John Winston Books

Poignant, powerful stories. Beautifully written with a distinctive and important design. This book's not to be missed--by you, your friends, your business colleagues. Bravo!

Within his book A Leader Becomes A Leader, Kevin Sheehan delightfully illustrates the essence of true leadership. He poignantly definies a diverse group of past and present leaders; while exploring their life events and characteristics of greatness. Encourage your friends, family and coworkers to read this motivational book!

The author does a phenomenal job of breaking the topic down into small manageable and inspiring readings; also covers a great cross-section of leaders and the characteristics that made them successful. I ordered a dozen copies as executive and motivational gifts.

J. Kevin Sheehan presents a celebration of what's possible in his biographical snapshots of great leaders. By focusing on the unique character traits of outstanding leaders the author transforms the mysteries of leadership into something very real. He answers the question "what made them great?" in an extremely concise and inspirational style. Great as a corporate gift or graduation present. My children have used it for school projects and I have found inspiration for my own business. No home or school library should be without this most valuable tool.

What I love most about "A Leader Becomes A Leader" is it's timeless simplicity. I can take this book (turn off the television) and spend quality time with a young child, parent, teacher, grandparent or peer and connect on a visual, thoughtful and emotional level. These inspiring stories remain simple, true and steadfast in their messages of perseverance (and are told with grace). A thoughtful journey through and towards what is really important in life. A great exploration on human potential. This must be shared!

Wow! I'm so glad this book is still a hit. I still have the one that was issued to me in 1975 in ninth grade English. I have used it ever since, including for my bachelor's and two master's degrees. The spine is faded pink from sitting in the sun on my reference bookshelf for the last 33 years. This book is single best source you can find for grammar specifics; language structure; expository writing; or tweaking your writing for the essay section on the SAT or a back-to-school paper. A true treasure that is as useful today as it was long ago.

This book was issued to me in my senior year in high school in 1976. I have kept it by my side, has helped me through my college years and then with my children, and now that I have decided to go back to school and am studying translation, I have taken it out of the bookshelf once again because the books we were assigned do not even come close to the perfection (in my idea) of this book. It has traveled with me through the different countries that I have lived in. It is truly a jewel of a book as far as how it is organized, explained and the exercises are very helpful to reinforce what you are trying to learn.

I purchased this book to add to my library after reading several reviews on Amazon. The book has some valuable information, but you can obtain most of the same information from Strunk & White's "The Elements of Style."

I have the 1965 (!) version of this book! I used it in GRADE SCHOOL. I used it as a reference in HIGH SCHOOL. I used it as a reference in COLLEGE. I used it as a reference in GRADUATE SCHOOL. My daughters used it (as a reference) in GRADE SCHOOL, HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE and now GRADUATE SCHOOL. My son is now using it! During homework, there was always a call for "Dad, can I borrow that red English book?" There isn't anything else like it, not today. It explains, illustrates and gives practical examples of English like no other textbook. it's built as a REFERENCE TEXTBOOK, something few books do today. Textbooks used to be like this once. I was on Amazon and wondered by chance if it were still available, I'd like to get an updated copy. I was stunned to not only find one, but find that every single reviewer felt that same way about this book! You absolutely MUST have this as part of your personal reference along with you home medical books and such! When your child asks, "So, dad, mom- is it "lay" or "lie?" - you'll go running for this book, I guarantee!

I picked up this book after it was recommended by Stephen King in his book "On Writing" pages 121-122 (hardback). Mr. King was right, this is a good book and it has everything you need to become a good writer. I have not reached that point yet, but I know I will eventually get there with the help of this book.

I read this book several times when I was young. I loved it then and my son has read this a couple times in recent years. I have all four books in the series. The description of his life on the trail, taking care of the sled dogs, and even the food he ate while on the trail were all exciting to me. The book starts out about Silver Chief's mother, before the Chief was born. I had forgotten about that part. This is a great book. Another book I liked regarding the outdoors, which also had great detail, was My Side of the Mountain.

I read this book as a young girl and now at the age of 60 I enjoyed it just as much. I read it to my four kids when they were in the 5th grade and they loved it as well. Now my daughter who is a high school teacher is using a copy of the book in her classroom for her students to read.

My dad read this book as a boy in the 1950s. He introduced the Silver Chief books to me and I read and reread them as a young preteen. I have since read them to several children who also couldn't get enough of them. Silver Chief is a beautiful silver animal part dog and part wolf. A Royal Candian Mounted Policeman named Sar. Thornton heads north to track a murderer. While waiting to track down the murderer, Thornton captures and tames Silver Chief training him into a loving companion and loyal friend. When the Murderer wounds Thornton in the leg, it is up to Silver Chief to see that they arrive safely back to civilization.

I read this book in elementary school, after stumbling across it while browsing through the school library. It's such a great story and even though it's for youngsters, I wouldn't mind re-reading it now as an adult, just for the memories of the brave wild dog's adventures.

I read the Silver Chief stories as a grade school kid back in the 50's and even today just hearing the name conjurs up memories and pictures in my head of "the Great White North," the Canadian Mounties and the moving story of the bond between a man and a wild dog. I had a heck of a time finding a copy to read to my three boys -- the [Local] Public Library had relegated it to storage in a warehouse. How unfortunate that so many wonderful children's titles have been lost or forgotten. I'm glad to see this one is still available to another generation of readers -- the romance, adventure and genuine feeling of this story remain timeless!

The reviews below say it well. I re-read parts of this every few months - not to refresh my knowledge of the civil war, but to re-fresh my awareness of life. This guy helps you SEE the real life going on around you. And his use of words is often just delicious. It is a masterpiece.

I first read John Brown's Body, the book length poem chronicling the Civil War in high school in the forties. It was my first exposure to narrative poetry and it has been my favorite book since then. When I read twenty years later that it was also the favorite book of John F. Kennedy it reassured me that he would avoid war at all costs. It is an anti-war story, and the devastation of war, the profiles of the all too human generals and of Lincoln are an important footnote of history. The poetry is musical and sometimes stark. He is able to impart the real devastation of war on the lives of those affected by it. I would reccommend it to anyone who loves poetry and history. It is a truly American story of a war that should never have been fought.

When Stephen Vincent Benet finished John Brown's Body in 1928 and the critics awaited its issue, the South was most anxious and skeptical that they would be portrayed honestly. They were and Stephen Benet's masterpiece is America's greatest epic poem and a most unappreciated work of literature. But, I love it and always will love it, because it makes those historic figures of so long ago - come alive. Out of the mist, they ride. Come traveler, pick it up, open its pages and from fish hook Gettysburg to the end, watch them ride and try to understand over all the years what was happening and why they were fighting. It was not all about Slavery!

While it is a staggering work of American poetry, John Brown's Body should not - and must not - be considered a factual account of the Civil War period. Like most Civil War works published in the 1920s - the period that saw the rise of Jim Crow and the rebirth of the KKK - Benet's "epic" seeks to distract readers from the role slavery played in sparking the war. If we admit that slavery sparked the war, then we admit that blacks were important enough for whites to fight and die for. And in the 1920s, social pressures in the United States were aimed toward disempowering blacks. Proponents of the "Lost Cause" mentality will argue that the Civil War was fought not over slavery, but rather over states' rights. But states' rights to do what? Keep slaves, of course. Appreciate this book for its contribution to poetry. Do no appreciate it for its views on the Civil War.

During the Pax Romana the emperor Augustus commissioned Vergil to write an epic history of the Romans. The result, of course, was The Aeneid, a stunning blend of epic poetry and historical fiction that some would argue has yet to be topped. John Brown's Body is the closest thing we have to an epic poem "about" America. And while it takes place during the civil war and makes no claim to be an authoritative history, the book is no less impressive as a literary feat. No book in the history of this country has so artfully depicted our nation's great schism.

Written in the 20s, John Brown's Body redefines the word ananchronism. Its contemporaries are The Great Gatsby, The Sun Also Rises, and Their Eyes Were Watching God. Professors widely praise these modern works for their groundbreaking aesthetics, and not without justification. However, it's hard to imagine a more daring or daunting task than the writing of John Brown's Body. Never mind the fact that he pulled it off marvelously. Stephen Vincent Benet remains the only writer to have even _attempted_ to write an American epic poem. Stephen Vincent Benet deserves high scores both for degree of difficulty and final product. Yet conventional education regarding 20th century American books never seems to give him these high marks.

Why Benet and his book don't get the recognition they merit is a terrific question. Is his book canonically superior to Gatsby and Their Eyes? No. And on some level, it's difficult to see what someone living in Taiwan could glean from this document of American struggle and triumph. To wit, the book can also be criticized for being slightly skewed toward a Yankee perspective. But as a whole, the book is outright better than a lot of works revered as American classics.

What does better mean? What it should mean. Simply a more impressive work of art. More entertaining. More provactive. More fun to read. More intellectual depth, conveyed subtly and beautifully, embedded skillfully but not invisibly in an absorbing tale. On these counts, John Brown's Body is vastly superior to classics like The Sun Also Rises; The USA series of John Dos Passos; Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis; and certainly Hawthorne's later novels. Yet John Brown's Body continues to get short shrift, to the point where it's well nigh unfindable in many a book store. One can only hope that the critics and canon-makers of later generations restore the book to its proper place, high atop our shining history of American letters.

Winston Churchill wrote this book during the 1930's while in political exile. His masterful handling of Hitler, Roosevelt, and Stalin is presaged as he tells the tale of John Churchill, who overcame party strife in England, baseness and shortsightedness in coalition partners, and (finally) Louis XIV of France. WSC tell the story with his brilliant flair and style, but he also pauses with the reader to reflect on such matters as how to blunt a violent political storm without being yourself destroyed, how best to handle superiors who will hold you responsible for results but will not let you do the job, and how to act honorably when all of your life's work is thrown away by your enemies. These trenchant insights were pertinent in 1700, in the 1930's, and today. You are in for a treat, read this one.

Winston Churchill was a man who rarely met a topic upon which he didn't harbor a strong opinion that he was willing to share. The Duke of Marlborough is no different. Churchill is clearly enamoured with this relative of his and lets it show. That said, Churchill plainly states that there are two camps on Marlborough and tells the world which camp he falls into. By doing so, he opens up the reader to get a feel not just for Marlborough and his times, but also for the debate by historians that rages around a polarizing historic figure like Marlborough. (Sound familiar to anyone else?) The result is a richly layered work.

Winston Churchill viewed history as something that was alive and tangible and his historic writings capture that feeling for readers. Marlborough's battles - both military and political - come to life in the hands of Churchill. We get to see one of the great military minds of the 18th century push military science closer and closer to its modern form. We also see him perform less well on the political front against his foes there.

Through the entire book, we get to listen to Winston Churchill in his element, telling us a story about a topic he feels passionately about. So many of the trials, trevails, and reactions that Churchill ascribes to Marlborough are so obviously parallels to Churchill's life and his reactions that the book has a clear autobiographical tone to it as well.

Highly recommended for history buffs and for people who want to understand Churchill more deeply.

John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough, is the uncontested military genius of late Stuart England, the uncrowned political/military heir to William of Orange and the famous ancestor of Winston Churchill. In tandem with Austria's general, Eugen of Savoy, he led the coalition armies in the War of the Spanish Succession, defeating in detail several of Louis XIV's French and Bavarian armies, most famously at Blenheim, but also at Ramilles, Ourdenarde and Malplaquet. Meanwhile, on the domestic front, his wife, the beautiful but intemperate Sarah Jennings, later Duchess of Marlbourough, became a "favorite" of Queen Anne and secured for him (at least for most of the war) the political support that necessary for him to field an army on the Continent for the many years.

As a writer of history, Churchill ranks with Gibbon for his mastery of prose and his ability to use vivid imagery to hold the reader's attention to minute detail. For each year of the Spanish Succession War, Churchill opens with a strategic appreciation of how the Anglo-Austrian forces plotted out each year's campaigns, and goes to great pains to explain the reasons behind Marlborough's various deployments. And he paints on a simply massive canvas: he begins with a detailed account of Charles II's Restoration, of James II's abortive reign (and Marlborough's role in ending it), of William III and Mary II's joint reign (Churchill is NOT a fan of William and Mary) and of the underlying workings of the French monarchy. He is not afraid to address the various failings in Marlborough's character, particularly his secret negotiations with both the enemy and the exiled Stuarts, but does seek to defend Marlborough (and Sarah) from the more libellous charges.

This book was written in the 1930s, politically Churchill's decade of exile (and personally, his worst years of depression). If everyone turned unemployment, financial crisis and depression to such good use, the world would be a far better place.

Winston Churchill, in a relatively well-known bad patch during the 1930s, began to write this history of his famous and much maligned ancestor. The first volume contains the first two books of the original four book set. The life of John Churchill, Duke of Malborough, is both a fascinating look at an historical era as well as a personal portrait of a great military general. Book One consists of a large chunk of history, spanning the downfall of Charles I through Cromwell, to the Restoration of Charles II, through the overthrowing of his brother, the Catholic James II by William of Orange married to James II's daughter, Mary, to the crowning of Queen Anne. The second Book of Volume one concentrates on a mere 3 years of Anne's rule.

I will not reiterate what other reviewers have already said. However, I would add that in the writing of this book, Winston Churchill prepared himself to become even greater than his general ancestor. It can hardly be surprising that as this history was being written, events were conspiring to lead Winston Churchill into the biggest world confrontation ever. After studying the campaigns in Europe of Lord Malborough, it can hardly be surprising that Churchill fully suspected the coming of the war long before his fellow MPs.

This is a scholarly work and shouldn't be undertaken without serious patience. Each of the two volumes are in themselves close to 1,000 pages long. The history is written from the point of view of a defender, though Winston Churchill is careful not to gloss over details that might cast an unfavorable opinion of his ancestor. Well worth the effort.

BOOK TWO -

Since I reviewed Book One, I felt it was important to follow up with a review of Book Two of this work. My initial comment is that sticking with something this huge is a task in itself, but often the reward is hard to describe. For me, I feel each time I finish a huge work like this (or Hegel, or Kant, or ... well, anything "Big") I sense my own mind has been exercised a bit. It's a reward in and of itself.

Firstly, like Book One, this is really Volume Three and Volume Four of the a Four Book series bound together in Two mammoth volumes. Reading these 2000 plus pages is like running a marathon: the beginning is difficult, then you break the pain barrier and coast for quite a long while until the last staggering climb to the finish. In Book Three we continue with the war of Spanish Succession. These 500 pages are essentially concerned with the gigantic battles Marlborough fought. It was a time in which his glory was highly esteemed. As we get into Book Four, much like Book One, the narrative returns to the over all political scene which dominated and brought down the Great Duke. It is also the point where the reader might become overwhelmed again by both the multifaceted political machinations as well as the constantly revolving names (John Churchill becomes the Duke of Marlborough, etc.)

However, for all these difficulties, the overall sense from both volumes is as thorough and detailed and enthralling as history can be written. There can be no doubt that Winston Churchill, as he surveyed the ever-mounting rearmament of the Germanic states and looking over the ancient maps of Europe imagining both the current and past, felt an immense burden of responsibility. By undertaking the task of "reforming" The Duke of Marlborough's image, he delved deep in to the vaults of history and warfare. It was not surprising that at the same moment he should be the first to recognize (at least in Britain) the significance of Hitler's intensions.

One other thing struck me as fascinating about this era. The whole course of European politics, war, peace, and financial stability were tied up in the lives of three bickering women: Sarah (Marlborough's wife), Abigail (cousin to Sarah), and Queen Anne (whom both served and guided with gossip and whisperings.) Out of this small time period bore the seeds of Napoleon, the American discontent with England, and Slavery. Big stuff.

I recommend these Four volumes (two books). The paperbacks are perhaps overstuffed, though. Book One split right down the middle. I was more careful with Book Two, though my hands suffered from it. Perhaps spending the money for the hardback editions in this case is worth it?

Winston Spencer Churchill's biography of his ancestor, John Churchill First Duke of Marlborough, stands out as a restoration of Marlborough's reputation, an account of England under the reigns of Charles II, James II, William III and Queen Anne, and an in-depth military and political history of the War of Spanish Succession.

WSC gives us a picture of the whole man, including his faults. One of WSC's purposes is to rescue Marlborough's reputation from the attacks of generations of historians. The book becomes a brilliant defense and of course it cannot be unbiased. WSC is Marlborough's defense attorney, not his judge.

By the 1920s, Marlborough had been called miserly, greedy, ambitious, duplicitous, disloyal and treacherous. As he recounts Marlborough's life, WSC continually picks up an episode that seemingly illustrates one of these traits, but turns it around.

Where unsympathetic historians saw miserly habits, WSC saw thrift and WSC goes further. Marlborough was miserly when it came to his own needs, such as when he insisted surgeons cut his stocking along the seem so that it could be resown. Yet he paid his army's bills and wages on time; apparently this was unusual in those days. He paid, from his own discretionary funds, which other generals often pocketed as a matter of course, for military intelligence that proved crucial to securing many of his victories.

Where accusers saw ambition needlessly prolonging a difficult war, WSC presents Marlborough has being bound by duty to achieve the best results possible, and to reject a timid peace, which would have left Europe in the hands of a despot.

WSC has a more difficult, but no less successful time defending Marlborough's continued correspondence with St-Germain, the exiled English court of James II and later his son, as recognized by Louis the XIV. The problem here is that today such acts would indeed be treason, but in the seventeenth century they were part of the normal workings of diplomacy, war time or not. After all, if passports and safe conduits were routinely given to enemies to allow them to rest and confer in between campaigns, it could not have been that unusual to keep in touch with people one knew, even if they were officially enemies.

WSC also presents Marlborough's most important relationships: with his wife Sarah Jennings; with his military ally Prince Eugene, with whom he won at Blenheim; with his political colleague Godolphin, who secured funds for his military work; with the kings and queen of England from James II to George I;

But WSC does accuse Marlborough on occasion of having been unwise. He is particularly critical of the Duke's obsession with his palace at Blenheim (where WSC himself was born). Marlborough didnft want an opulent residence, rather he wanted to leave a monument that would survive centuries and remember his name to future generations. WSC writes that as such Blenheim was a failure: it added nothing to the Duke's reputation and the worries it caused may have taken years from his life. Winston Churchill must have felt his biography was a better memorial to his ancestor.

When I was a little girl my parents read me this book and I, reportedly, loved it, so when I found it on the shelf I was thrilled to read it again, particularly about the pig "mucking about." The story goes like this: Mr. Gumpy goes for a ride in his punt on the river, and a lot of animals and children ask for rides, and he gives them strict instructions for boat behavior, which they eventually grossly violate, and then they all go in the drink. And go home and have tea. Yes, the story is a wee bit British. What strikes me as an adult, reading the book, is the casual loving way with which the children are included along with the other animals -- pigs, dog, children, goat, etc. It is a very sweet book and Benny and Sadie love it and find it hilarious. Publisher's Weekly's review of it presents it as a moral tale on boat safety. What a bunch of loons. ;D

My eighteen-month-old son brings this book to me half a dozen times a day. "Read Gummy!" No higher recommendation.

Truly a classic, this one is a joy to read and kids just love it. The accumulative tale combined with glowing illustrations elicits preschool giggles every time!

This book falls firmly into a very specific genre of picture book literature. The old, if-one-more-person-gets-into-this-boat/mitten/car/etc.-bad-things-will-happen genre. Jan Brett's "The Mitten" does it. The more recent "One Dog Canoe" does it. But one of the first stories to have done it (and have a moral to boot) is the 1970 story "Mr. Gumpy's Outing".

Mr. Gumpy (who is not grumpy in the least) lives on the banks of a river, and owns a boat. As he goes for a boat ride, two children ask to come along. Mr. Gumpy gives them instructions on what not to do, and they join him. Next a bunny comes along. Mr. Gumpy tells it what not to do, and it joins him. As Mr. Gumpy poles his boat down the river, more and more animals join the party, each receiving a stipulation from Mr. Gumpy on what behavior is appropriate. After the boat fills, the animals suddenly ignore Mr. Gumpy's requests and begin to misbehave. As a result, they all topple headlong into the river, retiring to Gumpy's for tea.

Originally published in England (and if Mr. Gumpy isn't THE most English picture book gentleman you've seen outside of Paddington Bear himself, I'll eat my hat) the story is incredibly civilized. There's nothing like seeing a sheep delicately sipping from a straw to drill home the essential manners and protocols essential to everyday interactions. The illustrations are especially nice. Mr. Gumpy never looks particularly upset or angry by anything that happens to him. As he poles his boat a black and white pen and ink drawing on the left pages shows the boat and it's inhabitants. On the right page is a colorful drawing of the animal(s) asking to be allowed to join. The book, despite the whole falling into the water bit, is calm and peaceful. Just the kind of fun story you'd expect to be read on a cold rainy day. Highly recommended (especially with crumpets and bit of toast with marmalade).

This is a thoroughly delightful book. The simple story engages small children, and the illustrations are first-rate. I have read this book countless times to my two pre-schoolers, and have enjoyed the experience very much. This book is an excellent way to get children interested in books. Finally, I recommend the hardback over the paperback because of the higher quality of the illustrations in the hardback.

Friday's Tunnel was written by John Verney (1913-1993), an artist, author and former member of the SAS/SBS in WW2 and published in 1959. The book is set in the 1950's and despite being written as a children's book, it brings back the political atmosphere of the 1950s, when the arms race between the two great superpowers, America and the USSR, dominated a world in which Britain, losing face over Suez, Cyprus and its African colonies, could not believe it had lost its power in the world. It's a charming and now rather dated book in which children say things like, "You're in a proper pickle", "Gosh, what a spiv!" and "I think it's simply lousy!". All the grown-ups smoke cigarettes and you can spot an Old Harrovian in the station car park because of his scarf. Similar in some ways to the "world of yesteryear" charms of Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons" series of childrens books.

Similarly to Arthur Ransome' or bits and pieces of C.S Lewis' children's books in other ways, the book depicts a world where upper-class, bohemian English children live in large, rambling houses, and can find clues in Virgil and Who's Who. And although it is very definitely a post-Suez novel, even the Left-wing characters do not exactly contradict the view of the lead "evil" character, that "the British are the only race fit to wield absolute power". Which of course, used to be correct (hey, I like Rudyard Kipling too...). Kind of makes you wonder what happened to the education system over the last fifty years doesn't it. How many schoolkids today have even heard of Virgil, much less read him?

On to the book itself. The villain of Friday's Tunnel is a Tory (that's the British Conservative Party for you non-Brits) peer called Lord Sprockett. He was an MP, and during the war (WW2), he has made money out of many unscrupulous schemes. The narrator of the book, a 13-year-old girl, asks her liberal American mother why her Daddy, a Left-leaning journalist, so hates Lord Sprockett. She is told: "Daddy disapproves of people who go on and on making money just for the sake of the power it gives them. He thinks rich men should create something with their wealth like Lord Nuffield; or buy pictures and build wonderful houses like the Lord Querbury he once wrote a book about." In other words, Sprockett isn't really a gentleman. Indeed he isn't. The reader soon finds out that his grandmother was a domestic servant, and he descends from the gipsy-like folk who live in caravans on the Sussex Downs and who themselves descend from the brigands of a Mediterranean island called Capria.

The éminence grise from the Ministry of Defence who comes to help sort out the central mystery of the story remains convinced that for all his villainy, "Lord Sprockett" is basically a Tory. First, "in spite of fame and fortune and properties in Shropshire and Capria, and his yacht and his millions, he'd always longed some day to buy up the scene of those humiliating early struggles in the pantry". Second, he isn't "simply out to make an astronomic fortune\u2026 he believes passionately that the British are the only race fit to wield absolute power".

Spies discover that on the island of Capria there exists a substance called caprium, which makes the H-bomb seem mild. In order to get hold of it, the Americans start the rumour that there has been a dangerous coup on the island, which justifies their intervention. Gus Callender, the father of our narrator and the Lefty journalist (and former MP) who hates Lord Sprockett, is one of the few Englishmen who really knows the island. He writes an article to show that the Russians and Americans are escalating the crisis for their own ends. Meanwhile, someone - the wicked Lord Sprockett? - has been exporting the deadly explosive caprium and hiding it in empty packing-cases in a disused canal tunnel under the Sussex Downs.

It's a marvelous, if somewhat dated, book for children. The charming illustrations are by the author himself - he was an artist first and a writer second. As well as writing and illustrating his own books, he did drawings for the books of Gillian Avery and Anthony Buckeridge. During WW2, he was parachuted into Sardinia for the SAS (he was a member of the WW2 SAS's Special Boat Squadron) in 1943, and it was this experience which inspired both this story and his memoirs Going to the Wars (1955) and A Dinner of Herbs. He also wrote a number of other children's book. Sadly, Friday's Tunnel is probably too politically and socially incorrect to be reissued as a children's book today. However, it's very readable and a good read for all that. Probably a better read for kids than most of the "children's" books on the market today. For one thing, it assumes children are intelligent and have a good command of the English language, it's certainly not "dumbed down" like so many kids books are today.

I discovered Friday's Tunnel by accident in a charity shop, and loved it. I don't understand why John Verney's books haven't been reprinted - they're really imaginative without being patronizing to children. I am having a lot of difficulty getting hold of the others second hand, as the few copies I've found are very expensive, but they are DEFINITELY worth getting hold of, and treasuring for the rest of your life! Please get this book, so another person will be aware of the brilliance of this now little-known author! - I don't mean to sound so manic, but I really do love his books.

I just found this in a used book store and thought it was an excellent story. I lent it to my severely depressed brother and he enjoyed it too.

As a child I thrilled to the zany, fascinating, intelligent adventures of the Callendar family. The writing is witty and clever, the characters fabulous, the plotlines better than we can find for our kids today. Why on earth don't they come back into print?

This has been one of my favorite books for a quarter-century. I re-read it and its sequels (FEBRUARY'S ROAD, ISMO, SAMSON'S HOARD) regularly--they have complex, fascinating plots and interesting characters, plus delightful illustrations!I think FRIDAY'S TUNNEL is the best.

I love books on The Beatles, especially the most interesting John Lennon, but I do not like reading books in 3rd person. This is the first historically acurate NOVEL ever on John Lennon and it is riveting!! I now feel like I walked with John, like I was with him in the Cavern Club and when he was trying to "make it big"!

Thank you, Jude Kessler, for devoting so much of your life to this superb undertaking! Everyone who has ever been interested in John Lennon should read this great work. I cannot wait for the sequel!!

Jude has delivered a masterpiece. For those who love and study The Beatles she has provided a new and linear angle to our favorite story. The title has several meanings. On these pages Julia lives. Mimi is as we expect but with a love for John that is unmatched. Cynthia's role is better understood. I'm getting to know Stuart as John did. I can smell Hamburg! Paul, George, Pete, Ringo, Rory, Allan, and all the Scouser's and Exi's are portrayed with respect and good humor. Complete with in-jokes, historical facts, and cross referencing others works she weaves John's story and that of the band like no one.
Thanks, Jude and good on yer!

This book is captivating. Once you begin to read you are hooked. Page after
page goes by and you do not realize how far you have read. Not only is this a
story about John Lennon's life but it also allows us to think about the many
children who come from such hard lives and are so misunderstood. I myself am
learning how much his songs mean now that I understand where he came from. I
also love that at the end of each chapter the author explains the truthful
facts of each chapter.
Bottom line, this is a very entertaining and accurate portrait of the life of
little John Lennon.

This book is almost beyond description! I've read nearly every book ever written about John Lennon. This is probably the best book I have ever read about John's life as a child, teenager and young adult. The author has done something quite unique in the realm of Beatle biographies. She's taken actual facts and written a full length novel based upon those facts. It can't be called a fan-fiction, because none of it is fictional, with the exception of dialog. This is Jude's first book and it is absolutely amazing! You will feel as though you have been transported back in time to be a "fly on the wall" of John's life. This book project has taken Jude over 20 years to research. She's made countless trips to Liverpool, interviewing as many of John's friends, family members and others in his life as possible, and believe me, it shows. At the end of each chapter, she cites her sources for the events in that chapter. Only the conversation is conjecture, and even some of that is exact quotes. She's done a fantastic job of capturing the essence of John's personality, the good and the not so good.

Personally, I cannot wait for the sequel(s). This book is captivating and anyone who loves John should not only read it, but OWN it!

The song "Imagine" by John Lennon is a byproduct of years of participating in and observing conflict about most meaningless issues, different perspectives and selfishness. But imagine is just what John Lennon spent his entire life doing with the most tenacious and passionate vision and "out of the box" thinking anyone else could ever dream. Jude Southerland Kessler takes a reader through the minute events and factors that contributed into forming this iconic, well-loved and really quite misunderstood musical genius!

Shoulda Been There is the first of a series of novels written by Kessler to chronicle the little-known but fascinating facts about John Lennon's life. This first edition spans the years of 1940 to 1965, well before the Beatles landed to mesmerize America and change the world of music forever. While it's impossible to cover the 795 pages within this review, this reviewer was deeply moved by John's story. Raised by an Aunt Mimi and Uncle George who tried to instill a sense of order and responsibility in John's chaotic spirit, John was just as much a byproduct of his free-spirited mother, Julia, who had a similar passion for music, dance and performance. Indeed she was the inspiration behind John picking up a guitar and at first playing in a "skiffle" band, later to become known as The Quarrymen.

But before his musical career haltingly inched forward, there were years of friendship and pranks shared with best friends like Peter Shotton, pranks that kept John in the lower academic ranks and always on the verge of expulsion from school. It certainly doesn't seem like John lacked intellectual ability; he was just plain bored, so trouble was the spark that made school tolerable. John was a voracious reader and talented sketcher as well as evolving musician.

The rest of the novel takes up every step of John's strategy as well as the rejections and small bits of victory that led the band through different players, different managers and different ideas about how to become successful. It was only after John met Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr and a new manager, Brian Epstien, that John finally began to feel they had a chance at becoming "known" and not just in the backwaters of Liverpool.

Shoulda been there is meticulously researched, full of notes and comments debunking myths about John and his family, but all in all is told in fictional form, albeit this reviewer kept thinking of it as more of a memoir than a novel in which the author has imagined the conversations that occurred around historical events in Lennon's life. It's well-told, a bit stretchy with minutiae but a fascinating story for those who would love to read more about the man who gifted the world with an eclectic, memorable, life-changing series of songs and albums that will stand the test of time for sure.

Very, very well done, Ms. Kessler!!! This reviewer is avidly looking forward to your next segment of this story re John Lennon, the Beatle!!!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on May 18, 2008

very informative , and very real .with bibical scriptures to backup these claims.but most of all it is true ,and common sense.why would africa be inhabited by caucasion ,and how could cleopatra be exotic and caucasion.especially the very hot and dry climate.caucasion skin is much to thin made for colder climates.it is an exellent research on the history of african race in the bible and lets people see that they were around then and will continue to be

I encountered this book years ago in the University Hills Library in Austin, Texas. Burned by my involvement with my previous church and ministry, I had become disillusioned, distraught and lacking in faith. Atheism, before the current popular tomes advocating a departure from all faiths, appealed to me. This literally turned my head and halted me in my tracks. I checked it out - 3 times - before purchasing it on Amazon.

This is a wellspring that allows one to hold his/her head up as we see (now) played out in American politics the onslaught against African Americans by forces on the left and right that do not know the contributions Africans have made not only to world culture but to the most significant spiritual expression in Western civilization. Current events find European Americans still ignorant of the complex Homiletics of the African Diaspora and its spiritual entities. "Black Liberation Theology" is something now discovered on Fox News and sound bites on You Tube the complete philosophy of Senator Obama's former pastor. It is a willful ignorance born of arrogance and hegemony from the previous "peculiar institution" formerly known as slavery that would birth such a tradition.

"Our people perish due to a lack of [self] knowledge." (Hosea 4:6) And the knowledge should be shared, discussed and preached. It should be used to build us up as a people; to "set the captives free." (Luke 4:18)

[...]: "About 10.4% of the entire African-American male population in the United States aged 25 to 29 was incarcerated, by far the largest racial or ethnic group--by comparison, 2.4% of Hispanic men and 1.2% of white men in that same age group were incarcerated. According to a report by the Justice Policy Institute in 2002, the number of black men in prison has grown to five times the rate it was twenty years ago. Today, more African-American men are in jail than in college. In 2000 there were 791,600 black men in prison and 603,032 enrolled in college. In 1980, there were 143,000 black men in prison and 463,700 enrolled in college." Too many of our men are in prison because they are unaware who they are, and thus misbehave.

I heartily recommend this book as enthusiastically as I did years ago when it stopped me literally in my tracks.

This review is entitled "Confirmation" because it serves to confirm or ratify what, intuitively, I have felt for as long as I can recall. Having been raised in a strongly religious family, I have been exposed to various versions of the Holy Bible, all of which tended to depict and illustrate all personalities with white faces. Given that all of the accounts in the Bible took place on the continent of Africa, prior to the arrival of any significant numbers of Europeans, it was very difficult for me to accept that none of the major figures in the Bible was Black, yet that is what is portrayed. Although I felt that something was "wrong with this picture", I had no way to refute it, and in fact, was reluctant to voice it among some of my own friends and elders who would have deemed such thoughts as sacrilegious, or worse. It still bothered me, nonetheless. As my educational experiences progressed, I had increasing difficulty reconciling what was thrust upon me by the media, those omnipresent Bible illustrations, TV Evangelists, and others who perpetuated the same notion that all of the personalities in the Bible were white. I began to research on my own, and with the advent of the Internet, other avenues were opened to me. I have read a number of other treatises and writings by other distinguished Black religious scholars on the issue of the Black presence in the Bible, all of which enlightened me, and at the same time gave me a deep sense of "connection" with those Biblical personalities, as well as a sense of pride. On the other hand, it also aroused in me a sense of anger and frustration, as it confirmed to me that religious history, just as history in general, has been manipulated, twisted, distorted, and violated for the very sinister and express purpose of discrediting a People and robbing them of a very rich heritage and perpetuating a myth of so-called "superiority". This book should be mandatory reading, not just for Blacks, but for whites, as well, who have themselves been, in the words of Carter G. Woodson, "miseducated". I applaud Dr. Johnson and his colleagues, who are making an invaluable contribution to the telling of OUR history, as too often the euphamism that history is simply "his story" as it pertains to Blacks, is validated over and over. My record will reflect that I have ordered multiple copies of this book in the past, and am at this writing ordering several more copies. They make great gifts, and I can't imagine a better gift than the gift of truth.

Presenting the original language of the first humans , the locale and identity of these humans has long been shelved . This book should be in the educational systems of every educational institution in this country as well as international educational systems.

Mary Mackey's attention to historical detail in The Notorious Mrs. Winston creates a convincing character sketch of the determined heroine, Claire Winston. An engaging love tale coupled with a compelling story of the Civil War, Mackey's latest novel celebrates womanhood by staying true to the times the heroine lived in rather than inserting modern ideas into the past. A moving and absorbing read that will no doubt leave modern day readers satisfied and inspired.

The Notorious Mrs. Winston I found very interesting. John Hunt Morgan is claimed by my home state Kentucky. In Lexington there is his historical home called the John Hunt Morgan House. In my Kentucky history class I did a term paper on his life and his raiders. The protagonist of the book and her cause tells the story in a very intriguing manner. Sit back and relax. Mary Mackey will tell you a delightful story of the Civil War. By Ruth Thompson author of "Natchez Above the River" and "The Bluegrass Dream."

Writing as a Small BusinessQualifying Laps: A Brewster County NovelSins of the Fathers: A Brewster County NovelTravelersThe Bluegrass Dream: A Wilderness Adventure of Early SettlersNatchez Above The River: A Family's Survival In The Civil War

This is Mary Mackey's best ever. The story line keeps you turning pages. The Historical accuracy is intriguing. The detail she provides gives you a new perspective on the lives of these Civil War soldiers. She hits you with a surprise every time you turn around. Bring on your next book Mary Mackey.

Bob Howenstine

In February 1861, the Civil War is two months away when Claire still on her honeymoon with much older portrait photographer Henry Winston sees the "angel" for the first time. She cannot believe how wanton she must be to desire Henry's nephew John Taylor when she just married. She does not love her spouse having said I do for financial security during troubled times.

Besides hiding her reaction the first time ever she saw John's face from him and his uncle, Claire also joins the abolitionist cause without telling her husband. When John, a true believer in the Confederate cause, goes off to battle as a member of Morgan's Raiders, she follows disguised as a young soldier. This enables her to see both sides of the fight especially after Morgan enlists her to his side.

THE NOTORIOUS MRS. WINSTON is a deep look at the Civil War from the viewpoint of a feisty independent female masquerading as a male. Readers see up close what happened at battles and other events through mostly Claire's perspective. Though there is a romantic subplot, Mary Mackey uses that in a support catalyst role as this is a strong engaging historical fiction starring a wonderful protagonist.

Harriet Klausner