Literature Books

Fat City by Leonard Gardner is a singular masterpiece of modern American literature. I was introduced to the book by the John Houston film of 1972 which in its own right is a work of wonder.

Gardner, who has regrettably not written another novel since, tells the story of an over-the-hill boxer in Stockton, California, his brief affair with an alcoholic woman, and the last chance he is given at a bout. In a spare, flawless prose, the novelist depicts the starkness of this life which unfolds in cheap hotel rooms and bars, in third-rate boxing arenas and in the agrarian fields where he has to work as a picker to eke out a living. A scene of onion picking is often cited as an example of supple, kinetic writing at its best.

By being so specific and immersing the reader in this small world, the author manages to make devastating statements about the mercilessness of American life and even the ultimate futility of life's many struggles.

As the veteran boxer mentors a young contender who is getting married and starting his own life, the reader is given every reason to believe that the travesty is open-ended.

Fat City is a short book, so I'll write a short review. You can get a plot synopsis from the other reviewers. This is high-quality noir territory. It is 180 pages of boxing, booze, lousy jobs, poisoned relationships, and flophouse squalor. It perfectly captures the characters' desperation and hopelessness. If you are looking for a tough, lean, gritty read, then look no farther.

Fat city is a book that took place in Stockton California in the 1950's that follows the broken lives of several men who are brought together from boxing. This book is written by Leonard Gardner, a boxer himself during the 1950's. As you read through the pages a story of the lives of different men unfolds.
Billy Tully is an out of shape boxer who gave everything up because of long losing streak and the painful divorce with his wife. Living off of almost nothing he decides he wants to go back and try to fight. While training he meets a young boy named Ernie Munger who has a natural talent for boxing. Ernie wants to be a boxer so bad that he trains day and night letting nothing get in his way. In the middle of his career he gets his girlfriend pregnant but tries his hardest to stay in the life of boxing. While following the characters in their lives this book goes though the struggle of each man and illustrates how they react to their failures. In this story the women are the cause of problems between all of the unhappy boxers; a problem that cannot be fixed.
Some chapters in the story are dedicated to small parts of other men's lives such as the trainer and the opponent, letting you understand the story from both sides. Although these men are brought together by boxing the book is about these men doing what they can do to survive. From boxing to farming this book accurately covers the actions taken to survive. Although the book can be slow at parts over all it is a quick read.

I read Fat City sometime in the mid-sixties, when it was first published, and was immediately captivated and envious of Gardner's powerful style and talent. If you appreciate and admire Hemingway or Steinbeck you will likely feel the same about Gardner, who, unfortunately, has not published anything since. Perhaps this small gem of a book was the only one he had in him. Even so, this novel is a remarkable accomplishment and may well become an American classic. What intrigues me the most in this work is that Gardner gets it all down right--the sights and smells and sounds of the seedy streets and flophouses; the drifters and dingy diners; the sweaty gyms, barsweeps and whores and how it is to work as a stoop-laborer in the fields, especially the true-to-life characters inhabiting the pages. Fat City is simply a well-crafted execution of art throughout and is as pleasurable to read now as when I first picked it up years ago.

Short novel, published in 1969, about two boxers, Billy Tully, who is 29 and down and out, and Ernie Mugger, who is 18 and up and coming, two versions of the same man, in some respects. Terrific skilled prose, short chapters, switching points of view between these two main characters and an assortment of other minor characters. The author takes you inside the characters' deepest despair or elation. How simple the author makes it look, one thinks, reading this book. But of course it is not. The prose is precise and honed, and looks easy only after who knows how many drafts. There are only 18 or 19 short chapters, and much of the novel is dialogue. But somehow one comes away with a panoramic view of Stockton, California, this woeful place, and the people the inhabit it - the immigrant fruit pickers, the bartenders and bar girls, the hobos on the street. The descriptions are compact and dead-on. About Billy Tully's hotel room: "All his neighbors had lung trouble." One could quote sentences from this book almost at will, the prose is so spare and perfect.

That the author never published another book, and that this was his first, is incredible. To write this cleanly and confidently, he must have practiced and studied for years. Yet to never do it again.

This was my kids favorite bed time story for a long time. And I must admit one of my favorites too. Although watch out for the whisper/shout page at the end of the book, it is very easy to get the kids all riled up just before bed time. Great book, we often give it as a gift.

I got this book for my nephew's birthday (he was turning 3) and he really loved it. It's really something fun and different for kids and all the parents were even entertained by it! I have had a hard time finding these books in bookstores, so I'm glad I've been able to purchase them on Amazon. I would definitely recommend this book for the little ones.

I had a couple of the Saxton Freymann books hanging around the house from my teaching days (Dog Food and How Are You Peeling). My 4 year old twins found them one day and loved them. I ordered them Food for Thought for Christmas last year and it is still a highly requested bedtime book. I love looking at the pictures as much as they do! It is amazing how they accomplish this using only food items.

Another picture book from the creative minds of Elffers and Freymann. This one illustrates concepts (shapes and colors, numbers and letters, opposites) with big, bold, and colorful photos of fruits and vegetables carved and combined into expressive faces and adorable animals and scenes. Each page is a new puzzle: H for Hair is easily identified as a leek (you might have to explain 'leek' to a child), root end up, but what are the 'insects'? (blueberries with onionskin wings). The humor may occasionally go over a child's head (look at X for X-ray) but that doesn't matter, he will still love identifying the fruits and vegetables the characters are made of. This is a wonderful book for group reading, children are captivated by the colors and illustrations and the large format makes it easy to see even for the children toward the back of the group. If you've liked others in this series you won't want to miss this one.

It's got a little bit of everything--fruits & vegetables, colors, shapes, letters, animals, opposites. Even adults will say "how imaginative!"

I can't imagine a better guide to Shakespeare than this. It's like a "for dummies" book, but better. The author covers just about everything, but she never bores you. In fact, I could hardly put this book down.

After a very lively introduction (about Shakespeare's life and the Globe theater), the author lists the plays in the order in which they were written. She divides them into four groups: the romantic comedies, the historical plays, the tragedies, and the romances. Then she tackles each of the four groups, writing about some of the plays. She tells you why the play is famous, she covers key characters (like Falstaff), and she explains the controversies that surround some of them. (For example, the charge of anti-Semitism about Merchant of Venice.) She makes a point of not covering every play --- if she covered them all, the reader would eventually lose interest.

Instead of getting bored, you are starved for more. The book is packed with trivia and intelligent observations. The author isn't shy about the sex and violence in the plays, either, which keeps things interesting. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants an overview of Shakespeare's work. If you don't know about his plays, you probably want to, but you need a guide that was written specifically for you. This is the book.

I mean it. It really is.

Norrie Epstein, who also brings you _The Friendly Dickens_, has produced an absolutely unbelievable wealth of information involving Shakespeare's life, work, and times, all in an extremely readable, interesting, and -funny- way. If you ever thought Shakespeare was unapproachable, you thought wrong. _The Friendly Shakespeare_ takes everything your high school English teacher said about Shakespeare's elegant and classy prose and throws it out the window, showing Shakespeare's work for what it really was: sex and violence - extremely graphic sex and violence, filled with the ultimate bawdy talk and most injuring insults ever to be seen in English. It takes the sentimentality out of Shakespeare, making it as unclean as it always was, explaining out-of-date references and slang that would otherwise mean nothing to the modern ear but made a great deal of sense for the Elizabethans.

Epstein explores almost every possible aspect of the Shakespearean world: examining each play and its virtues and downfalls, delving into the twisted world of Elizabethan culture, discovering Shakespeare's life (and the mystery as to whether Shakespeare was who we think he was, or a pseudonym for any number of other writers, or if Shakespeare stole credit), interviewing actors and directors, the zany adaptations and unusual performances by unlikely actors, and reviewing the many film versions available on video. Nearly every page has a marginal tidbit with a quote or statistic or other little-known fact about Shakespeare's world or productions of his plays. Just from flipping randomly through the book, you could learn more about Shakespeare than you thought you ever wanted to know.

Being a student, I can say that _The Friendly Shakespeare_ is the finest reference for students - whether or not they have an interest in Shakespeare. Everything is presented in a fresh, exciting manner, and for those "experienced" students who have a passion for Shakespeare, it isn't "dumbed down." This isn't _The Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare_. It provides both the basics to get those non-enthusiasts going, and some extremely thought-proviking information for the veterans. Never once is Epstein's text dry or boring or overly wordy, like people expect most Shakespeare studies to be. Nor is it childish or pathetically simple.

What I love most about this book is how it really breaks through the stereotypes and barriers that most teachers have set up, making students HATE Shakespeare - they oversanitize it, making it pretty and beautiful, they oversentimentalize it, making it weak. Shakespeare's plays would not have lasted so long if they were just attractive poems about love. Certainly not. _The Friendly Shakespeare_ takes us back to the true Shakespeare, the Shakespeare that the original audiences must have seen - the gritty, dirty, audience-pleasing text, from the sexuality of _Othello_ to the extraneous gore of _Titus Andronicus_, to the often hushed-up fact that the sonnets were written to another man and not a woman.

Yet Epstein never makes it just about the sex and the violence - she does not deny Shakespeare was a genius of words, as he truly was. She just makes us more -aware- of his genius, for no true genius was ever all fluff and flowers. She tells us -why- he was brilliant, not merely saying he was because popular opinion states it. And after reading this book, you'll understand why, too. And you'll think Epstein is a genius as well for bringing us such a fantastic reference.

I recommend _The Friendly Shakespeare_ to everyone - students, adults, actors, directors, teachers, the veterans, the novices - it will inspire, it will enamour, it will delight, it will shock, and most importantly . . . it will make you love Mr William Shakespeare the way he -should- be loved.

+++++

This book's preface instructs, "Don't feel compelled to read this book from cover to cover" since it's meant for reading at a relaxed pace. Guess what? I DID read it from cover to cover!!

Why did I do this? Here are my reasons:

(1) THE AUTHOR'S WRITING STYLE. The author, Norrie Epstein, writes in a relaxed and leisurely but enthusiastic way making a somewhat difficult subject easy and enjoyable to read. She writes for the intelligent, common reader who's tired of technical, academic (and patronizing!!) jargon.

(2) THE BOOK'S ORGANIZATION. The book progresses logically with general comments on the works of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) to discussing the man himself to looking at the Elizabethan stage and then lastly discussing the plays. There is also a discussion of the Shakespearean sonnets. Finally, there is a fascinating end-discussion on the spin-offs that have resulted from Shakespeare's works (for example, music and films).

(3) DISCUSSION OF PLAYS. Not only are the popular ones discussed but the more obscure plays are also given attention. The plays discussed are as follows: eight romantic comedies, eight histories, one "problem" play, seven tragedies, and one tragicomic romance. All discussions are EASY to follow. And don't worry. There are NO boring plot summaries of the plays to read.

For many of the plays, there is a "What to Look For In" section. These informative sections highlight what is particularly significant in a play. As well, a major Shakespearean character of a particular play may be highlighted and given more detailed attention. For example, there are good, solid discussions of Shylock and Falstaff.

(4) ILLUSTRATIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS. These are peppered throughout the book. I especially liked the black-and-white photo of Patrick Stewart ("Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the starship Enterprise") dressed up as Shylock.

(5) SIDEBARS. These also occur throughout the book. They highlight interesting bits of information that the author wants to bring to the reader's attention. One of my favorite sidebars is an open letter a critic of the 1600s wrote to Shakespeare entitled "As I Don't Like It." He commented on why he didn't like the play "As You Like It" (one of the Bard's best plays).

(6) INTERVIEWS. These are scattered throughout the book. The author interviews people (such as actors) who have a passion for Shakespeare. Notable interviews are with Kenneth Branagh and Ted Lange (of "Love Boat" fame).

(7) TRIVIA. And lots of it!! This Shakespearean trivia occurs throughout the book. For example, what does Shakespeare's epitaph say? Or, what Shakespearean character was Orson Welles' life ambition to play?

Finally, the big question: who is this book written for? Answer: for both novices and Shakespearean scholars--in short, everybody who is interested in the Bard.

I must confess that I thought I knew a lot about Shakespeare and his works. Was I wrong!! This book opened my eyes to how much I did not know.

In conclusion, after you read this book, you'll probably be like me and say, "What a piece of work was this man William Shakespeare!"

+++++

I bought this book based on the reviews at Amazon, and am very pleased with my purchase. I have "The Complete Works" of William Shakespeare, but it wasn't really complete until I bought this book.

Although this is billed as a book about Shakespeare and his work for people who don't like it (of which I am definately not numbered), I learned a lot about the plays and the periods in which they've been performed since to make this book worthwhile. For example, I hadn't known that the sonnet sequence for the most part is from an older man to a fair young boy. This isn't the idea of some fringe group either, but accepted by most Shakespearean scholars. Knowing this fact can certainly add a different level of meaning to many of the sonnets ("Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?").

Aside from the increased knowledge I gained of the texts, this book really helped me place the work against the time period that it was written for, and how people have viewed it since. Ms. Epstein's best analogy for aiding modern readers in grasping how Shakespeare was viewed in his day is comparing him with a writer for TV (strangely enough, a Twilight Zone episode did this as well). People who went to the Globe in 1600 went to see a "All in the Family Royal" or a "Three, Well That's Company" starring their favorite actor, Richard Burbage. The writer? Do you know who the writer of your favorite TV show is? Will "Cheers" be the "Much Ado About Nothing" of the 24th century? Or, even worse, will "Married . . . with Children"? (By the way, if you have any interest in Shakespeare, I strongly recommend Kenneth Branaugh's new version of "Much Ado." While Keanu Reeves is stilted, and Michael Keaton possesses Dogberry with the spirit of Beetlejuice, for the most part the film is a joy, especially any time that Branaugh or Emma Thompson is on the screen.)

Rather than summarize the plays (which only details the plots, which quite often weren't of Shakespeare's invention), Epstein attempts to comment on the play, quoting critical and personal reactions. She also presents some small interviews with some of the most famous Shakespearean's living, about parts and plays most commonly associated with them. I was disappointed because the book was incomplete. Although I agree with her dismissal of "Julius Caesar," she only goes into detail on "The Tempest" alone among the romantic plays, and misses quite a few of my favorite comedies as well. The books is quite a brick as it is, but this is due more to the large print and often wasted space between sections rather than the amount of words contained.

I read The Friendly Shakespeare from cover to cover, but it is well suited to be picked up and read from anywhere within its pages, most sections being only two pages long. For the bardolator and bard-avoider alike, Epstein's book is a lot like her subject--entertaining and fun, with enough serious matter for later contemplation.

Friends till the End Review


Julie Ojeda Nin did a phenomenal job breaking into the literary industry with her very insightful debut novel "Friends till the End". There was never a dull moment in this novel, the characters are so real and the story line went above and beyond. The book had so many twist and turns that at the end you will be left guessing. I had the opportunity of meeting this phenomenal writer, Julie is very down to earth and very passionate with her writing. I rarely meet writers that is so passionate, and write what they feel. She calls herself a feeling writer, which adds another category to the literary scene. In this novel, real live characters, intense plot, with so much details you will actually think that your taking a ride with the characters.


In the late 1979 when Sandra abruptly taken her two daughters young Jessie and her older sister Ashley from their grandmother's house in Bayside, Queens to the Patterhouse Housing Projects in The Bronx.

At the conclusion, this story touches on a lot of emtional, draining, realistic and memorable characters. It will make you cry at some part, and angry at another part. I rarely find a story that is based on so much reality that society in general try hide. People to stero type the "GHETTO LIVE", however, you have to be in their shoes. Its not Ghetto Living, its Reality, our children are struggling and have to live in this type of neighborhoods. They have to survive, young mothers, singles mother, fathers, and family have to teach their children how to survive, and push them to getting and education.

Unfortunately, our children some times don't make it to their teenage years, do to all the killings, drive by, drugs etc., what society fail to recognize is that its just not happening in the Urban areas, its also happening the the Surburban area. Julie Ojeda Nin, is an amazing writer with the love and support from her family and friends, she will be on her way to main stream surely but shortly. If you haven't picked up this book, then what are you waiting for, hurry up... You won't regret it!!

*** BE ON THE LOOK OUT FOR THE SEQUEL OF FRIENDS 'TIL THE END ***

Born and raised in the Bronx I was able to understand Friends Till the End. We had the pleasure to meet Julie Nin this past weekend at our monthly book club meeting. Definately a page turner. I would and have recommended this book. Kudos to Julie!

DEFINITLEY A PAGE TURNER.

This book was chosen by our book of the month club.

At our meeting, we had the pleasure of meeting Julie. She was gracious enough to attend our meeting, and provided a real person account of the story she wrote.

Growing up in the South Bronx, I could relate to some of things that go on in this story. Many of the stories of life in the South Bronx (the projects, during the late 70's and early 80's) were reported in the TV news and papers, but the real experiences of living in the South Bronx are told in vivid color by this insightful, scary and, at times, sad book that is totally honest.

If you ever lived in the Bronx, or in any urban center, you'll find yourself and your neighbors in the pages of this book: just don't be surprised at what you find.

Another survivor

This no holds barred story of a young girl forced to experience more than one should at her age is a compelling page-turner that I found satisfying and enjoyable. Written in a gritty in-your-face manner, the author takes you through the trials and tribulations of Jessie aka "Black" Jessie, a teen living in a Bronx housing project. Though faced with many adversaries, Jessie remains strong and uses past experiences to learn how to deal with the present.

Giving the reader emotional involvement is the key to creating an interesting story. New author Julie Nin has succeeded in doing so through her protagonist, "Black" Jesse. Jesse is a lovable "heroine" that incites compassion and an overall concern for her well being. The story was paced well and very realistic with memorable characters and unsuspecting sub-plots. Friendship, betrayal, murder, and rape are just a few of the dramatic happenings that take place in this urban drama with a Hispanic twist.

At the conclusion I was pleasantly surprised to find that there would be a continuation, because we found out just the right amount of information in this first installment. It was the kind of story that made me want to turn right around and pick up part two. If Julie executes her sophomore work in this same fashion...there's a good chance that we will be - friends til the end!

Englishruler
ARC book Club Inc.
Star Rating 5 Stars.

This story starts out in late 1979 when a young Jessie and her older sister Ashley, are abruptly taken from their grandmother's house in Bayside Queens to the Bronx by their mother Sandra.
This new location namely The Patterson Housing Projects was to be the new home for this single mother and her two daughters.
Of course Sandra had to go out and work leaving the girls to go to school and Ashley to prepare dinner once they got home.
This was a big change for Ashley and Jessie and they soon learned that they would have to toughen up if they were going to survive in this dangerous neighborhood.

But things start to change when Ashley disappoints her mother and is separated from Jessie. Jessie is attacked almost everyday on her way home from school by some tough black girls who thought they could intimidate the Puerto Rican Jessie; but Jessie fought back earning respect in the neighborhood and friendship from two black sisters Shaqwana and Kim who stood up for Jessie and lived in the same building. As Jessie mother frequently worked long hours Jessie found herself spending a lot of time with Shaqwana's family which she didn't mind as she loved their mother's soul food; that earned her the name "Black Jessie"

Jessie becomes familiar with the hood where she meets Rosa and Elaine and the three make a pack to be "Friends "Till the End".
As the story heats up these three friends are each put through trials and tribulations which expose them to money, sex, drugs and death. But will they be able to stay friends once their loyalty is tested?

An excellent debut novel!!! I recently met author Julie Ojeda Nin and what I liked about her was she was very passionate about her work and was able to tell me about her book without giving away the story. Kudos to Julie for this powerful read and I wish her a bright future in the literary world!


Locksie
ARC Book Club Inc.

This book has beautiful pictures and a Bible verse which relates to each wise trait that is mentioned. It was a great purchase.

My son is not even two yet and this is one of his favorites. I have read several "Proverbs" to him from the book every night for the past 6 months or so and now he asks for the book before nap time too! If I forget to read it to him before bed, he reminds me by saying "boys." The pictures are fabulous and because the proverbs are made into poems, it's appropriate for even very young little boys. I am thinking of buying a copy to take apart and frame some of the pictures (& poems) for his bedroom. If you're looking for a book that teaches great character, you've found it!

Incredible pictures! Excellent wisdom for young boys...reminds us of character qualities that are lost in this day and age for males!

This is an outstanding books for little boys! I've given two: at each of my grandson's baby dedications. It has a place to write a special message to commemorate the date and occasion for giving, and I think it is a book that will truly grow up with the child and be a treasured keepsake. The illustrations are beautifully rendered in soft watercolors and has that old time look of little boys in days gone by. The values reinforced here (whether you are Christian or not) are what we all desire for our little men to learn so that they will grow up to be men of character. FIVE STARS!!!!!!!!

This book is great with beautiful illustrations. I would love to purchase a second copy just to frame the pictures! This book can be read, just one character trait a day or as the entire book. I like it as a book to help emphasize good behaviors. The book is very much enjoyed by my child.

Once you get past the strange layout (described in other sections), this is a great edition of Henry V. It is easy and fun to read and offers valuable insights (not just for students either). Well worth a flutter.

This play is best known for the St. Crispian's Day "Band of Brothers" speech given by King Henry just before the battle at Agincourt. It is a powerful speech that rallies people at all times and everywhere. Sir Lawrence Olivier made a film version in 1944 during WWII and Kenneth Branagh made another as recently as 1989. You can count on there being more versions. Epecially so when computers can help them make spectacular battle scenes (that aren't really in the play) with less expense.

Audiences love this play and they should. There is a lot to like and enjoy. I think upon repeated readings Henry becomes a more equivocal character than he seems at first. And readers of the King Henry IV plays will know him before he became King Henry and know something deeper about his personality.

And of course there is the whole bit about the drive to France being sponsored by the Church to avoid confiscation of property by the Crown. Moreover, there is the slaughtering of the French prisoners, and his treatment of Falstaff (who dies offstage in this play). This isn't revisionist stuff, it is right there in the play, but it is easy to miss the first time you are trying to take in the play.

In any case, this Arden edition is the one to buy and read from. Why? Because it has the most authoritative text, but that is only the beginning. It also shows variants between the early sources. The notes at the bottom of each page of the play are simply fabulous. The editor includes not only helpful notes explaining what might be obscure in the text of the play, he provides sources Shakespeare probably used such as Holinshed and makes for some very interesting study. There are also some helpful notes on how various scenes have been performed over time.

And to make this sound more like an infomercial, you get more! The introduction provides great background material on the play, its sources, and how it has been performed throughout history. After the play, there is a photo reproduction of the first Quarto from 1600 and it is fairly readable. There are also a couple of maps showing the path of the English Army from Harfleur through other towns on its way to Calais and makes clear how they had to pass through Agincourt.

There is also a helpful genealogical table so you can see the confusing claims used by Henry and the French nobility to make their claims. And there is a doubling chart so you can see how theater companies can perform all the roles with fewer actors.

This is a great edition as are all the plays published by the Arden Shakespeare. The amount of work collected in these volumes is stunning and they will enrich your experience of the plays tremendously. I can't recommend them enough.

This play more than any others in the histories glorifies Englishmen and England. His characters in this one are larger than life, but each has their own limitations and flaws. The play covers the time of the Battle of Agincourt when the French King Charles was so sure of victory that he sent a messenger to Henry to ask him to give up and to pay a ransom before the battle. On the eve of the Battle of Agincourt, the English were outnumbered five to one, Henry's troops were on foreign soil and riddled with disease. The scenes where Henry dons a disguise and goes out amongst his troops to bolster their confidence are great. The English managed to triumph in this battle where all was stacked against them mostly because of Henry's leadership. This is such a sweeping story that it is hard to condense in a few words, the plot of the play, but it is a wonderful example of Shakespeare's skills as a writer.

'We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.' What more need I say? Henry V is an imortal classic of western literature. And this edition is complete and accurate. See the film if you want, but be sure to read the words at least once. They are inspiring.

"Now, if these men do not die well, it will be a black matter for the King that led them to it."

Particularly poignant poetry in these times of pompous presidential sabre rattling and wars based on questionable facts.

My son was given this book as a baby. I used to read it to him all the time and he loved it!! Now he is 9 years old and reads it to me!!

Our daughter was given this book before we left to moved to our new duty station. She loves it so much and so do I. Our friends wrote on the inside that no matter were we are in the world they will alway promise to find her. This book shows the love a mother or father would do to find their missing child.

I bought this book for my four year old son when he was only two, because the artwork was captivating, and the storyline was sweet and easy for him to follow. He got to know it by heart and for a while insisted on touting it everywhere we went, and would "read" it to himself. I lost count of how many times we've read it together. He's four now and it's still a favorite among others. I'll have to replace it soon, because it's so worn out... and that's when you know you've got a great book.

I purchased this book for my little sister in 1998. I wrote an inscription in the front promising her that, no matter where she goes, I promise I'll find her. I'd since forgotten about the book until my sister passed away a few weeks ago and her teacher told me that she had just read the book to her the day before, including my note to her. I now have the book in my possession and it will forever be special to me knowing that, although I'd since moved out and didn't go home to visit nearly enough, she was still reminded in my absence how much I loved her.

For me, the most touching stanza of the book is:
And if I had no other way,
I'd walk or crawl or run,
I'd search to the very ends of the earth,
For you my precious one.

This is a great gift for anyone with whom you'll always share a special bond.

I really liked the fiction book I Promise I'll Find You. It had beautiful pictures, and on each page there's a little doggy and a kid for you to find in the picture. It's a very touching and comforting book. I hope to see more books like it in the future.
By Emily, age 8

Working with kids is great...yet if you don't keep them occupied at all times my job description would be zoo keeper, not Elementary Art Teacher! At first, Sarah Perry's book "If..." served as a functional time filler. I knew the kids would get a kick out of the wonderful images! I introduce the book and the kids are still a bit restless and and not totally convinced that the art teacher is reading a book. Isn't that the librarians job, they think as they roll their eyes. I open to the first page and read,"If cats can fly..." their heads turn and their rolling eyes become transfixed on Perry's beautiful illustrations. I turn the page and by now the audience is silently screaming for more!!! By this time the students' teacher has come to pick the kids up from the art room, but instead of lining up the class, she has pulled up a seat to listen in on the fun! Nine times out of ten, when I am finished sharing the book, the students ask me to read it again. The kids walk out of the classroom with a smile on their face and their imaginations zooming!!! Parents stop me in the hallways to speak about the delight their child experienced when I was reading the book! I give the credit to Sarah Perry! Thank you Sarah...this functional time filler has become an imagination can opener!!!

This book is so beautifully illustrated and the ideas it presents are really fun. We got it as a baby shower gift and it immediately became a favorite of my husband and mine. Now my 2-year old loves to pour over the illustrations and giggles at the silly ideas. It's a book that I know she will keep into her adulthood.

My grandson who is almost four loves this book. He packed it to bring back to Me Me's when he spent the night.

The book, "If" is a great one for teachers to teach the trait of Ideas. Wonderful illustrations!

I have this book. I LOVE it. Sarah was a neighbor and kindred spirit who lived near me in Southern California. She gave me a signed copy as a going away gift when we moved last July. It is one of my treasures. From the adult point of view as well as the view of a professional artist, I found it totally delightful. Each picture deserves a dedicated block of focused attention. There is such detail and well thought out, enlightened imagery in each and presentation. Children are captivated and entertained for hours by this book as well. "IF" is a wonderful choice for any age. For those of you who own a copy of Shel Silverstein's "The Giving Tree", or Margery Williams' "The Velveteen Rabbit", and would like something equally inspiring, this book should be very high on a recommended list of "must-haves". Smart, sassy, challenging on many levels.

My daughter had been looking for this book for some time after seeing it on Reading Rainbow TV show. The book is fun for her (5 yrs old). Great buy at a great price.

I have an autographed copy of this book, and from the moment I read of a little girl with antlers, I was hooked. Years later, this story still captured me, enough that when my husband asked me what we would name our new little kitten, I piped up with "Imogene!". It fits, believe it or not, some of the time! This book I talk about with all the childhood wonder and love, and reverence due to it. Its the most wonderful book to read to a child, and the ending is just as fun! Too bad David Small hasn't written another book to follow up! I'd buy it in a heartbeat!! I treasure this book and I CANNOT wait to read it to my children!

This is a darling book! David Small has created such a lively story and pictures that my children have loved. We raised 4 kids who are now teenagers who fully enjoyed this book; they first saw it on Reading Rainbow. Now, we're starting over with a new baby who will undoubtedly wear out her copy of this book. As a former English teacher, I can say with authority that this is a childrens' classic and a must-have.

Our Daughter loves this book!!! Her Daddy is a deer hunter so seeing a little girl grow antlers is really funny to her!!

This book has received great reveiws far and wide. I hate to admit it, but I just don't see why. The protagonist, Imogene, wakes up with a set of antlers on her head. To many of us, this would be a big problem. But, Imogene doesn't seem to mind all that much. Her family, however, hates the whole idea. Now, in most children's story books, the protagonist is faced with a certain conflict and at the end of the story he/she has solved it and has grown somehow from the experience. In this story, Imogene isn't bothered by her problem and does nothing at all to solve it. In fact, the problem solves itself. She wakes up and voila, no more antlers. Instead, she had grown a new problem. (Another that she doesn't seem to mind.) In no way do I see that either Imogene or her family has grown or changed in any way. I admit, some of the situations are comical and in their own way pull the book along. But again, there is no solution to the problem and I have issue with that.

I'm quite impressed with the author's memories of her mother and how she uses that as a base to help others get in touch with their own loss. Writing down family stories is so valuable to the one recalling the memories and to others in the family who read them. Remembering food, our mother's activities in the kitchen, what we shared together there... these are all powerful memories.
The author gives the reader the tools to get in touch with your loss and grief and to heal through your memories and writing. Through memories the person is still a part of our life.
The sections are titled:
Where to Begin: Follow Your Senses
Keep the Memories Alive: Laughter Is Good Medicine
Look for the Lesson: Hindsight is 20/20
Treasure the Touchstones: Make Rituals from Memories

Does the smell of baking bread take you back to a familiar kitchen? Does the first snowfall of the season remind you of holidays past? Robin Edgar shows us how to use these memories to reconnect with our past as a way to heal our present and preserve precious family traditions. In My Mother's Kitchen is a rich medley of Robin's own recollections of life with her mother. Each section of the book is followed by a set of practical exercises aimed at assisting the reader with the delicate mining of memories and the careful excavation of the attached emotions. "Your memory is like a muscle", the author tells us, "the more you use it the stronger it becomes." And like any good coach she leads us through the calisthenics that will get our memory muscle back into top form. If your goal is to preserve family history, work your way through bereavement, or recognize the value of the people, places and things that have shaped your life, this workshop in book form is a great place to start.

Robin Adelman's storytelling flare is what lures us into this very helpful guide to remembering. In a pragmatic (workbook format), yet sensitive way she turns us inward to the stories that bring lost loved ones back into our consciousness and back into our hearts. In My Mother's Kitchen teaches us to tell our stories, painful or peaceful, happy or sad. Because telling our stories bears our souls, we become transformed in the process. Robin took me to places that I had forgotten to go. Read this book and become nourished In My Mother's Kitchen.

Better than grief counselling, or assistance with medication, In My Mother's Kitchen is a must for every bookshelf.
Healing by reminiscence created by the author, is a unique method of dealing and overcoming grief, and loss.
I was priveledged to have had a personal encounter with Robin and her book, at the time of my Mother's stroke.
In My Mother's Kitchen has helped comfort and humour me through this difficult period, and I regularly reach for the book in times of need.Thank you Robin.

Robin Edgar's book is a comforting, charming memorial to the loving relationship she had with her mother. It could have been just that and still be an enjoyable read; however, Edgar takes the reader further by suggesting rituals to call up special times with a lost loved one and exercises to help one write family stories.

In My Mother's Kitchen can be read in a single sitting, yet it is worth returning and savoring the memories which Edgar's reminiscences trigger. She writes of her mother's disapproval of the young Edgar's experimenting with makeup. I immediately recalled my own father telling me, "Wipe that lipstick off your face. You could paint the side of a barn." I imagine many women have a similar memory which is a great story to pass on to our daughters and granddaughters. Or don't they wear makeup anymore?

Edgar writes of her mother's illness when Edgar is fifteen, and of her mother's struggle for the next ten years. However, this is not a sad story. Instead, it is a celebration and a savoring. Each vignette is charming within the four chapters: Where to Begin: Follow Your Senses, Keep the Memories Alive: Laughter Is Good Medicine, Look for the Lesson: Hindsight is 20/20, and Treasure the Touchstones: Make Rituals from Memories. I felt that the author was talking to me.

The book has been used by families in Hospice and grief counseling situations. Joy Johnson, founder of The Centering Corporation, a bereavement resource center, in her foreword calls In My Mother's Kitchen one of her favorite tools.

This is a gentle book for pleasure now, and for healing when we need it.

Reviewed by Judith Helburn
For Story Circle Book Reviews
www.storycirclebookreviews.org
reviewing books by, for, and about women