Oliver Books


Books-Under-Review-->Arts-->Movies-->Titles-->O-->Oliver
Related Subjects:
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250
Oliver Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

Oliver
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
Published in Paperback by Penguin (Non-Classics) (2007-01-30)
Authors: Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
List price: $15.00
New price: $6.00
Used price: $5.00
Collectible price: $15.00

Average review score:

Xcellent book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-11
I have told everyone I know who reads a lot to buy this book. It is very good

Three Cups of Tea
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-11
Excellent book. Gives an amazing view of the country of Pakistan and Afghanistan and its people. Greg Mortenson is one of a kind with his single-mindedness and determination. Many young people, especially girls will have a chance at an education because of him.

Development and Professional Tea Drinking
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-09
Greg Mortenson is an American who was raised by missionary parents in Tanzania. These parents left a legacy in Africa of one of the best hospitals led by African Doctors and a leading international school. They also modeled to a cross-cultural son about aiming high. Greg became a nurse who loved mountain climbing, dreaming of one day also conquering K2.

This is the story of his near fatal attempt to climb that mountain. The failure led him on another journey: to a very poor village in the Karakoram mountains and to the conservative Muslim tribal worlds of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Greg, emaciated and exhausted from his failed attempt, is taken in by a local family and nursed back to health. During his recuperation, he hears of some of their dreams for their village and makes a promise to return to build a school for their girls.

The name of the book derives from what a local village chief said, "Here (in Pakistan and Afghanistan) we drink three cups of tea to do business; the first you are a stranger; the second you become a friend, and the third, you join our family, and for our family we are prepared to do anything--even die."

Greg is thrown into another cross-cultural world that is far different from his world in Africa. It is a world of tribal chiefs, imams, the poor trying to survive in incredible circumstances and the impact of poverty upon the lives of children. These people wonder why an American would make a promise that looked so impossible to keep and how this turned into Greg's destiny.

'Three Cups of Tea' is a story of wisdom learned from the local culture over the centuries. It is seeing the practical difference that education makes in the lives of poor villages of Pakistan and Afghanistan one school at a time. It is a story of deep, lasting cross-cultural friendships in a world that has been defined by its geo-political and religious divides. Read it and weep......Read it and get involved.

poorly written, great story
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-08
What a tragedy that such an important, enlightening, and inspiring story was written so poorly. I actually didn't get past page 15 because I just couldn't stand the run-on sentences any more. Everyone in my book club loved the book but for me, the way a book is written is just as important as the story itself, and when I have to stumble over every other sentence because it's so awkward, it ruins the experience for me.

CAPTIVATING!
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-08
THIS BOOK IS A MUST READ! It makes you want to get up and make the world a better place!!! It is amazing how many lives Greg Mortensen has changed for the better. You are missing out if you do not read this book! Please pass it along to others~!

Oliver
Eagle Strike
Published in Audio Cassette by Walker Books Ltd (2003-04-07)
Author: Anthony Horowitz
List price:

Average review score:

Best of the Alex Rider series
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-22
This book is one of the many Alex Rider books; this is defiantly an action thriller. This takes place all around Europe from Venice to England. Its theme is about a young teenage spy who has to solve mind puzzlers to saving damsels in distress. It starts in a little town in Europe when Alex and his new friend Sabina are on a vacation; But Alex ends up seeing Yassen Gregorvich, the man who killed his uncle. After Alex sees this man everything starts to go wrong. The adventure involves a famous singer named Damian Cray; this man is also the man who made the new game system called the Game Slayer. This seems nothing more then a way to make money for Cray but really it is really to fund Cray's evil plan.
One part of the book that I think you will really enjoy is a chapter called "Pain Synthesis". This chapter is when Alex has to face real challenges that are in a video game for the Game Slayer. Also Alex has to face a deadly python, gods, flying spears and electric vines.
The climax is at the end where a crazy super star is in control of weapons of mass destruction. The turnout is incredible on Air Force One. But I can't tell you the turnout you have to read the book to find out what happens.

Nice book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-22
This is a compelling, shocking, and thrilling book. this is about Alex Rider a teenager being forced to do spy work again to save his friend but this time he must do it alone. This is an action/adventure/suspense/thriller fiction novel. Four and a half stars out of five because, it had nonstop action and kept me guessing what was going to happen next throughtout the entire book. people wgi enjoy Darren Shan or Christopher Polini will enjoy this. tgis is a wonderful read for people of all ages.

Eagle Strike is awesome!!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-30
I read all of the Alex Riders (not including Snakehead)and Eagle Strike is the best. It has so much action from start to finish. The best part is when Alex is thrown into a real life replica of a violent video game. It's so good you won't be able to (willingly) put the book down.

Best book I've ever read
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-09
Bought this for my very active 12 year old (kiteboarding, surfing, skateboard, video game enthusiast, and musician) who has not been particularly enamored with reading--considers it "not fun" --like going to the dentist. He says he couldn't put it down. Read it in 4 days during the school week. Claims it's the best book he has ever read. Granted, hasn't read many, but getting him to enjoy a book this much is a major victory. He wants me to get all the books in this series.

A Review for a Very Good Book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-26
"Eagle Strike" is an amazing book. I have read it many times and every time it is just as intense as the time before. The book is very well-written, with graphic descriptions and intense sequences where you don't know what is going to happen next.
Alex Rider's resourcefulness is amazing and definitely very handy in tight spots, such as the time when he took wire and half a spear and tied it to look like he was impaled in order to trick the guards who were trying to kill him. I wouldn't have thought of that.
Another interesting aspect of the book is the villian. Damian Cray is a man who has good motives but bad ways of accomplishing them. He thinks that the ends justify the means, (spoiler alert) but using America's nuclear weapons to blow up all drugs isn't a very nice idea.
This book puts a new perspective on the life of a spy. To Alex, the people at MI6 are cold, manipulative people who will do anything to get their way, and they just want to use Alex to accomplish their dangerous missions. Also, any person in the organization is portrayed like other adults in the series and won't believe kids when they tell them that an extremely famous and influential person is an insane killer.
"Eagle Strike" and all the other books in the Alex Rider series are very well written, and I can't wait for the newest book to come out.

Oliver
Push Not the River
Published in Paperback by St. Martin's Griffin (2004-09-01)
Author: James Conroyd Martin
List price: $14.95
New price: $3.84
Used price: $2.69
Collectible price: $14.95

Average review score:

Couldn't put it down!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-14
This book is a page-turner right from the beginning. I loved reading in this time period when men spoke to women like this (from page 23):

"See the two meadow flowers, the yellow and the violet? One is as different from the other as day from night. Yet who will say that one is more beautiful? Oh, a fool might. But only a fool... But do you know what may determine the desirability of one over the other?... The fragrance!"

Be still my heart! If you love that kind of subtle romance, you will love this book.

Anna shows such strength despite the overwhelming tragedies (one after the other) she faces in her young life. And even though she is a Countess, she is very down-to-earth and sensitive to those "under her" although it was a no-no for those of such high society. Her tenderness and innocense makes her so very likable.

The book goes back and forth between family life and what's politically going on in Poland during the late 1700s with the underlying romance throughout. You're always wondering about what will finally happen with Jan Stelnicki. At no point was this book boring!!!

I loved it.

Wonderful and compelling storytelling
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-07
I loved this book. There are so few novels on the market about Poland and Polish history (I don't know of any others!). This is indeed a rare find. The characters are well developed, the descriptions of locations and activities are wonderfully detailed and passionately written. The setting and content about the significant historical moments are woven in expertly. It really is a history lesson embedded in a very fast-moving and dramatic story. Yes, sometimes it may be a bit overly dramatic, but I really enjoy that rich, gossipy style. So cool that it is based on REAL journal entries. These characters come alive and will stay with you well after you are done reading. Great ending, too.

Looking forward to reading Chrimson Sky.

An Historical Fiction Treasure!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24
I found this historical fiction text to be absolutely enthralling! It has not only provided me with hours of enjoyable, page-turning reading, but has also given me great insight into my Polish ancestry and heritage. The strength, spirit, and heart of the Polish people--MY people--is wonderfully portrayed within the pages of this book. I'm so looking forward to receiving Mr. Martin's sequel, Against a Crimson Sky. I'm sure I'll not be disappointed!

Push not the river review
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-22
I found the book very engaging. I loved the characters and can't wait to find out what happens next.

a lush, rich story
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-19
This is the best book I've read in a long time. Martin's vivid descriptions and the depth of his characters made this book an incredibly interesting and fulfilling read. I could not put it down. I love "Push Not the River."

Oliver
The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict
Published in Audio CD by BBC Audiobooks America (2008-05-01)
Author: Arbinger Institute
List price: $29.95
New price: $19.77

Average review score:

The Anatomy of Peace
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-09
This book does not teach you to slow yourself down it teaches you how to deal with your life in a better manner while still maintaining the pace you wish to live. This is a life changing read and I also think if you are in business you should read the Self Deception book by the same author(s). You will not find a better read even for someone who hadn't finished a complete book since college (yes many years ago), I read them both in less than a week. Good Luck (this will help)

Kevin Eliason
Lakeside Mortgage

Excellent!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-28
I just finished this book last night. Hard to put down. Well written and easy to follow, using a fictional narrative to teach principles of avoiding conflict.

Set in a treatment program setting, several people discover how they are destroying their relationships with their children/co-workers. The reader learns first, how they are wrecking their relationships; second, how to view themselves in a different way; third, how to change AND maintain the new outlook and heal broken communication lines. The Change Pyramid at the end was very helpful.

Essentially, all this boils down to the Golden Rule and loving our neighbors as ourselves. Where people go wrong is seeing where they fail in this setting. This book, a sequel and a much better personal substitute for "Leadership and Self Deception" gives practical advice and entertaining examples that many could relate to on some level.

The Anatomy of Peace
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-23
This is a must sequel to Leadership and Self-Deception. These two books have been of the most influential books I have ever read.

One of the best books ever!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-20
I had never heard of Arbinger Institute, but this book was highly recommended by someone I trust so I ordered it and read it! It was fabulous - I will never see people the same again! It is very well-written in a story format, which is easy to read and understand!

At first I thought I had a heart at peace, but as I read the book I learned all the ways that my heart was at war. It also told what you need to do to get your heart back at peace. It also teaches the importance of seeing all people as people, and not objects. When we start seeing people as objects instead of people, our heart is at war.

I will never see myself or others the same after reading this!

Great Follow-up book to Leadership and Self-Deception
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-27
This book is a great follow-up to Leadership and Self Deception: Getting Out of the Box.

The book is actually a prequel to Leadership and Self-Deception, but I enjoyed reading The Anatomy of Peace second because it expanded on the back story of a book I already love.

The book expands the philosophy presented in Leadership and Self-Deception from a business and home focus to a much larger scale spanning nations and races.

A very enjoyable read. I highly recommend it.

Oliver
Sudden Troubleshooter (Gunsmoke Western)
Published in Hardcover by Chivers North America (1993-03)
Author: Frederick H. Christian
List price: $14.95
Used price: $72.99

Average review score:

Number 1
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-13
I love western novels but I have never read a western novel to beat those of the Sudden series. I started reading those novels from my early teans and to this day I never stopped for I have read those that I have over and over again. I used to have the whole series but over the years with friends borrowing I am reduced to eight - Marshal of lawless, Rides again, The law of the Lariat, Plays a hand, Takes the Trail, The Range Robbers, outlawed and Makes war. I wish I could lay my hands on the others especially Sudden, Goldseeker, Strikes back, Goldseeker, Deal or Alive, Apache Fighter. If anyone has those and to sell please contact me for I would love to own them again.

Sudden The Best Of All Westen Characters.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2003-12-03
I've read all of the Sudden Books as a pre-teen and teenager back on my island in the Caribbean. Simply the best. I looked beyond some of the controversial words and focused on the storyline. Not to make light of some of the language used.
I had all of the books and loaned them to friends, never to be returned.
I am now trying to start my collection all over again and it's costing me a fortune. No Sudden novel is a bad novel.

Sudden - absolutely the best !
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2004-02-29
The entire series "Sudden", by Oliver Strange is undoubtedly the best Western series I have ever encountered in any form. Its been at least 20 years since I've read a copy, but i still feel that high level of excitement that I felt back in high school when I was addicted to the series.
Unfortunately I no longer have any copies of this great novel and I would like to purchase the whole series from anyone out there who would like to sell their copies. Please email me at harveylevers@hotmail.com if you are able to help me !

Sudden books for sale!!!!
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2004-09-29
I loved the Sudden series when I was a boy - and, aged 45, I still have hung on to all 15 of them. They have survived wave after wave of book culls - so they must have something special about them. I too wish some publisher would reissue them all with quality covers. I have the Corgi edition with Sudden in bold and really good cover illustrations - some of the later editions were'nt as attractive.

I have 'spare' copies for sale of Sudden Makes War (Corgi, 1963 -good condition); Sudden Marshal of Lawless (Corgi 1963 - fair condition - slightly torn pages); Sudden Rides Again (Corgi 1975 edition, good condition); and Sudden Takes the Trail (Corgi 1969 - half front cover misssing).

Darn best western novels-entire series ; all 15 of them..
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2003-08-27
My biggest hero-"SUDDEN"- since i was just a kid,devouring all 15 'sudden' books from o.strange/f.christian.Funny thing ,since i left them all back home in Guyana when i migrated to New York some 27 years ago, i thought i'd be able to accquire all of them here -big mistake- didn't realize these precious books were actually published in the UK and sadly they are no longer available anywhere.In these troubled times the world need someone like Jim Green alias "SUDDEN" with his quiet cool,sobering demeanor,cocky confidence and deadly accuracy with his two tied down six-guns,shooting from the hips and one by one' slowly but surely eradicating all the varmints and sidewiners thus giving back towns/cities to the righteous, law-abiding and god fearing folks rightfully what are theirs: freedom,peace and happiness and a bright future for our kids . Any one of u "SUDDENITES" who has some extra copies of sudden, a sho' am glad to do business with u and am mighty oblige .I still don;t see the big deal with the hero 's horse name n---er ,aw shucks well lets' rename him TRIGGER or somthin . Seems like all around me i hear the n word being used so loosely by the same people who is making a big stink about a silly horse name whose storied episodes were written in a time when there was no political correctness .Lets' start a "SUDDEN" society and see if we all can be a hero and try to save these really great books from going to 'PURGURATORY ' so lovers of sudden can once more feel and re-live those glorious moments in days of old of the wild west. Methinks mebbe some publishers who've seen all these glowing reviews can find a way to get these golden oldies back in circulation if only for a limited tme so i can get me the entire collection once more and treasure them for what they really are ,just plain ole fun reading that helped build character and discipline in me .. S'long partner...

Oliver
Cook with Jamie: My Guide to Making You a Better Cook
Published in Hardcover by Hyperion (2007-10-02)
Author: Jamie Oliver
List price: $37.50
New price: $21.94
Used price: $21.52

Average review score:

excellent book!!!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-25
I never expect that this book would be so big, it is heavy, but it covers everything
you can know about kitchen and cooking. Great book!

Every guy should have this book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-13
I've seen many cookbooks and this is the first book where I'd like to try every recipe! I'm basically a meat and potatoes kind of guy and every dish in this book appeals to my tastes. I'm taking foods that I eat all the time and making decent improvements to the way I prepare them!

Jamie does catch me off guard on occasion though where he says to whip things up in a food processor... I don't have one of those yet! But I've found that it tastes just fine if you just chop everything up finely with a knife!

This book is also great to experiment with some foods you may have seen, but never ventured to purchase for home cooking... Now I know what to do with squid, butternut squash and, if you dare, rabbit!

Jamie describes his favorite recipes
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-29
I just love to watch Jamie on his BBC program, and this is the first of Jamie's books that I've purchased. (I'd now like to order one more of his famous books).

Anyhow, what I simply love about this particular cookbook are all of Jamie's wonderful HINTS and GOOD INFORMATION that Jamie lays out for the reader at the very beginning of each Chapter and also within each sub-category.

Because I've seen Jamie on TV so many times, I am very familiar with his (rather cute) lingo, such as "dollop" and "knob",for example. His lingo does not turn me off,as some have stated, but rather, I like his way of speaking because it makes Jamie seem more REAL to me! .....And because Jamie projects such an approachable personality, the readers (and TV viewers) are, of course, instantly drawn to him and his cooking style.

YES, there is a photo of every single recipe, and YES, that is a good thing!....As another commentator stated, "there is alot to be said for photos of every recipe".

Some of the recipes would be hard for a beginner to duplicate , or even to comprehend. For example, "The Squash Sage and Amaretti Risotto" would be a difficult recipe for a beginner cook to visualize. Yes, the photos are tantilizing, however, some of the combinations may be hard to phathom (from a novice cook's perspective). Another example is the "Squid with Black Pudding stuffing and sticky tomato sauce" (hum???), or the "Perfectly Cooked Crispy Duck with Spiced Plum Chutney". Would a beginner "get it" or be turned off? (Just something for beginners to keep in mind).

However, if a reader of this book has seen Jamie actually cook on TV and has seen how his chosen flavors can actually "work", then MOST of the recipes in this book are very doable,FUN,and exciting! These are some of my favorites:

~~Summertime Tagliarini , p. 68
~~The best Onion Gratin, p. 333
~~Must-Try Red Cabbage, p. 358
~~Overnight SLOW Roasted Pork, p. 174
~~Rib Roast, p. 154
~~White Fish, p. 222
~~Black Cod, p. 226
~~Lemon Drizzle Cake, p.383
~~Easy Shortbread, p. 412
~~Schnitzels, p. 182
~~Baked Ham Shanks, p.162

excellent book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-23
I am really enjoying this book. Jamie uses a nice, easy to understand conversational style to describe his recipes and techniques. He makes cooking sound easy (which it is!) and uses mostly easily accessible ingredients. His passion for food shines through every page.
This is a great book for beginners, as well as more experienced home cooks. The recipes work well and definitely inspire to change things up every once in a while.

Review - Cook with Jamie
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-13
The intention of this book is to be a beginner's guide for cooking, and it is just that. The book allows you to cook with confidence because you finally understand why certain things are done and why they work so well. Although this is a beginner's guide, it should not deter seasoned cooks from reading. There are many great and handy basic recipes that it remains a book that every cook can enjoy. As a bonus you can enjoy Jaime's excitement about the joy of cooking and using quality ingredients.

Oliver
Thirst: Poems
Published in Paperback by Beacon Press (2007-09-03)
Author: Mary Oliver
List price: $14.00
New price: $3.75
Used price: $3.70

Average review score:

Phenominal!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-21
This is a phenominal book of poetry that both the novice and seasoned poetry reader will enjoy. The poems are filled with palpable imagery and the rhythmic genius that I have come to expect and crave from Mary Oliver.

Superb
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-19
From one of the foremost poets writing in the English language, this is a superb collection of poems reflecting the concerns of loss, faith, beauty and the human condition.
Buy it, read it, savour the power of a writer at her peak.
Beautiful, beautiful work.

Excellent poetry
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-14
I so loved this collection of Mary Oliver's poetry. This is my first introduction to her work and I found it amazing. I was so moved by her poem, "When Roses Speak, I Pay Attention." I read it over and over to let it really sink in.

an oasis in a mad,mad,mad,mad, world!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-12
This was our introduction to Mary Oliver. This lady has an amazing ear for words and eye for the natural world. My husband and I both read it from cover to cover in one sitting and indeed found precious moments of calm and tranquility in a stressed out world. You might look at things a little differently after reading this book. We bought copies for our friends and family for Christmas.

How Grief Edges Joy
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2008-01-07
Live long enough, live deep enough, and you will find, as Mary Oliver does in these 43 poems collected in "Thirst," that all grief edges joy, all joy is edged by grief. It is only in a deep and courageous immersion into life, and perhaps also that place beyond life, that one can fully experience this wonder, a kind of yin and yang, the light beside the shadow, phenomenon that is living with thirst, quenched or unquenched.

There is nothing pretentious about Oliver's poetry. She is simplicity and purity itself. Thirst is how she approaches living, and now dying - in her expression of grief for the loss of her longtime life partner. This does not change how she approaches living, only intensifies it. "My work is loving the world," she writes in her opening poem, "Messenger." She observes the world, then observes herself in it, part and parcel. "Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums./Here the clam deep in the speckled sand./Are my boots old? Is my coat torn?/Am I no longer young, and still not half-perfect? Let me/keep my mind on what matters,/which is my work,/which is mostly standing still and learning to be/astonished."

Much of this collection is Oliver's conversation with God having a conversation with her. Their dialogue is filtered by nature, where everyplace is a place of worship and every living thing ministering to her and she reciprocating. Her dogs speak of unconditional love and simple acceptance, an exchanged gaze with a snake is looking into the eyes of divinity (and not the darker side). Praying can be done through the weeds in a vacant lot. The words do not have to be elaborate, Oliver writes, "but a doorway/into thanks, and a silence in which/another voice may speak." This same sentiment is echoed with utmost simplicity in the poem, "The Uses of Sorrow" - that a box full of darkness given to her by another can also be a gift, a richer blessing.

When you think you cannot go closer, or dive deeper, or come up into brighter light, as Oliver writes in her poetry - you can. Just when you think Oliver cannot elicit more beauty out of the everyday word - she does. We thirst for more.

Oliver
New and Selected Poems
Published in Library Binding by Bt Bound (2001-03)
Author: Mary Oliver
List price: $25.05

Average review score:

Mary Oliver Poems, Book 1
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-24
A must to complete the set. For some reason, I bought volume 2 first. As an aficiando of Mary Oliver, I am very happy to have both volumes now.

Relaxing, absorbing poetry
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-07-14
I love Mary Oliver's poetry - it always puts me into a better frame of mind, and makes me slow down and breathe. Her poetry is so lyrical and evocative, I am transported straight to the wonderful natural world, and am able to view my struggles and petty difficulties through a calming and peaceful lens. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, and to anyone who hasn't yet fallen in love with poetry - Mary Oliver is one of the best poets ever, in my opinion!

Mary Oliver's Poetry
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2007-05-12
This is a collection of her poems, old and new. She is an outstanding poet, and one cannot do better than have her book of poems by your bedside, to read before going to sleep or when you awake in the night, or first thing in the morning.

Be Ignited Or Be Gone
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-10
The Pulitzer Prize winning poet, Mary Oliver, finishes her poem,"What Have I Learned So Far" with the line, 'Be ignited, or be gone.'To me, this conveys the passion she brings to life and poetry. What comes through clearly in her poems is her reverence for nature.
New and Selected Poems, Volume Two, is a moving collection of her past works combined with many new poems. There is a Zen isness that permeates her work.Haiku like parsimony with no embellishment. Nature does not need anything extra. For example, writing about what she saw after a storm -
And this detail: the body of a duck, a golden-eye; and beside
it one black-backed gull. In the body of the duck, among the breast
feathers, a hole perhaps an inch across; the color within the hole
a shouting red. And bend it as you might, nothing was to blame:
storms must toss, and the great black-backed gawker must eat, and
so on. It was merely a moment.
I recently saw Mary Oliver at the 92nd Street 'Y' in New York City where she was reading from this collection. See her if you can. She reads as she writes, with dignity and with passion and wisdom. This is an extraordinary collection of poems.

Mary Oliver is magical
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-17
I have about 5 of her poetry books. I feel that her poetry has gotten more and more beautiful over time, and believe that this collection is better than Volume 1. Mary Oliver is definitely my favorite poet - much of her writing is about a thirst for growth and spirituality, and finding peace in nature and love (friendships and relationships). I have given this book to a number of friends, who are also touched by her gift of expressing the unexpressable. Some of my favorite poems in this book: the Percy series (her dog), Why I Wake Early, and The Whistler.

My other favorite book of Mary Oliver poems is her most recent one: "Thirst". It deals with grief at the lost of her long-time partner and is quite beautiful. For those looking for a really good book of poems in general, I *definitely* recommend "Good Poems," compiled by Garrison Keillor; and "Risking Everything: 110 Poems of Love and Redemption" compiled by Roger Housden. Enjoy!

Oliver
Defying Hitler: A Memoir
Published in Paperback by Picador (2003-08-01)
Author: Sebastian Haffner
List price: $15.00
New price: $7.88
Used price: $4.95

Average review score:

An Amazing Unfinished Memoir
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-13
Sebastian Haffner's "Defying Hitler" has an ambitious initial scope - to chronicle the rise of Hitler from 1918-1939. The memoir is "unfinished" in that the narrative leaves off in 1933 as Haffner put down writing the manuscript with the advent of World War II and never came back to it. Haffner's son, Oliver Pretzel ultimately had the work published after Haffner's death.

Even in its "unfinished" condition, the work is a masterpiece. Haffner's purpose is not to excuse the average German in germany to succumbing to Nazism and to Hitler but rather to EXPLAIN the phenomenon. Excusing it would simply be post hoc. Explaining it serves the additional function of future application.

Defying Hitler was a difficult thing to do in practice. One could certainly not do so in public. The repression of Nazism in Germany was all the more pervasive by its reach into the private sphere and by doing so, obliterating the prior German distinction between public and private. The only safe way to defy Hitler was, ultimately emigration.

Haffner's narrative is frank, honest and ironic. It was a joy to read.

Finally, a word about Robert Whitfield, the reader of the Audio edition of "Defying Hitler." I believe there are instances in which the audio edition of a work is equal to or superior to the printed version. These instances of "audio excellence" are directly related to the quality of the reader. Robert Whitfield repeatedly accomplishes "aduio excellence." Whitfield's diction is spot on, his tone fluctuates to match the text. If the text is ironic, so then is Whitfield's tone. If the text is frank, so then is Whitfield's tone. If the text contains italics for emphasis, that emphasis is contained within Whitfield's voice. In short, his contributions always enhance a book and never detract from it. For other texts read by Robert Whitfield, I would recommend Bleak House by Charles Dickens, and The Abolition of Man & the Great Divorce: Library Edition by C.S. Lewis.

Defying Hitler
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-06
Amazing book! Proves that not all Germans were rabid Nazis. A personal journey through a unique perspective on how and why the Nazis were able to assume power, as well as why the Germans were unable to stop them. Highly recommended!

What would it have been like to live in Germany during Hitler's rise to power?
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-30


This is the story of Sebastian Haffner, a man who lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power. I loved hearing the story from the perspective of the average German. I can't imagine living in such tumultuous times, but reading this book gives me a glimpse. The best part about it is the fact that it tries to answer two very important questions: how on earth a regime like the Nazis could rise to power, and how almost the entire nation where corrupted by them. It's a wonderful story that I would recommend to anyone that is the bit interested in that period. Remember, it's by understanding the past that we can best keep from repeating it.

Necessary to understand past and present
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-31
Excellent book on the rise of the Nazis by an author with a very humane and sensible view of life who lived through the events. Haffner gives voice to the average Germans who witnessed the rise of Hitler and did not approve - the majority, as it turns out - but who could simply not make sense of the madness around them nor could they find a way to realistically oppose the Nazis.

Haffner's narrative is often touching as he discusses personal events of his own, friends' and family's, illustrating how the sphere of their private lives was affected by politics. The result is that it reads like a 'non-fiction novel', and one extremely relevant for contemporary world events.

It is a pity that Haffner never actually concluded the book. In the last section, his son briefly explains what happened after the abrupt ending of the narrative, thus we miss the detail and richness that Hafner's own perspective would have undoubtedly provided. Still, it is an unmissable book, packed with lessons for present and future generations.

A gripping account with deep human insights into a fascist takeover
Helpful Votes: 9 out of 9 total.
Review Date: 2007-11-09
This is a powerful story of the rise of the Nazi movement with scary parallels to modern day events. The question has often been asked how the Germans could allow this to happen and Haffner does an amazing job at describing how. Along with a controlled media, one method was to turn the volume of fear and intimidation one little almost imperceptible increment at the time. Most people just laughed at the antics of Hitler and his crowd in the beginning, but by the time that people caught on to the seriousness of the issue it was too late. By this time many secretly just hoped that it would go away like a bad dream, but history tells a different story.

The difference with this book is that it is told from a very human perspective from an ordinary German who was living through those times and who saw the transformation of German society and social interaction.

Along with this book I would recommend the movie V for Vendetta (Two-Disc Special Edition), and the book Political Ponerology (A Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes), which describes the process by which a society is taken over, and by what kind of people.

Those who do not learn from history are bound to repeat it. This book is an important book to read so as to be better able to read the warning signs before it is too late.

Oliver
Simple Justice: The History of Brown V. Board of Education and Black America's Struggle For Equality
Published in Hardcover by Knopf (2004-04-13)
Author: Richard Kluger
List price: $45.00
Used price: $41.84

Average review score:

Simple Justice: Masterful Story Telling of Historical Events
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-12
have a problem with using words like "brilliant", "masterful" and "intelligent." But willing apply all words to this brilliant book, masterfully research and intelligently told.

The author gives a very full and complete treatise on Brown versus the Board of Education, but of greater interest, he writes of all the history that lead up to the ruling.

An exceptional book chronicling an extremely important issue in our country's history.

one of the best books ever written
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-08-07
This is certainly the best book ever written -- the best book that ever will be written -- about race, law and American society. It is a remarkably insightful history and one of the most stunning existing examples of narrative journalism. It is a masterpiece.

Moving and Informative
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-07
I'm a fan of nonfiction works and this easily moved to my top 5 favorite books. When I was growing up there were no courses on the contributions blacks made to America. There was no black history month. And I was cheated. I'm a 50+ white woman who lived through desegregation and had no clue that it was a struggle. I honestly don't remember a time when my elementary classes were all white but they must have been. I do remember clearly when my elementary class stopped being all white. That was when Richard Harris became my Batman buddy. On the aftenoons following the show we would go to the neighborhood soda shop and have a coke and discuss all the action of the previous evening's show and check for new Batman bubble gum cards with the intensity that only 5th graders can bring to such an important endeavor. It felt normal to chat Batman with Richard; and I'm so sorry for all the children that had such a dumb practice as segregation rob them of those moments.

This book read like a thiriller for me. Couldn't put it down. Underlined and highlighted parts. Read other sections out loud to my husband and to some friends at work. This is American history. Everyone should have the opportunity to learn about the value of education, the value of varied experiences and the perseverance to acquire the rights that should never have been denied to the black people. It's made me hungry to know more and I'll be keeping my eye out for other works by Kluger. Excellent author.

Compelling and original arguments and a fresh analysis of America's black & white race relations
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2005-08-13
I just finished this book, A Simple Justice, and it is fantastic. It's the story of Brown vs. The Board of Education of Topeka, which is the landmark Supreme Court case that desegregated compulsory public schools in America. But it's so much more than that. After reading this book, I felt almost ashamed of my previous ignorance to the struggles and condition of black america at the hands of almost everyone else in the country. It is comprehensive in its scope and perspicacious in its analysis, sparing no feelings on either (or rather, any) side. I believe myself to be, for the most part, a judicious man when it comes to philosophical or sociological observations, but Kluger was able to open my eyes to angles I had previously missed on issues I thought I had resolved long ago. So if you're not too scared of big books, this one's worth the time.

Separate but Equal is Inherently Unequal
Helpful Votes: 6 out of 6 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-09
Long a mainstay of every 1L's pre-law school summer reading list, SIMPLE JUSTICE is more than a retelling of the tortured history of the landmark cases now known collectively as Brown v. Board of Ed. It is more than a retelling of the agonizing struggles of both gifted and ordinary people---black and white and every other---to reverse the four centuries of racial disparagement that make up the ugliest of all underpinnings of the American Experiment. What SIMPLE JUSTICE is, is an exhaustive sociological history of race relations in the United States to the 1950s.

It is a book every American should read. The endemic quality of racism in the American psyche is so overwhelming that it is easy to lose the human element. SIMPLE JUSTICE restores that element with sensitive, intelligent writing, exhaustive and documented research, and a tone which is pitch perfect, strident when need be, reasoned and thoughtful throughout. Ultimately optimistic, SIMPLE JUSTICE will renew your belief in the American system even while tempering it.

In it's retelling of nightmarish incident after nightmarish incident (the explosive and hideous lynchings are often easier to understand than the equally hideous and more subtle segregation and caricaturing that endured for, it seems, ever), SIMPLE JUSTICE shows us an America riven by its view of itself as a noble nation being eaten by the canker in its soul.

Although many Americans now consider race discrimination passe, it is not so hard to see the continuation of a pattern of violence toward blacks and the denigration of the black experience, even today. And yet, there is more, for not only are Black Americans denigrated, but White Americans as well, both suffering because this nation is only a fraction of what it might othewise be.

SIMPLE JUSTICE is a crucial Civics lesson. Read it to learn. Read it to know. Read it. Read it again.


Books-Under-Review-->Arts-->Movies-->Titles-->O-->Oliver
Related Subjects:
More Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250