Non-fiction Books

Few people, even non-golfers, can escape ever having heard of Ben Hogan. Maybe you don't know exactly who he was, but the name is oddly familiar.

To golfers, Ben Hogan is as close to legend as anything. Other players, even Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods, lack the mystique which has encompassed Hogan, even many years after his death.

What few of us know is just who he was. This information may not be so pertinant to people who play the game, since they are mostly interested in his swing. However, anyone who has touched even in a small way on part of his career realizes the great mysteries that lie in his life and being.

"Hogan" may not answer everything satisfactorily, but it comes as close as any are likely to get. This covers his life in as much informative detail as could be needed, and presents Hogan not so much in a less-than-glamorous light, as is common to biographies, but rather in a "judge for yourself" presentation of evidence for what made the man what he became.

Anyone curious about this modern legend will get more than he bargains for. Where perhaps the book does not go into his game to the extent golfers may want, the story of Hogan's life is engaging enough without it.

In my very large golf library this is clearly the best book on golf
I have read period. For the first time you get an insight into the "wie ice mon" in what reads like a novel.

This book really only confirmed what I had thought for a long time, behind Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan was a tremendous golfer who was way ahead of his time. Hogan nearly won the grand slam, and could not compete in the PGA because of the fact it started almost the same time the British Open was finishing. As we all watch Tiger Woods try for the grand slam, let us not forget Ben Hogan who was as close as anyone has ever come to doing it. The most amazing part of Hogan's story was the fact he won the US Open after almost dying in a car crash.

Sampson does a nice job with this book, telling about Hogan like he was, stearn and driven, and definitely not writing a fluff piece like some biographies can be. Hogan was tough, and I would equate him as the "Ted Williams" of golf, so good it was hard for him to teach anyone because he set such high standards for himself. I recommend this book to golfers and people who want to read about a remarkable man.

Ben Hogan was a no nonsense, focused champion who realized early in life that hard work was the path to success. Curt Sampson does a great job in presenting the real Hogan, not just the golf legend. This book should be required reading for all golf fans.
Especially the goofs who scream "You da man!" everytime Tiger hits a shot. There will never be another Ben Hogan.

When I was growing up the names of Palmer, Nicklaus, Trevino, Player, and their generation were the top competitors. Ben Hogan was a revered name, but one of past glory. His great year of 1953 was in the past. I had heard about his auto accident and his amazing comeback, but this book helped me see the man who "dug it out of the dirt" through hard work, discipline, and ferocious tenacity.

Mr. Hogan started out with less than most. His father's suicide and the family's subsequent poverty didn't leave him with many open paths to success. He found golf and found that it not only matched his physical skills, but was an even better match for his nearly obsessive temperament.

The swing he developed has become the pattern millions of us try to emulate, although he would find our haphazard approach to the game less than useless. Why we love being duffers would be beyond him. He knew how to work and to practice. I still cannot fathom the kind of internal strength it would take to come back from that terrible leg shattering accident when his Cadillac was struck by a bus. He played in great pain for the rest of his life and had four surgeries on his left shoulder. When I realize that his greatest achievements and most of his wins at major tournaments were after the accident I am simply dumbstruck.

Mr. Hogan was a very private and enigmatic figure. Mr. Sampson does a good job in teasing what facts we know into a good story. We get interesting stories from the golf side of his life (mostly stories told about Hogan by others) and those are very enjoyable. However, I like the way Mr. Sampson puts all that in the context of a real person - a real man. Ben Hogan wasn't a fictional character even though the media version of him was a distortion of the actual hard working man who practiced, practiced, and then practiced some more, who loved his wife, Valerie, and built a successful golf equipment business.

Ben Hogan made a long journey through life and I think this book tells the story well.

I sent this to my GF on her birthday and she said it was like a big Birthday card. I love Dr. Seuss.

This book with a gift for the birth of a baby and was a hit. Thanks.

My students loved this story. I keep it is a basket on the floor and the are constantly picking it up. Would recommend it to anyone.

We read this on birthdays and plenty of other times too! Sweet but not too much so, and funny turns of phrase.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU~~~~~~~~~HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU
HAPPY BIIIIIIIIRTTTH DAY AHAYAA MISTOUR BLACKSHEREEEEEEEEEEEE
HAP-HAP-HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!




Happy Birthday Chris,from(and I think I'm not alone) everyone!!!
your a great person and friend!
OH! this book is great also!

One of the best historical fiction works of modern history, and I found it at the local thrift store for eighty cents.

I first read this book when a neighbor loaned it to me in 1972. I had difficulty in returning it! This not only made me Robert Ruark fan, it caused me to begin a collection of his first editions. It is a gripping story of a part of our planet that may never find peace. It is also a tremendous piece of writing, the like of which comes along only every few years. Ruark traveled in Africa during this challenging period and as a news correspondent, held pre-eminent qualifications to write the story. I have re-read it several times since John loaned it to me. Along with another borrowed book, Shackleford's story of Anarctica, I could start and end my library!

I first read this book as a teen ager in the 1960's, and I've probably read it eight or nine times since then. This book introduced me to Robert Ruark and started my life-long appreciation of his works. Something of Value examines clash of civilization between the British settlers and the Kikuyu natives in Kenya after WWII during what became the Mau Mau Rebellion. It examines the causes and consequences of the conflict and how it affected both sides. As I became older, I began to understand the motivations of the characters and their actions. With each rereading, the book changed. It was not only a safari adventure story, but it was also a snapshot of history, a study of human psychology, and a search for recognition and justice. I know I'm paraphrasing, but the opening Bantu proverb, "If you do away with the traditions of the past, then you must first replace them with Something of Value" definitely and perfectly describes the book. When Ruark wrote about the conflict, he examined how people on both sides were torn from what they knew and had cherished in the past and were thrown unprepared into the future. He examines foreign and unfamiliar ideology, how it affects us, and what its consequences are. Finally, despite the cruelty, blood, and horror in the book, he examines the nobility of human beings and what it means to us. This book has changed the way I view the world because I now can appreciate both the view of the fox and the hound. If great writing enables us to finds new and deeper meaning with each rereading, then "Something of Value" is great literature.

This classic is worth the read. It's the best historical fiction I have read in a long time.

This book definitely lives up to its billing. It tells the harrowing story of the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya during the 1950s. The writing is superb. A very difficult book to put down.

The shifting fortunes of England between WWII and the early 1990s is the subject of this broad, complex, genre-blending, scathing, and hilarious satire from one of Britain's best contemporary writers. The framework for this is a fictitious Yorkshire family, whose tentacles extend deeply into politics, media, and the corporate world. The Winshaws include: Arms dealer Mark, MP Henry, widely-read columnist Hilary, investment banker Thomas, art dealer Roddy, industrial poultry executive Dorothy, and institutionalized Tabitha. Struggling novelist Michael Owen is commissioned by Tabitha to write the family history, and in the course of his research, Owen comes to realize that the Winshaws are "wretched, lying, thieving, self-advancing" elites whose actions embody the decline of the country.

In a dizzying feat of narrative, we learn of the Winshaws' private and public lives, how they all intersect, and especially how intellectually and morally shallow they each are. For example, via Hilary, we see the rise of Murdoch-style tabloid journalism, via Thomas the insider trading scandals, and via Henry, the trainwreck of Tory/Thatcherite economic policies. But as if this wasn't enough to keep the reader's attention, the story also works in a mystery involving two mysterious deaths, and a strange running congruence to the 1961 comedy film What A Carve Up! The result is a whirlwind of genres, including old-fashioned Agatha Christie-style murder mystery, P.G. Wodehouse-style comic novel, Evelyn Waugh-style social satire, and Christopher Hitchens-style political polemic, all of which combine for a thoroughly entertaining read.

Some may find fault in Coe's ripe and vivid portrayal of this family of scoundrels, but it's entirely in keeping with the satiric and farcical tone of the work. More importantly, it's entirely in keeping with the political nature of the story, for this is that rarest of beasts, a thoroughly entertaining political novel. Coe unabashedly lays the blame for social woes at the feet of the businessmen (and women), politicians, and pundits who profited throughout the "greed is good" '80 and '90s as the poor grew poorer. And if anything, the twelve plus years since its publication only vindicate his selection of targets as -- at least in America -- we have experienced war based on politically-based lies, ever-increasing consolidation and dumbing down of the media, corporate fraud on a massive scale, bioengineering of food -- all of which are directly attacked in the novel. A wonderful novel, one well worth rereading every few years.

Note: Originally titled "What a Carve Up!" in the UK, the book was retitled as "The Winshaw Legacy" for the US.

I've read the book in italian transation, and it's really well-written, I think Jonathan Coe is going to be one of the top emerging talents, and this can be considered his masterpiece, together with "The house of sleep".

There's a great critic to contemporary English society and politics, referred in particular to Miss Tatcher's government, analysed with his clever ability.

It's one of the best book I've ever read.

I've loved other books by Coe but this, an earlier effort, had me going until the very final pages when I felt things fell apart a bit; this, a four-star rating. The missing star is for the disappointing finale. Until the finish, however, "The Winshaw Legacy" is a great read that has all of Coe's strengths: biting social commentary, engaging characters and the ability to have this reader fall off his chair laughing when Coe delivers another unexpected one-liner.

A word of warning to the casual reader: if you're looking for a murder mystery tale, this isn't exactly what you think it may be despite the cover and description. This is a much more detailed novel than that and you have to wait a long time to get to the chaotic events the cover illustration promises. It's worth it, of course, but is not the majority of the novel.

Jonathan Coe's first book "The Winshaw Legacy, or What a Carve Up!" is a strange novel that from the beginning shows the reader he/she is not dealing with something ordinary. Part sociological study, part family chronicle and part an Agatha Christie mystery the book has something for everyone who is up to a good and smart prose.

In this novel Coe spans fifty years of politics and society in Britain creating memorable characters -- however nobody would want to have a Winshaw as a friend -- that stays with you long after you have finished his novel. Sociological component in "The Winshaw Legacy, or What a Carve Up!" is what every member of the family depicted in the book means. They are virtually linked to many aspects of England's culture, economy and politics. And they are always thinking only about themselves.

The family chronicles is the one written by Michael Owen, actually the main character of "The Winshaw Legacy, or What a Carve Up!", that is a writer hired by one member to writer a book about them. Needles to say that this book drives every Winshaw insane, since it is about to find many skeletons hidden in the family's closet, and Mr Owen to make lots of enemies.

But after more than 400 pages, Coe becomes a sort of Agatha Christie, killing mysteriously many Winshaw members. More than wondering who is doing it, the reader is interested in who will go next and how. The writer never loses his energy and the reader can only get more and more excited the close he/she gets to the end. And although some parts are predictable and undercooked, as a whole the novel is quite interesting and doesn't really let the reader down.

Coe's prose is easy and fast. He doesn't add too much depth to most characters, but it is not really a problem, since we are having so much fun. Early in the book someone says about the Winshaws that `they are not monsters (...). Not really'. But after finishing the book, one may wonder if it is true. Probably not, since it is a biased opinion once this sentence was spoken by one Winshaw to another.

Michael Owen has been hired by 81-year old Tabitha Winshaw to produce a biography of her powerful British family. In 1942, Godfrey Winshaw's plane was shot down by the Germans, but Tabitha has always suspected that her other brother Lawrence had caused Godfrey's death to protect his traitorous business dealings with the enemy. As a result, the family had committed her to an asylum the past forty-five years. By the 1990s, the next generation of Winshaws have each amassed considerable power and wealth through grossly amoral means. Comprising the bulk of the book, Part One alternates between Owen's study of the family and a third-person history of the six Winshaw children. Connections surface throughout as the complex story flows toward Part Two's murderous conclusion back at Winshaw Towers. Coe's themes of selfish excesses in the defense industry, agribusiness, government and the media seem especially prescient ten years later.

I'd been searching for this book to read to my 2 year-old son. I remember just loving it and was sure he would. He does. It's just delightful to hear his astonishment every time another hat appears on Bartholomew's head. It's a must read for children of all ages.

This book left a strong impression on me as a child. One of only a few books that I remembered vividly and was anxious to get for my own young boys (who of course, loved it).

The story is great because it keeps building and building. There is a little violence (threatening to cut off Bartholomew's head), but that only made it more exciting for me as a young boy to read it.

This is a great book for kids ages 4-5 all the way through 8-10. It has a catchy story line about a boy of that age, his problem, how he plans to solve it, and finally the real solution. An upbeat read for kids these days. And, it's by Dr. Seuss.

I LOVE Dr. Suess. Really. We have lots of his books and I enjoy reading all of them to my kids with the exception of this one. It annoys me to no end. That's just it...it seems like there is no end. It's not rhymie or sing-songy like his others. It's just repetitive and boring and ..... oh just YUCK!

I bought this book because it brought back such good memories of my child's childhood and my own as well. I look forward to sharing it with my grandchildren someday. This is a great book to read!

Most of the time, I read nonfiction because I can't find a novel interesting enough to buy and read all the way through, but this book is definitely an exception. I took it with me on vacation with my husband and my mother, and I couldn't stop reading it. I took it to dinner with me and totally ignored my companions. I know it was rude to read at the dinner table, but I just couldn't help myself. The book is funny, fast-paced, and very engaging. There was not one part of the book that I found tedious or boring. I won't spoil the surprise, but I will say that I had to read that part three times because I was so shocked. I thought maybe I had dozed off and missed something, or perhaps I dozed off and dreamed it, but, no, it was on the page. Never has an author so surprised me with a plot twist. I later rented the movie which was a total waste of time and money. I read that the author didn't like the way the movie turned out either. Just make sure that you read the book first because I can't imagine watching that dreadful movie first and being the slightest bit interested in reading the book. In my life time, I have read thousands of books, but this is one of those books that I will never forget.

I have read this book once a year for 10 years, and each time I find myself laughing out loud at Byrd's witty language and characterization. This version of the book has a guide to book groups, which contains some interesting background on how Sarah Byrd developed the novel. I have also given this book to several friends, all of whom have found it delightful. I would highly recommend it to anyone who wants a funny frolic with a lot of heart.

Sarah Bird is a Texas novelist who humorously celebrates all the stages in a woman's life in her witty and zany books. I have chuckled my way through them all and loved them, but her second book THE BOYFRIEND SCHOOL, remains my favorite. It recounts the amorous escapades of photojournalist (for the Austin GRACKLE) Gretchen Griner as she is faced with the dilemma of choosing between three love prospects: fuzzy-haired brother of best friend romance novelist, suave foreign-accented bad boy, or Grackle editor/master manipulator. Delightful escapism with mad-cap plot twists and ultimately, a big sigh at the end.

I was a little different. I saw the MOVIE first back when it first came out and it quickly became a favorite of mine. I FINALLY found the movie on DVD recently (I didn't know that the name had been changed from "Don't Tell Her It's Me" to "The Boyfriend School") and saw that it was based on a book by Sarah Bird. The book and the movie were quite a bit different, but since Sarah Bird wrote both the book and the screenplay that made it OK. I love books that make you feel that you are going to miss the the characters when you get through reading. This is one of those books. A credit to Sarah Birds writing ability. It's a funny, feel good book. Her sense/style of humor in this book remind me of the comedian Dennis Miller's style of delivery. I just can't say enough good things about this book! A must read! (and re-read!!!!)

This is only my second Sarah Bird novel and I am hooked beyond belief. Her dialogue and characters put you inside the book. You're there watching the whole novel unfold around you.

Gretchen is a talented photojournalist stuck at a two bit publication that has entwined itself thouroughly into her life. From the sordid past of the newsroom to the flim flam ways of her occasional boyfriend and hokey boss who is as unreliable as her salary, she's come to the conclusion that it was all a lost cause. The writing is on the wall as far as Gretchen is concerned when she's assigned to cover the Luvboree. Little does she know that entering the Pink Ghetto will be her ticket to leaving the Grackle behind and gaining her new life.

Reading Gretchen's trials and tribulations over starting her own Romance novel are hilarious. And you definitely feel for her as she goes through her 'dry spell'. Well that is until the handsome stranger comes along. From there on, buckle your seatbelts and make sure you can read until the end - you won't be disappointed.

I really enjoyed the character antics in this book. Dyanmics ruled for all of those involved. All of the elements of a good novel come together as the plot and development go hand in hand with the set up and characters. Also this particular edition of the book has an afterword by Bird as well as a reader's guide for afficionados or book clubs which I enjoy reading as a way to bring closure to the novel experience.

This was a fantastic book and one that I am going to enjoy reading many times to come. Sarah Bird is a terrific writer and her novels should be known far and wide for their witty and humorous entertainment.

Spock's family background.


This is definitely an example of a more interesting Star Trek novel.

Spock, as we know, is a hybrid, and humans don't live as long as Vulcans - his mother is dying.

He returns to visit and try and talk to his father.

Definitely interesting to see the background of this family, and if you are interested in less of the ship solves a mission type Star Trek plot, you could try this book.

Praxus, a klingon moon has exploded, due to overmining, or possibly sabotage. The Klingon empire's food production has been threatened, as tidal forces have been disrupted and weather currents change; massive shortages of resource seem eminent.

Chancellor Azerbur continues to work with Federation president and the federation responses with medical aid and food supply relief. Azerbur has issued in a new era of peace and commerce with the Federation. The war with Klingon has been official announced, over.

The hardliners don't want peace. Trayne, alias Saren, a Vulcan, secret plans are to use Kamarg, the Klingon ambassador, to attack federation colonies and turn the federation against Klingon. Kamarg is part of the militant group and believes that Klingon survival depends on warfare and land conquest. The Freelans (Romulans) are using Vulcan slaves, as mind control agents and are manipulating the minds of the Klingons and humuns against the federation and Vulcan. Trayne specifically uses Savel's telepathic power, specifically against Kamarg, causing him too hate the federation through vulcan mind control.

Kamarag manages to draw support of many high-ranking Klingons, in his cause. The hardliners want a military solution, centralized control of the federation, and capture of vital federation agriculture, mineral resources, and technology. Klingon invasion plans are brewing followed by Romulan.

The Romulan empire will wait until the federation is significantly weakened from the war conflict and then swoop across the neutral zone and capture federation territory. The Freelans report to the Romulans Lords. Over the last seventy years, the Freelans have been taking Vulcan hostage and converting them to slaves. The plan has been slow in the making, but all the key elements have been put in place. Millions if not billions of lives are at stake.

Sarek has been correspondence with the Freelan ambassador, Trayne. Sarek seek conclusive proof and infiltrates the Freelan data system with the aid of Soren. Freelan lists are discovered but not accessible for download. Sarek and Soren escape detection just as the Freelan security beams into the data center. Later, Sarek will confined in Spock, about his discoveries.

The Vulcans remain strongly dependant on Federation computer and military technology. Vulcan has strong military technology and leads the federation in scientific research. KEHL design was too weaken Vulcan resolve to stay members of the federation.

The Idol cult sect called the Gol is the oligarchy controlling Vulcan society. Sarek's first wife, T'Rea joined this evil sect and divorced Sarek. Sybok was born. Sybok rejected T'Rea's.

Amanda tells Sarek that "life after life" will happen or not happen. Sarek fight tradition and listens. Vulcan's believe in spirit essences encapsulation and that the new host inherits the spirit essence; this idea is similar in falsity to the idea of reincarnation.

Sarek soon after found Amanda, his true love. At the time of the Freelan crisis, Amanda was 93 and suffering from a rare blood disease. Spock was called home. Sarek was force to leave to negotiate the freedom of orion colony hostages on Kadura held by rouge Klingon warriors, under the command of Keraz. Amanda has Sarek promise, he will read her journal before he leaves. Spock warns Sarek that Amanda is about to die. Sarek manages to reach Amanda with his mind before she dies. Sarek shares with the reader Amanda's life, Spock decision to join the federation, Spocks outcast, Amanda's separation from Sarek, and reuniting.

No one had ever seen a Freeland, until Sarek. Freelans lived a secretive life. 70 years early, Sarek discovered the Freelan were Vulcan during the Pon Farr incident. The freelans said nothing of the incident. Sarek kept the secret seeking proof.

Now, on earth, Sarek is meeting with the Vulcan consult and discovers that Induma, the KEHL leader, is being Vulcan mind controlled. Induma is leader of the Keep the Earth human league, who chant, "Vulcans go home". Peter Kirk, nephew to Jame Kirk becomes entangled with the KEHL group. Peter alerts Kirk, to the KEHL movement against the Vulcans. Lisa tells Peter that she fears the Vulcans because they have weapons of mass destruction. KEHL leaders start accusing the Vulcans of espionage, selling out to "Vulcan interests". KEHL has linked to a clandestine Vulcan operation (Freelan), conspiracy proof of the Vulcan consultant being manipulated. KEHL discovers Peter and take him hostage. Kirk wants to talk with Peter and discovers he is not on the planet. Spock deduces were Peter's abductors will take him. A rescue plan is put into action.

While Peter is a prisoner, he falls in love with Valdr. Valdr is bethrothed by Karamag to become Karg's wife. Valdr despise Kargs. Valdr feeds Peter each day. Peter falls in love with Valdr. Valdr plans and executes an escape plan. Kirk, McCoy, and Spock find Peter and join in his escape planning to reach a space port for a trip off the planet. Karg intercepts the group and surrounds the group. Karg stabs Valdr with a knife. Valdr declares Peter, her mate. Peter challeges Karg and defeats him in a duel, but does not kill him. Peter reveals that Karg is Chancellor Corkon's murderer.

Sarek prevents Freelan terrorist from starting a war between the Klingon empire and the federation. Sarek and Spock beam on Traynes bridge, after Sarek predicts correctly the new position that the cloak bird of prey will emerge. Sarek has realize Trayne pattern as a chess move used by Trayne. Conclusive proof of a Romulan conspiracy is established. Sarek challenges Trayne to a duel. Trayne acknowledges the challenge and remembers his early childhood fears, at the time his parents were killed. Sarek and Trayne fight against each other with poison blades, both are injuried, but McCoy manages to save both. Sarek returns to Freelan to liberate the Vulcans. Trayne returns to Romulus to report failure. Trayne's second in command aid Kirk in stopping the Klingon invasion and Azerbur troops arrive crushing the rebellion. Peter Kirk abandons Valdr for his career. Azerbur recruits Valdr to become a staff member. Spock formulates the reunionification theory.

Two words discribe my feelings about Sarek by A.C. Crispin: Good Times.

I really enjoyed this book, and in cadence with the other reviewers I couldn't put it down for the last 3rd. Literally, I hid in a closet and a stairwell at work just so I could get a few more pages in. I laughed and cried and gasped in shock many times during my reading. Every one of the characters acted as I thought they should and gave me new insight into those characters that I know so well. Even though officially it is not, in my eyes this is canon since everything jives so danged well and I love the story. And my word is law in some local bowling clubs.

I loved this one, cause it really delves into Spock and Sarek's relationship, plus you get to see Amanda's point of view on things. It also show's a lot of her relationship with Sarek, shows the sentimental side of him that while loath to show it since it would be a emotional display it also makes you understand that they were truly in love and how they were able to make it work...because love is certainly not logical and humans are rather emotional about these things. I also enjoyed how it explained the falling out that Sarek and Spock had when Spock went into Starfleet. I've enjoyed the other books that I've read also that delve into the father/son relationship:

The Vulcan Academy Murders
The IDIC Epidemic
Spock's World

Definitly read this one

As any Trekkie would do, I got this book that's about one of my favorite Vulcans.

This book is the heart-wrenching story of Sarek's deep love for Amanda, their courtship, marriage, and now his agony and fear at the realization of her terminal illness.

A.C. Crispin has a great way of representing the personalities of the characters, as well as the emotions. The anguish Sarek goes through, as well as other emotions, are well represented and touch the heart.

This is a MUST READ for any Star Trek Fan!

I remember the Berenstain bears fondly from my childhood. The books are entertaining with nice illustrations, bright colors and the always interesting...talking bears. They introduce life lessons without being overly preachy about. Our two year-old remembers the lessons and we use them regularly to remind him when he slips up. He is just figuring out how to lie ("mommy didn't give me vitamin yet"). He understands when we compare what he says to the book he knows so well. We've got a bunch of these books and we plan to get all of them!

This and all the Berenstain Bears books are excellent teaching tools for preschoolers. My four year old granddaughter asks for them to be read over and over.

The Berenstainbears has long been one of my favorite books to read to my children because they love it, and because it teaches them lessons about things they will actually deal with in real life. Also, very cute and lovable, the Berenstainbears is a great series for your child to read.

This was a great book. Sometimes you can tell your children something many times, and a book or children's show can suddenly make it click for them. Lots of good lessons here-- always tell the truth, lying breaks the trust between people, and lying makes things complicated and leads to more lies, i.e. When Brother & Sister are asked what happened for the second time, they can't exactly remember how the story went the first time they told it! Stan Berenstain had a wonderful talent for making a life lesson entertaining.

"It was a lazy sort of day in Bear Country. The air was sto still that the leaves on the big tree house where the Bear family lived were hardly rustling. Except in the beehive, where the bees were always busy, nothing much seemed to be happening. It was the sort of day that sometimes leads to mischief." -- From the book

Papa Bear was in his shop working on some furniture while Mama Bear was out shopping. Bored, Brother and Sister Bear debated what to do next. Should they go pick blackberries? Or maybe twist each other up on the swing to see who gets the dizziest?

Brother Bear clutched his soccer ball, and doesn't seem to want to do anything--and Sister Bear becomes irritated and impatient. "My goodness!...I think you must be in love with that soccer ball!"

Brother issues a challenge to Sister "I bet I can dribble this ball past you!" Then the siblings began to violate one of the house rules: don't play ball in the house!

Well, Mama's favorite vase gets broken--and she arrives shortly afterwards. Instead of owning up to the deed, Brother and Sister cook up a whopper of a lie. When the go to re-tell it to Papa, they didn't have their story straight, either.

Mama expresses her sadness...not so much that her favorite lamp is broken (although this is true, too), but because her cubs may not be telling the truth. The siblings quickly tell her the truth--and are surprised to her tell Gran on the phone that everything was fine in the tree house.

Confused, the cubs ask Mama about what appears to be a lie. Mama replies that "We've got two fine cubs who have just learned a very important lesson about telling the truth. And what could be finer than that?"

The Berenstain Bears and The Truth is one of the best books by authors Jand and Jan Berenstain. Absent of moralizing and harsh scolding (which sometimes crops up in the Berenstain Bear books), this wonderful tale shows children that there is consequences to lying--the most important being broken trust. This book also teaches forgiveness (if rather indirectly), as well as thinking about consequences BEFORE acting.

In short, an EXCELLENT book for teaching children the importance of telling the truth!

This is a great book. I bought this book because my husband enjoyed this book when he was a child. He still enjoys this book today and reads it to our 6 year old son.

The lesson we learned from this book is there are always some problems no matter where you go.

I highly recommend this book because it's fun to read, educational, and it never gets old.

My dad was, is, and will always be a huge Dr. Seuss fan. He read this, as well as all the other Seuss classics, to me as a child. I had a devil of a time finding it a few years ago; had to special order it. It has an honored place on my bookshelf.

It taught me two valuable lessons: 1) Tackle your problems instead of running away from them, and 2) The grass is not necessarily greener on the other side.

Those two bits of knowledge have stuck with me for many years and led me through many challenging times. Thank you, Dr. Seuss!

What can I say, Dr Seuss is popular for a good reason. These are fun for all ages. The rhyming, the cute stories, the good morals. These books make reading for homework fun.

This was my favorite Dr. Seuss, and one of the books that stuck with me. I came across it recently while I also happened to be reading Campbell's Transformations of Myth Through Time.

A young man, beset with the travails of life, sets off to find paradise. The premise having been set, this story is actually predominantly about his many encounters and experiences on the road to paradise -- how he gets conned, imperiled, left to the mercy of the elements, enlisted into a battle he has nothing to do with, lost and alone in a crowd, etc. Having risen to the occasion repeatedly, he arrives at (literally) the door to paradise a changed man. In the end, Dr. Seuss leaves open question of what paradise really is.

This is an archetypal Hero's Journey.

And there is another parallel. Campbell often talked about the danger of concretizing the symbols -- for example that there is a physical holy land, the place where your myth takes place, to which you as a human being must physically travel to touch divinity. The alternative is to recognize your myth as metaphoric, and to recognize that the divinity of your God is your own divinity, and to sanctify and make holy the land and the place where you are, etc. 'Solla Sollew' speaks to this theme.

Can't really add much more than what everyone else has already said. I'll just add that this is my very favorite Dr. Seuss book... great story and great illustrations.

This is an excellent novel with a hugely important and significant historical validity. It's a bit slow to get going, but once into the story, you can't put the book down, and it has an amazing ending. I highly recommend it.

One of those rare occasions when my both my partner and I read this book one after the other - she is a PD James fan, Charles Dickens fan - whereas I tend to read those books less dependent on plot and more on philosophical meanderings, or rich in atmosphere, or completely character driven - Fateless or Old Masters say. In The Memory of the Forest has all the elements and so it appeals equally to us both. One of the great moral questions in the novel of course concerns the old dictum "evil thrives when good men do nothing". As such things as racism will always be latent wherever humans gather, it depends on the rule of law and the vigilance of citizens, to maintain civil life. And the life of a Polish village is at the centre of the story - if the village can survive, maybe humanity will too, but at what cost?
A very well written novel.

I love this book. Period. Fully realized characters, gripping plotline, historically significant and cathartic. Definitely a keeper for life.

The story of a young man coming of age, discovering love and lies, ambition and murder in a town that cannot admit its past or face its present. Set in Poland as communism collapses, the rupture of old foundations reveal the townspeople to be what they would forget.While one of the book's larger themes is what the Nazis, and by complicity, the Polish people, did to the Jewish population during the Second World War, it is not "a Holocaust book." Rather it is an absorbing murder and love story; a murder that begins the novel and whose investigation provides its framework, a love story that will leave the reader in tears, reminded what the world should be but is not. It is a rare book, one that impels its reader onward with a gripping narrative but repeatedly brings the reader to a halt to reflect on the beauty and lyricism of its prose.

Those who like to read books about Poland (there must be a few of us out there) will find that Charles Powers' "In the Memory of the Forest" is a pleasant surprise. This book is a real dark horse. It doesn't appear to be widely known (I found it for sale on the used-book cart at my local library) and it's the only novel that Powers ever wrote. But the lesser known works are sometimes the most satisfying reads.

"In the Memory of the Forest" is a murder-mystery set in the small farming village of Jadowia, somewhere to the northeast of Warsaw. The book is skillfully written, with an interesting plot, a few twists here and there, and an ending that's both disturbing and reassuring. Poland's role in the Holocaust is the dark and provocative background for the novel. What I liked most about the book is that Powers (a former journalist who lived in Warsaw for five years) captures the personality of Poland better than other authors who have attempted this same task, e.g., James Michener, Lily Brett. My only complaint is that many of the characters are too clearly cast as "good guys" or "bad guys," without a chance for them to surprise you with the other sides of their personalities. A Polish murder-mystery is a narrow genre, which most people wouldn't be inclined to read. But if you're daring enough to tackle those tricky Polish pronunciations, you'll probably be glad that you read this book.