William Goldman Books

I like that you can select a disease or procedure, and a list of drugs that are commonly prescribed will show up. Beware though that the "Add User Topic" function may not work. Others in my medical transcription course have the same problem.

I'm a former Saunder's fan, but when I saw this book I knew I had to have it! Being a new MT, it is helpful that the drugs listed also list their 'sound alike' names, as well as giving you an appendix in the back with diseases and drugs prescribed for them accordingly! :) It's an awesome book, and I'm a loyal Quick Look Drug Book fan! You won't be disappointed with your purchase.

As a medical transcriptionist, there are many times when a doctor will say the name of a drug incorrectly or I cannot quite understand what the doctor is saying. In the Quick Look Drug Book, there is a section in the back of the book called the Indication/Therapeutic Category Index. In this section, you can look up the patient's diagnosis and it will list the medications used for that illness. Most of the time I am able to determine what drug the doctor is referring to by using this method. It has saved me a lot of time and effort over the years. I highly recommend this book if you are a medical transcriptionist.

Great book! Use it a lot, but would like to have the latest vesion..

Sam Price

"Which Lie Did I Tell" covers some of the "adventures" of Oscar-winning screenwriter William Goldman. Some are entertaining, some are informative. For struggling screenwriters, it is always good to read about what a respected and well-known screenwriter went through to "make it," and William Goldman doesn't mince words. He relates enough humorous tales to keep the reader's interest... but then, quite often, unfortunately goes off on endless non-related tangents, forcing the reader to go back several pages to see if he missed anything.

The best part of the book is when he decides to share a portion of a new screenplay he has written and then actually asks for notes from fellow famous screenwriters. Most of the notes were merciless; in fact, they were quite similar to those that I received for my first screenplay (and I'm not famous and I don't have an Oscar). It was really quite unbelievable that he was willing to let the reader see his new baby screenplay torn to shreds. The thing is, you could easily see his craft in his writing of the screenplay; on the other hand, I agreed with almost all of the harsh notes he received, which essentially questioned the screenplay out of existence.

In this way, the book is also educational. Nonetheless, I found myself struggling to get to the end of it and only did in the hopes of stumbling upon another gut-busting bon mot. There are definitely a few scattered throughout the book, so, yes -- a one-time read is good; going back and using it as a resource -- probably not. Still, I have to give him thumbs up for being so honest with the audience.

The best of it's kind for anyone interested in screen writing. Easy to read, full of help, Excellent.

"Which Lie Did I Tell?" is a follow-up to William Goldman's 1983 book "Adventures in the Screen Trade" in which the screenwriter gives us the inside scoop on Hollywood moviemaking from a unique point of view -that of the writer- and provides some lessons in screenwriting through examples from his own and others' attempts to create movies from the raw materials of experience and imagination. This book has 4 parts, but if you're only interested in the stories Goldman has to tell about his Hollywood experiences, those are found in Part 1. Parts 2-4 address the craft of screenwriting: what works, what doesn't, why, and how to pitch it. Goldman is opinionated, blunt, and he refers to his Oscar-winning "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" screenplay far too often. It's obviously his pride and joy. "Which Lie Did I Tell?" is briskly paced, personal, and it gives us the lowdown on what it takes -not just the writing talent, but the mettle- to write movies in Hollywood.

Goldman starts with the 9 years he didn't work, 1978-1986, after having written 7 movies in the prior 8 years. Not exactly encouraging to aspiring screenwriters. Then Goldman takes us through his experiences writing -and in some cases filming- seven screenplays he wrote 1986-1997: "Memoirs of an Invisible Man", "The Princess Bride", "Misery", "The Year of the Comet", "Maverick", "The Ghost and the Darkness", and "Absolute Power". These screenplays provide insight into a variety of writing challenges, as some are original, some adapted, one adapted from Goldman's own book, some from novels, some entirely fictional, and one is based on a true story. And, of course, some were hits, some flops, and one didn't make it. Goldman relates the ideas behind these movies, his intentions and struggles in writing them, with plenty of commentary on studio executives, stars, directors, and test audiences. Goldman's goal is to tell it like it is in the screen trade.

In Part 2, Goldman examines the screenplays for some famous -and famously successful- movie scenes from "There's Something About Mary", "When Harry Met Sally", "North by Northwest", "The Seventh Seal", "Chinatown", "Fargo", and his own "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". He presents analysis and opinion on why these scenes work so well and shares his technique for finding the heart of the material when adapting work for the screen. In Part 3, Goldman looks at some real-life dramas that might make interesting movies, but notes the difficulties in adapting them and discusses the problems inherent in writing about real people. Part 4 is a screenplay that Goldman wrote in order that others might criticize it for this book, followed by critiques from 6 successful screenwriters. This is a worthwhile exercise that really illuminates the pitfalls of creating characters for the screen.

a hilarious account of the 'politics of hollywood' from the perspective of a brilliant writer...

I loved Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade and loved this book almost as much. It's interesting, funny and revealing, written in a casual and frank manner that you'd expect from a good friend. Goldman writes books and screenplays in multiple genres because he focuses on whether each story is one he wants to tell - not whether it's the same type of story he succeeded with before. What amazes me about this versatile writer is his generosity. In this book he discusses his creative processes and offers detailed, useful guidance to aspiring writers (for comparison, Joe Ezterhaus did not do this in his interesting memoir). At the end of the book, Goldman even has the guts to offer up a new script draft for criticism by top screenwriters whose comments he includes. Who else would dare to expose his work-in-process like that? Not I! He is my hero.

I bought this book because I was misled by the information displayed on Amazon's web site. This edition in its paperback form actually runs to 560 pages only, not to 640 pages as the "product details" claims. I was led to believe that this 2006 2nd enlarged edition was a major expansion over its previous edition, which I already possess. But no.

I saved a lot of money buying this book new from Amazon over buying it from B&N or the on-campus bookstore. It also arrived very quickly.

A little pencil writing in the book, but it is in excellent shape.

Excellent and comprehensive history of China. A must read for anyone going to see this country.

This book is a great overview of Chinese history. While true that Spence's Volume has more artistic qualities this volume is mor than sufficient for the student of history. Clear and concise, this book describes the major events of Chinese history while integrating a plethora of supplemental and recent scholarship. Anyone interested in diving further into Chinese history can use Fairbank and Goldman as a launching platform.

Not a fan. For a thriller, I would say this is too overblown, and it is not quite far enough to the other type of writing to get a good horror book, either. The bad guy being a killer dentist is close to that end of the spectrum, it would seem. Then there is a bit much of the whole running, running, running, theme throughout.

I read this book after seeing the movie, which may have been my first mistake, but nevertheless I was disappointed with the book, considering how much I enjoyed the film.

I had a huge problem with William Goldman's style of prose. His technique is that he writes the prose as though it were the rambling thoughts of the characters that are the focus of whatever section of the book he's writing. So while it may give you a better insight into those characters and their way of thinking, it is very uncomfortable to read because he tends to ramble in long, disjointed sentences that end up driving you crazy by the book's end. I'm a firm believer in good, flowing prose that makes it easy for the reader to continue reading.

Another problem with the prose is that it fails in its intention to put the reader into the minds of the characters. The reason for this is that by the time you're halfway through the book, you realize that Goldman makes no particular effort to differentiate the thoughts and viewpoints of each character. You'll find that Babe, Doc, and Szell all have the same cynical worldview and make the same mental comments to themselves.

To conclude, don't miss out on the movie version with Dustin Hoffman as Babe and a mind-blowing and memorable performance from the late, great Sir Laurence Olivier as the sadistic Szell. Leave the book in the past where it belongs.

Ever wonder where all the Nazis that escaped Allied Justice, the ones that weren't allowed to escape that is. Most went to Latin America, which is here Szell "The White Angel," spirited off to alfter the Third Riech fell, Paraguay to be exact. There he stays until the man, his father, who is the man intrusted with Szell's vast wealth of diamonds dies. So Szell needs those diamonds to live. Doc, our hero's big bro. is a spy, but apparently spies need some extra cash now and then so he worked as a courier for delivering the diamonds to wherever they needed to go.
The White Angel thinks Babe (the main character) knows whether or not its safe to get the diamonds, torture of Babe insues. The old Nazi is a dentist so you can imagine how he tortures.

Though I wasn't too impressed with the story itself, already having seen the movie, and they are pretty much just alike, Goldman's prose on the other hand was outstanding, a fast paced well written little book. His dialogue was to die for, quick and witty, giving the characters a 1930's noir aura.

Really if just want to skip the novel and watch the book, feel free. Or if you have seen the movie and want experience the book, you really don't need to. They are nearly identical. Which makes since of course because Goldman wrote the sceenplay, so you'd think he'd stay true to his own work.

A well crafted thriller with interesting, complex characters. It is one that I did not want to put down. I only wish there were more pages to it with more background of the characters and more details. It is one that I did not want to end but couldn't wait to get through it to get the whole story.

This is a spy classic. It hasn't lost its edge over time at all. It is some of the best suspense, action writing I have read--skillful and artistic not like some of the packaged, thesaraus writing milled out by some of today's writers.

Go for it; you will be pleased I think.

This is an excellent spy thriller filled with international intrigue and double-dealing characters. It leaves one wondering just who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. While it sometimes seems a little dated in parts, the book will not fail to capture the imagination of the reader with its intricate plot, clever characters, and humor. Written in a straightforward, cogent style, this book was made into a major motion picture that starred Dustin Hoffman and was a big hit in its day.

Thomas Babington Levy, known as "Babe" to his family, is a Rhodes Scholar, a graduate student historian at Columbia University, and an amateur marathon runner. He has a wealthy older brother, Henry David Levy, whom he affectionately calls "Doc" and believes to be a successful business man.

When Babe meets a beautiful blonde named Elsa Opel, he is in seventh heaven, believing that he has met the woman of his dreams. When he introduces his brother to Elsa, Babe shortly thereafter finds himself enmeshed in international intrigue. It seems that all is not as it has seemed. There is someone out there that believes that Babe has valuable information, and this person will stop at nothing to get that which he most desires.

This is a quick, page turning read that those who like international spy thrillers, replete with old-fashion skullduggery, a Nazi war criminal, multiple murders, and a fortune in diamonds, will enjoy.

While I was surprised at how quick a read this was (I got through it in two lunch breaks at work) it was still an enthralling read. Goldman has the ability to let you feel his characters in only a few lines and this is no exception. By the time I reached the end I felt as emotionally invested in the hero as I did when reading the Princess Bride. I have noticed other people have given this book low marks solely because it "isn't the Princess Bride". While I agree the Princess Bride is by far the better book I feel it is unfair to dismiss this book as poor based on the comparison. It would be like saying The Hobbit was a 1 star book because The Lord Of The Rings was better.

Goldman writes this novella with the same irreverant style he used for "The Princess Bride." It's a cute little story about a man who loves to sing but is so horrible that the entire city of Venice pelts him with garbage.

It flashes back and forth through the decades of the twentieth century and tells a cute little story but never quite achieves the grandeur of Goldman's other works.

As a stand alone book it doesn't really hold up, it might have been better as an extra in yet another version of Bride. For my money I felt there should have been more.

This is a cute little fable that's quick and easy to read. I was, however, a little disappointed. I expected something a little more like "The Princess Bride", considering that it was written by William Goldman (and that the S. Morgenstern device was used again). On its own, it's a nice little story. Just don't compare it to "The Princess Bride".

A classic book with an old-fashioned fairytale feel. If you love The Princess Bride as I do, you will instantly fall in love with Luigi and his "never give up" attitude. He is the unsong hero, the quiet guy in the background getting on with his life as best he can. He bears many similarities in my view to dear Wesley of The Princess Bride but in a more unassuming way. It is a really sweet book and I loved every page of it.

After reading The Princess Bride, few books will meet its standards...So, with HUGE expectations, I read The Silent Gondoliers. It was a big dissapointment! It would be an ok childrens book...but it lacked the wit and great storyline that I've come to expect from William Goldman.

If you haven't seen the movie, I urge you to read this book. It is one of Goldman's best and almost all the reviews here give away the book's major twist, so you might want to avoid them.

This is one of those stories that will have you jumping out of your chair when the twist comes. It's right up there with Ira Levin's A Kiss Before Dying. Goldman is one helluva writer and is, in fact, one of my own biggest influences. Much of my desire to write books came from reading his work.

I know, I know...the Twilight Zone was not a book but a TV show. It's just that by the time this novel came out, Rod Serling had presented not one but TWO different versions of the "almost human" dummy idea with Cliff Robertson and Jackie Cooper in two different tellings. It is not difficult to conclude that those episodes influenced Goldman in writing his novel. What a hack!

For my purist bucks, I prefer the works of the originators of ideas. In this case, I prefer Serling to Goldman and you don't have to sit through hours of reading this to be creeped out. It's all over in 30 minutes.

An easy-to-read novel by William Goldman, with very strong moments and thrilling climax.
Charles Withers, a 10yr old boy has a football star of an older brother, a jock father and an estranged alcoholic mother, but little self-esteem. He's quiet at school and spends his free time posing in his mirror, craftmaking and lately a newly found talent..magic.
Spending his teenage years perfecting card tricks and rabbit-pulls he meets mentor Merlin Jr, an author of magic pamphlets and together they tour the east coast of America. But Charles, better known as Corky, is a meek apprentice and shows little confidence as a soloist.
Corky discovers the secret to his lack of confidence lies in his new act..ventriliquism and hits it big with 'Fats' a hilarious X-rated dummy. With 'Fats' on his lap as well as a TV contract the pressure of success grows into a destructive cycle of murder and suspense.
Highly readable, Goldman places the reader on a chilling voyage into the mind of a disturbed comic. All in all an excellent novel, and frankly I expect nothing else from Goldman.

Goldman is one of my favourite writers. What a pity he no longer writes novels but has now devoted himself to the screen world. Of all his books, I liked "Control" the best, but "Magic" was a good enough second. His style is brilliant, just brilliant. As for holding the reader's interest, well, not for one moment can you put this book down. I kept saying I'll go to sleep now but 4 or 5 chapters later, I was still holding my breath and turning the pages with awe. Way to go, Mr. Goldman. Couldn't we have more, please. I have read all your books. I think your successor is Peter Abrahams, but would like to read more Goldmans.

If you've seen the movie Magic, you don't necessarily have to read the book. Being a fan of the movie, I bought the book to see if there were many differences, and the answer to that question was no. William Goldman, who is a brilliant writer and screenwriter must have written this novel with the intent of turning it into an excellent movie.
However, if you haven't seen the movie, then I urge you to get the book. Corky, an as good as can be young man, tries to make it as a magician. When this fails, Corky turns to a ventriliquist routine with a dumby named Fats. As the book goes on, the reader finds that Corky is seriously disturbed and when his routine begins to give him fame, he flees to the home of an old high school classmate whom he had a crush on, who is now married (She was played by Ann Margaret in the movie).
The events that unfold after this move are both horrifying and shocking. I would suggest strongly to anyone who has not seen the movie with Anthony Hopkins to read the book. If you've seen the movie and want to read the book, that's good, but don't expect too many changes.

Don't waste your time... I was so disappointed with this book. The first chapter and the last 4 chapters are the only worth wild ones! The middle of the book is so dull and flat.
If you want a fabulous read, in my opinion, read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. This is a beautiful book well worth your time. You will not be disappointed- I promise!!!

In the opening lines of EARLY LEAVING, the reader learns that the title character, Earl "Early" Smallwood, has been arrested for murder only hours after delivering the commencement address at his private high school. In her shock and dismay, Early's mother, Kathryne, begins deconstructing Early's life in an attempt to figure out where she went wrong, how she may have caused her son to go astray.

With that promising premise, author Goldman delves into the history of the Smallwood family, exploring not just Early's childhood but glimpses into Kathryne's as well. Goldman also devotes time to the relationship between Kathryne and her husband, Peter, highlighting their different attitudes towards raising their son. Unfortunately, although I found the story to be engaging, Kathryne's behavior as a parent did not ring true for me. Like any parent, she is quite protective of her son, but her denial about Early's behavior seemed unrealistically extreme (eg, what mother would find drugs in her son's possession and never mention it, either to her son OR her husband?).

I have to admit, I am not a parent myself, so this novel might resonate more with someone who has children of their own. However, I suspect that even most parents would not be able to sympathize with some aspects of Kathryne's behavior, which would serve to decrease the impact of Early's eventual plight. Ultimately, I found this book to be well-written and intriguing, yet not overly enjoyable.

I am a new, first-time mom and I am so glad I carved out the time to read Early Leaving. This wonderful yet chilling book should be required reading for all parents. Once I got into it (on page one), I couldn't put it down.

Judy Goldman, in her graceful, poetic style, has created a world I feel I could easily stray into while raising my child(ren). This world features a mother who loves her son so much she does everything she can to keep every aspect of his life happy and trouble-free. We are trained to do this with our infants; how do we learn to put on the brakes once our children are older? With that question in mind I feel it would have been predictable for Goldman to write about an overindulgent, overprotective mother who singlehandedly dooms her child to a lifetime on the psychologist's couch. Instead, she shows us how complicated, entwining and unpredictable families and child-rearing can be. Kathryne's relationship with her husband Peter; Peter's relationship with their child Early; Early's relationship with his best friend Chip. Each of these bonds (and more) exert influence in the formation of a person. None is the sole cause of who a person becomes, and yet none is innocent.

Judy Goldman is a wise guide helping us navigate the complex emotional story Kathryne narrates. Rather than settle for easy answers, Goldman poses thoughtful questions to the end. This is why I believe all parents should read this book (and why I have already recommended it to all the young parents I know). We are given the opportunity to study another family's life under a microscope, thus providing us with a mirror or a foil for our own decisions.

Ask any parent to list their greatest fears for their children, and seeing a child carted off to jail for murder is probably not one of them. That is for good reason -- while most of us realize that there may be aspects of how we parent that may be flawed, overall we are optimistic about how our children will turn out. And we are honestly surprised if and when things go wrong. This novel does a wonderful job of taking that scenario -- a son on a bright, upward path who stumbles into tragedy -- and explores what brought him to that point. Goldman sorts through Early's upbringing and family ties, and holds up various bits and pieces for our collective review -- some we can discard, some we are not sure about, and others may reverberate powerfully. But it is no easy task to simply assign blame or grant forgiveness. This book shies away from easy lessons. We are instead encouraged to look beyond the parent-child relationship and pay closer attention to the parent-parent-child one. It should be on all of our reading lists.

This is one of the best books I've read all year. On page one, the reader finds out that a young man from a privileged family has been convicted of murder. It is almost impossible to stop reading from that point on. This is not a murder mystery though; it's a perceptive, moving narrative about parenting and marriage. There are incredible insights on every page; you'll want to put stars in the margins next to all the beautiful descriptive details. Although Early Leaving might be thought of as a woman's book, I would recommend it to anyone interested in stories about family -- how entangled and complex those relationships can be.

Re-reading this book after twenty years or more it's hard to believe that Goldman was once the king of all media, and his novels and screenplays were snapped up fresh, hurtling to the top of the charts. He is still with us, I believe, but more or less a spent force. Here, in CONTROL, he effortlessly turns out one of the more interesting thrillers of the 1980s, a book that feels like the best Stephen King book not written by King. Parts of it are very much like King's FIRESTARTER, but ever since My Lai and Watergate many thrillers took as their underlying mise-en-scene a government corrupt on the inside with a specialty of bizarre military experiments that involved an absoulte disregard for human life.

In this one--well, it isn't fair to say. Goldman fans love his powers of invention and his grasp of all kinds of characters--an elementary grasp, but a powerful one, like Schwartzenegger's handshake. Here he goes back to BUTCH CASSIDY form to re-stir yet another buddy-comedy plot, in this case a young cop and an old cop, who hate each other, then love each other, that is perhaps the best thing about the novel. I don't think Goldman's true talents lie in trying to imagine the inner life of an ambitious female painter--no, that is beyond him. The paintings that Edith Mazursky accomplishes are, we are told, great behemoths of something entirely new; her dealer swoons over them, the critics rave, but we never believe any of this for a minute.

The savage killer, "Billy Boy," is another laughable cliche, but perhaps time has supplied the laughs and back then in 1982 he wasn't such a carbon copy of every other sociopath. I'm undecided about this and will give Goldman the benefit of the doubt.

Finally, the creation of the tutor, Theo, and the spoiled rich princess, Charlotte, is something new under the sun, and still, years and years after Goldman first wrote CONTROL, this subplot is still daring enough to take the reader's breath away. I can't say why here, for it depends on a trick of perspective--the sort of "twist" that made THE SIXTH SENSE a surprise only if you didn't know there WAS a twist going in. So forget I said anything, and I think you will get a big kick out of the mind of William Goldman and his awesome CONTROL.

I have read other William Goldman novels "Brothers" and "marathon man" which were great!! So to be honest compared to those other novels this was quite a dissapointment. I really didn't buy that mind control, time travel stuff. It was just too confusing for my liking and really seemed not to make any sense. The novel was filled with too many extremely dull moments with Edith going in the past with overly long descriptions. Most characters were likable, but so many names were tossed around i just lost track. New characters were introduced towards the end and I quite frankly didn't care about them.

Now on to the good stuff. I have to say the book was quite humorous at times. Billy Bob had his very funny moments.... The action sequences were very detailed and quite entertaining and I really liked the friendship between Eric and Haggarty. The idea of having these characters then connecting the stories together worked quite well at times. Generally the novel was decently entertaining, but it just seemed very inconsistent. One part would be extremely intense, while later on it turns into a ... bore fest.

In general it's a decent novel. It however doesn't measure up to William Goldman's other novels.

As already noted in the reviews, Control has some wonderful characters-- the housewife painter Edith Mazursky, the killer Billy Boy, the erudite cop Eric. Unfortunately, the plot itself (a convoluted conspiracy theory about reincarnation and time travel) doesn't hold up and feels rather hackneyed. Possibly that's because the ground has been covered so much since Control was written.

I just read the other reviews here, and I am in agreement with them - I just want to add a few words about Goldman's style. His style is absolutely captivating. He is one of the few authors I read (Trevenian also comes to mind here) not so much to see what he says, but, rather, how he says it. The book has so many stylistic gems that there is no room here to recount them all. However, I must say that the "beer identification" scene is prehaps the funniest piece of prose I have ever read. When Hagerty claims that the actor's name (Mifume, I think) is the only other Japaneese name other than "Hirohito" that he could think of, and even Eric would not have fallen for that, I swear I laughed out loud for about a week. Very, very entertaining read.

I read this book many years ago when I was in college. I found it intriguing, mysterious, exciting and incredible. I have read it three times already and it is one that will stay in my bookshelf as long as I have a bookshelf. Read it and enjoy the ride! The only regret: there are not enough Goldman thrillers to read.

This is a realistic, depressing, yet partly inspiring story of 12 young men that grew up in Chicago's notorious Robert Taylor public housing projects during the 1960's-70. Growing up in that isolated underclass atmosphere amid drugs and violence and far from middle class comforts, these young men learned the rough realities of the streets. Yet they were not without dreams, and a couple even achieved them. Author Sylvester "Vest" Monroe was the most successful, attending an elite boarding school that left him culture shocked and homesick, yet he persevered, eventually graduating from Harvard and joining Newsweek as a correspondent. A couple of his buddies did OK, but most stayed in that tragic cycle of near-despair. Just as sadly, effective solutions beyond platitudes are in short supply, athough teen pregnancy prevention programs, early childhood education, and social workers help somewhat.

This book is quite valuable for students, sociologists, former residents, and anybody with an interest in project life. As many know, Chicago has now dismantled the Robert Taylor Homes and other high-rise public housing, scattering residents into privately-owned Section 8 apartments in various neighborhoods and poorer suburbs. One hopes this will prove beneficial.

Brothers, a true story by Sylvester Monroe and Peter Goldman, takes you into the lives of Sylvester and 11 of his friends from the south side of Chicago. You learn about the pressures they face growing up in poverty....the questions that enter their mind, questions we never have to worry about. Will they, like so many others, turn to drugs and crime or will they in some way succeed and get out of the harsh lives they live? Many have no father to support them instead they have brave mothers who try their best to create strong, intelligent children, but only some succeed. What will become of those who don't get out? Will the down hill spiral of drugs, gangs, pimping and crime catch them and bring them down like so many others? Will the white world outside exclude them and judge them because of their color? In this book is incredibly interesting to see how these 12 men can start from the same roots and be the best of friends, but in the end turn to completely different lifestyles. Monroe and Goldman truly catch the reader's interest by jumping from the story of one man to another, leaving you dyeing to know what happens to every one.
This book also serves as an eye opener. You see the lives of a black men through black men's eyes. It really puts into perspective the discriminations and poverty that faced black people in the past, and even today. Throughout the book each character has his own encounter with white people. Some don't get hired for jobs because of their race, others get onto an elevator to see a woman grasp her purse a little tighter because of their presence. It was truly embarrassing reading how these people were treated by the "master race" and it changed my own way of acting around people. Oprah Winfrey says, "I really wish America could read it" and I completely agree. This book really is meaningful....it makes you feel like you are the one being turned against, like your own family is the one who is being treated so poorly. For them every day is a fight, if they want to get out of the ghetto they have to work twice as hard as any white man. Some surrender to this fight, like their invisible fathers, others stay strong and pursue their goals even though it is difficult. However, in the world of the white man those who have the power to get out of the ghetto may have their dreams crushed.
Monroe and Goldman's style of writing was excellent throughout this book. Their spectacular imagery and passion kept the characters alive and the reader hooked. They put their heart and soul into this book and it paid off immensely. Beautiful lines mixed with intensity made this book incredible to
experience. There were some lines where I couldn't help but say wow. This non-fiction book was one
like no other, it was full of love and hate.. a war against white and black. Jesse Jackson says, "It made
me laugh, it made me cry. It had everything--humor and passion, hope and despair, crime and
punishment, defeat and triumph. The first honest look at black men in America in a long, long time".
In the book the variety of the brother's stories was just fascinating. They were such different people, but they were bound together by race, class, and culture. They met as boys, living in the Taylor projects of Chicago's south side, they went to school together, played basketball together, and when street gangs came, they fought together and defended each other. They would grow up to become completely different men, but even though the lives they lived differed greatly, a known killer could still be best friends with a successful Newsweek reporter.
An anonymous really puts their lives into words, "The world of the brothers was far removed from the possibilities of education and advancement that most white kids take for granted. Even so, some of them made it out of the ghetto. Most didn't". The world they lived was so much different from that most of us enjoy. They faced a world of crime and drugs, a world where killing a black man would get you two years behind bars, but killing a white would put in jail for life.
This book was so amazing to me. It showed me courage and faith in oneself, but it also showed me failure and so many black men getting sucked into a world of despair. Some had the potential to be basketball stars, or to finish school and become successful, but only some would make it. Only some
will be able to tell the white world that they were worth something. If you read this book I can assure you it will change your life. It made me laugh, cry, feel ashamed and feel proud. It touches your soul and makes you wonder how we can change the world, how we can prove it wrong, how we can be kind to those that others put down. It made me realize everyone deserves to live life in happiness and be able to pursue their wildest dreams no matter where they are born or what color their skin is.

If you are looking for a good, enjoyable, and different than normal read, "Brothers" is the book for you. "Brothers" is a story of twelve black men from the Chicago projects, and a very good story too. "Brothers", which is written by one of the twelve, is one of the first books that gives an actual and honest look at black men in America. It truly defines the struggles and hardships of black men in the projects, and did a very good job showing the courage that was necessary to survive in life.

Sylvester Monroe, a Newsweek correspondent and one of the twelve "Brothers", teamed up with Peter Goldman to write this book. The book is broken up into six parts, each of which is a progression in time from the previous. The chapters in the book are, in a way, like short vignettes. Each chapter focuses on solely on one of the characters and an event in their life. Sometimes though, the chapter will cover a very large section of the persons life to show how they progressed.

The twelve "Brothers" were Sylvester Monroe, Honk Johnson, Billy Harris, Moose Harper, Greg Bronson, Ed Hamilton, Sonny Spruiell, Ray Stingley, Half Man Carter, James Bonner, Pee Wee Fisher, and Steve Steward. Each of these men are unique in their own way, and each chooses his own path through life. The twelve "Brothers" are not bound together by the blood running in their veins, as the title may suggest, but rather by the circumstances intertwined in their lives. According to the choices they make for themselves, each man will either find a way out of the ghetto and to a better life, or will fall into the trap of drugs, gangs, and stay in the ghetto for the rest of their lives.

Sylvester Monroe, for example, was one of the lucky few men of "Brothers" that made it. Sylvester, nicknamed Vest, was given his chance to get out of the ghetto and have a better life, and he took it as quick as he could. As a young kid, Vest's mom would always say that education was the best thing for a black man and that he (Vest) could be anything he wanted to be as long as he worked twice as hard and was twice as good as a white man. With this support and encouragement, Vest stayed in school and did well. Later on in life, one of Vest's teachers, Leroy Lovelace, gave him the chance to get out of the ghetto. It was called "A better chance" or the ABC program. With it, Sylvester was given a scholarship to attend St. George's in Rhode Island. At St. George's, Vest suffered from extreme culture shock. After a few weeks, he wanted to come home, but he didn't. Vest stuck it out until he graduated, and then went to Harvard where he graduated and became a Newsweek correspondent. Sylvester Monroe was very lucky. He had a mother who helped keep him on the right track growing up and then a teacher who gave him the chance of a lifetime. But if Vest had stuck with school and worked hard, he would have never made it.

Unfortunately, Vest was only one of a couple of the "Brothers" who made it to a better life. Some of the others came close to making it, and then something went wrong and they gave up. Its like they were climbing a mountain and right before the top, they slipped and fell. Instead of trying to hold on to something and climb back up, they gave up and fell all the way to the bottom again. Billy Harris is a perfect example of this. Growing up, Billy was an amazing basketball player. He was easily the best player in the neighborhood. Billy would play a kid in a game to 24 points and give him a 22 point head start. Billy would win almost all the time. When he graduated from Dunbar High School, Billy Harris was flooded with letters and scholarship offers to different colleges on account of his basketball playing. Unfortunately, Billy's coach told him to go to Northern University, who's basketball program was young and weak. Billy was picked in the 17th round of the draft for the Chicago Bulls, who already had plenty of good players at guard, which was his position. After a while, the Bulls dropped him, saying they just couldn't use him. From here on, Billy's career went into a downward spiral, constantly getting worse. He played some semipro ball for a while, but when the team folded, Billy gave up. Billy found that if he had a bunch of different girls that he could go between every few days he would be able to live mainly off of them and not need a job. So that's what he did. Billy Harris went from a pro level basketball player to a regular neighborhood pimp in a matter of months.

If these two stories sound interesting to you, then "Brothers" is definitely a book that you will enjoy. "Brothers" takes you into the lives of these 12 men and shows you firsthand their struggles and experiences. It is up to you to find out who makes it to a better life, and who falls into the trap that so many poor, black men in America do. This is a great read and you will definitely enjoy it!

Brothers by Sylvester Monroe and Peter Goldman is a nonfiction story about twelve African American men growing up in the Taylor projects on Chicago's South Side. Each chapter is about different characters and events. I found the book to be very interesting. Before I read this book, I didn't know very much about what it was like to be an African American and live in poverty. After finishing the novel, I learned an abundance of information about the African American culture and what their typical life was like. Very few of the characters were able to journey out of the city into a better life. To be successful, black people had to work twice as hard at everything they did because of the racial discrimination. The majority of the men stayed in the projects their entire life.
Some African Americans such as Honk Johnson made a living by selling drugs, stealing, and pimping. People like Honk usually made a decent living by taking chances with the law hoping not to get caught. This may have worked for a while, but eventually you're luck would run out. For Honk, this day came when he stole from a store and faced ten years behind bars.
Other individuals believed that you could be anything you wanted if you worked hard enough. Sylvester Monroe, the author of the book is a perfect example of this. He grew up in The Taylor projects, and was lucky enough to receive a scholarship because of his hard work to a prestigious private school called St.Georges in Rhode Island. His teacher in Chicago at Wendell Phillip's High School, Mr. Lovelace, truly valued learning. After his first year of teaching, he became very harsh on his students failing those who didn't do their homework only because he wanted them to succeed. He discovered a program that allowed students from the ghettos to become educated in private schools across the country. The program only accepted three exceptional students to be transferred to different schools. One of the students he chose was Sylvester Monroe. After Monroe finished high school with straight A's, he went to Harvard and eventually became a correspondent for Newsweek.
Some of the students at Wendell High had a very non-accepting attitude towards white people. For example, Steve was frightened by white people, afraid that they would make fun of his skin color. Steve was selected for the ABC program, which would have transferred him to a private school of his choice anywhere in the country, but instead he chose to go to Northwestern, just 15 minutes away from his Chicago home. Eventually he quit school, and began doing drugs such as PCP and marijuana all because he didn't like white men and women.
I really enjoyed reading the book. One reason why I enjoyed it was because it concentrated on character development. Billy Harris was my favorite "brother" in the book. Billy had a love for basketball his entire life. Not only did he enjoy playing the sport, but he was also very talented. After he graduated from Dunbar High School, he went to Northern Illinois University. Unfortunately, Northern Universities' basketball program was young and not very good. After college, he was picked in the seventh round of the NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls already had several strong guards which was Billy's position. Later on, he found himself a spot on the Conquistadors, a semipro ABA team. After two seasons, the Conquistadors and the ABA folded, and Billy gave up on his dreams. While I was reading about Billy, I couldn't put the book down because I wanted Billy to succeed.
This book taught me about African American culture and the lives of the characters. I learned that you can succeed at anything you do if you work hard. For example, Sylvester Monroe, a child who grew up in poverty in Chicago went to one of the top high schools in the country, went to Harvard University, and is now a correspondent for Newsweek. He succeeded because he put forth the time and effort necessary. He had an extra burden because he was black, but because of his hard work and effort he succeeded.
Jesse Jackson said, "Brothers made me laugh, it made me cry. It had everything-humor and passion, hope and despair, crime and punishment, defeat and triumph. The first honest look at black men in America in a long, long, time."
The New York Times Book Review said, "The 12 men whose stories are told in Brothers are not bound by the blood running through their veins, but by the circumstances weaving through their lives...In Brothers, we come to understand why so few make it."
Oprah Winfrey said, "A very fine book...I really wish America would read it."
This novel gives the reader a true understanding of what life was like growing up in poverty. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't know much about black culture, or even those that do. I believe it is especially important for students to read who don't live in or around this type of environment. After reading it, you'll be much more appreciative of your life, and will have a much better understanding of what growing up in poverty is like. You will be amazed.