for those new to the Windows 9x interface. But do not come here looking for guidelines or recommendations for drafting a global UI specification or creating an overal look-and-feel for an application.

I read the book to educate myself about considerations when setting up a mobile business. To me the book was very informative and gave a thorough overview about the topic. It provided necessary amount of data and statistics and some concrete check lists (some items obvious some not so). The book was not focused on any particular market region but had a global perspective.
In the beginning the book said what it is and what it isn't.
In my case the book served the purpose very well. Next step would be to select the preferred business type and go more in detail (with another book?).

Can you say KICK ASS on live internet? :) I stayed up all night reading this awesome book. From the intro paragraph I was hooked. Great samples, wonderful resources. Excellent buy!

-New Wireless Entrepreneur

I just downloaded the book from the BookLocker in PDF version paid [$], my friend recommended me this book, trust me if u googleup, then u can noticed the several cool articles and then compile them and u will have Wireless Profits, in your hand. I won't recommend anyone to buy this product. Oh yes! there is one more , after every 5-10 pages you will see the "Blank" pages, and then it is not actually 136 Pages, it has five blank pages in the end. If Amazon.com wanna verify it they should download the PDF too and then see by themselves. and yes please dont make Amazon.com flea market, where people sale the stuff by saying "FULL" and it is half-empty.

Take Care,

Mudassir

San Jose, CA