Authors Books

I am not normally an avid reader of poetry but this book by Renee Bagley has awakened my taste buds..
The book is extremely readable and I commend Ms Bagley for the depth of feeling she manages to infuse into each purposeful piece.
The author seeks to tap into the great depth of feeling that is our human condition as she touches our most sensitive areas with this collection of verse.
I found many of the poems quite sad, but hauntingly beautiful although, at times, I could almost taste the despair in the words.
I must admit to being more drawn to some pieces than others but all the verses were painted with delicate brushstrokes and all were rich in emotion.
My own favourites include `An Angel came down'. The words of this poem formed images that flowed freely through my mind and the last few words held a tremendous resonance.
`The Winding Road' also resonated for me, as it will for so many people, as it is about survival. Rich vivid imagery is packed into its short succinct lines.
Hauntingly simple and vividly recalled is `Remember September 11th'. A truly beautiful tribute to that harrowing time.
The overriding feeling in this work, I think, is one of hope. It is so vividly expressed in the singularly anthem-like poem `Heart of Hope'
My favourite, however is `In the Night' which describes the strange lonely world of night and the scary mind games that darkness can produce.
Finally, I must say that the poem `Tangled Web' easily represents the overall feel of the book. I loved the last two lines especially, as they are a timely reminder to us all of the power of emotion and it's place in all our psyche's.
This book is food for the soul and Ms Bagely has indeed taken us on an emotional ride through great terrains of sadness but also towering mountains of hope and deep pools of love.
I recommend this work to anyone who truly respects the human condition with all it's failings and all it's joy.

Review by
Patricia J Newcombe 11 march 2004
Author of INSIGHT
www.patriciajnewcombe.com

Tangled Web is a collection of poetry that presents the myriad of human emotions that come along with living and loving in an imperfect world.

These poems are thought provoking and easy to read, definitely a
collection to read by the fireplace, huddled up with your significant other. Tangled Web has plenty of poems about love - love sought, love returned, and love lost - making it an excellent Valentine's Day gift.

I highly recommend reading "Darkest Hour". It is a dark melodic poem that is creatively written. I was also touched by "Release" because of my strong faith in God and my views on life. If you like poetry, Tangled Web is a book worth checking out!

Tangled Web
by
Renee Bagley

Book Review by
Ron Shepherd

Tangled Web is a short peek into a secret photograph album of poetry, guarded closely by the author Renee Bagley. She has allowed her readers just a short look into her world of poetry, a world where she unveils her hidden thoughts to just a few close friends.

This book forces its readers to examine closely, their innermost recesses and rewards them with their own memories of times past and loves lost. She has found a way to make us all a little better people, just with her wonderful way of expressing her feelings.

Tangled Web takes the reader on a journey that is written in vivid color, a journey that most of us have already taken. The beauty is that it forces the reader to recall these times. She makes us feel like we are all a significant part of her life, close friends.

We've all had that special friend that, when we walk into the kitchen, she hands us a cup of coffee, the friend who is genuinely interested in how we are. So it is with Renee Bagley. After reading her book, we too become close friends with her.

I highly recommend this book as a significant addition to the world of poetry.

I loved this book! Renee has outdone herself in telling us of the world's woes and sweetnesses. It is a captivting collection of poerty like I have never seen before.

"Tangled Web" is such an apt title for this collection because the poems grab you from the first words you read, and the emotions they stir are complex like the threads of a web. The author's heart is so clearly laid open that I couldn't help but admire her fearless spirit. The beauty of the words at times is so real you feel compelled to close your eyes and envision the picture they sketch. This is truly a collection that will nurture every soul.

I read this book in one sitting, which included the time during my daughter's orchestra concert. I'm ashamed to admit that I was more interested in the book than the concert. After I read it, I immediately xeroxed off several pages to give to my teaching friends who I thought would enjoy the poems as much as I did and I was right, they did! Something about the selections really spoke to my heart. It felt like the poems were meant to nourich me during those days when I was running low on fuel. I highly recommend this book to any teachers out there.

I bought two copies of this book, one for myself and one for my supervisor. The poems are well chosen and the book is well organized into different categories having to do with vocational discernment. What makes this book unique, however, is the personal testimonies from teachers describing the meaning of each poem in their lives. Since I received this book I have used it extensively, not only for my own enrichment but also for the enrichment of the patients I work with,

I bought this book a while back for my oldest daughter who teaches high school English and Art. It was so awesome that I kept it for myself. (I have a naughty habit of reading all the books I buy as gifts before I give them away....does that make them used books?) My copy is quite dog-eared and worn.

If you love poetry, you NEED this book. The poems are varied and inspiring and enlightening. I discovered many new poets whose books I just had to own after reading their poems here. It's an amazing anthology and would make a great gift to give any friend or loved one who enjoys poetry.

At first glance you might think it's just another "teacher book" but it is so fullfilling. As a teacher who loves poetry, literacy, and teaching children to love the written word this book touched me deeply. The poems can be read in the classroom, the narratives are rich and moving and they made me realize I was not alone in feeling I was called to the teaching profession. This book was a Christmas gift to me, one I have deeply cherished. The book gets to the core; it brought tears to my eyes.....tears of joy.

I absolutely treasure this book! For several years now, everywhere I give talks or do workshops on service-learning and civic education in higher education, I find an excuse to read a poem or two from this compelling collection of poetry. I think educators are yearning for renewal, and the combination of each poem along with a teacher's note on the meaning of the poem, strikes a chord. I know this, not only from audience reactions to my reading from the book, but also because I always get asked for the citation! I am always happy to recommend the book--(no one in higher ed has said to me they were not interested in the book, when I tell them the poems were selected by K-12 teachers). Suggestion for gift-giving: whenever it fits the occasion, it is a great present. It is also perfect for end-of-year giving for groups (appreciation gift for graduating seniors, recognition of teachers, thank you to participants in service-learning and community involvement programs, etc.).

when I read this book, back in the 70s, I was blown away. I LOVED IT. I wrote to Herman Raucher and he wrote me to thank me and say it wasn't a critical success but he was glad I liked it. Liked it? I LOVED IT!!! I lost my book after lending it out too many times, but have just found a few copies.

Upon reading the 8 reviews that were as endearing as I felt about the book that was one of my first internet purchases, it occurs to me that it would have been a charming, warm, wonderful love story. Does anyone have any ideas on who should play the two main characters? Better yet, maybe some Hollywood producer or his wife will read our tribute and make it into a movie.

This novel a wonderfully inspiring love story between two compelling characters. It is also one of the most frequently read novels in my bookcase,. If 'Castles' was to be re-released today, it would become a best seller overnight. Not only is it my favorite novel, it also started my love affair with New York... Its an evocative period piece, funny & romantic. Its Herman Rauchers masterpiece & should be recognised as such. Find a copy in your nearest secondhand book store!

I read this book in the early 80's and like another reviewer stated, I've read it periodically over the years. I am sad to hear that it is out of print and i am glad that I hung on to my copy, cover intact. I will pull it out for old times sake. This is one of my top ten favorite books. I wish there was a sequel and someone should make a movie.

This is the book that started me reading, once my kids were old enough to not need every waking minute of my time. It is a laugh-out-loud, genuinely funny book. I'm sorry I lent my copy out - they must have liked it too!

This is a fun book for all children. It raises awareness of traditions from different cultures. With older children you can look at themes behind the custom.

Am a Dental Hygienist and enjoy this book for the entertainment of my patients.

My 6 year old grandson, Evan, and I took turns reading, questioning, and laughing as we turned the pages of this interesting and enlightening little book. We had some light conversation and lots of laughs about what parents (and grandparents) in our culture and parents in other cultures tell their children when the first tooth is lost. Evan wanted to know why such a "common" experience caused such a variety of responses. And, why parents had to make up stories in the first place. Well now, that's a good question!

Even though this book was written primarily for children, as a folklorist I found it most enjoyable and discovered so many fascinating traditions that are not recorded in any folklore archives. Here every single continent is represented and we learn how children of different nationalities dispose of their lost milk tooth. Of course, it is only to be expected that a few obscure examples have not been included. For instance, there is no reference to the old Cornish custom by which "children's first teeth are burnt to prevent dog's teeth or 'snaggles' - irregular teeth coming in their stead" (M.A. Courtney "Folklore and Legends of Cornwall", 1890, rep. 1989, pp. 156-7). Moreover, there is no mention of the Maltese custom of burying the tooth in a flower pot so that the new tooth (like the plant in the pot) will emerge (Pullicino, J.C. "Studies in Maltese Folklore", Malta Univ. Press, 1976, rep.1992, p.245). Yet there are so many fascinating examples, most of which were unknown to me. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Greek custom of throwing the milk tooth onto the roof ( a custom I was interested to learn is also pracitised in Korea and Taiwan). Infact, in Greece the throwing of the tooth onto the roof is accompanied by the reciting of a little rhyme which can be loosely translated as follows: 'Take sow my tooth and give me an iron one so that I can chew rusks'. In some regions of Greece, it is a mouse not a sow which is invoked. Therefore I was interested to see how the mouse also features in several parallel traditions throughout the world. For instance, we learn that Spanish children believe that the mouse Ratoncito Perez will substitute the tooth under the pillow for money or sweets(candies) as will his French counterpart La Petite Souris. Some peoples wrap their teeth in various materials for different reasons. Children of other nations bury their teeth ( e.g. Filipino children to make a wish). Yet in Turkey it is parents, not children who bury the tooth. Thai and Vietnames children dispose of their teeth in different ways, depending on whether it is an upper or lower tooth. The custom of Tajikistan reminded me of Greek mythology since the 'sown' teeth 'grow up to be warriors'. There are so many more interesting examples and it would be a shame for me to divulge more of them here. It is better to have access to all the examples by buying a copy of this book. I can guarantee that both you and your children will thoroughly enjoy it!

What an awesome read! It had never occured to me that children in other countries may not have a "tooth fairy" experience. I purchased this book for my pre-K class (none of the kids have lost any teeth yet, but are really looking forward to it!) Children in many countries around the world are visited by "El Raton" a rat or mouse who comes during the night to take away lost teeth and sometimes replaces them with money or gifts. My favorite country in this book was Brazil. In Brazil, the birds come to take lost teeth- but only if they are clean. Dirty teeth mean no money is left for the child. This is a great encouragement for Brazilian children to brush their teeth every day! Great for 5 to 12-year-olds.

If you're facing a tough challenge in your life, this is a good way to start down the road to facing it. It doesn't have all the answers, but it makes some good points along the way. It also let's you know that you're not the only one facing difficult times.

No wonder Rober Schuller with his inner wisdom shares his thoughts to show you how to build a self image with positive thoughts and know the truth that after every storm, there is a calm! Every problem has a solution. Tough times never last..is a Gift giver to self and others. It's the attitude to get going when the going gets tough as you face the challenges in life and struggle to face obstacles that rob your mental or physical peace. I gave this book to my hubby during his worst trial period of life in his career and he came out with positive influence to be a sane and wise decision maker to start a business on his own and reach to heights of success today! There is always a twist n sharp turns in life and Rob's book with his dynamic principles in life makes you build positive self image and turn out to be a success. Life isn't a tempest nor a midsummer night's dream, But a comedy of erros, Take it As you Like it!!! A Spiritual Motivation - another bedside shelf book to peek-a-boo to boost your spirits. After all, tough times never last, tough people do!

This is a book full of time tested techniques for dealing with adversity.

If he had written the book today, I think that he would have focused more on the development of resilience. That concept was in its infancy when he was writing, but in fact many of the practical methods in the book form basic biulding blocks of this important personal attribute.

Not just a book for people in trouble: it wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark!

Great book! Very inspiring! If you use the book's bottom line, to never give up, and repeat it to yourself so you eventually believe it, the book will work miracles! It is a must read!

"Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do!" and the "Be Happy Attitudes" are the best of Robert Schuller. I give out the Tough Times book to friends in tough times. It was a real help to me, and the folks I talk to find it helpful. Easy to read, easy to remember, and easy to apply. This book has the 'how tos' that are needed in the real world -- not high sounding theory.

I like to travel and to observe the cities, landscapes, the plants and animals and the human inhabitants of the countries I go to. So does Levy-Strauss, and he is a fantastic observer, much more sharp-eyed than I could ever hope to be, and a highly entertaining writer. In this classic he talks about a wide range of observations from a number of corners of the world, but mainly about South America.
The book deals with Levi-Strauss' time as a teacher in Brazil and his trips into the South American hinterland; his escape from Nazi-occupied France; His later expeditions to visit remote tribes in the Amazon; and an assortment of observations about such diverse topics as the frustration of the traveler to never encounter the true, pristine state of a culture, the Indian caste system and the division of public and private space in different parts of the world. The book is full of fascinating anecdotes: My favorite one is how a native chief from observing Levy-Strauss grasped the social importance of writing, but not its role in information storage and transmission. He bluffed to impress his underlings and drew freshly invented line configurations on a paper. This leads Levy-Strauss to observe that from the invention of writing to its universal knowledge a few millennia passed, during which it did not serve to liberate the masses, but to control them. Such wide-ranging philosophical associations are frequent and were very enjoyable to me. The book is, however, definitely not only a collection of anecdotes, but in parts a very detailed description of the life of some of the native tribes he visited in the Amazon. Drawings of artifacts, patterns used in body-painting and photographs supplement the text. We are given both anthropological descriptions of the lifes of these peoples, their social organization, attitudes and material culture, as well as Levy-Strauss' personal experiences when living among them, sometimes his friendships with members of these tribes. Of course these people were strongly affected by the contact with European civilization, often to the worse. We also learn about these developments. There isn't really much direct explanation about his theoretical approaches to anthropology. This is the kind of book which made me wish that I could have been an expedition member of Levy-Strauss' team. Highly recommended.

I often review works which I have read long ago. Upon beginning to write about them I invariably discover how much time I gave to something which seemed so worthwhile at the time, and which I have almost completely forgotten. I then ordinarily do some catch- up learning about the book. And my review becomes an amalgalm of distant past and most recent present impression. And meanwhile the heart of the book is forever unknown to me and lost. And my review is only a minor tracing an impression both of the book itself and what of my mind knew when reading through it.
This certainly applies to my reading of this particular work, ,the one work of Levi- Strauss which I remember reading with any degree of real understanding and pleasure. His making of a life and career as an anthropologist which are a good part of the first part of the work interested me then.
The long travelogue and explorations into Amerindian society and mind, interested me less.
I understand though that the real voyage is into and along with the mind of Levi- Strauss itself, a mind much more complicated than I was ordinarily used to meeting and ingesting .
I do remember however the somewhat majestic tone, the tone of restrained sadness of quiet mourning which seemed to go through the work as Levi- Strauss met with worlds being lost and deterorating , in part through their meetings with the very kind of Western mind he himself exemplified. It is the mind destroying the object in the process of knowing it , as the Western explorers of these tribal societies transformed them out of their own natural state by meeting with them.
For Levi- Strauss and this I remember, the ' primitive mind' is not ' primitive at all' and may be in its linguistic complexity and social structure far more intricate than the ' civilized ' as it were sophisticated worlds we believe we live in.
I read this work as a way of being acquainted with a great mind, a mind which to my mind proved to be quite elusive and even distant.
But clearly the exploration made by Levi- Strauss of his own inner and external worlds is one which calls to the curious human mind and heart in its quest for understanding ' of the other'
Montaigne took a trip in the Brazilian jungle in the twentieth
century, looked in the mirror and saw the face of Levi- Strauss.

One way to gauge who's in among fashionable academics is to read the catalog for the "Writers and Readers' Documentary Comic Book" series. Sartre has an entry, and so does Derrida, and Lacan. Thirty years ago, you would have expected to find an entry in this index for Claude Levi-Strauss. No more. Translations of his principal works appear to persist in print, but the sales numbers are look low, and he seems almost to have disappeared from the trendy book reviews and such. This is perhaps a matter for at least idle curiosity: Levi-Strauss is surely no more abstruse than his magisterial contemporaries - but no less so; one is perfectly willing to be relieved the obligation of ever picking him up again.

With one exception. In style and temperament, Tristes Tropiques is so different from almost everything else Levi-Strauss wrote that it is hard to believe it is written by the same man. Oh, the primitive tribes are there, and a brief personal intellectual history, that offers a bow to Freud, and Bergeson, and Saussure. In my own copy, which I first read about 1980, I even have a pencilled notation "structuralism" - this at page 375 (Pocket Books edition, 1977). But there is almost none of the portentous vacuity that you had to cope with in the so-called "serious" works.

What you get instead is Levi Strauss the raconteur, full of travelers' tales. He dines on roasted parrot, flamed with whisky. The termites make the earth rumble. Virgins are made to spit in pots of corn, to provoke fermentation - but "as the delicious drink, at once nutritious and refreshing, was consumed that very evening, the process of fermentation was not very advanced." You almost expect the anthropophagi and the men whose heads grow beneath their shoulders, that you meet in the Voyages of Sir John Mandeville, Knight.

Laced through it all, you get a kind of austere sadness which is either (a) a tragic view of life; or (b) a kind of self-indulgent posturing, depending on your temperament for skepticism. "Every effort to understand," he says, "destroys the object studied in favor of another object of a different nature." Or: "Anthropology could with advantage be changed into 'entropology', as the name of the discipline concerned with the study of the highest manifestations of [a] process of disintegration."

Well, call me anything the like, they say, as long as you call me for dinner. It might even be an elaborate con. But so, for that matter, might the stories of Herodotus were you get the same mix of the eclectic and the tolerant, the surreal and the sly. Herodotus, we may note, is one of the first great works of Western literature. Let's hope that Levi-Strauss is not one of the last.

This is Levi-Strauss most readable book, and it is a fantastic introduction to the "why" behind his interest in structuralism. There are hints of the various methods and approaches that he uses in later works, but this book shows why he was to develop structuralism in later works. The writing is clever and eloquent, and various conclusions he made about cultural diversity address contemporary concerns in a highly articulate and responsible manner. Read this book before delving into the other writings of one of the 20th Century's most important anthropologists.

Tristes Tropiques, surely one of the great books of the twentieth century, is Levi-Strauss at his intoxicating, idea-overloaded best and an elegy for a world that colonialism and then globalisation have doen their rational best to annihilate.

Levi-Strauss, like most thinkers who come up with new ways of describing the world-- those who Richard Rorty calls "inventors of philosophical vocabularies"-- has of course been mis-read and his ideas mis-applied, as we see with the much-hyped "creation" and then "demise" of "structural anthropology." The real pleasure of this book, which mixes fascinating accounts of Levi-Strauss' travels in Brazil in the '30s with autobiography, and adds chapters on the Maya and ancient Hindu (Indian) civilisations, is in its sheer mass of artfully arranged detail and its endless, provocative play of ideas.

Levi-Strauss stays conversational, descriptive and straightforward, avoiding academic jargon and obscure references. He assumes you know the basics about people like Freud, Marx, Darwin and the Buddha, and then shows you a trip through largely non-industrial societies which unfolds from anthropological description into deep philosophical speculation on the meaning of society and life.

In Brazil, Levi-Strauss watches an illiterate but canny chieftain use his anthropological fieldnotes to intimidate his illiterate tribesmen subordinates, and speculates on the parallel origins of writing and slavery. In Matto Grosso, he meets a butcher fascinated with elephants, since "he could not imagine so much meat in one place." On the banks of the Amazon, a non-industrial tribe is dying, hypnotically lost in the symbolic intricacies of an ancient social system that makes its citizens inbreed. In India, Levi-Strauss watches Islam and Hinduism-- the "locker room" and "mother" religions-- wage symbolic and then real war post-Independence.

The book starts as anthropology, turns into philosophy, and ultimately becomes a critique of the West, driven by "reason" and technology to shake off what Levi-Strauss calls the "thick blanket of dreams" with which non-industrial civilisation arranges the Universe into Meaning, which remains for the industrialised world the greatest and unanswered question.

But Levi-Strauss does not idealise the primitive. His point is that through the study of those and that which are different, a kind of "ideal model" of society-- one which will never exist-- can be built in the imagination, and people can evaluate their world by reference to this community of mind.

This is a remarkable book-- easy to read, engrossing, and endlessly thought-provoking.

The eleven stories collected here range in setting from Chicago's south side to small towns in southern Illinois, but are all thematically linked in their exploration of confused and often angry lower-class white males. The stories are also generationally linked, in that their characters all appear to have come of age in the early to mid-'70s. Indeed, the three best stories are set in the '70s and follow the same junior high boys through a trio of episodes ("The Vomitorium,'' "Smoke'' and "The Grand Illusion''), which include a trunk full of stolen Tootsie Rolls, and the forming of an "air band", and a homosexual advance. These three stories share much of the humor and angst of Chris Furhman's excellent novel The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, and Tom Perrotta's collection Bad Haircut.

In "The New Year", "The Greatest Goddamn Thing" and "Torture", the narrators are teenage boys, whose primary role in each is as sidekick or witness to another person's pain. In the first story, a cuckolded and abandoned father takes an axe to a deer. In the second, a brother just out of jail leads him into an all night bar party complete with gun, fire, and sex. And in the third, a neighbor is stranded on his roof by an irate wife, and no one calls for help. In each case, there's a kind of sad desperation to it all. Desperation is also present in two stories ("The End of Romance" and "Roger's New Life") that follow a UPS driver with a flaccid marriage, two kids, and a shaky grip on sanity. These are the most distant of the collection, as the protagonist is clearly cracking up and it becomes harder and harder to identify with his tenuous grip on reality. A rather similar character is the focus of the longest story, "Limbs," sharing a troubled marriage, kid, and in this case, friends of dubious character.

Two Chicago-set stories stick out: "The Politics of Correctness" abandons the world of the unemployed and lower-class for the world of academia and a struggling young English professor who must contend with the drug dealer who menaces his home, and the uber-PC people in his department. One sense this is a very personal story from McNally, and while it's not bad, it's not particularly original or noteworthy either. My own favorite is "The First of Your Last Chances," which stands out if only because it has a happy ending. Both funny and tender, it's a welcome respite from the heaviness of the other ten stories. The collection as a whole reveals a great new talent, I'll look forward to his next work.

The cover photo on this book (cuffed hands) isn't quite right. This is not gritty realism or "Cops"-like docudrama. Instead, author McNally's sensibility lies somewhere between the blue-collar melancholy of Raymond Carver and the outrageous humor of Hunter Thompson. His characters (all males in their early teens to their thirties) are comically pathetic, living lives that barely hang together. Teenagers Hank and Ralph appear in three stories set on the Southside of Chicago, obsessed with girls (who are all repelled by the two boys) and spending their aimless days and nights on the ragged boundary line between adolescent angst and Big Trouble. Roger, a UPS driver, moves blankly through empty days haunted darkly by thoughts of Squeaky Fromme and Charles Manson, while a fellow worker runs a personal ad and discovers the liberating mysteries of "raw carnality." Meanwhile, romantic relationships and marriages languish and sour.

Far from being bleak, the wonky dialogue and cock-eyed situations in these stories had me laughing out loud. In my favorite story, a debt-ridden young English instructor is beleaguered at work by witless students and an annoying, politically-correct faculty and then harassed at his new home by a neighborhood bully. All comes unglued for him at a faculty party where he gets entirely too drunk. Only the last longer story, "Limbs," shows McNally stretching himself into something more novel-like, as he explores the disintegrating impact of a murder on the lives of several small-town people, and here there are few laughs, just a dizzying descent into confusion and rage.

I love this book. It is both disturbing and fiercely entertaining.

Eleven stories make up this solid collection, and three of them are related ("The Vomitorium," "Smoke," and "The Grand Illusion"), starring a kid in the eight grade named Hank and his sometimes goofy, always strange adventures with Ralph, his dangerous deliquent of a friend. All three are excellent, and they make a logical progression, offering nice closure at the end of the third story.

The remaining eight are a mixed bag. "The New Year" is fantastic, but "The End of Romance" is not. "The First of Your Last Chances" seemed a bit too crafty, but I ultimately loved the story, which features a hilarious S&M vignette and a real cute ending. "The Politics of Correctness" was a wonderful story all the way through, my favorite in the collection. "The Greatest Goddamn Thing" didn't do it for me -- it all seemed too forced, and I didn't buy the narrator's voice. "Roger's New Life" just never seemed to go anywhere (a detached 3rd person pov, reminiscent of Raymond Carver), while "Torture" was strong from start to finish, though I'm not sure if it's a story that has a real direction. And the last and the longest, "Limbs," is a winner.

I wouldn't consider any of these stories as bad -- they are all finely written, and McNally's got a very nice, easy style. Many of the stories were very funny and thoroughly enjoyable.

I was a lucky person to have had John McNally as an instructor in college. He taught at my college for a short time and I still feel that college (which will remain anonymous) did not know what they lost when they lost this brilliant writer. He taught a creative writing class which was based fully on the power of the written word and how the simplest and most realistic language often tells the best story. McNally's own work completely upholds this belief. I unfortunately have lost touch with John, but when I found out via the web that he had published this collection of short stories, I knew I had to find it. I had him for one semester, yet I remember him better than any other teacher I have ever had.

As a fan of the writing of Richard Yates and Raymond Carver (who John introduced me to), I can tell you that he learned his craft from the writings of these masters. His characters are believable, the dialogue is simple but powerful and the settings are described in the most minimal detail, but yet you have a feel of exactly where you are and who these people are. McNally's characters exist through their dialogue and that is what makes his stories powerful.

I highly recommend this collection of stories. Some are disturbing, others are more lighthearted. However, the writing is tremendous and you get inside these characters almost immediately. The art of the written word is not lost. People like John McNally are keeping it alive.

John McNally's Troublemakers sparkles with electric language and moves the heart with touching scenes faithfully depicted. Often these days, one must look widely and patiently to find contemporary fiction that rises above the level of workshop attempts to that of true literary art. McNally has shown his work to be sensitive, laugh-out-loud funny, and true to the spirit of what it means to be human. For all familiar with the plight of the college adjunct, I especially recommend "The Politics of Correct", a tale of a young man oppressed, financially and culturally, to such an extreme that radical decisions and actions are called for, and it resonates with a veracity nearly impossible to find in other works dealing with this subject. This collection is a fine example that good literary work is out there, if one looks patiently for it.

Some of the stories are only four star, and that says a lot about the standard to which I hold Tim Winton. "Only four star." I've been writing for years and publish three-star work sometimes. This collection, meanwhile, is five stars overall.

This is a collection of thought-provoking stories which are loosely linked, always excellent, always natural, never showy or forced, always observant, and a pure pleasure to read. He's such a gifted author that you're actually not always aware of how gifted he is.

If you are looking for writing that takes your breath away and stories that make you look deeply into yourself and your life and the lives of others, then read this book. You will not be disappointed.

Sometimes Mr Winton seems to be straining to be profound riddling his books with impressive literary devices - or maybe I'm too dumb to recognise great art. But with THE TURNING he seems completely at ease and as a consequence the stories ring with a truth - an emotional and spiritual truth firmly set in a believable landscape. The title story about Raelene's physical and spiritual journey, is in the patois of we Australians - a ripper! Mr Winton's great contribution to world literature may indeed be the way in which he is liberating the Australian language and bringing the voice and stories of our caravan dwellers, fishermen, and other inhabitants of small town Australia - working and otherwise - to the fore.
The Lockie Leonard trilogy and THE TURNING I expect have joined or will be joining our collective memories much as Blinky Bill, Ginger Meggs and Voss already have.

Tim Winton has created a Western Australia community, which remote as it is, portrays a commonality of human spirit instantly recognizeable. The scruffy town of Port Angelus, whose whale-processing history is laid out in his book THE SHALLOWS, is as original a concept as the communities of Faulkner or Louise Erdrich or T. R. Pearson, and with each book, Winton continues to expand the community of Port Angelus while limning out the human condition. The people in these stories could live anywhere, but are still ineffably Australian. In this latest book, each story is complete within itself yet linked to one another. Each story could be a springboard for an entire novel of its own. And each story makes you care about its characters and wish you could know what happens long after you've closed the book.

There's a special appeal to the "linked" short story collection. Although the same names and places appear, each is new with the next story. The desperate men, the battered wives, the confused and bewildered children. They interact in their own ways, coming together and breaking apart over the years. In the hands of a master storyteller like Winton, each tale is a spark of reality. Every individual comes almost startlingly alive in but a few pages. As the sequence unfolds through the view of the protagonist, you gain fresh insights on circumstances. Absolute values have no place here, a lesson most of us would do well to remember.

The tales are set in a coastal town in Western Australia. Angelus is a fishing community - often under stress from unemployment, it is a contained locale. Children grow up as neighbours, move through school together, and interact in almost wildly varying ways as they mature. There are mysteries - why was a boy left broken and battered on a beach? Who was the girl found dead in a school loo and how did she die? Who escaped the almost desolate town and how bound do they remain to it in later years? These are common situations and questions in a small town, and the economic pressures add intensity to the expected conditions we all endured in adolescence. It is a credit to Winton's outstanding prose skills that beauty emerges within this forlorn community. A coastal location always provides a sense of expanded view lacking in inland towns. Yet here, as almost everywhere in Australia, the desert looms as an ever-present menace, poorly understood and a block to escape even mountains fail to match.

Vic Lang, the character around whom these stories weave, emerges first as a young child at a beach party. His life is complex. While in school, a girl with a facial birthmark fascinates him, but that's not the girl he marries. His attachments are intense and sometimes offbeat. He takes up with "Boner" McPharlin [the term comes from his job in an abattoir], the Huckleberry Finn of his time and place. Totally without ambition, Boner's presence gives Vic a basis for comparison with his own life. It's a shaky foundation to launch into adulthood. Vic symbolises the small-town outlook with his sense of being under constant scrutiny. In "The Long, Clear View", Vic reflects on his life and how the town imposed so much of itself on his later life.

North American readers often balk at the "culture shock" of Australian conditions and language. Winton's deft touch softens the shock to what might be deemed a "culture tickle". His character portrayals and the manner in which he deals with the passage of time among what become familiar people, guide the reader effortlessly through some unfamiliar terms and conditions. What does "shoot through" mean? It has nothing to do with weapons. It means "escape" or "desertion" depending on the protagonist's viewpoint. A "jacaranda" turns out to be a tree, ugly when not blooming, but a stunning array of colour in the proper season. If a blossom falls on while walking underneath, it is said to be a sign of good luck. Does that happen in Angelus?

Winton's realistic view of people and events is at odds with much of today's literature. His voice, while grim and sometimes even bleak, doesn't overwhelm the reader with despair. His people aren't crushed by events, they remain battlers even in the most seemingly desperate circumstances. You must, however, traverse the entire sequence to understand how they accomplish that feat. While each story stands entirely on its own, like a brick-built building, they must all be taken together to perceive the entire stunning edifice. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

I can't wait for the author to crack out something new...this is by far, the best novel I've read in a VERY long time.

Make the points without the negativity. Other writing in this genre seems so sour, and depressing...Bachelder gets it done without the hate.

I don't know what else to say, besides, it's great...check it out. Funny and fun.

Wow, what a pleasant surprise - a funny, intelligent, ambitious, playful, political novel that avoids both cynicism and pretense. And a great ending too.

Though I don't have much against Bachelder's previous effort, Bear v. Shark, I don't have much to say in favor of it either. This is not the case for "U.S.!", which is one of the best books I've read this year.

As a writer who cares a good deal about politics and the way the world is going, I found this book an inspiration. What Bachelder is trying to do here, it seems to me, is find a way to engage with the world and American society without sounding pedantic or preachy, and also to highlight how difficult a task that is. The fact that he uses Upton Sinclair, one of the most pedantic and preachy writers ever, as his protagonist is genius.

While movie makers can be ham-fisted in their messages and get away with it (see "Crash" or "Fahrenheit 911"), with writers it's far trickier. They don't have the music, the camera effects, and all that other stuff to spice up or soften the blow of their messages -- only words. This makes most message-oriented novels feel almost embarrassing as you go through them, at least for me. At the very least, it becomes extremely difficult to connect with them once you realize they're out to convince you of something specific. U.S.! is a rare success in this respect. The arguments it offers both for and against ambivalence feel fair and natural--like the debates you might have in your head-- and its observations on American culture are dead-on without seeming snarky. Furthermore, Bachelder doesn't cheat and fall back on the deus ex machinas George Saunders seems so dependent on these days.

It's good to see a writer who, rather than finding an artsy, pretty way to turn his back on the world, is attempting to face it. I'm looking forward to Bachelder's future work. This is a writer who has exponentially improved since his debut.

Take this into consideration what if a bear and a shark and Upton Sinclair fight it out in a tank of water deep enough for the shark to maneuver efficiently, shallow enough to give the bear an even chance to hold its own, and large enough to hold Sinclairs inflated socialist ideals. Who would win?

Chris Bachelder returns to the ring after his debut novel, Bear v Shark, found its way into the hands of readers not too long ago. That novel was a wonderful mix of humor, poignancy, and Chris' style of what I like to call "chapter concepts" He takes your basic novel structure but instead of just telling the story in a straight forward manner he will use various different storytelling concepts in each chapter. In one chapter you may get a poem, or a television interview, and in another chapter you could simply get a listing of ebay auctions. Its a brilliant way to view his themes and characters from different points of view.

In his sophomore effort Chris Bachelder refines his techniques and tightens his themes for a novel that somehow manages to surpass the simple yet wonderful Bear V Shark. Again he comes in with a concept that seems rather absurd, muck raker Upton Sinclair continues to live on through an unexplained method of resurrection. Used as a tool for the left he lives on to spread his beliefs in socialism and the evils of capitalism. Bachelder never shows bias he simply portrays the man as he was and how he would adjust to this day and age.

I am ashamed to admit I knew very little about Mr. Sinclair going into the novel and trust me this is not a dull protagonist. He's akward, ambitious, and has the drive of a young man despite his frail dying body. The novel makes me wonder what would happen to Michael Moore if he found a way to live on. What happens to ones causes over a long period of time? Does change ever truly happen? Must we lose hope if the answer to that question is no? You won't get an answer after reading U.S.! but you will certainly get a little closer to forming one of your own.

A gem that has just happened to take the form of a book.

Hopes and shovels forever.

Definitely one of the stranger books I've read this year, but also one of the best. To a certain degree the book is limited by it's central gimmick -- real-life Socialist muckraking writer Upton Sinclair (about whom the reader need know nothing) keeps returning from the dead to spread the good word about the working man's struggle for a decent life. He "keeps" returning from the dead because every time he comes back, there are glory-seekers determined to put him back under in order to protect America from godless Socialism. If this sounds like some piece of strange science-fiction, well, it kind of is. But it's mainly a satire of the contemporary American political scene, with Sinclair standing in for the far left. But even more than that, it's a very clever and funny piece of satire -- which is rare indeed.

Bachelder wisely recognizes the limitations of his premise, and thus engages it in a very loose manner by riffing on it in lots of different formats. There is a running storyline concerning this iteration of the undead Sinclair, as he moves around the country aided by his secretary/personal assistant, holing up in remote cabins to write, and making clandestine visits to underground meetings. However, sprinkled into this are letters from Sinclair to his son, Amazon.com reviews of some of Sinclair's 90 books (most of which bear the dreaded "Be the first to review this item."), transcripts from a 1-800 "I Saw Sinclair" hotline, hilarious memos (including one from Sinclair to NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabule about the need for instant replay), a reading list and syllabus for a writing course taught by Sinclair, newspaper editorials, interviews, an eBay auction listing (for a bullet that killed Sinclair), song lyrics, and other such artifacts of popular culture.

As we learn more about Sinclair, we also learn more about the cult of celebrity that has arisen around his killers. Indeed, the main story thread leads Sinclair toward a small town celebration (he thinks it's to honor him, but it's actually to burn his books), where the country's top Sinclair hunters (many of whom have been hired by corporate interests) hope to bag him. There's a great little subplot about the grizzled old veteran killer vs. the brash young upstart. There's another subplot involving Sinclair's folk singer son which suffers a bit from underdevelopment.

But beneath all this, there's a clear message -- the bumbling, almost unbearably earnest, permanently outraged, ever-pedantic Sinclair is a symbol of all that's wrong with the American left and yet paradoxically, also what's right. Although Sinclair's neverending sub-mediocre writing is mercilessly skewered throughout the book, his dogged dedication to (and faith in) an ideal is both touching and ultimately inspiring. This is another major theme of the book, the intersection of art and politics, and the difficulty faced by the artist who dares to mix the two. Bachelder's book manages the tricky task of both doing this and commenting on it at the same time, while shifting ably between slapstick comedy, family pathos, blind zealotry, pop culture riffing, and even moments of quiet reflection. This is both an entertaining and excellent novel.

As a person who has a relative dealing with Alzheimer's, I
think this is a great book. The movie was great also.
We all need our family and friends to help us during hard
times but we need God the most.

A Vow to Cherish touched me deeply--for many reasons. To me, this story is about having no regrets and allowing God to work things out in our lives with His perfect timing. I remember seeing the movie when it first came out and holding my breath as I watched John fall in love with Julia. I recall the same conflicting feelings when I read this book. Part of me wanted John to be happy with Julia. I truly felt for the guy. Part of me also cared deeply about his commitment to his wife.

The author did a fabulous job taking a difficult situation and covering it with flesh. The emotion and the loneliness were real as was the temptation both John and Julia experienced. Many people would justify John and Julia's relationship outside of marriage--especially for John. I hurt for the man. My mother was bedridden with MS for twenty years and my father cared for her until the very end. He cherished her and remained faithful when so many men in the same situations dumped their spouses when they could no longer perform their wifely duties.

John Brighton honored his vow to cherish his wife until they parted at her death. I'm convinced it made all the difference for his enduring happiness. John could then marry Julia free from guilt and knowing he gave his wife his undivided love and attention to the very end--once he overcame the temptation to vault his flesh into a forbidden zone that he would end up regretting later.

I've never read a book that more vividly portrays the deep pain of loneliness and all of the issues that go with it. My heart swelled and my throat tightened more than once through this beautiful story. I loved it!

Loved the first one, but with Raney's matured writing the edited reissue is even more poignant and relevant.

Not often does an author have the chance to go back and rewrite her first book, but Deborah Raney had that opportunity. I read the original edition, saw the movie inspired by her book, and now I've read the new one. She has updated numerous things and added more depth, making an already good novel hauntingly beautiful.

John Brighton's wife has Alzheimer's, a cruel disease that afflicts entire families. I know. My mother died of Alzheimer's. I found Raney's book to be healing for me. With deep understanding and compassion, she exposes layer after layer of emotion a husband feels when his wife leaves him a bit at a time.

More cruel than sudden death or divorce, Alzheimer's robs the patient of their dignity as it robs the family of their loved one. After my mother died, daddy said he felt as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. That hurt and I couldn't understand how he could say it. Until I read A Vow to Cherish. As Raney reveals John's deep love for his wife, she also discloses how the disease wore him down. No one suffers Alzheimer's alone.

Beautifully written and filled with credible characters, Raney once again demonstrates why she's an award winning author. A Vow to Cherish stands on my all-time-favorites book shelf.

John and Ellen Brighton attend the high school graduation of their youngest child. The nest would soon be empty and they were looking forward to having time for each other. They plan to travel and just enjoy themselves. Then something started to go horribly wrong. Ellen began having periods of confusiion, saying things that didn't make sense. She gets lost and can't find her way home. A doctor gives them the shattering news. Ellen is in the early stages of Alzheimers. Nothing can be done to help her and the situation will gradually get worse.

In Chicago, Julia Sinclair has lost her husband and after years of sending her sons to St. Mark's private school, which she can no longer afford, she is desperate to get out of Chicago. She applies for a job at the Parkside Manor, a nursing home in the same town where John and Ellen live. When Ellen moves to the Manor, Julia meets John and they are attracted to each other. She can provide the companionship he misses so much. Someone to talk to, someone who understands. But John still loves Ellen, and he made a vow to cherish her in sickness and health on their wedding day. How can he go back on that vow just because she no longer knows him? A Vow to Cherish is a touching story of love and commitment and is an honest portrayal of the destroying disease of Alzheimers. The characters are so real you'll feel you know them. This book will touch your heart