449f0392-dda1-4a94-a9fc-ee39de6bd637TrueNewShip81NewsAmazonLargeBooksreviewrank11680121168021585422002http://www.amazon.com/Another-Place-Table-Shattered-Childhoods/dp/1585422002%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1585422002511198http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z5SFP2Y0L._SL75_.jpg7551http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z5SFP2Y0L._SL160_.jpg160110http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Z5SFP2Y0L.jpg475326Kathy HarrisonHardcover362.7330929781585422005901585422002TarcherEnglishEnglishEnglish8502395USD$23.95Tarcher1240Book2003-04-14Tarcher2003-04-14Tarcher84636395USD$3.95245USD$2.45112200005.021515854220024002008-06-25

Too Short

I wish this book was much longer--I wanted to know more. The story of a family with the resources to have a luxurious easy life, but chose to open their home and hearts to children who had less than nothing. The selflessness of this family is amazing. I just couldn't have done it. I couldn't have divided myself into so many pieces and have coped with the disorganization. But, I wholeheartedly admire the people who can. Such an inspiring story. Don't miss it!15854220025002008-01-18

A heartfelt book full of laughter and tears

What an amazing book this is. I was thinking about fostering children and this book was so helpful in my decision. Kathy writes with honesty and although I'm usually not one to cry, through the joy and pain in this book I cried three different times. I couldn't put it down. 15854220025002008-01-15

Inspiring Book!

This book is fantastic! It offers a realistic view of what raising fostor children is like. It shows the good and the bad, yet I have never wanted to be a fostor parent more!15854220025332007-10-05

If you want to know what it is like to be a foster parent or a foster parent that wants to know your not alone...read this book.

This book is about Kathy Harrison's real life as a foster mother and the story about a couple of the children that came into her home. She talks about her true emotions and feelings as she tries to hold these "shattered" children together with, as she puts it, just love and "band aids." <br /> <br />Augusten Burroughs (author of Running with Scissors) said about this book...."Shocking, brutal, heartbreaking and ultimately redemptive, This is the riveting and profoundly moving story of a hero, disguised as an ordinary woman. And like every hero, it's the children she is out to save." <br /> <br />Unlike Augusten I did not find the book "shocking" but honest and realistic to what every foster mom goes through. I could not believe how close our stories were as I read this book. You could have taken out the names of her children and drop in some of mine, tweak their story a little, and it wouldn't ring any truer then what we have seen and gone through. <br /> <br />I cried as she wrote about letting Lucy go to an adoptive home. She loved Lucy but not in the same way as the children she adopted. She wanted to keep her but also wanted Lucy to have that unconditional, total love she deserved. The pain of letting Lucy go tore open those feelings and what we went through with two little boys I had for three years. <br /> <br />She writes about her desire to reach ever child that walked into her home and the heartbreak when she realized love, food, clothes, a home, and safety wont/cant heal all their wounds. <br /> <br />She talks about the times caseworkers have such caviler attitudes to their lack of action that keeps a child in the system longer then need be, or keeps them off the adoption list longer. It reminded me of the unfelt and off the hand "sorry" and "oh, well" I have heard so often. But like her, I don't know how to change things, nor do I have the time to try because there is "another child coming through my front door that needs me." <br /> <br />I understood as she talked about the times she stood tall and strong when she felt the weakest, because it was best for the children. Telling the emotions every foster parent feels behind closed doors. The love she has for the strength and unbelievable timing her husband had at being there when she needed him. I understood the times she wanted to yell at a parent for smoking around the baby in her care but struggles with what is good for the baby and the need to keep the communication open between them. The honest hate she felt for some of the parents that have abused the children in her care but at the same time struggle as she realizes that most likely the bio-parents were children in the same situation when they were young and haven't learned anything different. The hope that what she was doing would change things in some way screamed what every foster parent prays is true. It made me think she had a hidden camera in my home that could read my thoughts and feelings I never let others see. <br /> <br />The hardest part of the book, for me, was the roller coaster of emotions they went on as they tried to adopt Karen. She is elegant in relating the fear of loosing a child that, in your heart, is already yours. A feeling that can't be explained or even come close to being logical. She maps out the joys of moving forward, the pains of more hold ups, the relief that the children are in your care, but the lingering dread that things could change in an instant. She revels how everything is devastatingly out of our control and we have to stay on till the ride is done. <br /> <br />She is most honest about not being a saint, or perfect, or even close to perfect. I laughed so hard when she wrote about the attachment case workers visit. She says she remembers her weakest moments (when she said something she shouldn't of or didn't handle a situation the right way) when people call her a saint; so do I. It only takes one or two human reactions to realize we are not saints or perfect; but she honors us with "a warrior" doing our best. <br /> <br />However, she also shows why we keep doing what we do for these children. The ability to see more in these children then others do and the wonderful feeling we get when the children reach not their potential (because it is rare we get to see this) but better then when they came to our door and father then others thought they could. This might be a simple smile, or a giggle, a sentence everyone understood, going a week with out an out burst, a day with out harming themselves, or the ability to care about something other then themselves for a second or two. <br /> <br />I could go on and on but if you want to see what it is like to be a foster parent....read this book! If you are a foster parent and want to know you are not alone....read this book! <br />15854220025152006-07-12

AUTHOR RETURNABLE GIRL about teen in foster care

I loved this book. As a therapist who has just written a book about a teen girl in foster care I think it's important to focus on the incredible work that foster parents do. They are our unsung heroes! Thank you Kathy!!!!! For a fictional, uplifting account of the journey of a teen in foster care (inspired by the foster children I've worked with in the past) check out my soon-to-be released young adult novel, RETURNABLE GIRL. Maybe it will inspire you to bring a child home.For more than a decade, Kathy Harrison has sheltered a shifting cast of troubled youngsters-the offspring of prostitutes and addicts; the sons and daughters of abusers; and teenage parents who can't handle parenthood. What would motivate someone to give herself over to constant, largely uncompensated chaos? How does she manage her extraordinary blended family? Why would anyone voluntarily take on her job? <br><br> Harrison is no saint, but an ordinary woman doing heroic work. In <i>Another Place at the Table</i>, she describes her life at our social services' front lines-centered around three children who, when they come together in her home, nearly destroy it. Danny, age eight, is borderline mentally retarded and a budding pedophile (a frequent result of sexual abuse in boys). No other family will take him in. Tough, magnetic Sara, age six, is dangerously promiscuous (a typical manifestation of abuse in girls). Karen, six months, shares Danny's legal advocate, who must represent the interests of both. All three living under the same roof will lead to an inevitable explosion-but for each, Harrison's care offers the greatest hope of a reinvented childhood. <br><br> For readers of <i>The Lost Children of Wilder</i>, <i>Expecting Adam</i>, and <i>Somebody Else's Kids</i>, this is the first-person story of a woman whose compassionate best intentions for a child are sometimes all that stand between violence and redemption.B000TFUEM016003448441889322490044991235314169480662375General2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books2445Women2437Specific Groups2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books3048891Memoirs2Biographies & Memoirs1000Subjects283155Books10580Social Services & Welfare10576Poverty10546Current Events53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11286Social Work11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books11288Sociology16244281AIDS16244271Abuse15991701Adults15991711Aging15991691Children271633011Class16252491Communities15991671Culture297480Death11289General15991651History16244521Leisure11291Marriage & Family16311191Medicine15991721Men15991741Occupational10582Race Relations12807Religion15991661Research & Measurement11293Rural16252481Social Groups15991681Social Situations11294Social Theory15991751Suburban11296Urban15991731Women11232Social Sciences53Nonfiction1000Subjects283155Books12667General12621New Age22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books12813General12809Spirituality22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books172722General20Parenting & Families1000Subjects283155Books400108Biographies & Memoirs292203Book Clubs251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books15C2DC8LFBNM7Books About Large FamiliesUIEEVWVGXOBLBooks to Develop Your Social Conscience2ARM5K7YT3M5VMemoirs of Women with Interesting Lives39VHJZP3UNCJDMy favorite non-fiction of 20031553956303http://www.amazon.com/Awake-Heartland-Ecstasy-Joan-Tollifson/dp/1553956303%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1553956303756836http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51S6EY3AA9L._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51S6EY3AA9L._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51S6EY3AA9L.jpg475316Joan TollifsonPaperback1589781553956303791553956303Trafford PublishingEnglishEnglishEnglish8822300USD$23.00Trafford Publishing1264Book2003-06Trafford PublishingTrafford Publishing8859823099USD$230.99955USD$9.551700005.021515539563035002008-01-27

This is it

I found this book to be heart warming, informative and, most of all,clear. I was drawn into the stories and the teaching, reading uninterrupted for hours. In the end, I realized that I was at a new beginning. <br /> <br />If you are interested in seeking, practices, the way to get there, skip this book. If you want to see that you are already enlightened, how life might work out and allow the journey to end, this book is it.15539563035112008-01-01

Authentic down to the marrow.

After being blown away by the Joan's authetic admission of her own (human) inauthenticity in 'Bare Bones Meditation', I've discovered that it is possible to be authentic beyond the bare bones. In this book she reaches down to the marrow. A true dharma heir to Bodhidharma or to the trafic jam occuring just now, whichever you prefer.15539563035582006-11-29

Inspirational and Life Changing

Of all the books that I have read, Joan Tollifson's, "Awake In The Heartland", is the one book I want to share with all of my friends. Her story is unique in this genre in that Joan shares this material as if each and every reader were a long lost friend. Personal and open, deeply moving and alive, Joan invites us into her life with the absolute and uncompromising awareness of a true and genuine human being. I am very grateful to have found this powerful and clear expression of love and presence as it exists in the eternal now. <br /> <br />15539563035252006-11-27

Awake in Ealing

I discovered Awake in the Heartland while exploring information on Advaita. I had encountered Zen in 1960 and have meandered my way along various paths. The title intrigued me since I had lived in 'heartland America' in the 70's and most such books tend to have californian dimension. The magic of the book form is the mixture of real life and ideas - the human dimension of the exploration of awareness. Everyday miracles - you must read this. <br /> <br />Alan Senior London,UK15539563035672006-11-26

This book changed my life.

Awake in the Heartland changed my life. I had been practicing Buddhism for 20 years but never understood that the mirage character (what I call 'me') was not the one to wake up. Also that the path is not about trying harder, as most religions encourage, but about relaxing into what is. It gave me completely new insights as to the way to work. I bought two of the books--one as a loaner--as mine is now completely marked up. It's full of life experiences, not just theory, and resulted in uproarious laughter at many points. I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the spiritual path. It turns it upside down. It turns it from a demand into a joy, and it's fun reading. This is a book about waking up. It\'s not about techniques, dogmas, traditions, exotic states or future attainments. Rather, it points to the simplicity of wonder of what is, as it is. This is a book about discovering perfection in imperfection, and the extraordinary in the ordinary. It\'s about enlightenment, not as a future attainment, but here and now. It celebrates life as it is, from the beautiful to the horrific, inviting the reader to see that everything is spiritual and that nothing is a mistake.095477921505178879240976578301095539990409547792314745Personal Transformation4736Self-Help10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books12667General12621New Age22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books12707General12689Occult22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books12813General12809Spirituality22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books760952Personal Transformation12809Spirituality22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR30U66OZTQBYYPNondual Enlightenment: the clearest books about "liberation"ROW08LIF89YFReveryday zen15X03IXXYHKLTLiberation from "Me"8T8V9C0O60T6Enlightening Books for Those on The Path0871134896http://www.amazon.com/Bachelor-Home-Companion-Practical-Keeping/dp/0871134896%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D08711348961267039http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HQzTdrRnL._SL75_.jpg7549http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HQzTdrRnL._SL160_.jpg160105http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HQzTdrRnL.jpg448295P. J. O'RourkeHardcoverAlan Rose818.54029780871134899600871134896Atlantic Monthly PrEnglishEnglishEnglish8301600USD$16.00Atlantic Monthly Pr1147Book1993-04Atlantic Monthly PrAtlantic Monthly Pr45530175USD$1.751USD$0.011600USD$16.001911770005.021508711348965002006-02-07

Hits a little close to home sometimes

I've read this book several times. Every time I pick it up, I end up laughing until I almost cry. As a bachelor myself, I relate to the grains of reality underneath O'Rouke's great sarcasm.08711348964352003-09-08

One of P.J.'s earliest works, and one of his best.

Not as good as "Eat The Rich" or "Parliament of Whores" or "All The Trouble in the World" or "Holidays in Hell" or "Give War A Chance"; those books are thought-provoking as well as screamingly funny. This one is just screamingly funny, but this might actually be a plus for people whose response to some of P.J.'s better works is a defensive "That's not funny!"; P.J. has a tendancy to poke fun at EVERYTHING, including the sacred cows of people who he disagrees with (and sometimes those he agrees with.)08711348965592003-05-12

Hands down one of his best!

I've been on a tear of P.J. O'Rourke's books lately, starting with Republican Party Reptile and so forth. This is by far one of P.J.'s best. I'm on the other side of the coin politically (fairly liberal) myself, but P.J. usually spares no one, and I admire that (Rush and his wacko friends could learn a thing or two).<p>This book is just about how to get by if you're a bachelor. It's incredibly funny for the most part (the cooking sections should not be read if you've just ate!). This is a fantastic little book, very helpful if you plan to live like a slob or like a typical college freshman.087113489658102002-12-26

The Bachelor Home Companion

The Bachelor Home Companion: A Practical Guide to Keeping House Like A Pig written by P.J. O'Rourke is a very funny, keep you in stiches book. <p>You'll never keep a house neat and tidy after you read this book. Of Course, that's assuming that you already do. What its like as a bachelor in theory as to actually being one is, according to O'Rourke, a great disparity. If you want to laugh and be entertained at the same time then this little tome is for you to enjoy.<p>Humor abounds and your life will definately take a turn... for better or worse will depend on you.According to O'Rourke... "How often does a house need to be cleaned, anyway? As a general rule, once every girlfriend. After that she can get to know the real you."08711348965342001-06-06

Celebrate Testosterone!

As a 32 yr old bacelor, this book had me literally HOWLING with laughter! I let my girlfriend read it. We aren't dating anymore, LOL. As ridiculous and as obscene as some of it seems, it is startling to realize that I have actually LIVED like that!<p>FIVE STARS,..!!!!!!The author of <i>Parliament of Whores </i>describes the tasks that bachelors must perform to maintain a household, including tricking other people into cleaning for them, turning the cat into a sweeper, and others. 80,000 first printing. 087113375X08021397010802137016B001FOR5KS08711361124466General4456Humor86Entertainment1000Subjects283155Books4477Satire4456Humor86Entertainment1000Subjects283155Books4478Satire, General4456Humor86Entertainment1000Subjects283155Books725798General11773Foreign Languages21Reference1000Subjects283155Books16004731Humor9822United States10311World Literature17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksR2GXFKS1EXEP5WMan Space - Decorating & Organizing for Men1888043180http://www.amazon.com/Being-Here-Modern-Tales-Enlightenment/dp/1888043180%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1888043180114547http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41-9L6w0ksL._SL75_.jpg7549http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41-9L6w0ksL._SL160_.jpg160105http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41-9L6w0ksL.jpg500328Ariel KaneShya KanePaperback158.19781888043181551888043180ASK Productions, Inc.EnglishEnglishEnglish8351295USD$12.95ASK Productions, Inc.1176Book2007-09-06ASK Productions, Inc.ASK Productions, Inc.53551746USD$7.46324USD$3.2424180011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewSv7tlkfBr39rBpNDZeKBDn0%2Fkxa%2FLjiKSW6b39HjQWKsuFxB4RnJ1%2BdUXqyZwLVuxVVYOw8pY8YDXvHYcXET0Q%3D%3D1036USD$10.36Usually ships in 24 hours5.021518880431802012008-09-13

not great

written on middle school level. boring. Go for the good stuff like Huxely or Alan Watts.1888043180530302008-08-13

A Magical Experience

The Kanes have written a fun and inspiring book of stories that invite the reader to enter effortlessly into the brilliance of the present moment. These tales, that are at once humorous and touching, are filled with inspiration and enlightenment. <br /> <br />I find myself picking up this gem of a book whenever I want a connection into all that's possible in life. The beautiful thing is, I don't have to "do" anything to experience the richness of the moment. Transformation is a technology that the Kanes have discovered and share generously with all who want to experience the perfection of "now". If you're looking for magic, this is the real thing. <br /> 1888043180539392008-06-23

A True Delight

This book is truly a delight. The authors, Ariel and Shya Kane, deliver stories of everyday life with a twist of transformation (which they define as an anthropological look without judgment into how you are living your life). We are all perfect representations of us. This book shows that if we bring awareness to our lives the opportunities for expansion are endless. <br /> <br />I would highly recommend this book as well as the Kanes' other two books, Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation and How to Create a Magical Relationship. These books can bring you out of an ordinary life and into a spectacular one. Reading the words in this book took me on a journey by teaching me about an easier way to live my life. With stories about Intuition, Love, Compassion, etc. the Kanes' teachings of Instantaneous Transformation is presented in such a way that is easy to understand. 1888043180532322008-04-29

Be Here, Now

This is a great book written by modern sages Ariel and Shya Kane, shining lights of Presence in these (potentially) complicated times. <br /> <br />In a chapter called A Cluttered Desk is a Sign of Genius, Ariel talks in simple, straight-forward terms about finding well-being in the seemingly impossible task of keeping her desk clean. I responded to this immediately. I seem to live at a desk in perpetual disarray. <br /> <br />At Shya's (her husband's) prompting, Ariel slowed down at her desk work by no more than 5%, and actually spent a little bit of that slightly-decelerated time with each object on the desk. She gave each piece of paper its due attention, not long, and each piece of paper and the work it represented was completed. In doing so, she has kept the desk clean of clutter since. I have employed this strategy on my own desk, and have succeeded, not permanently, but often, and for longer spans of time each time. <br /> <br />The subtitle of this invaluable little storybook is Modern Day Tales of Enlightenment, and it's very fitting. Ariel and Shya teach a technology called Instantaneous Transformation that takes everyday occurrences like a messy desk and transforms them into opportunities in the present moment (Now) for well-being, and yes, even enlightenment. Their other books go into great detail about this technology, and are just as quick, easy, illuminating reads. They are Working on Yourself Doesn't Work: A Book About Instantaneous Transformation and How To Create a Magical Relationship. <br /> <br />For anyone who's into Eckhart Tolle's books The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment, and A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61) (like I am,) I strongly recommend the Kanes and their books. You can learn more about the Kanes at www.TransformationMadeEASY.com. They are amazing teachers, dedicated to bringing well-being and enlightenment to normal people, and easily. 1888043180522222008-04-26

compassion

This book is fun! <br />My favorite story is "I Thought I was Over That" <br />Ariel and Shya are genius in a non-judmental seeing of how we are and don't <br />try to change, fix or make us better. <br />These stories give us compassion for ourselfs and I never, ever before <br />experienced Enlightment in such an easy, light way. <br /> <br />As humans, we are taught how to learn, analyze and improve, yet we have little training in how to simply be. This book uses stories to illustrate a new possibility for approaching life; one that produces well-being and satisfaction, where upsetting events -- even death and loss -- dont have to affect ones ability to have a brilliant life.188804314800716010820071597816157731598715773148084738General4736Self-Help10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books4745Personal Transformation4736Self-Help10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books11130Applied Psychology11119Psychology & Counseling10Health, Mind & Body1000Subjects283155Books12667General12621New Age22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books12707General12689Occult22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books760952Personal Transformation12809Spirituality22Religion & Spirituality1000Subjects283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books712982011General AAS465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books713014011General AAS319654011Qualifying Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books0613829743http://www.amazon.com/Belles-Their-Toes-Frank-Gilbreth/dp/0613829743%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D06138297433390530Frank B. GilbrethSchool & Library Binding658.5409229780613829748750613829743Topeka BinderyEnglishEnglishEnglish7751375USD$13.75Topeka Bindery1Book2003-03Topeka BinderyAges 4-8Topeka Bindery55550796USD$7.961375USD$13.750210005.021506138297434112007-02-10

Wonderful Old Fashioned story

Wonderful book if you like vintage stories, especially of large innovative families. <br /> <br />There are a number of books related to this one, as well as movies connected as remakes of the books. <br /> <br />Belles on Their Toes, Cheaper by the Dozen, etc. are refreshing insights of life in the early 1900's.06138297435222006-11-28

Great Sequel

I found this book a couple years after I came across the first one as a teenager. It's a good continuation of the story and lets you know what happened, and how this amazing family all chipped in to make things work after their terrible tragedy.06138297435222006-07-10

Do YOU have a big family? If you do read this!

This book continues the true story of the Gilbreth children or the sequel to Cheaper by the Dozen. <br />The story continues after the father died. The mother is now the soul supporter of her family. There is a graet saying in the book that says,"Mother wasn't afraid anymore because the worst had happend." <br /> The mother carried on her husbands works. She held conferences and taught the scince of time saving. She became a very strong woman. <br /> It was a long hard haul but ahe successfully continued her husbands work. The children successfully ran the household. <br /> This story is humorus and very touching. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.06138297434132005-12-29

Great book!

especially for a sequel!06138297435552004-09-03

Awesome sequel

I can't believe I didn't know this book existed till very recently; I would have bought and read it a whole lot sooner had I known, having read the first book about five or six times. It's in the same funny spirit as the first, though the focus has shifted from the antics of the entire family to the mother's struggle to take care of her eleven children after her husband died. And the funny moments aren't as frequent as in the first book, since the children are older. It also seems like the younger children got the short end of the stick--less time was given to writing about their own humourous childhood anecdotes and stories, since time passes really quickly after Anne gets married. The only other thing in this book I wasn't keen on was how some of it was dated. Some of it, like Mrs. Gilbreth trying to find reasons for the oldest two not to smoke and then instantly retracting each reason, or the youngest boys teaching Jane how to be popular and get dates by not being her true self, is to be expected, given not only the era in which that happened but also when the book was published, but there are a few slang words and references that the modern reader might not understand or find as funny or relevant as someone who was a contemporary of the family might. We all know what a sheik is, but who uses the term "wet smack" anymore, for example? Still, overall it's a sweet fun way to wrap up the story of this funny family.<p>Life is very different now in the rambling Gilbreth house.When the youngest was two and the oldest eighteen, Dad died and Mother bravely took over his business. Now, to keep the family together, everyone has to pitch in and pinch pennies. The resourceful clan rises to every crisis with a marvelous sense of fun -- whether it's battling chicken pox, giving the boot to an unwelcome boyfriend, or even meeting the President. And the few distasteful things they can't overcome -- like castor oil -- they swallow with good humor and good grace. <i>Belles on Their Toes</i> is a warm, wonderful, and entertaining sequel to <i>Cheaper by the Dozen</i>.</p>B000GH2YG0B0002IQKHC1555536522B00013RCACB000NYDF28170062General2785Ages 4-84Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books16254411General2966Literature4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books394183011School & Library Binding394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books673422011Ages 4-8673420011Age Range (age_range)388186011Refinements283155Books0394826698http://www.amazon.com/Big-Dog-Little-Bedtime-Story/dp/0394826698%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D039482669874479http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SC2B2BT7L._SL75_.jpg7475http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SC2B2BT7L._SL160_.jpg159160http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SC2B2BT7L.jpg471475P.D. EastmanPaperback9780394826691100394826698Random HouseEnglishEnglishEnglish800399USD$3.99Random House132Book1973-08-12Random HouseBaby-Preschool1973-08-12Random House20790119USD$1.191USD$0.011000USD$10.0027511011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewX0uGmnJLFNv6NpUoCXYpLid%2B39HDxz8w2kdGBjQX9R60G%2BOM3mhBn2ZmLYlps5ZKrKn%2BnO2KPfmwK6Ipg50qew%3D%3D399USD$3.99Usually ships in 24 hours5.021503948266985112008-04-11

Big Dog...Little Dog (A Bedtime Story)

It is a great book for children. My daughter is now 21 years old and is pregnant with our first grandchild. We used to read this book to her as a child. Along the way I misplaced the book, and she wanted another copy to read to her child. Her dad nicknamed her "Fred" after one of the characters in this book. 03948266985002007-10-07

No Problem Is Too Big To Resolve

This book is a great way to introduce children to the subject of opposites. Fred and Ted like to play different musical instruments. They like different foods. They drive different colored cars. They are even different sizes. <br /> <br />The problem ensues when, after a day of skiing, Fred and Ted rent rooms at a hotel and discover that their beds are unsuitable. Fred and Ted meet to discuss a solution to their situation. After they fail to arrive at reasonable solution, a wily bird resolves their problem. Fred and Ted go back to the hotel to enjoy a peaceful sleep. <br /> <br />I like the simplicity of the story. As a fun alternative, you might consider asking your child to try to find a solution to Fred and Ted's problem before reading the ending.03948266985222007-03-09

Memories

My son received this book on his third birthday - in 1977. My three year old grandson recently discovered the tattered and torn copy that I had saved. He immediately fell in love with it and proudly annouces that it is "Daddy's favorite book." I'm not sure which "boy" will be more excited when the new copy arrives but in the meantime it has brought back a flood of memories for this Grandma. What a joy! <br />03948266985112006-03-24

I Love Fred & Ted

Like many of the other reviewers, this was a favorite story of mine as a child back in the 70's. I am THRILLED that it is still in print and, (judging from the reviews here on Amazon), has a strong "following." The sweetness of the story is in its simplicity. I have already bought one copy as a gift, and I intend to spread the word of 'Big Dog, Little Dog' as gifts in the future as well. 03948266985002006-01-20

A MUST read!!

This was my favorite book when I was little. I read it so much the book was falling apart. When I got older I think my mom finally threw it away, it was in such sad shape. I'll have to buy a new copy of it now that I've found it again, just for memory sake. I would definitely recommend this book if you have kids, or just like some light reading to cheer you up once in a while.Illus. in full color. "Two dogs who are opposite in every way are also the best of friends. The bold, colorful drawings are appealing and emphasize the concepts of size, color, and opposites."--<i>Booklist. </i>037582965203758406480394800206B0006Q1UL603758060322766Opposites2753Basic Concepts2752Baby-34Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books2771Fiction2770Size & Shape2753Basic Concepts2752Baby-34Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books2777Bedtime & Dreaming2752Baby-34Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books3049241General2752Baby-34Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books2813Fiction2812Dogs2787Animals4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books15681851Eastman, P.D.170545( E )170540Authors & Illustrators, A-Z4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books16254411General2966Literature4Children's Books1000Subjects283155Books221335011Fiction221334011Dogs221309011Animals221300011Children's Books2200840114-for-3 Books Store251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books221991011Opposites221986011Basic Concepts221985011Baby-3221300011Children's Books2200840114-for-3 Books Store251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books221994011Fiction221993011Size & Shape221986011Basic Concepts221985011Baby-3221300011Children's Books2200840114-for-3 Books Store251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books221998011Bedtime & Dreaming221985011Baby-3221300011Children's Books2200840114-for-3 Books Store251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books222000011General221985011Baby-3221300011Children's Books2200840114-for-3 Books Store251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books222131011General222095011Literature221300011Children's Books2200840114-for-3 Books Store251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books242748011All 4-for-3 Deals2200840114-for-3 Books Store251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books712982011General AAS465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books713014011General AAS319654011Qualifying Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books3941730114-for-3 Books394171011Promotion (special_merchandising_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books400272011Paperback394184011Mass Market401237011Trade394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books673421011Baby-3673420011Age Range (age_range)388186011Refinements283155BooksR166YEUF5C05WBRead Aloud Favorites - KindergartenR1PY08LCAGO4O2My Top 40 Children's Books for Birth - 4 yearsR4FMW249NDGJ0A Book-loving Boy's Favorites (Age 2 to 3)RXJB39R3NXJIVBooks for a Brilliant Baby3L08PQ00YD9EGAlphabet / Language / Opposites - around 2 yrs old3QGELYBTJ3U37Favorite books for Toddlers II--for the 2 year oldIMSJASFT3A8YGreat books for preschool boys31QZRBEMKL9ZWChildhood favorites that my child now loves9FDZVK0PMC03Books I loved as a wee tot... and still do.3VPHUW66A2Z3LChildren's Books That Will Del0395913748http://www.amazon.com/Bruculinu-America-Remembrances-Sicilian-American-Brooklyn/dp/0395913748%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0395913748178266http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QQ5DWSEXL._SL75_.jpg7551http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QQ5DWSEXL._SL160_.jpg160109http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QQ5DWSEXL.jpg475325Vincent SchiavelliHardcover641.5945897803959137411110395913748Houghton MifflinEnglishEnglishEnglish9292400USD$24.00Houghton Mifflin1336Book1998-05-04Houghton MifflinHoughton Mifflin0464429137441316315500USD$55.00595USD$5.9510500USD$105.0011520005.021503959137485002008-10-01

Authentic NYC Italian-Sicilian Cookbook

Reading this book brings back alot of memories of growing up in an Italian family from NYC. We are from Staten Island but wherever us Italians go we bring our unique and loved culture-especially food. And this book not only has Authentic recipes but Authentic stories about growing up in the very tight-knit italian community. This book is a must read/buy for all Italian Americans, especially the youth who are being driven away, daily, by the disgusting MTV generation. Wheather you are an experienced cook or not, Italian or Sicilian just buy this book and smile all the way through, and then at the end wish for more. And then you will, if your lucky enough, start to recall your own Italian-American experience. By the way this is not your typical "MERIGAN" Italian cookbook It is the real deal!03959137485002008-07-28

The Good Old Days

I grew up in this neighborhood during the time he speaks about, and it was exactly as he describes it. The S.A.C.'s, the gangs, the feasts, the recipes, the stores on Knickerbocker Avenue, the way our family members spoke - I still talk Brooklynese! It's a great book. Brings back so many memories.....if you had any connection to this Bushwick neighborhood during the 50's and 60's, you must read this book. 03959137485112005-02-09

Reminds me of my childhood.

I saw this book and needed to read it. After all, I am also Sicilian and born and raised in Brooklyn (though a good many years after Mr. Schiavelli.) His memories brought back a great deal of my own; often ones I had forgotten. I thank him for this. From the street vendors with their horses to the people sharing stories on their stoops to the men's only clubs and the strega exorcising the evil eye - It is all as I remember it, too. If anyone says that this book isn't true to Brooklynites and to Italians, they must not be either. <br />Enjoy it, it is true treasure!03959137485442001-10-31

Eased my pain

I read this book with one arm. I had just broken my elbow in late 1998, and this book took me into another, happier world and literally eased my pain. You'll love the stories of a bygone era told with with love.<p>Thanks, Vincent, for easing my pain with your wonderful book.03959137485552000-11-01

First rate

I originally bought this book because I have always been interested in ethnic neighborhoods. Having lived in Italy for the last ten years I was more skeptical about the recipes. Having said that, while I was reading the book it was clear that Schiavelli knew what he was talking about. Myself and my wife (who is Italian) have been consistently ecstatic about the results of the recipes."In the early 1950s, Bruculinu, as the Sicilian immigrants called their Brooklyn neighborhood, was a remarkable place. If the weather was fair, the streets would be teeming with life. Women would be haggling with pushcart vendors in Sicilian and broken English over pieces of fruits and vegetables. Other vendors in horse-drawn wagons would be chanting their wares amid the song of the ragman's bell and the iceman's bellow. Growing up in this place was like having one foot in mid-twentieth-century United States and the other in mid-eighteenth-century Sicily." So begins Vincent Schiavelli's captivating story of coming of age in the Italian section of Brooklyn. In a series of witty vignettes, Schiavelli describes the social customs and secret recipes he learned from his grandfather, a Sicilian master chef, as well as the tenements, gangs, dances, holiday celebrations, and funerals that defined the culture of the neighborhood.Vincent Schiavelli's enchanting, sometimes deeply moving memoir with recipes, <I>Bruculinu, America</I>, is a warmly recalled distortion of Brooklyn, one of New York City's boroughs, as it really was. As Schiavelli says, "The stories may not always contain the strict facts, but they certainly tell the truth." Don't be surprised if his beautiful reminiscence of the miracle (which took place before he was born!) that saved his uncle Salvatore Calogero from dying of pneumonia brings a tear to your eye.<p> Schiavelli, a successful actor, writes scenes so vividly that you participate as he visits a <I>strega</I>, or witch, who exorcised him of a medical problem when he was nine years old. (After seeing a doctor, Schiavelli's mother figured that in case the condition was caused by <I>malocchio</I>, the evil eye, it would be wise to cover all bases.)<p> Schiavelli's recollections often involve his grandfather, Papa Andrea, a Sicilian master chef. The 70 or so recipes in this enchanting book come from him. The Baked Mashed Potatoes made with peas and grated cheese and fennel-flavored Pasta with Chickpeas are delicious everyday dishes. Baked Macaroni, rich with mushrooms, ground meat, and a touch of cinnamon, is for Sundays. <I>Cucciaddatu</I> are the buttery, log-shaped Christmas cookies filled with nuts and raisins that each Sicilian cook makes in his or her own way. Here, cocoa powder, honey, and cognac add nuances to the nubbly filling. The only frustrations with <I>Bruculinu, America</I> are that its compact size makes it hard to keep one's spot while cooking from it, and that the recipes are woven through the text in no logical order; to return to something in particular, it's necessary to consult a list at the back of the book. <I>--Dana Jacobi</I>07432152811884656145158642131X034549765114000403614202General4196Baking6Cooking, Food & Wine1000Subjects283155Books4230Essays4229Gastronomy6Cooking, Food & Wine1000Subjects283155Books4233General6Cooking, Food & Wine1000Subjects283155Books4285Italian4275European4262Regional & International6Cooking, Food & Wine1000Subjects283155Books4307General4300U.S. Regional4262Regional & International6Cooking, Food & Wine1000Subjects283155Books4872General14278871State & Local4853United States4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155BooksFRRYA6MLB4BTAn Italian American Experience015101048Xhttp://www.amazon.com/Circus-Winter-Cathy-Day/dp/015101048X%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D015101048X335755http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513H5QPZ8HL._SL75_.jpg7549http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513H5QPZ8HL._SL160_.jpg160105http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513H5QPZ8HL.jpg500329Cathy DayHardcover813.69780151010486120015101048XHarcourtEnglishEnglishEnglish8102300USD$23.00Harcourt1288Book2004-07-05HarcourtHarcourt9056068USD$0.681USD$0.012300USD$23.0024365011ATVPDKIKX0DERhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/home.html?seller=ATVPDKIKX0DERNewnewZ%2BuadpOASXLvk6vnkD2kLxyJH%2Bow%2F277FHd4LAn28j3dCkUNK3icRnpNzt0IEQXHdLEv4Aq8CqlC7T%2F0rTS24A%3D%3D1564USD$15.64In stock soon. Order now to get in line. First come, first served.5.0215015101048X5002008-03-12

I love the circus, but the elephants make me sad.

A friend recommended this to me when I expressed the desire to read a little more about elephants (after reading Philosophy Made Simple and Water for Elephants). It makes sense... elephants and the circus go together, yes? <br /> <br />In this collection, Cathy Day plays with the structures of stories. Each is constructed a little differently than the last, but all interweave to paint a portrait of a small town with a unique past and a distinctly midwestern present. Experimental structures can fall flat as easily as they work. I don't require a linear narrative, but I do require that a story be told. This book tells one. <br /> <br />True to the title, the circus performers are mostly shown during the downtime, weathering winter and waiting to get back on the train. The way that their lives butt up to the lives of ordinary folks is interesting to read about. Several stories deal with the ways in which men do not comprehend the longings of women, and Day handles this theme beautifully and without accusation, especially in The King and His Court and the very tragic The Lone Star Cowboy. <br /> <br />It's a beautiful book. But... <br /> <br /> (spoilers) <br /> <br />...the elephants are only shown dying. I can't stand it. Their deep eyes, their hairy hides, their questing trunks, and then they die. <br /> <br />Since the stories are called "exhibits," the question of human oddity ("born" and "made") is called into question. Well, this was part of the circus. One of the stories deals with a young man who has dwarfism, and how he happily accepts the role of town mascot, and what happens when that role is inexplicably (to him) withdrawn. I've read too many stories in which a little person comes in to serve as a metaphor, a symbol, as if somehow a person who has dwarfism is not a person, just the condition that makes him short. Day does a nice job of portraying a person. He is an innocent boy, then a clueless young man, and then an angry young man. He is more than the sum of his bones. <br /> <br />Very highly recommended.015101048X5002008-02-09

A beautiful web.

I've never liked the circus. But this book made me want to learn more about people who live a life tied to it. Day paints beautiful and poignant images of her characters and she weaves a mighty beautiful web in the process.015101048X4002008-02-05

Delicate and Beautiful

The first stories in this collection are small masterpieces. Cathy Day can take us deep into the secret, hidden hearts of her characters. There were passages that I read, over and over, just to enjoy the beauty of her writing. <br /> <br />It was close to perfect. <br /> <br />I was worried that a 'circus story' would be all about the freaks and geeks. Instead, it was about real people struggling against the loneliness of midwestern winters, coping with broken dreams, the constraints of small town lives, and the endless allure of life on the road. <br /> <br />Sadly, the seams started to show towards the end of the collection. There was nothing bad, so much as a sense of that, in a few of the later stories, she was repeating her best stories (or giving us an early, less polished version of them). One story could have been dropped with no loss ("Jungle Boolah Boy" didn't feel very integrated with the rest of the stories), and another ("Boss Man") felt a bit strained although it did help to tie some of the themes and characters together. 015101048X5452006-12-02

Read this instead of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

This book of interconnected short stories related to residents of the old circus town of Lima, Indiana (it's real life counterpart is Peru, Indiana) is just excellent. Great writing, great characterizations and great stories that seem like they could have really happened. Do yourself a favor and read THE CIRCUS IN WINTER instead of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS which is more romance novel than literature but for some unknown reason is reaping a lot of positive buzz.015101048X5002006-06-27

I do love the circus!

This is a wonderful,short book that I really enjoyed. <br />The author brings you into the world of circus folks. Sometimes funny,sometimes sad but always interesting. She gives us the story many different ways,which at times can be trying. <br /> <br />Her characters are well fleshed out making you want to know more. She carries thru with this by bringing you from the past to the future and back. A good fun read! <div>From 1884 to 1939, the Great Porter Circus made the unlikely choice to winter in an Indiana town called Lima, a place that feels as classic as Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio, and as wondrous as a first trip to the Big Top. In Lima an elephant can change the course of a man's life-or the manner of his death. Jennie Dixianna entices men with her dazzling Spin of Death and keeps them in line with secrets locked in a cedar box. The lonely wife of the show's manager has each room of her house painted like a sideshow banner, indulging her desperate passion for a young painter. And a former clown seeks consolation from his loveless marriage in his post-circus job at Clown Alley Cleaners. Cathy Day follows the circus people into their everyday lives and brings the greatest show on earth to the page. <br></div>014026190700609272400252062906067976402X067975533010129Contemporary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10132Literary17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10163Family Saga10134Genre Fiction17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books10177Historical10134Genre Fiction17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books542656Domestic Life542654Women's Fiction17Literature & Fiction1000Subjects283155Books394181011Hardcover394174011Binding (binding)388186011Refinements283155Books618083011Printed Books618072011Format (feature_browse-bin)388186011Refinements283155Books712982011General AAS465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books712990011General AAS468236Literature468206Humanities465600New & Used Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books713014011General AAS319654011Qualifying Textbooks251254011Custom Stores44258011Specialty Stores283155Books3SUBMM8MLBI0LCircus & Carnival2MQICCVS1XLGIbooks worth mentioning that i've read in 200534QQH88T46VMCThey May Only Be Words, But These are so Good3GRHM5F9TSCLJMarvelous Masterpieces3PV6PL8B04RTZSome Masterpieces I Just Loved16T93310ZUSA8Take Me to the Circus82W4BFYRH38G25 Outstanding Books Everybody can Enjoy3CN10DT6MZVEQ2004 items of interest1RDZ20KW7KCIVBest books of 20042GS42FYBVRXUFavorite Short FictionB0007IV5R2http://www.amazon.com/conquest-Spain-Bernal-Di%C3%8C%C2%81az-Castillo/dp/B0007IV5R2%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB0007IV5R24953651Bernal Díaz del CastilloUnknown BindingFolio SocietyEnglishEnglishFolio Society351Book1974Folio SocietyFolio Society0000005.0215B0007IV5R25012008-06-21

More Exciting Than Star Wars & Real Too...

I purchased this book intending to get an unbiased view of the Spanish exploration of the New World. That is a difficult task given the nature of 20th & 21st Century academia. <br /> <br />This text, an eye witness account of what happened on real explorations, more than satisfies my objective. What's more, it's as exciting as can be... kind of like Star Wars... exploring new worlds, defeating the bad guys and establishing new alliances. <br /> <br />Excellent work.B0007IV5R25002008-05-31

First person conquest

If I could rate this work greater than five stars, I would. Not that it's the most erudite of tales but simply because it is the truth as Bernal Diaz experienced it. Almost certainly, it isn't one hundred percent accurate for Diaz' experiences are necessarily modified by the years separating his experiences from his writing of it. Nor was he, or any other member of the Cortez' expedition, an anthropologist, ethnographesr, scientist or even a particularly accurate observer. They were simple men--brave men, brutal men, trapped men--bent on plunder. <br /> <br />Still the Bernal Diaz memoirs are as good as it gets regarding the Conquest of Mexico and, as such, is an invaluable account. I find his account so important that I used it as my primary source in researching my novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Conquest of Mexico. I loved it when Diaz remarks towards the end of his account that, even in his old age, he wasn't able to sleep the night through. He "had to get up and look around." It's fascinating to note that basic human nature doesn't really change. Bernal Diaz del Castillo was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder induced by the fearful events of his two year battle in Mexico. Also, I loved it when he commented--also toward the end of his tale--that "although we robbed the Indiains, Cortez robbed his soldiers even more." <br /> <br />Cortez, for all his brillianace, luck and perseveranace, was, at the end, nothing more than a common thief. <br /> <br />Ron Braithwaite <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />B0007IV5R25252007-05-25

The Greatest Adventure of all Time

When I first read the 1800 English translation, I could not put it down. Here are the first lines--a real grabbers! "In the year 1514, I left Castile (Spain) in company with Pedro Arias de Avila, who was then appointed governor of Tierra Firma (east Panama)...but afterwards suspicious that his son-in-law had an intention of revolting, he caused him to be beheaded." <br /> <br />Bernal's description of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan is amazing: "To many of us it appeared doubtful whether we were asleep of awake; nor is the manner in which I express myself to be wondered at, for it must be considered, that never yet did man see, hear or dream of anything equal to the spectacle which appeared to our eyes on this day." <br /> <br />And how about this magnificent line: "And now, let who can, tell me, where are men in this world to be found, except ourselves, who would have hazarded such an attempt." <br /> <br />And here is the horrific vision the Spaniards beheld when they climbed to the top of the great Aztec temple-pyramid. Remember that nearby, and looming up like a nightmare, was the stupendous "tzompantli," or skull rack. By careful Spanish count, it contained the grinning remains of 136,000 human beings. <br /> <br />"In this place they had a drum of most enormous size, the head of which was made of the skins of large serpents: this instrument when struck resounded with a noise that could be heard to the distance of two leagues, and so doleful that it deserved to be named the music of the infernal regions; and with their horrible sounding horns and trumpets, their great knives for sacrifice, their human victims, and their blood besprinkled altars, I devoted them, and all their wickedness to God's vengeance, and thought that the time would never arrive, that I should escape from this scene of human butchery, horrible smells, and more detestable sights." <br /> <br />The Conquest takes on a different color when seen through the eyes of the Spanish. Yes, they were greedy and cruel, but the scale of human sacrifice practiced by the Aztecs was beyond imagination. It is said that some twenty thousand people were sacrificed for the dedication of the Temple of the Sun. The Aztec priests worked for hours on end cutting out human hearts. They worked until they collapsed from exhaustion. <br /> <br />Bernal's history is also interesting for another entirely different reason. Joseph Smith (born 1805), the Mormon prophet, came of age during the period of English translations of Spanish histories (Bernal's in 1800 in London, and 1803 in the US, and Clevigero's "History of Mexico" in 1806 in Virginia and 1817 in Philadelphia). <br /> <br />Therefore, the golden splendor of the Spanish conquests of Mexico and Peru was fresh on everyone's mind, especially because the Spanish colony of Florida had become an American state (1821). <br /> <br />Thus, any notion that Americans were unaware of the great civilizations of ancient America is without foundation in real history. Ancient civilizations in America were so on the mind of people that in 1816, Solomon Spaulding wrote a history about a white and dark race in ancient America. His novel, "Manuscript Found," had the white race of mound builders destroyed by a darker-skin race. <br /> <br />Read my review of Robert Silverberg's magnificent book, "The Mound Builders of Ancient America: The Archaeology of a Myth." A must-read for anyone interested in the archaeology and myths about ancient America. Click here: Mound BuildersB0007IV5R25552006-12-28

Great Eyewitness account

Diaz was one of the soldiers who accompanied Cortez to invade the Aztec Empire. His account is one of the best we have of the whole affair. It is not written with much bias and was written to discount historical myths after the invasion had taken place. It is very analytical at times and his analysis of what happened is given added authority since he was present at the events. If you want to understand what happened this is a great book to read. B0007IV5R25442006-02-15

Amazing first person historical account

First person historical accounts are generally the best way to read history and have it come alive in the mind of the reader. This book by Bernal Diaz is certainly no exception to that rule. Although Diaz wrote this much later in life, and doubtless his memory was not perfect, it is obvious that the experience of marching with Cortez in the conquest of the Aztec empire left innumerable vivid memories in his mind. <br /> <br />I am very sensitive to the fact that the conquest of the Aztec empire and other native empires in the Americas left a horrific legacy which is still felt dramatically throughout the hemisphere. Despite the fact that in many ways, the conquistadors should not be considered "heroes," I think we still can admire and be awed by their courage and fortitude in the face of unbelievable odds in facing the Aztecs and not only escaping with their lives, but eventually conquering the entire civilization. Diaz brings these events to life better than any history book I ever read, and I highly commend this book to anyone interested in the history of this period, of Mexico, or Latin America in general.080705500X03000909430140445625067151104101404421704830General4826Central America4808Americas9History1000Subjects283155Books4978Spain4935Europe9History1000Subjects283155Books0976763109http://www.amazon.com/Cool-Mind-Warm-Heart-Adventures/dp/0976763109%3FSubscriptionId%3D05ERXYTS89KFGEPQR5G2%26tag%3Dthebookrevi0b-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0976763109871417http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EJwiaSWmL._SL75_.jpg7550http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EJwiaSWmL._SL160_.jpg160106http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51EJwiaSWmL.jpg500331Steve RobertsPaperback818.69780976763109Illustrated600976763109St. Lynn's PressEnglishEnglishEnglish7701595USD$15.95