Richard Wright Books

As I instruct in the technical rescue field, this book is a great reference. Lots of information on ropes, mechanical advantage systems, rope rescue and litters. There is also a bunch of information on confined space rescue in particular, like ventilation and air supply.

As a High Structure Rescue Traininer I see a lot of information on roped rescue. I found this book useful and concise with clear illustrations, I don't agree with ever aspect of the rigging, but the authors share the view that there is more than one system for rescue, as long as it is SAFE for everybody. Overall I found it a good book for developing peoples understanding for safe High Structure Rescues.

While no book on technical rescue can subustitute for live training with competent intructors this book provides an excellent foundation. The author covers relevant OSHA and NFPA standards in a clear and concise fashion. The book thoroughly covers all aspects of industrial and confined space rescue operations with a strong emphasis on safety.

This early novel by Richard Wright (1908-1960) went unpublished until after he died. This is far from Wright's best work, yet these pages show his stunning talent for descriptive prose. The story centers on a day in the life of a rather crude Chicago postal worker in the 1930's. He begins his morning by arguing with his wife. At work, he argues with his boss, then after work he gambles and drinks. Finally, he returns home drunk and beats his wife. That's hardly the best of tales. Still, Wright captures the sights and sounds of Chicago and its transplanted black community that had arrived up from the South with his gripping, readable prose.

This novel, which traces a day in the life of an African-American postal service worker during the 1930's, is full of life, humor, irony, brutality, and looming tragedy. It is written vividly and clearly; it is a page-turner. Like all real life people at some level, Jake is a conflicted, paradoxical person. Those who would stand in judgment of Jake based on his brutal treatment of his wife at the outset of the novel may not be able to develop any interest in or sympathy with him as the novel progresses; they may despise him and perhaps then see the novel as pointless or repulsive. Most of the novel is about Jake's miserable postal service job and his close relationship with three close black friends who make his life bearable, two of whom also appear to be doomed. I found the novel mesmerizing, brilliantly written, and compelling for the most part. I particularly loved the portion that described what happened at Jake's monotonous, demanding job, and how he and his friends were able to somehow transcend the misery of it. But, naturally, because I cared about all of the characters (Jake's wife, Jake, his three friends) I hoped for them to find a way out of their dead-end, tragic situations -- knowing full well that such a happy resolution could not possibly be in store. I found a great deal of momentary joy and brilliant laugh-out-loud humor in the novel, as the characters found ways to transcend their unhappiness through close fellowship and "fun" -- even though some of these joyful activities were only hastening their doom. I would highly recommend this novel, but not for the judgmental or faint of heart. I couldn't give it five stars because of the grim beginning and end, but I also understand that these parts of the novel may have been realistic and necessary in Wright's conception and may create the ultimate meaning and impact of the novel. I don't know quite what it all means (it is just describing life as it is), but I'm glad I read it and feel I was enriched by the experience.

Publishers turned down "Lawd Today!" when Richard Wright was alive. Reading it shows that they didn't appreciate its style. "Lawd Today!" is a fast-flowing look at one day in the life of a black man living in 1930s Chicago who is undone by his vices. Wright (who always felt himself to be an outsider) showed his dismay with the way many black people lived, not only because of discrimination, but because of their manners and mores brought north with them from Southern roots. The tale of a black postal worker draws on Wright's experience working in a Chicago mail-sorting facility (and after reading this you may understand why some people "go postal"). Set on Lincoln's birthday, Wright contrasts the morning reading of the Emancipation Proclomation over the radio with the decline and fall of his character. You might be unable to put down this book without finishing it - not because it is gripping, but because it moves fast and sure.

This 1938 collection of short stories by Richard Wright (1908-1960) was the first book the author had published. Wright had a remarkable talent for description, and he makes the reader feel as if alongside the main characters as the stories play out. These stories detail racial discrimination and oppression in the Deep South during the 1930's. I particularly liked his story about a flood that led to blacks being conscripted at gunpoint to work on the levee (and a tragic shooting that followed), plus his story about a planned hunger march that went against the wishes of the local (racist) government. Each story attacks southern racial injustice in a concise and powerful manner.

Two years after this book was published, Wright burst into fame with NATIVE SON, and he followed a few years later with BLACK BOY and THE OUTSIDER. This collection of short stories isn't Wright's best work, but it demonstrates the author's budding talent.

If white people today have any doubts of the harsh treatment of blacks in the 1900's, read this book. As a matter of fact, read the first 20 pages.
I teach this book to my 10th grade English class and my kids love this book! It is an easy read because the stories are so gripping, and the dialogue is written in the southern vernacular of the time. The main reason why high school students need this book now is because not only are the black students loosing sight of the past and appreciation for the efforts of black people, but the white students are unaware of the greatest crime in American History after slavery, Jim Crow Ethics. The Hispanic students, Asian students, African students, Indian students and countless other students from different parts of the world also need to read literature that enhances their knowledge of the brutal history of Americans.

Uncle Tom's Children is probably one of the most brutal books ever written on the topic of racism and racial oppression. The stories sneak their way into the far back of the reader's mind, and forces one to confront the racism latent within oneself. That is by no means a small feat for a book to accomplish, and it makes the reading both painful and powerful, sa well as infinitely rewarding. Personally, I don't recall ever having seen the ugliness of racism so brilliantly treated in any other work of literature, bar none. The addition of the autobiographical sketch and the extra story in some editions of this book is just a bonus, and does not decrease the value or importance of this masterpiece.

I would vehemently disagree with the articulate reviewer from Las Vegas: this IS the Great Canadian Novel because Wes Westrum is "Canada." His understated, accommodating, bland-on-the-surface but kind and loving loyalty to those he loves (and his secret lusts) -- that's Canada (I'm a transplanted Canadian). (Actually, I'm a transplanted Brit who grew up in Canada.) When I read this book as a young bewildered man in the early seventies it seemed so real, so dead-on. Thirty years later I reread it and found it hadn't aged a bit.

True, further time may judge it harshly but I hope not: a beautifully written, poignant, touching tale that pretty much sums up the most wonderful country on Earth.

The Weekend Man is Richard B. Wright's early novel of a sales rep. in a Toronto educational publishing house (c.1970). Wes Wakeham is 30 and estranged from his wife (however, they are trying to put things back together, and they also have a mentally-challenged young son). He is unsure what direction his life should (or could) take (personally and professionally). In fact, he appears stuck, or unmotivated, having no reason to take action one way or the other. He often thinks of the past (getting the "nostalgies"). Wes usually does not have (or does not offer up) opinions on matters.

While the description of Wes may sound hopeless or depressing, the reader (and probably Wes) still holds out a glimmer of hope for him turning his life around (he is only 30 - I am 44 so I know much can happen in the coming years!). And this is not a depressing book (at least not for me). Many readers may find Wes a frustrating character, or, like me, many may feel that they can relate in many respects to his feelings, reflections and predicament. I just wish the novel was longer, or would have a sequel. I was sad to reach the end of the book (suitably ambiguous with loose ends hanging). But maybe it's best to imagine Wes' future, and hope for the best.

I was surprised that no one has reviewed this book. My rating is based on my enjoyment of the novel. It is very humorous in a very natural, easy going way. The book is "quiet", the pace slow, almost languid, but this is part of its appeal. It does not contain major revelations, over-the-top confrontations or conflicts, all-out "action", etc. It creates a mood, like a great "late night" jazz recording. The author writes "small" here, effectively describing the small nuances of the characters (without cliche), or the feel of a winter street or neighbourhood of a Toronto suburb. He can conjure up evocative images of people or places using just a few words. The characters are realistic and believable.

Overall, I loved this book. It takes place just before Christmas and I read it (purposely) during the Christmas period last year (I like to sometimes match a novel's setting with my actual physical place and surroundings to enhance the experience of the read). If the character of Wes or the storyline appeal to you, or you can (happily) imagine a wintry suburb (in this case Scarborough disguised as Union Place) and a small-business atmosphere c.1970, and fragile but endearing humans and relationships, then I highly recommended this novel.

Note: The copyright date in my book was 1997 for some reason (renewed?), so I first had trouble with figuring out the period of the story since many things early on pointed to the late sixties or so (eg., the car Wes drives, women's role in the office place). I then thought he was writing a "period piece". I soon discovered somewhere below the copyright the mention that the book was first published in 1970.

This is the first Richard B. Wright novel I have read. I look forward to others, however, one cold winter day, just before Christmas, I will return to The Weekend Man and struggle and sympathize with Wes Wakeham all over again.

The Weekend Man, Richard Wright's novel of a sales representative in an educational publishing house wading through life, is often hailed as a classic. I disagree, not because this isn't a good book -- it is -- but it lacks something, or perhaps it has too much of other things -- melancholy, perhaps immobility. The book is humorous, as Wright offsets incongruent elements; his timing is excellent. But there is something that drags you down about this novel. You want Wes Wakeham to wake up, to throw off his dreary everyman appearance and at the very least disagree with someone. But that's the whole point, I know, that he doesn't. Well, the device works -- Wes grinds you down. You want success for him that he doesn't want for himself. But success finds Wakeham whether he wants it to or not, with women, his job, his son.

The setting, Toronto about 1970, is sweet, almost quaint. The world was much quieter before the advent of 24-hour news services and the Internet, as Wright aptly shows. (The novel was first published in 1970, so it is a novel of the times, not a period piece.) The sexual and office politics are on the money. The characters are believable. They are everyone we know.

A fine novel, but not a masterpiece, not the great Canadian novel. A good read, all the same.

I really enjoyed all the readings in the book. All of the readings were captivating. This book displayed the expertise that Wright displays in all his works.

Richard Wright is well known as the author of classic American books like "Native Son", but this was my first sample of his short story work. Eight Men is a collection of short stories about Black men in very different and unusual situations, but all of the stories involve their struggles in life.

"The Man Who Lived Underground" was the story that struck me the most. The elements of this story took a considerable amount of time to analyze back when I was a freshman in college. It is the story of Fred Daniels, a black man, wrongly accused of murder, who escapes to the sewer and there realizes the harsh realities of his existence. More happens in that sewer than you probably imagine. It is the longest of all of the stories.

"The Man of All Work" is the story that had the most humor in it. "Eight Men" is a collection of fairly sad stories that detail the oppressive conditions of Black men in the 1930's, and this short story joined with "The Big Black Good Man" as the only ones with noticeable humor to them. The resourcefulness of a Black man in a town where there were no jobs for Black men is the basis of this story.

Our book club found "Eight Men" to be very interesting on a number of levels. The discussion was lively, and everyone had contributions. The meeting ran past the scheduled time, and that is the highest praise that we can give to a book.

I must admit to being slightly prejudiced about this book. I stumbled on it during an ancestor search and found some of my relatives within the pages...Taliferro and Broyles. It was a great read and provided so much first hand insight into what it was like to live during the Civil War.I am so thankful that the authors thought the material was worthy of a book. I am sharing it with other family members.

This happens to be my fathers book, however I am compelled to comment despite my potential bias.

Firstly, the authors are Edward W. Simpson Jr. and Guy R. Everson (ie. not R.W. Simpson - he was a historical figure in the book). Dad found the letters hidden in a storage chest. He transcribed them over a period of four years and both authors spent another 3 years documenting the accuracy of the movements. Secondly, I am pleased to say it is truly one of the most wonderful bits of history that actually reads like a novel (important for me because I am not a Civil War buff). The story was a compilation of letters, written by a soldier dipicting everything from grand strategy, individual combat, to challenging personal experiences. The Simpson brothers (ie. the letter writters) served in Longstreets Corps under Robert E. Lee, in the Army of Northern Virginia. I am amazed at the courage that war required and how the letters capture the essence, the struggle, and the pathos of our Civil War.

Triopia And The Burden Of Excess by Bryan Richards is a coming-of-age novel (based largely on the author's own real life experiences) about spiritual conflict, personal doubt, and human transcendence. A dedicated missionary for the Mormon Church comes to a crossroads in his life while studying Judaism and Islam, and must weigh the values of group orthodoxy and individuality hand in hand. A compelling, serious, superbly crafted parable, Triopia is very highly recommended reading.

Triopia and the Burden of Excess is an entertaining story about a young American's six-month study in the Middle East. As a Mormon facing internal conflicts about his own spirituality, Daniel arrives in Jerusalem with a quest to gain a wider understanding of religion, civilization and humanitarianism.

Daniel contemplates the roots of the three main religions of the region - Judaism, Christianity, and Islam - and how each has historically shaped culture and society, and affected individuality and group orthodoxy.

It is during this time that he realizes none of these religions, nor any government has managed to resolve a continuing cycle of conflict: the fight against racism, the fight for unity and the fight for diversity.

Seasoned with a youthful and often amusing narrative, Triopia is also an intelligent philosophical novel that offers perspective on several controversial subjects, especially the clash between individual thought and group orthodoxy.

Triopia and the Burden of Excess is based on the author's personal experience as a student in the Middle East. When Bryan Richards went to Israel in 1988, it was with a pro-Israel mentality, but after witnessing the age-old conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis firsthand, he came home with an understanding of both groups and the inspiration to write this thought-provoking novel.

Indeed, Richard Wright's "Native Son" is a polemic about what happens to the poor who are impovished by the psychic chain of economic poverty coupled with rascism and class discrimination. Often I am thinking about black life and I am reminded of Bigger's mantra, "I didn't want to kill." And yet he did and many have and, sadly enough, as Wright suggests, it is after the killings that the Biggers of the world find a piece of their own humanity.The question is, thus, this: Does a death compell one to be human? I wonder what Wright would say?In the Sanctuary of a South

I first read this book about 20 years ago. Frankly, I was reading a number of Wright's works at the time and was greatly influenced by him. I saw myself reflected in Bigger's life - not that I have done anything approaching the things that he did but, as a black man, I could and indeed still can identify with the precariousness of Bigger'a existence. Even though I am a successful professional, I still always think that there is some set of unavoidable predetermined race-related disasters lurking out there ready to jump me at any time. Bigger made a whole lot of bad choices and was a thoroughly unlikable person but so much of what he went through was thrust upon him. One tries to live ones life in the belief that one has control over ones path and outcomes but it is a struggle to keep at bay the sense of inevitable and unavoidable powerlessness.

As many reviews document, some readers like this book while other dislike it. The reality of the situation may not be whether one likes the book so much as whether the book has the ability to disturb you. It is tough to like the main character. Yet most will have trouble identifying with the rich class that manipulates the system and Bigger's life. The story may be best described as unnerving.

"When men of wealth urge the use and show of force, quick death, swift revenge, then it is to protect a little spot of private security against the resentful millions from whom they have filched it, the resentful millions in whose militant hearts the dream and hope of security still lives." (p 405). While this quote may be more broadly applied, it summarizes the overall theme of the story. Bigger Thomas is accused of the murder and rape of a white woman. Though the argument is never posed that the murder is not a crime, the author presents the argument that it is a symptom of a flawed system. The squalor and graft to which African-Americans were subjected in the story does not exempt Bigger Thomas from guilt. However, it is certain to increase the likelihood of future Bigger Thomases.

One can argue against the author's point, yet it is hard not to be disturbed by the hopeless story of Bigger Thomas. Though Bigger made poor decisions in his life, he was right to see that something bad would eventually happen to him.

Performed by Peter Francis James, Native Son is an unabridged audiobook presentation of African-American author Richard Wright's well-known tale of cultural oppression and human psychopathy. Set in 1930s Chicago, Native Son follows Bigger Thomas, a black man who has grown up amid extreme racial prejudice and persecution all his life, and matured into an utter sociopath. He commits the second-degree murder of a white woman and is eventually taken to trial for his crime; he remains completely unrepentant to the last, seething with homicidal hatred for all whites, even those who tried to treat him with compassion, and even the white lawyer who defends him. A jarring cautionary tale of how societal oppression can turn the oppressed into monsters that in turn menace their oppressors, Native Son remains an enduring work of literature. 15 CDs, 17 1/2 hours.

This is one of Wright's most important novels. It tells the story of the short life of Bigger Thomas, perhaps as an allegorical prototype of the typical life of a Black Chicagoan, or indeed maybe the archetype for all young black men in America, where the forces of society press upon them to live fast and die young, or live long and end up in prison or be ignored and live a social death on the outer margins of American life.

Bigger seemed to have had no redeeming qualities, and never showed any remorse, for anything he did. He had absolutely nothing going for him but bottomless hatred and bitterness towards whites and an innate ability to observe and size them up. A great deal of his life and thoughts were spent playing a double game: pretending to befriend them at the same time that he was watching their every move and stalking them as if they were prey.

One of Wright's gifts is that he allows the reader to be "ear witness" to Bigger's innermost thoughts. The dialogue is told from the point of view of what is going on in Bigger's head. He is constantly muttering his hatred and distrust of whites, both of which border on the pathological and continue increasing until they reach a crescendo, when an explosion seems imminent even when there were no obvious reasons for one. This passion for hatred and distrust eventually does spill over and comes to an ignominious climax, when Bigger rapes a white girl who has befriended him and as he is about to be caught in a her bedroom, he spares himself the need to explain or be caught red-handed, by killing her.

The story then switches to his trial and the relationship between Bigger and his Socialist lawyer, who himself tries to use the trial to make a point about the injustice in American society, remaining totally unaware that Bigger's hatred for whites also extends to him as well.

Native Son is obviously as much an ideological as a literary work, and while Wright's prose gets heavy-handed at times, and often gets in the way, he does eventually make his points well. All the issues are finally resolved, however cumbersomely done so.

The resonance in the subtext is that: unbridled and mindless hatred and bitterness always leads to ignominious and diminished ends, and to an overall diminishment of humanity. American society in the 1940s, as is still true today, is a constant theater where hatred is always being played out on stage, and not necessarily by the "Bigger Thomases" of our nation. Hatred is still a cottage industry and our nation's most sacred and most religious product.

Five Stars.

Sir Walter Scott. Ivanhoe. Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Ian Duncan, Barbara and Carlisle Moore Professor of English at the University of Oregon. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics Edition), 1996.

Reading some of the reviews published on the site about "Ivanhoe", I have been shocked and horrified to discover that well-meaning (?) English teachers have apparently been letting schoolchildren loose on "Ivanhoe" without the necessary guidance and preparation. No wonder that some of them have turned away from a book, which, although famous (thanks probably to the early-1950's film starring a stunning young Elizabeth Taylor as Rebecca), is almost as difficult to read as anything else Scott wrote and despite its phantastic tale of knights in armour tries the patience of the modern reader until the very last page.

That is one very good reason to opt for the Oxford World's Classics version, which I believe contains just about all the additional information that a normal reader could require. Ian Duncan has not only printed Scott's final text (which he has carefully scrutinized and compared with both the autograph and early editions), but also includes Scott's own introduction and his notes (21 pages of them) as well as his own editorial notes containing explanations of difficult terms, speculation on where Scott may have got his details wrong and, last but not least, details of Scott's use of the language of the Bible, Shakespeare, Chaucer, Spenser, Webster, Dryden and Pope. Of course, reading the book with one thumb in the notes at the back is not as comfortable as reading a modern novel, but it is probably the only way to understand Scott.

And if you want to understand Scott, I would strongly advise not reading "Ivanhoe" before tackling some of his earlier novels. In "The Antiquary", for example, Scott portrays himself under the pseudonym of Jonathan Oldbuck. In "Ivanhoe", Scott is pursuing not only his literary career but also his antiquarian predilections. That is why the book is full of old-fashioned vocabulary and why there are long descriptions of things medieval which matter little to the plot; Scott found history interesting of itself, and was also an expert on medieval law, on heraldry etc. And he also had an interesting personal background as the scion of a fairly strict Calvinist family who had turned episcopalian; Scott himself was a member of the Freemasons and took very much an "enlightened" stance on the things of religion (to be followed in books such as "Old Mortality" and "The Heart of Midlothian"). Yet he was never a scoffer; rather, he portrayed characters who fulfilled his ideals as well as gross hypocrites. Here in "Ivanhoe", his ideal is obviously Rebecca whose tolerance (despite persecution), humanity and self-denial are painted in the clearest colours, contrasting greatly with the pseudo-religious values of the Templars but also of Friar Tuck who here seems to represent the degenerate Saxon form of the Roman Catholic Church. It is perhaps the supreme irony that in a book populated by devout Catholics, the only character who really behaves in a model Christian way is the Jewess Rebecca.

It would take too long to enumerate all the other fascinating aspects of this novel here, but I recommend it to anyone looking for more than just entertainment. Pay attention to the nuances, and these 500 pages will amply reward the not inconsiderable effort needed to comprehend them.

I loved all that knightly action stuff when I was younger, but I found this quite stultifying, and really had to force myself to finish it. Very, very dry. I may change my mind if I have a look at again, but given the time period, that is probably unlikely.

I'm sort of glad movie producers haven't discovered (and ruined) this great story yet.

This book has nearly every genre packed into it: romance, history (highly fictionalized of course), action, humor, social satire, even some poetry.

Scott's a great writer whose main concern is to give the reader an enjoyable story. I think he successed admirably. At the same time he slips in some important issues to consider (like family and leadership responsibilites, loyalty, and racism). One of the best things I like in Scott is his ability to give some of the more minor characters an individual flair (check out Wamba son of Witless).

I'd recommend the Oxford World's classics edition of the text as it provides many helpful editorial notes as well as an interesting introduction, bibliography, and chonology for Scott.

It was a time of knights, ladies fair, violent jousts, power-hungry villains and lovers sworn to each other. It was the period after the Norman Conquest, in which England became Anglo-Saxon. Like Alexandre Dumas, the great French writer who gave us "The Three Musketeers" & "The Count Of Monte Cristo," Sir Walter Scott reinvisions history the way it should have been (thus the historical inconsistencies) and creates a masterpiece of enduring quality. This story is packed with romance, adventure and a few more surprises. It's never boring. Rated PG for medieval violence.

Ivanhoe shows up on just about every list of the 100 greatest books ever written. There is good reason for this. It's descriptions of time, place and character are vivid and engrossing. Perhaps most interestingly, the book describes an almost dizzying array of complicated relationships. Strict father to independent son, lover to lover, lover to unrequited lover, father to daughter, conquerers to the oppressed, jew to gentile, servant to master, king to subjects (loyal and disloyal), it's all in Ivanhoe. Personally, I was most taken with the treatment the Jews received, with Scott being very modern in his treatment given the time and place in which he was living. Rebecca comes through as one of the most interesting characters in the novel, the Jewish woman who seems to understand Christianity better than any of the Christians. Beyond the engaging relationships, we are given action that draws in characters that have become mythic: Richard the Lion-hearted, Robin Hood, the Knights Templar and of course Ivanhoe himself. This is a novel that is worthy of the intensive study it has received, a staggering achievement.

Using this book I was always expecting to have good experience in learning. Especially whether the essential data tables are listed in a suitable position so that it can be used as a reference.

However, this book places function list in many chapters that once I want to look for relevant information I found I rather look for it from the internet. I don't doubt it as a good intorduction, but I won't say this book to be very good, because its codes are not well documented and not continuous as a whole project. Therefore users have to get familiar to many new codes in each chapter, and they are mostly unrelated.

Another weakness of this book is the index. I think if I am not too stupid that means this book does not organise its index very well.

A very good introduction for the opengl newbie who doesn't want to mess up with 3D theory and math right from the start. The price to pay is some of the explanations end up being rather superficial. I like the practically oriented attitude of the book and the wealth of examples, from basics to more complex. Do not expect this to be a book that will transform you from a complete openGL newbie to a master... but it a very good introduction for somone who needs to make sense of openGL and see it at work. It uses GLUT as a library to interface with OS specific command like showing windows or getting keyboard input to shield you from having to deal with the dreaded windows API or any other OS dependent functions. If this is a good or bad thing , you decide. You will have to "treasure" the CD coming with the book as you will have no chance to download the source code form the web. I find this EXTREMELY annoying! The third edition is coming out so watch out for it!

I found this book went into the great detail explaining how the examples they give work, but there's so much more to OpenGL than the examples they give. I found myself asking "Wow! That's a great example of that function working in that example, but how do I get that function to do what I want it to do?" I was left with no clue. I suppose I could infer it painstakingly through studying the contexts of the sample code, but I thought the book was supposed to just teach me. I don't have that much time!

I eventually started skimming over entire chapters that lost me in a barage of techno-geek jargon and explainations of advanced math, etc. I'll have to go back and read those again. This is the trouble with learning from books. The author has no idea if you actually understood his explaination of one thing before he moves on to another. It makes sense to him, so he goes on to the next part.

On the plus side, I found the basics were covered quiet well. The authors got you going on your first OpenGL baby-steps within a few chapters. That was actually fun. But then they lost me in assuming I knew things they hadn't adequetly discussed.

If you are looking to learn OpenGL on Windows, then this is the book for you. Each chapter gives an excellent description of the concepts learned. The authors writing is clear and concise.

The book uses GLUT for most of the programs. This is great as you can spend the time learning on program in 3d as oppossed to OS specific code. GLUT takes about 10 minutes to learn(Window,keyboard,and mouse functions), but you can do A LOT with it. You can make lots of small games and demos with it. Once the code works, remove GLUT and use your OS code.

This is a book on programming 3d graphics. You most likely wont understand it if you've never gone past algebra in school. This is not the authors fault. You need to be able to understand some trig and linear algebra. If your math education is somewhat lacking, you should be able to understand it. He explains it a lot better than most math teachers do.

Overall, I highly recommend this book. The examples are somewhat boring, but this is not a game programming book. It is a graphics book. You should have no problem taking what you learn and apply it to a game. If you are looking for an OpenGL Game Programming book, then buy the book with same title from the guys at Gamedev.net. It's very good.

This book provides a decent introduction to many OpenGL techniques, but falls short in providing guidance on avoiding the many pitfalls that 3D graphics programmers can stumble into.

Movement and positioning in 3D space, using multiple windows and camera/eyes viewing from various locations and angles, is downright complex. I found more useful information in 7 pages of "Linux Game Programming" (p96-102) than five readings of the 30-odd pages the SuperBible devotes to the subject (ch5).

I was also very annoyed that the SuperBible publishers don't allow for online download of their sample code, very little of which is actually printed in the book. If you lose or scratch your CD (I did), then the book suddenly becomes an overlarge paperweight, filled with short snippets that won't compile and have fatal dependencies on variables and matrices set or modified "elsewhere".

I wanted to like this book for personal reasons: the author teaches at a school very near me, used to work at my same company, and a friend of mine used to be one of his teaching assistants. Moreover, I'd already paid for it, and wanted to get some value out of the purchase :-/

Nonetheless, it failed to provide answers to the real-world problems I've encountered, which other books have shown to be easily anticipated and simply resolved.