Authors Books

I believe that a well written short story is easy to imagine but difficult to capture. Mr. O'Hara, however, seems to capture different moments and ideas in his short stories with effortless flair. His writing is both sparse and ornate--which is just the way I like my stories. His words took me to places that were magical and raw. Reading The Swan also made me want to visit the Sacremento Valley immediately.

Mr. O'Hara has given us such a gift with this book. I will read it again and again. I am honored to have it in my collection.

lavish Lines/luscious Lies

The Swan: Tales of the Sacramento Valley is the debut book of Andrew F. O'Hara, a former patrolman and current editor of the online magazine, The Jimston Journal www.jimstonjournal.com. Mr. O' Hara's book is a collection of short stories and from past experiences, any collection of short stories that I've read with the exception of Carol Riley Cain's Ghosts, Spooks and Spirits of South Texas, have been rather dismal or uninspiring to say the least. But this little 140-paged book was a welcomed change.
The Swan, as mentioned before, is a diverse range of short stories. From humorous yarns about a nagging wife to a patrolman who's losing his sanity and resorting to alcohol for some solace, there is something here that caters to everyone's taste.
There's a mantra that has been around for many years now and that is, "never judge a book by its cover." Well when one glances upon the cover of The Swan, they are greeted with an image of a swan with its wings poised in the air as it glides along the shimmering waters of some anonymous pond or lake. This image of pleasantry does somehow go hand-in-hand with the stories of this book as they are beautifully written. Every tale was unique and written in a fresh approach but what was really distinctive was the method in which the author was able to breathe new life into each character. From start to finish, one has a vivid picture in their mind of the character's actions in all the compositions. My favourites are "A Poet's Song" and "An Act of Cowardice" because these contain, in my opinion, the strongest characters of the entire collection. In "A Poet's Song", an old husband and poet, has to listen to the nagging of his wife as she no longer likes to see him writing poetry. Her biting words or comments ring in the ears of the reader and you cannot help but feel pity for the old man. The main character in, "An Act of Cowardice", is a World War II vet who feels guilty about a deed he did in his past and although anyone in his position would've done the same if they were in his position, his feeling of guilt resonates with the reader. Another talent that O'Hara possesses is a certain richness in his descriptions. For those of you who may never get a chance to visit the Sacramento Valley or indeed the US, Andrew paints a scenic picture of the location in which each tale is set in. It's these attributes that make Tales of The Sacramento Valley a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf.
If you're remotely interested in compiling a book of short stories, then The Swan is a must read as O'Hara expertly displays how it's done. With splendid characterisation, picturesque descriptions, and excellent stories, this should be on everyone's "to buy" list and would make a great gift at Christmas to pass away the winter blues.

Aidan Lucid
www.iol.ie/~thelucidreview

Andy O'Hara is a storyteller who understands the value of a good story, well told. And that is what you'll find in The Swan - a collection of very good stories, very well told by a writer who understands that a whispered word can pack more punch than a raised voice. These are stories of love and death (and really what else is there worth writing about?). They are not easy stories and they are, perhaps, uneven (which is just another way of saying you'll have your favorites). They are written with a gentleness of spirit that some might call old-fashioned. So be it. I just call it good writing.

This 2007 revised edition is a collection of wonderful provoking short stories. Each as engaging as the one before. The descriptions of the small towns made me feel that I was in each place; seeing and feeling the scenery, people and even the stars.
I could not put it down. My only disappointment was that there was not another story and I had to close the book with its beautiful cover.

This is the new Swan, the 2007 Edition with feathers all bright white, fluffed and ready to lull and captivate you at the same time. Andy O'Hara has improved on the un-improvable this time around. The weave is tight, but so smoothly done the stories blend into each other, carrying two common themes to fruition by the turn of the last page. The fun is how Andy has taken the reader on a swing through his beloved Sacramento Valley. He describes obscure towns giving us a mental picture along with the smell of the dust, the fields, the eucalyptus groves and more. The stories, Andy claims, are fiction, but I would bet most have been drawn from his own experiences. A great read and a great buy, one I will enjoy over and over again...J.B. Bergstad

In Tales of Dirt, Danger and Darkness, Paul Steward shows us the intensity, the peril, the exhilaration of subterranean exploration. These tales will thrill, amuse, and frighten--in other words, they do exactly what good stories are supposed to do, entertain and inform.

This book is a must-read for cavers and non-cavers alike, and for adventurers in general (including the armchair variety).

Paul Jay Steward's novel of short stories, "Tales of Dirt, Danger, and Darkness," is a variety show of caving macabre. The author is your host as he appears throughout the book as if to say, "Welcome to my nightmare." Every page is filled with wry commentary and twisted wit as Paul guides you through caving anecdotes and tales that will make you paranoid enough to avoid the dark recesses of your own garage. This book not only held my interest, it also gave me the creeps and made me laugh out loud. I heartily recommend this one.

Although not a caver myself, I certainly have enjoyed the beauty of caves. They have always seemed to have a life of their own, but now, after reading this collection of stories, I see dark and terrifying things in every corner (which is not a bad thing since I love a good horror tale).

These stories truly reach out and grab your heart and give it a good twist. No matter what your views were on caves before, wonderful or scary...you won't walk away from this book and see them the same ever again.

Mr. Steward's book should come with a sticker like a sign I once saw at a cave entrance. "WARNING, ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK!"

I once enjoyed going into caves. Now I think I'll just be content with the IDEA of going into caves.

Seriously, Paul Steward's stories are intriguing and scary. In fact, the next time I'm with friends at a late-night campfire I'm going to pull out Paul's book and read the one about the two guys who make the mistake of trying to convince a landowner to let them explore a cave on his property...

If you think you like caves, you need to read this book. There are some things you should know...

Outrageous, bizarre and funny, Paul Steward's book, TALES OF DIRT, DANGER AND DARKNESS, transports the reader into realms of terror not often visited. The horrors of the cave world, presented as entrapment and death, remind the reader that, in darkness, the mind is precariously perched between fantasy and reality and between good and evil. The terror of being accountable to the devil is there because of human greed and the desire for fame and power. And Steward often approaches the episodes in this book with subtle humor. We all have our spiritual dark sides, so clearly presented in this book. An electrifying collection of original short stories, and an excellent read!

Oh my goodness, what a great book about the tooth fairy and other traditions around the world. My 6yr old just lost her 1st tooth, but we purchased this book before she lost it so that she could read about other kids and what they do with their baby teeth. She loves this book, and I love this book because it teaches her about different places, people, and traditions from around the world with a subject that she can totally relate to!

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

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

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

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

A friend handed me a tattered copy yesterday. I finished this afternoon. It was superb. Rarely have a read a collection this compelling. Buy it, read it, and pass it on.

I read this book upon the recommendation of a clerk at Books Along the Teche in New Iberia, LA. J.L. Burke may be New Iberia's favorite son, but Tim Gautreaux offers much more to the reader. His dialogue and characters ring authentic. Each story is one you are glad to read, and "Easy Pickings" is a story you will remember with a smile and a chuckle for the rest of your life.

I just finished reading this book, and could start all over again. Gatreaux has a wonderful way of crafting a story with believable people. No matter where the reader is from, because of his character descriptions, it is easy to identify with these folks from Louisiana. Gatreaux's short stories evoked all kinds of emotions, but there were many places where I simply laughed out loud. The best thing about this book, is the ability of the author to depict flawed characters living flawed lives, who nonetheless experience redemption in various ways. I will be looking for more books by this talented writer.

This second collection of short stories from Tim Gautreaux is, perhaps, even better than the first. Of course, if you look inside the book and see who published the individual stories, it's obvious that they must be good; The New Yorker, Atlantic, and Esquire are not noted for publishing bad fiction.

While these are fiction, the stories ring so true to life and the lives of the characters, that we can all see ourselves in someone in this collection. Most of Gautreaux's stories have a touch of humor, but all show the depth of character that draws readers into the stories.

Anyone who reads these stories and enjoys them, should also read his novels. You'll find that same voice and an author you can trust, who will not betray your empathy for his characters.

Tim Gautreaux's writing is simply amazingly good. His characters are sublimely human, and he has a knack for finding the good in all of them - even those who might be a bit unsavory. He places them in situations that are ordinary and unique at the same time - and in those situations he finds ways to reveal things to us that allow us to learn more about ourselves. The characters learn about themselves as well, and this is a treasure to observe. The stories here deal with joy and sorrow and all of the areas in between. The people here are struggling to come to grips with their own families, with their work, with the people around them - and with the world in which they live.

In the title piece, a man attempts to assert more of a guiding influence on his grandchildren, and in the process winds up changing several aspects of his own life as well. His trials in striving to accomplish a task given him by his wife, while sitting with his grandchildren at the same time, is presented with some of the most genuine humor I've read in a while - but it's a gentle humor, and it never belittles the characters or the situation (and this finely-tuned humor is used to good effect in several of these stories, even the more `serious' ones.

`Misuse of light' is a moving portrait of a man who works in a camera shop learning about the lives of his customers through the small areas where their lives intersect with his. When someone sells a camera to his shop and he finds a roll of film in it, he develops it in order to get a glimpse into other lives. Opening this door can, as he learns, have jarring effects - on him as well as on the lives he enters. When he uncovers information that causes pain to the young woman who has sold him the camera, rather than abandoning his `study', he probes a bit further in order to get to a level in this past wherein she can find a bit of peace. It's something that makes the character endearing - it's a story to restore faith. Another story dealing with faith it `Good for the soul', in which a parish priest with a bit of a drinking problem, attempting to do a good deed (against his better judgment), runs afoul of both the law and his community.

`Easy pickings' details a rather inept thief's attempt to take advantage of a solitary elderly woman - rather than being a cakewalk, he finds that he's definitely bitten off more than he can chew. There's a great deal of the above-mentioned gentle humor in this tale - and Gautreaux delivers it with tender respect, never ridiculing his characters. `The piano tuner' is, like `Misuse of light', a finely-crafted work in which one character sets out to help another cope with the world - and does so with no expectations of any sort of reward. It's a good example of how those among us who are a little `different' can find their niche - and a gentle lesson in showing such folks more tolerance.

`Resistance' is another case of one human helping another - in this instance, an elderly man, a widower, sees a need and fills it. The little girl who lives next door is very obviously the victim of an abusive, drunk father. When the neighbor learns that her parents are unable/unwilling to help her with her science project, he takes on the task himself - and the light he creates shines not only into her dark life, but also into his own.

`Sorry blood' and `Sunset in heaven' both deal with aspects of growing old. In the former, an Alzheimer's patient is victimized by one of the lowest low-lifes you're liable to meet (and hope that you don't). In the latter, the plight of an old man similarly afflicted opens the eyes of a middle-aged man to the possibilities in his own life.

`Rodeo parole' is a frightening, surreal look at a desperate attempt by prisoners to be viewed in a more favorable light by the parole board - by making themselves sitting targets for a bull enraged by repeated electric shocks from prison guards. Its few pages explode with action.

My two favorites in this collection are `Dancing with the one-armed gal' and `The Pine Oil Writers Conference'. In the former, a man on the run from (or is it `to') himself meets a woman hitchhiker as he travels west from Louisiana. They're both looking for something - and neither is sure just what, although they think they know - and the `answers' they find aren't the ones they expect. It makes for a very interesting and revealing encounter - both for the characters and the reader. `The Pine Oil Writers Conference' is, for me, the gem of this book. Gautreaux has created the classic `riddle wrapped in an enigma' with this story - an aspiring writer (a minister) attends the conference, hoping to find out if writing fiction is `the thing he does best'. The short excerpt included in this story produced by the character for a conference workshop is so well written than it made me sorry there wasn't more of it.

I've never read anything by Tim Gautreaux before - but you can bet I'll be looking for his other short story collection (SAME PLACE, SAME THINGS) as well as his novel (THE NEXT STEP IN THE DANCE). This little book was a great discovery.

Sit back and relax with this read because W. A. Heisler exhibits a truely remarkable understanding of what Christmas is all about. His storytelling will fill your heart with the love and peace we all need to feel. I'd recommend this to all those who are looking to get away from the hustle and bustle that Christmas has become.

Wow, what a journey An American Christmas will take you on. From the first story "The Tradition" it touched my heart and I could not put it down. This book is an emotional, heartwarming and inspritational read. So enjoyable. I have actually read it twice. I have given it for gifts and encourage everyone to read it. You will truly feel the power of the words.

I liked this book a lot. My favorite stories are "Stille Nacht" (set during World War II) and "These Four Walls".

The author has a good sense of humor and it's most evident in "These Four Walls" (the story about the kids and the 'witch').

There's also some suspense in "Stille Nacht" and "The Long Road Home." (That surprised me even though I read and liked a few of the author's uncollected suspense stories.)

Three of the stories have spiritual elements. I normally wouldn't enjoy stories like that (outside of the horror genre), because I'm an atheist. It takes talent to make an ornery guy like me appreciate a sentimental and spiritual Christmas-themed story.

I'm looking forward to a book of Heisler's suspense and horror tales.

W. A. Heisler does a magnificent job with these five spiritually uplifting and inspiring Christmas stories that will touch and warm your heart. Heisler is able to quickly pull you into each story and connect you personally with each character. His ease and humor keeps your interest. A great holiday gift idea for someone you love.

What a great way to spend your christmas vacation! The Christmas memories shared in the short stories of this book offers such a variety of characters each with a feel good theme that offers an uplifting solution to the commercial driven christmas it puts the focus on the real meaning of christmas and the importance of the memories we make during the holdays. I laughed, cried and really enjoyed An American Christmas.

Eduardo Gonzales Viana speaks to each of us with convincing clarity, beautiful prose, and deep and thought provoking messages about life and its dilemmas. His gift of expression and the ease with which he presents his characters and shares his story is a gift to us all.

This is probably the most creative and far-reaching book of short stories I have read in many years. It is also the first book published in English by this extraordinary Peruvian-American writer. It says a great deal of what we can expect from Gonzalez Viaña in the future.

Gonzalez Viaña writes with the Borgesian power to reveal the mystery of man and the universe. You can practically hear his characters breathe. What prose! Complete and poetic.

Arte Publico's translation reveals to us a superb author. The characters and situations offer stories of Biblical dimensions. Fascinating!

Living in Oregon is a great Latino writer whose dreams are America. Amazing grace! Absolutely perfect from opening word to closing sentence.

i bought this book when it was first printed. i wore the pages right out of the book, and bought a second. this book inspired me to write poetry of my own.

I have this book, which I got in 1995. It is Wonderful! I have read it many times and still have not lost intrest!! It is SO good, that I can not believe that it went out of print. I have also read Kevin's new book: Unfinished work. Which came out on Nov. 6. This book is beyond describing. Read it for yourself!!
Kevin Max Smith has a beautiful, amazing, God-given talent, that VERY few people have! He is wonderful at writing. And his poetry is deep and moving. I hope to see many more books from Kevin. Also , look for another coming out (sometime soon, I hope) : The London Cowboy Choronicles. These are all wonderful works of poetry!!
I also hear he
is (possibly) starring in a movie coming out some time next summer. Be sure to check that out as well.

This book was a awesome encouragement of how beautiful God can really work through just one man. Kevin is sincere and personal and his style is very beautiful.

This is an amazing book. When it was originally published promises were made that a second book would be forthcoming. So, Kev - where is it?

Most artists have to die before they're appreciated. Thankfully Kevin Max Smith of DCTalk fame didn't have to die, his book just had to go out of print before everyone scrambled the ends of the earth trying to get their hands on a copy. The poetry is pure delight (my favorite is "Captured") and I love his poems for their sheer simplicity. The artwork by Jimmy Abegg sets off the collection nicely making it something that you want to pass down from generation to generation.

Very nicely writen, warms the heart and reminds me to follow my heart regardless of the outside pressures.

Love isn't supposed to hurt. A sage's perspective on the matters of real love.

This book was ok, but didn't touch me as much as "the prophet" did.

For Khalil Gibran, love was a way perhaps a supreme way of achieving self-realization and completeness as a human being. Anyone can live their life transformed by the all consuming power of an encounter with "The Beloved". Particularly in the Eastern cultures there are people trapped in joyless or organized marriages; their passions sacrificed to convention. It is these segments of people that Gibran has brilliantly targeted. Gibran can write very complex social issues in quite simple terms. He can make these issues in a way that can make the reader feel one is taking a walk in a quiet wood, or bathing in a cool stream.

During the course of his reading one can observe that Gibran is a fervernt and outspoken champion of the cause of human rights. He has waged a struggle to strengthen the recognition of youth's freedom of action in love, and abolish from the social structure some of the prevailing ancient marriage customs. He has a strong condemnation of traditions of pre-arranged marriages of children by their parents, in complete disregard of the wishes of those so betrothed.

The ill-fated story of Lyla in `The Brides Bed' is an eye witness account recorded by Khalil. Lyla with courage, anguish and heroism broke in fury from this custom. She brought as a result on her self consequences extremely tragic. This is best described in Khalil's prose:

"... Come you cowards! Fear not the specter of death whose greatness will refuse to approach your littleness and dread not this dagger, for it is a divine instrument which declines to touch your filthy bodies and empty hearts. Look at this handsome youth, he is my beloved and I killed him because I love him. .... We sought a bed worthy of our love in this world which you have made so small with your ignorance and traditions. .... Then the bride lifted her dagger towards the sky, and like a thirsty person who brings the edge of a drinking glass to her lips, she bought it down and planted it in her chest..."

In the `Vision' he describes the social convention issue faced by one:

".. I am a lost human heart, imprisoned in the foul dungeons of mans dictates; tied with chains of earthly authority, dead and forgotten by laughing humanity whose tounge is tied and whose eyes are empty of visible tears. ..."

"His power came from some great reservoir of spiritual life else it could not have been so universal and so potent, but the majesty and beauty of the language with which he clothed it were all his own." -- Claude Bragdon



Kahlil Gibran, on Love:
Love was the central theme of Gibran's life which he expressed in prose poems, and drawings; "Just reading the English translation for this collection of his love-related Arabic works makes my bones ache with the amazing insights he portrays through moving language." ankh fire

"Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart,
and a song of praise upon your lips."
G. Khalil Gibran

The Beloved:
For Gibran, love was the eternal way for any human being to reach completeness, in self realization transforming their life by the power of the encounter with the beloved;
"Who among you would not cross the seas, traverse deserts,
go over mountains and valleys to reach the woman whom his spirit has chosen?
What youth would not follow his heart to the ends of the earth
to breathe the sweetness of his lover's breath, feel the soft touch of her hands,
delight in the melody of her voice?"

The Arkana Edition:
This Penguin Arkana edition of the unique selection of Gibrans writings on the mystical union in love and marriage which he dedicated to the spirit that embraced his spirit and the heart that poured its secrets into his heart, will kindle a fire in the emotions of poetry responsive readers like Ankh fire.
The introduction by Robin Waterfield is concise but eloquent and informing. The translator John Walbridge of Indiana University, who lived and studied in the Middle East introduced G. Khalil Gibran, in a nice biography analyzing his thought, and how he liberated traditional Arabic of his time, writing in a simple diction of modern new form. He compares the passion expressed in his early writings, with the its Lebanese setting and American influence. This new translation of the gifted poet's early Arabic composition is a contemporary fresh one which reflects the original text more closely.

G. Kahlil Gibran, 1883-1931:
I encountered Gibran before appreciating Arabic poetry, as a young kid I was amazed by the beauty of his art and the romance of his expression, in 'The Prophet.' Later, I read him in Arabic, before I found out how the Libanese emigrant poet has touched the Western hearts. This collection of Gibran's early stories, parables and poetic prose, were written in Arabic before his works were translated into English, earning him the nickname 'the Shelly of the Orient.' Many Arabic speaking intelligentsia, including my dad thought he has qualified to have been a Nobel Laureate!

BOOK ARRIVED IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, AND THE SELLER DID SEND THIS BOOK ONE TIME.

Many people praise the poetry of Langston Hughes, but I believe that his prose is just as relevant in regards to social criticism, and as magnificent in form. Reading Simple's tall tales, and his anecdotes as he experienced Harlem reminded me of the stories my Grandparents told of how Chicago was during the great Northern Migration. This collection is a wonderful introduction to Jesse B. Simple

I love this book. Simple reminds me of all the men I know where there is that thin line of love and hate but you just can't help but love them and their wit. For anyone who needs a few good laughs and enjoys Langston Hughes you won't be dissapointed because Mr. Hughes truly does it all!

Collected here in this book is some of the BEST OF SIMPLE (Semple). Simple was a character first introduced in the Chicago Defender and one who quickly won over a diverse group of readers. Here you will find his talking buddy at Paddy's Bar, varying female characters who function as both pleasure and the occasional headache for Simple, and a generous offeringing of black country folk wisdom on a variety of topics, a few still with us today as when Simple first offered them up for thought. The reader piggybacks Simple through all his trials of life as a black man in Harlem and the U.S. Throughout it all, there is this inescapable sense of lonliness and despair which in the end is buoyed up with laughter, perseverance, and an eternal hope for better times to come.

James Baldwin said he could understand his father's rage and anger at whites, and, his mother's desire to build bridges of understanding and tolerance with whites through the character of Jesse B. Semple (Simple), Langston Hughes' most endearing character who is often called the black Aristotle. Baldwin's comment was perceptive because these two divergent views were embodied in Hughes himself and much of his body of work. (Hughes said that in the Simple stories it was often him having conversations with himself.) Hughes didn't hold a favorable view of whites in general as critics and others have already noted. He had too often been at the stinging end of injustice for being a proud African American while at the same time not being given the same treatment as less talented white writers within the same publishing house as himself. At the same time, unlike the rise of black militants he witnessed toward the last years of his life, he always understood that some whites where allies in a shared humanity and fight for justice with many blacks and should not be lumped into one large catagory as instigators of intolerance.

Like Simple, Hughes wanted to keep hope alive for better times ahead. The poem I DREAM A WORLD is a good example.

This is one of my favorite Langston Hughes books. His character Simple reminds me of one of my friends. Always bumming money for his vises and having women problems seems to be Simple's lot in life which he bears with hilarious results. Langston Hughes is funny as his put upon friend dealing with Simple's strange but oddly common sense philosphies about just about everything from feet to cops to women. This book is worth reading if for no other reason than that you will find that one of your friends is Simple in disguise.

Brendan Behan's memoir of his time incarcerated in England , is a comical, sympathetic and humanistic work of art. As a young IRA member arrested in Liverpool at the age of 16 in possession of explosives he demonstrated a remarkably fatalistic viewpoint for someone so young and seemed to take in the experience as an observant participant in a human drama without a hint of self pity.

As he begins in a remanded prison before his transfer to London and ultimately to a Borstal (reform school) he meets with a variety of characters both fellow prisoners and "screws" or guards and they populate his story that also includes incredibly detailed descriptions of the routine of a life behind bars.

Behan became famous as a playwright and notorious drinker in his later years and died tragically young apparently from years of heavy drinking. He is a writer of great insight and power and should not be missed by anyone interested in Irish literature.

I was epecting something a little more politically polemic or bleak, but this account is hysterically funny and inspired. Behan's writing is always vital, his grasp of dialogue perfect, but this novel enjoys a pacing brilliance I dared not hope from a playwright. Most dramatists have trouble with narrative prose because the rhythms are different, but not so with this account of his jail time as an adolescent in England.

I'm an avid reader and can't believe I overlooked this book for so long. Perhaps I dismissed Behan as a professional Irishman, known more for his carousing than for his writing. What a mistake! This memoir is profound, profane, funny and, ultimately, humane. Read this book now; you're in for a treat.

This autobiographical account of Brendan Behan's arrest and imprisonment from 1939 until around 1943 in a British Borstal (youth correctional facility)is an outstanding piece of literature.

There are four primary strenghts to this great work.

First, the language is witty, charming, and creative. I found the mixture of Irish and British male adolescent working class slang to be musical and amusing. Behan had a wonderful sense of dialogue and the manner in which young men verbally duel with each other, striving for rank and dominance and friendship.

Second, the story is unique. A 17 year old IRA terrorist is arrested and sent to a youth facility full of adolescent petty criminals. The worlds of incarcerated vs. free; adult vs. adolescent; Catholic vs. Protestant; Irish vs. English: and criminal vs. political prisoner are just a few of the wonderful tensions and juxtapositions that Behan creates.

Third, is Behan's slow pace and ability to observe the most remote details, describe them uniquely, and then weave these streams of images together to create a world and to populate it with characters that ring true with every word.

Fourth, the story is a tremendous testament to the goodness of mankind. Underneath the tensions, the rivalry, the ideology, the story reveals the simple common kindness of mankind. Brendan Behan may have evoked this kindness through his own exceptional openness and acceptance of his fellowman or he may have observed this kindness through this insightful but possibly biased vision of the innate goodness of mankind; but, none the less, his faith in our sometimes distorted and crippled species shines through the autobiography like a beacon of hope.

I wish I could have given more than 5 stars to this superb work. Don't rush through this book. Let Behan take you into his experiences and his kind view of the world of man.

There are several excellent reviews for this title, so I won't attempt to reinvent the wheel with mine.

The best I can say is that with each page of this incredible book, I find myself closer to a person I never thought I'd like, let alone truly love.

When all is said and done, Brendan Behan is not about The Cause or The Revolution or liberalism or conservatism or anything. Brendan is a human being, in it for Brendan and his best interests. But don't let this make you think that he is a selfish being. Quite the contrary... Brendan finds the humanity in others, far away from the propaganda and agendas he's been fed since infancy. And in that, Brendan finds the humanity in himself.

He's been gone now for... well, longer than I care to believe. But in this, his most powerful and insightful work, he speaks to an audience that is far from outdated, saying the things he feels and believes, with an honesty that most of us wish we had, but work far too hard to conceal. His candidness speaks to our deepest secrets, and opens up a self-awareness in those who wish to explore it.

I am an avid reader, 40 years and going... and I count this as my single favorite book. That is not a distinction given lightly.

Brendan Behan may not be here now, but his message of humanity and humor and growth is ageless. I can only hope that more people take a moment to read it.