Essays Books

I adore David LaChapelle's work! I love how he uses colors, and his interesting subjects. His photos are beautiful. Does he have a website?

this book is badass. its great if your looking to be amazed...(or showing little kids when they wont shut up!)uhh try it youll like it...too bad he didnt take pictures of me!

He is so creative and each one of his works are a break from reality. LaChappelle finds beauty in the most awkward places. Each picture looks like a mini-movie.

Not many photographers can put together the camp, kitsch, gloss and lustre that this man can. Even the gaudiest of pictures can envelope you mind's taste buds... Its beautiful, erotic and camp at its best!

Lachapelle is one of my favorite contemporary photographers. His use of color is outstanding. Between the excellent technical quality of his work, and the whimsical (and sometimes arousing) subject matter, there is nothing about this book that is unenjoyable! I find the fact that not one of his images was digitally created or even enhanced to be a testimony to his talent and artistic vision.

This book is a keeper and I'll probably read it several times. I have already ordered another for my daughter and am thinking of sending this book to others as well.

When I first saw this book I felt a little bit like a kid again--and that's exactly where this book took me--Every Sunday I would go into our sun filled living room and sit down and read a chapter in Julie's book--Every one of her outdoor "Nature" experiences took me back to the unencumbered days of my childhood --seeing nature through her eyes made me feel at peace while learning more and more about the things in nature that I would have liked to understand years ago--I just wish she would write another one just like this one--Have you ever read a book you wish would never end?? This was one of them--Thank you-

This is a wonderful little book. Julie Zickefoose is a writer, illustrator, and contributor to NPR. In this book, organized by the seasons of the year, she shares her experiences living on her 80-acre farm in southern Ohio. She brings a sense of wonder to seemingly mundane things such as squabbling starlings and the wreck of her vegetable garden.There are sad points, such as euthanising a little opossum caught in a steel trap, but most of the book is devoted to happier topics. I really enjoyed reading it.

Experience the seasons with Julie and her family on their wildlife sanctuary in the Appalachian foothills in southern Ohio. A gem of a book, if you love birds and other animals... very real and full of the wonder of everyday happenings - if you keep your eyes open.

I loved Ms. Zickefoose's little book. It's a publication one reads in small doses, enjoying her comments and her art. The style is like having a really good conversation with an interesting, accomplished naturalist. I would recommend it for anyone who enjoys nature.

Rick Reilly has a unique gift for communicating his humorous tales. Thumbs up.

Every Thursday I check the mailbox when I get home, see my Sports Illustrated, and go straight for the back page so I can read Mr. Reilly's column. There is a reason he has been named Sportswriter of the Year so many times, he is simply the best. Reilly writes about the humorous, the sad, and the ironic of sports. I laughed at why he hates the Yankees so much, and almost bawled when reading about the Columbine teacher who gave his life for his students. I do some writing myself and even in my dreams I am not half as good as Mr. Reilly is, and never will be. If you are a fan of good, solid writing, pick this book up and read it over and over again.

There are serious columns in the book. The humorous ones are what made me read the book again. The chapter on the Olympics is the funniest thing I have ever read. Anyone who thinks Reilly is boring has no sense of humor.

Nobody writes about sport like Reilly. This is a great collection of his Sports Illustrated pieces. If you are a fan of sports journalism, this is a must read for you.

I had the privilege of being interviewed several times by Rick when I was a high school track athlete and he was a young flip-flop wearing sports writer for the Boulder Daily Camera newspaper in Boulder, Colorado earning his stripes covering high school sports. Even way back then it was obvious that he enjoyed sports writing and it came as little surprise to see him eventually end up as SI's most notable writer. This collection of some of his best (but not all of his best) SI columns is a gem. Not all are "laugh out loud" humorous, but many are (a testament to his versatility as a writer). His postscript comments are also entertaining. After a thorough reading, this book is a keeper. I can't wait for Volume 2.

This book contains a novella as well as several short stories by the prominent Palestinian author Ghassan Kanafani. Kanafani is known in the Arab world as a literary master, and "Men in the Sun" is deemed by many to be his masterpiece. The book was a tremendous pleasure to read and at the same time intensely thought-provoking. Kanafani's original writing style is brought out beautifully in this excellent translation. In these stories, Kanafani experiments with various literary techniques that were revolutionary in the world of literature at their time (1960s). I particularly enjoy the twists of plot at the end of each story, and how the very last sentence forces me to re-think and re-evaluate my entire understanding of the piece. Seeped in the author's struggle for freedom and for a homeland, these stories reflect a deep understanding of human relationships and the human condition. Yet despite (or perhaps because of) this depth, the main characters tend to always be ordinary human beings - usually from the lower classes. Another feature of "Men in the Sun" is the variation of voice and perspective from paragraph to paragraph. For a moment we are in the head of one character, an old man crossing the desert to Kuwait. The next we're taken back in time to 1948, when that man was forced to leave his country by the ravages of war. Then we're transplanted into the shoes of another character, a young man hitching a ride from Jordan to Iraq. All this is done smoothly enough not to interrupt the narrative, but instead, the perspective of the plot wanders as thoughts naturally wander in one's mind. Truly Kanafani was a master of literary techniques. Few have been able to pack so many ideas and characterization and so much change into a short story.

Recommend: "Palestine's Children: Returning to Haifa & Other Stories" and "All that's left to you", both by Kanafani

This book gives you an idea of the suffering and neglection of a nation, on the watch of the whole civilized world.

This collection of short stories is a brief, but poignant look into the life of people living in Palestine. At the same time, the stark writing illustrates many universal themes forcing readers to reevaluate life as they know it. The writing is plain and easy to read, but ultimately, deep and impossible to dismiss.

The stories were great. Well written, poignant, the most so being the one involving the tank.

Written and published in the 1950s and 1960s, this slender volume of stories by Ghassan Kananfani speaks of the displacement of Palestinians in ways that are timeless and still fresh today. They speak of loss more than hope, and although the author was an activist and spokesman for the Palestinian Popular Front, he seemed in these writings to simply bring attention to the human cost of political struggle in the Middle East. He himself was killed by a car bomb in Beirut in 1972.

The most compelling of these stories is the novella "Men in the Sun," which tells of the efforts of three men being smuggled into Kuwait from Iraq and the truck driver who has offered to help them across the border. The fierce desert heat represents the terrible odds against their ever being able to escape the consequences of war and loss of homeland. But this is only one theme among many, as Kananfani explores traits of Arab character which seem to intensify inner conflict and erode the ability to act purposefully. The story "If You Were a Horse" concerns itself with superstition, fear, and overwhelming regret that divides father from son and leads to misfortune. The book includes an informative introduction by Hilary Kilpatrick.

This table book provides both beautiful photos of the Earth, as well as the context of a story and a timeline. Combining images taken from various space explorations, it gives you a real sense of both the beauty and details of our planet, and also a sense of the experience of an astronaut.

Awesome pictures taken form high up in the sky. One can find unique views that are beyond imagination. Also included necessary information regarding NASA expeditions.

Shuttle astronaut Jay Apt, together with scientists Michael Helfert and Justin Wilkinson, has put together a wonderful book of photographs under the auspices of National Geographic, Orbit. These are all photographs taken by astronauts from the space shuttle while in orbit (with a few exceptions, historically significant photographs from moon circlings and early trips into space). Photography, interestingly enough, is never really scheduled as a shuttle activity, but rather done 'in between' the other assignments. The photographs included in this book do not come from special 'space' cameras, but rather from regular hand-held, off-the-shelf cameras that astronauts took with them.

The shuttle offers a unique platform for photography, to say the least. It has 11 different windows, and as the shuttle orbits in what one might consider an upside-down position, the windows and cargo-bay with doors open are almost always facing the earth. Astronauts take lots of film with them, and record many phenomena. This book is divided geographically, by earth region: Africa, Europe and the Middle East, Asia, the Pacific, Middle and South America, and North America. There is also a special section on the Aurora, with dazzling photographs of things that look right out of Star Trek!

The images include daytime and nighttime views, calm views and stormy views. One can see hurricanes and cyclones from high above, stretching their entire lengths across great portions of the globe. One can see the difference lighting makes in an urban area at night, the way terrain and human-engineering connect, and how much of the world seems to remain unspoilt when viewed from a distance of even a few hundred miles away.

This is a remarkable book, full of glorious photographs of the 'home world', a great coffee-table book, a great gift, and a great guide of inspiration for younger readers who might be interested in science, geography, or even becoming an astronaut.

Truely a magnificent piece of work to wiew the wonder of God's creation leaves you in awe of the beauty of the Earth. I pick it up regularly, for maximum enjoyment choose times where you are not rushed so you can drink in the superb pictures. A book no household can afford to be without.

Astronaut Jay Apt, with the help of geographer Justin Wilkinson and climatologist Michael Helfert, has assembled a book full of pictures of Earth taken from orbit. These photographs were chosen from over a 145,000 that are available from the NASA photographic library and focus on many different aspects of our planet's geology and climate. The large coffee table style format and the high quality of the reproductions allows this book bring out the stunning features of our home and is welcome addition to anyone who is interested in space photography, especially since most of the book is photographs and very little text.

The book is divided into sections covering each continent, the Pacific Ocean and the aurora. To show the range of Earth's geology and climate, each section highlights the major geological features found in each region and if appropriate mankind's influence. To further emphasis to geological diversity of the planet, occasional surface photographs that correspond to an orbital photograph are also included. For example, in the section on Africa, there are photos of the Nile, Nile cities, the Sahara desert, various coastline features and cloud formations. The only portions of the Earth not covered are the North and South Poles, since the shuttle does not fly over these regions. There is also one extremely interesting two page map spread which shows the location of each one of the 268,000 photographs taken by the astronauts.

This book is one of my favorite space photography books and I look at it often and each time that I do I always notice something different. This is a great book and well worth the price.

THis story is classic. I use this book so much that I have to retire my old copy and replace it with a new one every couple of years. It is a fabulous vehicle for storywriting in the primary classroom.

I have been reading Pat Hutchins books to children for many years. They are wonderful!! Rosie's Walk is a great book for sound effects! As Rosie goes obliviously on her walk,the fox encounters all sorts of sound effect producing trials. Great fun!

We have the board book edition, and I have to admit, I didn't think my 2-year old was going to like it when I first flipped through it. There didn't seem to be much to it --- no eye-catching illustrations and not much text. Shows how much I know... My daughter loves it. The story is less about Rosie the hen and more about the fox --- what happens to it from page to page. It is truly a sequential story and shows cause-and-effect: on one page you see the fox leaping towards Rosie, who is walking past the pond. On the next page, you see the fox in the pond. Your toddler will make the connection on her own: "Uh-oh. Fox fall in water."

My absolute FAVORITE book as a child! Simple, clever, and humorous all at the same time. GREAT for children starting to read! A+

We fell for this after watching the scholastic dvd series. It's on the Chicka Chicka Boom Boom video and we're hooked - love the detailed pictures and watching where thefox is headed.

A fascinating book, full of history and culinary delights, "Seventh Daughter" is an autobiography of a Chinese woman, who, on a visit to San Francisco, started a restaurant that became a legend in the city. She had never been allowed in the kitchen as a young daughter in a traditional Chinese home. It combines her story along with recipes and hints for a well-stocked kitchen. The photography is beautiful.

The recipes are definitely clear, simple and straightforward. They include a number of classic dishes, as well as the author's take on a few new ones. But this book is so much more than just a simple bookbook -- and to call it a cookbook does it a disservice. It's a wonderful biography of the author, a historical look at how events changed the lives of Cecelia and her family -- and probably culinary history in this country. I have never cried when I read a cookbook -- but I certainly did at the end of this one! If you do a lot of Chinese cooking, at some point you start to look for books that go beyond the kitchen. This is most definitely it. And if you like this one, you might also want to try and find a copy of her first book - The Mandarin. It's just as wonderful.

In addition to some fine recipes, Madame Chiang's story as told throughout the book, is a compelling and moving story. I was fortunate to have enjoyed dinning at her fabulous Mandarin restaurant in San Francisco, and now reading about how it came to be, makes this more than just a book of recipes. These recipes have now become a legacy, like those handed down to us by our mothers and grandparents; reading this book makes us part of a family. Experience the joys, trials, and triumphs of Madame Chiang; The Seventh Daughter is a treasure.

I have not yet tried any recipes -- they all look fantastic -- but this book is worth buying for the stories alone. So wonderful!

I really enjoyed this book. It's a very interesting story about Cecelia Chang's life in China, as well as has some very good Chinese recipes integrated throughout the book. I would highly recommend this book.

Some of the material in the book I could relate directly to myself.

Chapter 4 discusses Type I (rejecting a truth) and Type II (accepting a falsehood) errors. For years, I felt guilty for not signing up with Amway, thereby committing a Type I error. More recently, however, I have heard testimonies from former distributors, who believe that they had committed the Type II error.

On page 78, we see a chart which encapsules a wide range of religious and skeptical positions. On the vertical axis are three levels of God's involvement with the world: a personal god, a naturalistic god, and an uninvolved or non-existent god. On the horizontal axis, we see three stances regarding science and religion; the two as reconcilable, the two as separate, and the two as conflicting.

Just for fun, I copied this chart on Microsoft Excel, filled in the blanks with names of participants in a Creationist-Evolutionist thread, and posted it on the thread. The other participants liked that.

Chapter 7 asks the question "Is religion good for you?" It was interesting and informative, but there were just two points which I think Pigliucci missed:

--Some religious believers carry overactive Superegos. As a volunteer in a mental health center, I met people who were chronically depressed because they considered themselves hell-bound sinners.

--Other religious believers themselves serve as overactive Superegos for other people. I won't bother citing examples, because I am sure you have known such people.

On pages 118-120, Pigliucci offers arguments that Creationism and Evolution should be compared and contrasted in science class. I have always been a lover of smorgasbords, so this has been my stand also.

Chapter 10 recounts Pigliucci's debate with theist William Lane Craig. This was a quick review for me, because I attended that debate. I specifically remember Craig's argument that the Resurrection must have taken place because there were so many witnesses. This argument is valid only if one accepts the Bible, where we read of these witnesses. By Craig's logic, we will have to accuse Goldilocks of trespassing, because we find three witnesses to that effect.

I especially enjoyed Chapter 11, which summarizes Duane Gish's greatest hits. Here are some of Gish's psychological ploys:

--Gish sometimes begins the debate by congratulating the local football team, and thereby establishing a good-old-boy image. One wonders whether Gish is really a football fan, or whether he merely checks up on the latest local news on the night before.

--Gish declares that science, by definition, involves only what can be witnessed here and now, and therefore cannot encompass evolution. Pigliucci points out that Gish's definition is original with Gish himself.

--Gish tries to draw some sort of parallel between evolution and the metamorphosis of a butterfly. Pigliucci shows how ridiculous the parallel is.

--Gish claims that Cambrian life-forms bore no resemblance to pre-Cambrian forms. Pigliucci claims differently.

--Gish defines evolution as a "theory of origins," with a period after the word "origins." Either Gish thinks evolution encompasses the origin of the Universe and origin of the first living being, or he hopes that the audience does. Gish then sidetracks his opponent in debating cosmology and abiogenesis as well as evolution--unless his opponent happens to be Pigliucci.

If you read the transcripts of other debates, you will see that Pigliucci is quickest in catching these tricks.

The only chapters I didn't enjoy were Chapters 12 and 14. Chapter 12 discusses DNA, RNA, and the Miller experiment. Chapter 14 discusses chaos theory, complexity theory, and fractals. Perhaps Pigliucci should have explained these concepts more slowly and carefully--either that or include these essays in a book for the professional reader.

A wonderful collection of intelligent skeptical essays on philosophy, science, religion, creationism, and debates about where we all came from.

Mr. Pigliucci has put together a series of essays aimed directly between the eyes of the Christian right wing and the "psuedo-scientists" whose aim it is to confuse those searching for science in religion. The answer - You won't find it folks. Religious theory does not follow anything close to scientific method - regardless of what the psudo-scientists would like you to believe.

This is my second adventure with this author and this book serves as a refresher course more than anything else. Since I am of the same camp the book did not reveal much in terms of new ideas to me.

That being said, for those that are not familiar with the author's work Dr. Pigliucci presents a case for rational, free thought in three sections. He mixes personal experiences such as his own debates with creationists, philosophical discussions and news events to present, well rational tales.

The first section describes the philosophical underpinnings that propel him towards evolutionary thinking. The second section, while still philosophical, addresses various religious arguments and the combination of those two sections result in the third. He describes his own debates with William Lane Craig and Duane Gish, both prominent figures for the creationist side. This is a formidable task and having heard two of Pigliucci's debates I can attest to much of his descriptions. His opponents have to continually resort to irrational arguments but they often do it with a smugness that could incite violence. Those of us who fight this battle have to thank those who use this forum. Keep up the good fight.

In the realm of clear-thinking scientific rationalism, Massimo Pigliucci has few equals. He is articulate, creative, kind, frank, amusing and fearless. He writes informally, but is able to explain deep and difficult concepts without trivializing or oversimplifying them. From his position as a university professor and evolutionary biologist, Dr. Pigliucci reaches out to the general public with articles and essays on a broad range of subjects including philosophy, religion, the limits of science and the incomparable value of intelligently-grounded skepticism.

'Tales of the Rational' is a collection of 14 essays arranged as consecutive chapters under five organizing categories: Philosophical tales, Tales of science and religion, Creation tales, Tales of the personal, and Tales at the frontier of science. I found all of the book very interesting, but for brevity I'll limit my comments to several parts that struck me as particularly significant and edifying.

The second chapter compares methodological and philosophical naturalism. We should care about these stuffy-sounding terms, says Pigliucci, because behind them lie important reasons to be skeptical of religion. The author makes his points by contrasting the views of two well-known commentators on science/religion issues. Party A, invoking methodological naturalism, maintains that science merely ASSUMES a strictly natural (material) world in order to function, hence can't comment at all on purported supernatural phenomena. Party B, following philosophical naturalism, holds that the universe really IS material through and through, so science is perfectly well justified in skeptically examining any supernatural claims which have physical consequences, as nearly all of them do (for example, pick any of the 35 New Testament miracles). The crux of Pigliucci's argument is that both parties are actually philosophical naturalists in that they recognize the overwhelming plausibility and observational dominance of natural causes in all aspects of existence. But only Party B seems willing to concede that methodological naturalism IMPLIES philosophical naturalism, thereby enabling a sincere scientist to include within her reach any claim which can be checked for plausibility, regardless of the beliefs of the claimant. Pigliucci sides with party B in affirming that religious assertions, many of which are eminently checkable, should be treated no differently from the general run of far-fetched notions.

Chapter 4 neatly refutes the famous "wager" in which Blaise Pascal offered shallow and cynical encouragement to believe in god simply because it's a safe strategy. A glaring non-sequitur in this advice is that it requires deceiving a supposedly omniscient being while simultaneously trashing blind faith's only admirable feature -- its sincerity. Pigliucci mentions this but moves on to a more technical objection based on probability. He points out that Pascal's implicit assumption of a 50-50 likelihood for god's existence is dead wrong, and from this basis constructs a devastating critique based on simple reasoning supported by universally accepted scientific evidence.

Chapter 5 details the author's preferred case against the existence of any type of personal, interactive, theistic god. Although he is both interested in and knowledgeable about philosophy, Pigliucci makes it very clear that he has little use for formal philosophical proofs which attempt to emulate mathematics by ending in a triumphant "QED." As a biologist, he is dedicated to the natural scientist's view that the non-existence of ANYTHING is beyond absolute proof. So gods are properly classified as no more than routine examples of dubious concepts awaiting rational evaluation based on the credibility of the claims and evidence supporting them. Contrary to the position of Stephen Jay Gould and other "non-overlapping magisteria" adherents, religions do make (and always have made) countless claims for their supernatural figures which imply direct interaction with the physical world. In other words, gods ARE falsifiable, and the more completely they are described, the more testable they become. It was a pleasure to read Pigliucci's application of these principles to his sensible and powerful arguments against what are historically the most widespread, puzzling and harmful superstitions ever devised.

It has often been said that religion is helpful even if it's false. Pigliucci critiques this assertion in chapter 7, using an article by P. F. Fagan of the American Heritage Foundation as a representative source of evidence supporting religious ideas as socially and psychologically beneficial regardless of validity. Pigliucci (having himself spent some early years under the spell of "mild Catholicism") agrees that churchgoing, like any communal activity, confers the obvious advantages of belonging and sharing mutual concerns. But he does not buy most of Fagan's more substantive claims. In fact, he provides a convincing set of reasons for being skeptical even of the "hard" data which seems to show that a religious lifestyle confers statistical benefits in overall happiness, career success, family cohesion, reduced suicide rates, etc. His objections are based on logical failures like confusing correlation with causality, and (in the case of double-blind prayer studies) procedural oversights such as neglecting to provide proper control groups and allowing slips in the blinding protocol.

Chapters 10 and 11, categorized as Tales of the Personal, are first-person accounts of the author's public contests with Christian apologist William Lane Craig and young-earth creationist Duane Gish. Both are experienced, nationally-known speakers with a reputation for demolishing unprepared opponents, including scientists. In even attempting to take on a "world class" creationist, Pigliucci went against the advice of many scientific and educational organizations which worry a) that debates provide creationists with implicit issue-acceptance as well as the "worthy opponent" status they crave, and b) that the evolutionist might lose! Pigliucci is in the rather small class of scientists who have the breadth of knowledge and natural skills to survive, and are willing to research the opponents beforehand. Learning how the author made out, and how he dissected the strategies of his adversaries, makes fascinating reading.

At the end, Pigliucci steps away from issues directly involving religion to take up extraterrestrial intelligence in chapter 13 and the use (and abuse) of chaos, fractals and complexity in chapter 14. The author's thoughtful, lucid and penetrating treatments of these often-misunderstood subjects form a fitting conclusion to a truly outstanding book.

i bought this book for my aunt who is a single, middle-aged, jouyful southern woman. she is an exuberant believer in Jesus Christ who unfortunately doesn't know much of his world beyond the USA, and i thought this would be a good way for her to explore it while connecting (a word that is very near to her counselor's heart) with people.
i don't know how much she has read yet, but my sister and i devoured it in the few days that we had it. we came away from it feeling even more curious about life in different places and reminded of our privilege as women to live in a financially independent manner.
all in all, if you need an antidote to self, this book will help.

I read the Material World several years ago and I was excited to see that Peter and Faith had published a "sequel" of sorts for the book. Women in the Material World is fascinating, especially if you can review it side by side to the Material World. I thought the questions regarding love in their marriage and their expectations for their children were so interesting. I am very happy with my purchase of this book and I recommend it to anyone who is considering it.

A sequel to the authors' successful, "Material World: A Global Family Portrait," which interviewed 30 "statistically average" families from around the world and photographed them surrounded by all their worldly goods, "Women In The Material World," by Faith D'Aluisio and Peter Menzel, revisits 21 women from these families.

With interviews conducted by women over a period of days, even weeks, and 375 color photographs of women captured in their daily lives, this is an absorbing look into an overlooked world of marriage, women's work and families. From female circumcision to divorce, from finances to education, gender roles, work, and friends, women discuss every aspect of their lives - seemingly freely.

Two themes repeat through this largely agricultural world - women's work begins before dawn and ends long after dark and most women feel they have enough children - whatever that number may be.

This is a fascinating, captivating and beautiful volume, to be read, not just browsed.

This book is a superlative sequel to the early Material World by Peter Menzel. I have read the earlier book so many times that when this new volume came out, I bought it immediately sight unseen. In this book, Faith D'Aluisio revisits 19 of the 30 families featured in the Material World to find out about the women's lives.

The articles are organized alphabetically, together with short features on marriage, laundry, work, education, childcare, hair, food, water, and friends. At the back of the book, we find statistical charts about women, and a useful statistics glossary. Each article has an extended interview with the mother of the family that reveals parts of her life story as well as her attitudes towards topics such as marriage, child care, education, money, and possessions. The articles are of course filled with numerous color photos, large and small, of the women at work and with other family members.

The Material World itself is a monumental book, but it was hard to go back to it after reading this book, where we find that the details presented in the Material World were so incredibly superficial. For example, family life for Maria dos Anjos Ferrerira in Brazil or Carmen Balderas de Castillo in Mexico isn't nearly as rosy as one might guess from looking at their original smiling photos in the Material World. On the other hand, Zhanna Kapralova from Russia continues to be a survivor. No matter how much you learn from the Material World, it will be far eclipsed by this book with its extended interviews and additional photographs.

A companion to Material World: Portrait of the Global Family, this book is an incredible expose of the lives of typical, average women all over the world. I, as an American woman with everything I could ever possibly dream of, especially appreciate seeing how things may have different for me had God just decided to make me the girl child of a Vietnamese working family vs. my background. It really makes you take stock of your life, appreciate it, and feel blessed no matter what your circumstances may be. America is truly a wealthy and favored nation. Even our poor, compared with most of the countries in the world, are rich! We should all feel compelled to give back, not matter how much (or how little) we have. I've been giving this book to my friends for gifts (thank you, Amazon!) A MUST READ!

I first saw this story on the discovery channel and could not wait to read the book.
I was so glad to find a copy on Amazon.
This story is true and very sad you will feel as if you are in that raft with Debbie and Brad they were lost at sea for about 5 days and had to fight off sharks and stay alive. It started out with 5 John Mark Meg Debbie and Brad.
only Debbie and Brad made it. This book will keep you reading well into the night to finish.
It is a great read!

ALBATROSS is a gripping story of survival and agonizing death at sea--the sinking with the loss of three lives of the yacht TRASHMAN off the Carolina coast. The author pulls no punches and tells a tale of human suffering, weakness, and malice that left this reader shaken by its bluntness, realism, and intensity.

The story is told in a direct and clear manner that inescapably draws one in to its nightmarish hell. Besides a sea story it is also a story of a young person's stuggle with her own demons.

Why read such a painful book? One important life lesson that we must learn from this account is not to leave port unprepared. In some ways, I would urge all boaters to read this book just to have that lesson hammered in. As a boater I came away with the deep conviction that I don't ever want to come anywhere near going through anything like what the crew of TRASHMAN went through.

As presented by the author, the tragedy was entirely the result of the incompetence, alcoholism, and carelessness of the captain and other crew members. I must confess, however, that when I reflected on the author's tale I could not help wondering how objective it was. She is so unremittingly critical--bitterly critical--of John and Mark that I began to doubt the clarity of her vision. I would love to get the account of the other survivor. There are several mysteries about the tragic sinking of TRASHMAN that remain troubling and unresolved.

Nevertheless Debby's tale is one that will move in and rearrange your mental furniture, especially if you are a boater or have ever been to sea in a small boat.

I received this book today and have read it in one sitting, just couldn't put it down. It is both a fasinating and horrific true story of this womans fight for survival in the open seas. It is written in an easy to follow style. Definately worth the read!!

Heard ALBATROSS: THE TRUE STORY OF A WOMAN'S SURVIVAL AT SEA by Deborah Scaling Kiley and Meg Noonan . . . it is the tragic tale of what was supposed to be a simple boat trip that wound up as a nightmare . . . several of the crew members perished; what was more interesting to me was the story of how the survivors made it.

I've read other "how I survived at sea" books before . . . this was the first one, though, that I've come across written by a woman . . . what I'll remember: when your instincts tell you something, listen . . . Scaling Kiley, unfortunately, did not.

I liked her special introduction at the beginning of the cassette tapes . . . I also liked the work of Karen Allen--a talented actress that I don't see nearly enough--who did an excellent job with the narration.

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book. I had seen Deborah and Brad's story on "I Shouldn't Be Alive" series, where they showed re-enactments and now and then broke away to the two actual survivors telling their story. I just knew she had written about this, so I looked it up on Amazon.

The story is told in very colorful prose. I could hear the sailboat slicing through the water, could see the pewter waves and dark sky. I could almost feel the sharks bumping the underside of the rubber raft with their rough skin.

Debbie is brutally honest, which adds to the credibility and interest of her story. She opens up and really lets us into her ordeal, and adds extra bits of information and impressions, like when she had her head under water looking for sharks and saw the beauty of the school of doradoes. So descriptive, I could see it.

This is also a story of triumph, as Debbie deals with strong emotions in the months and years after the tragedy. I'm glad she pulled through it all and wrote the book. I recommend this book for teens as well as adults.