One The Books

Senator Bumpers' memoir is truly a great read. The Senator is very candid about politics, honest about his life, and philosophical without trying to justify his actions while in office. In a day where it seems every politician running for office feels the need to write a book, Senator Bumpers has taken the time to write one after leaving public office.
On a personal note, the Senator took time out of his day to autograph a copy for me on the occasion of my retirement from the Army.
This is a very good book.

Dale Bumpers might be seen as a mixture of one part Atticus Finch (To Kill a Mockingbird), one part Jefferson Smith (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington), and a half part Abe Lincoln (at least he got the self-deprecating part).

In his memoir, Bumpers presents his life in wry strokes from Depression-era Arkansas through the Clinton impeachment trial. When focused upon the Arkansas of his youth, Bumpers' writing rings with spry anecdotes and the merriment of a man who can laugh at what was once a scandal and present rural life with a fine eye.

Unfortunately, the broad brush strokes of his gubernatorial and senate career reeks of sterilized gaps (or perhaps, hatchets slyly buried). Bumpers becomes jaded, cynical, and cautious in writing about Washington powerbrokers, condensing his memoirs into a string of dinner parties and public engagements lacking the same confessional quality. After multiple terms in the Senate, Bumpers recalls only two meaningful debates - Panama Canal, and the battle to save the Manassas Battlefield from becoming a shopping center.

Bumpers' memoir is worth reading for the depiction of the rural South and a profile of a real-life career of a grassroots lawyer who did good and made good in the first half. However, concluding with Bumpers speech on behalf of fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton during the impeachment trial is anticlimactic, and the latter section begs for the same treatment as his earlier, less public life.

Great read by someone who knows how to paint pictures with words. Dale Bumpers is a true public servant, not a politician out for fame, ego, money, and sex. I first became aware of him in a lengthy newspaper article some decades ago that gave deep background coverage to his spoken eloquence and mastery of issues, beyond that even of most Senators. I have wanted him to run for President ever since, and I think his speech in defense of Bill Clinton shows what a loss we have endured in not having Dale Bumpers as a President, particularly in light of the actions of our current President.

The Senator describes in his book how Arkansas was always competing with Mississippi in being at the bottom of the lists of good things, and at the top of lists of bad things, and how he strove to change that. I was born and raised in Louisiana, and remember experiencing the same thing with Mississippi, but don't remember seeing Arkansas on those lists frequently. I consider that to be a testament to the Senator's success in changing things in Arkansas, as he was born about 1926, and I was born in 1963.

Lets hope a generation of Americans finds this work as inspiring as the author found the words of Harry Truman to him: "You should always remember that the people elected you to do what you think is right. They're busy with their own lives, and they're depending on you.... Get the best advice you can find on both sides of the issues, pick out the one that makes the most sense to you, and go with it.... Secondly, trust people with the truth. Politicians always have a hard time telling people the truth, rather than telling them what they think they'd like to hear. People can handle the truth, and you can trust `em with it." (p. 226).

This is an exceptionally excellent book, replete with snatches of humor and wise and poignant thoughts. It is indeed a memoir rather than an autobiography, and does not dwell much on the author's illustrious career as governor and senator. The best chapters are toward the end, when he tells of his crowning achievemnet after he left the Senate and gave his superlative speech in the trial in the Senate of Bill Clinton. I am glad he set that speech out in an appendix since I had forgotten just how able it was. This book is a great book, and one can recomment it unreservedly.

Dale Bumpers recounts his formative years with honesty, verve, and a wonderful sense of humor. Sparing us a blow-by-blow account of his years as an influential member of the United States Senate, Bumpers instead gives us the gift of riding along for the journey as he looks back on his life and remembers the lessons he learned from his father in Depression-era Arkansas. We enjoy a remarkable whirlwind tour -- through high school, college and law school; through tragedy; through the years of simultaneously serving as city attorney, family hardware-store operator, lawyer, husband, and father; through the many often-zany legal cases and clients with whom Bumpers worked; and, finally, through the decision of the young, smart, and genuine country lawyer -- inspired by his father, who comes across as a thoughtful, caring, and noble man, to commit to a life of serving others -- to launch a long-shot campaign to become the Governor of Arkansas. This is not a book for Bumpers to tout his influence on policy in Arkansas, although I discovered later that he was the only Arkansas Governor of the twentieth-century who, among Arkansas political scientists, achieved the rank of "Great." (Other Arkansas governors included David Pryor and, of course, a young man named Bill Clinton.) Nor is it a bogged-down account of Bumpers' years in the Senate, although he was for twenty-four years among the most revered members of that body. Nor is it a rumination on the trends of the times or the national character, even though Dale Bumpers was repeatedly encouraged to run for president and declined in 1976, 1984, and finally for the last time in 1988. Indeed, in an age where politicians discuss their political accomplishments and ambitions at length in their memoirs, with a cloying sense of self-centeredness that encourages one to forswear the genre entirely, Bumpers never discusses the intense-but-always-fleeting power struggles that define Washington, or why he always decided against running for the presidency. Instead, the book is a reflection a long, sometimes-bumpy, but always satisfying public and private life, full of vivid images, memorable episodes, and wonderful stories.

What makes the book so appealing is its utter lack of pretense, Bumpers' genuine and unfailing respect for those who might wander across his book in the local library and spend a few moments with it. It is little wonder he always won re-election in Arkansas, despite the fact that his views tended to be more liberal than those of the state as a whole. ("Do you want to know why you always thought I was more liberal than I said I was?" he recounts asking an assembled group back home in Arkansas, as he was finishing up his last term in the U.S. Senate. "Because I was!") In an age of insta-political memoirs, Bumpers mentioned that it took him nearly four years to write the book, and it shows.

Given our disenchantment with politics these days, we are constantly looking for a man on a white horse to save our political culture from itself. One wonders, however, what our potential would be if we moved past the cult of political celebrity, and searched for a leader who was confident but genuine, talented and humble, and most of all, good and decent, with an integrity and a generosity of spirit that reminds us of the best about ourselves. In an age where we are all looking for the next John F. Kennedy or Ronald Reagan or Bill Clinton (Mitt Romney? John Edwards? Barack Obama?), you may, after reading this memoir, wonder whether we may better be served by searching for the next Dale Bumpers.

This is one of those books you look for to guide you down the true path to correct worship of The Most High.
If you have ever asked,"Is this it,is this all there is", this is a book for you.

I picked this book up while looking for more books by Pema Chodron. It was not recommended to me. I found it an astounding read. It is full of everyday useful, insightful, and spiritually nourishing information about a sect of Judaism not known to me. It is easy to read and quite inspiring. The author has started an institute that welcomes all faiths to learn more about Mussar. Everyone should have a copy!!!

This book is well written and flows. The subject will interest all those who are not afraid of introspection, who are not looking for a shortcut to a happier and fulfiling life and who have the perseverence to persist to reach a long term goal.

with, as other reviewers pointed out, a nice selection of practical exercises, like holding a rubber band or some other talisman when you get angry (to remind yourself that almost everyone gets angry and has to get over it), concentrating on one or two words when praying, and trying to think about the positive good you can help create when you are engaged in social action (rather than on who you are angry at for creating the problem).

In a world where spiritual materialism is rampant, it is refreshing to find the real thing. _Climbing Jacob's Ladder_ by Alan Morinis is an up close and personal introduction to Mussar, a little known, nearly obliterated form of Jewish Wisdom which aims in the most practical way to help anyone find his soul and then to cut through the clutter to balance and strengthen that soul by various techniques. There is no quick fix here, but what this book has to say jibes with as much as I have learned. Spirituality is largely a matter of practice. God helps those who work on their technique!  

The title of this book was the question I was contemplating of my own life at the time. Its reassuring to know that other people are too. Kari did a great job with this book,even self published, good for you and better for us the reader that you got it to print. I laughed and identified with her self-doubt and over analysis many times. But mostly I laughed. She's honest in her concern and quest for finding recognition of just what she's contributed in her lifetime and is there merit to it. The journey for both reader and Kari provide a catharsis to reconsider our definition of "mediocrity" or just getting on with life. Great things don't always happen in a big way but little by little.

Kari Breed is masterful with the quip. She brandishes it like a fine-tuned sword that has been honed by life and polished with humor.

It's hard not to laugh most of the time that you are reading this book, whether it be funny-ha-ha laughing, or oh-dear-god-I-know-what-you-mean kind of laughing. The writing is from the perspective of an average gal talking about living an average life and being okay with it, but there is nothing average about the book itself.

Her writing is to the point, very funny, and above all, very relevant. Have you ever wondered what Douglas Adams' next book would have read like if instead of dying, he had a sex change and took plenty of estrogen pills? Okay, maybe it's just me, but I think Kari's book is a pretty good representation of what I had in mind.

She makes you realize that we are not alone, that we are all indeed very normal, or at least, we are all the sane kind of crazy.

Have you ever thought "am I the only one this is happening to?" The author has a clever ability to bring humor to life's annoying nuances. There is something in this book everyone can relate to. This is a refreshing and honest funny voice on the scene today. Buy it, read it, LAUGH!

It's funny, it's poignant, it's real. And it's one of the best books I've read in a very long time, and I can see me reading it again and again.

Very funny and provocative at the same time. a must read for those who think they are normal and those who know they are not. Kari's description of her life's travel is hilarious. Looking forward to the next chapter of her life. Start writing Kari!!!

From The Rebel Housewife to One Madcap Mom...I felt an instant kinship with Kathryn Mahoney. She writes fast-paced, clever essays on universal truths and embarrassing secrets of motherhood -- and the lady is funny. From totally relate-able riffs on Reality TV, modern-day children's birthday parties, and our eerily number-ized society to WYSIWYG Woman (which I whole-heartedly support!), CRACKED AT BIRTH offers fantastic diversion and out-loud laughs to overwhelmed Moms everywhere -- CRACKED AT BIRTH would be a great gift to those women in your life.

-- Sherri Caldwell, Humor Columnist & Reviewer,
Co-Author, The Rebel Housewife Rules: To Heck With Domestic Bliss!

Kathy was funny in high school and she has gotten funnier! She is a modern Erma Bombeck. My husband picked up the book and started chuckling as he began to read. We need to keep a sense of humor in the midst of the chaos of family life. Kathy has a knack for putting the adventures into words that we all can relate to and laugh at. A great read for Moms (and Dads too!)who are trying to maintain their sanity through the ups and downs of everyday life in the trenches.

This book is just great... true to life stories with a humorous twist! A good read when traveling for any parent!

A friend gave this to me as a "baby #3 gift". It was so nice to just sit and laugh about all the craziness of motherhood. It's nice to know I'm not alone!

Some lives were just made to be made fun of. Some lives are so wacky, so silly, so undeniably cracked up, you just can't help but chuckle. Kathryn S. Mahoney is living one of those lives.

Kathryn Mahoney, who thinks she was CRACKED AT BIRTH, takes time to sit back and good naturedly marvel at the absurdity in her life. And, like the next door neighbor who keeps us in stitches with her zany tales, Mahoney shares the absurdity with us - one laughable story at a time.

CRACKED AT BIRTH is a collection of Mahoney's essays from her humor column, "Sunny Side Up," which has been running in six newspapers published by Nashoba Publishing of Devens, MA, since 2001. In this lighthearted essay collection, Mahoney tackles such hilarities as:

*Attempting yoga with children in the house

*The feeling of being invisible

*How to make your husband leave the room

*Household mishaps

*Valentine's Day romance failures

Mahoney seems to have mastered the art of being funny without being too sarcastic. Her style is refreshing and fun, and nearly all of her essays end with a feeling that, given the choice of any other life and family on the planet, she'd still choose the life and family she has. Her essays are warm and endearing, with just enough silly thrown in to make them irresistible.

While CRACKED AT BIRTH is consistent - none of her essays are weak or boring - Mahoney's funniest work revolves around her husband and the relationship between the two of them. Far be it from Mahoney to engage in man-bashing - she'd rather lovingly poke fun at the things that make her hubby so adorably male. This slant on love, marriage, and romance is a refreshing style for all those women who adore their hubbies but sometimes just can't help but shake their heads and chuckle over something they've said or done. Mahoney should follow CRACKED AT BIRTH with another humor book ("Cracked at Marriage," perhaps?) filled with nothing but marriage and romance-related essays.

Make no mistake, however; CRACKED AT BIRTH points out the sunnier side of so much more than love and marriage. Mahoney has no qualms ribbing her kids, her mother, even herself! It is this quality that gives her work tantalizing breadth.

Good for a light read and perfect for the bookshelf of any aspiring humorist, Kathryn S. Mahoney's CRACKED AT BIRTH will tickle your funny bone and maybe even make you look at your own cracked life in a little sunnier light.

This is such a wonderful story its editing flaws (lots, but not fatal) can be brushed aside. The characters are mostly familiar if you ever took studies about the Mediterranean gods--Ares, etc.,--but the main character of Niala is new. She's amazing. A goddes who doesn't know that's what she is. The visuals of this book, and the dizzying plot, and the passions (both the steamy and non-steamy variety)will take your breath away.

If you like a terrific, exciting, sexy, emotional story, get this book!

IMMORTAL JOURNEY, the DEATH of INNOCENCE
I have not been a fan of Science fiction, Westerns or Mythological books. I am too much of a snob, to waste my time reading the likes of these books. I read Death of Innocence as a favor to a friend. Much to my surprise, I had to force myself to stop reading it. I enjoyed the book so much; I would only allow myself to read one chapter at a sitting. I read three other books; during the time it took me to finish this one. I knew it would come to an end, as I read each chapter, and then set the book aside, for a day or so before getting drawn back into web of enjoyment. It was a treat and agony to sit down and read only one chapter. I have but the final chapter to read, and have put it on hold for a week now. The book sitting
next to my recliner, tempting me to finish the final pages. I DO NOT WANT TO FINISH THE BOOK.
I know the book says Volume I, But when will Volume II, be out?

I can count the fiction authors I read on one hand. I'm adding Ruth Souther to the list of James Michener and Jean Auel. Souther's slant on Greek mythology makes for an exciting read. It makes me want to review my text books on Greek mythology so I can imagine where she'll take me next. After the cliffhanger of an ending, it's the only thing I can do while I wait for the next volume. I anxiously await the next page turner, although the first one kept me up way past my bedtime. I just couldn't put it down. Thanks for a great story Ruth.

Intricately woven tale, beautifully written. Ms. Souther's use of the language transports the reader with graphic description of mythical locales. Once started, it was hard to put down. A refreshing view of the constant need for balance in the world. Looking forward Volume 2.

This book is great. Not being a fan of fantasy, I approached it not expecting to ever feel compelled to write a review. I got hooked immediately. The characters are very real. Souther makes the reader care about them, and feel sympathetic about the dilemia that each of them finds himself/herself in. As it is fantasy, the reader has to accept some "truths", in order to enjoy the book. Not a problem. I got into the parallel god world that same way I did Harry Potter's broom. The author makes you a believer. The plot is interesting and intricate, but not confusing. Her descriptions are complete without being wordy. Buy the book, you won't regret it and then sit back and wait for her to write the next one.

The story is fast and furious, but Derrick Ferguson does an excellent job of keeping the reader on track. The main character, Dillon, seems to have a ton of depth to him that I look forward to exploring in future stories. The theme and cleverness of THE VOICE OF ODIN harkens back to the great classic pulp adventures of The Destroyer.

Every now and then a writer delivers a book that is just so pure pulp, you want to clap your hands and shout hallelujah. Derrick Ferguson as a writer is cut from the same cloth as Walter Gibson, Lester Dent, Ian Fleming and Clive Cussler. He's a pulp wordsmith who spins a rollicking adventure yarn that never lets up from the first page to the last. It is clear to see in his black hero, Dillon, that Ferguson knows this genre inside out. He not only relishes it, he finds way to enhance it by upping the ante constantly.

Dillon encounters one familiar cliff-hanger threat after another in his battles against Odin, the criminal mastermind. But it is how he manages to escape each and every one of these death-traps that is fun, ingenious and totally captivating. I haven't had this much fun reading a book in a long time.

Who is Dillon? Where does he come from and how did he become such a skilled, daring, near super human hero of justice? Well, would you believe he was raised in a hidden martial arts temple hidden in the mountains of Tibet? Of course you would, if you are a true believer. Or that he possesses such arcane skills as the ability to lower his body metabolism to appear dead, only to be comfortable resting in a deep, meditative trance.

Ferguson also provides a terrific supporting cast of absolutely larger-than life, eccentric characters both good and evil such as the old Eli Creed, Dillon's one-time mentor and Chew Mi (pronounced me), a sexy oriental femme fatale whose single goal is to give him a glorious death. Add exotic locales from small English hamlets to the jungles of South America and you have a rollicking adventure romp that is highly cinematic in its orchestration.

Sadly this book was handled by a very small publisher and received very little notice or distribution when it was released in 2003. It is my fervent hope that this review will help correct that wrong and help bring it to the wider audience is so richly warrants. If you love action adventure novels with verve and imagination, you will not do better than
DILLON AND THE VOICE OF ODIN.

Dillon and the Voice of Odin is the publishing debut of author, Derrick Ferguson, his previous work found in the form of online serials. The book centers on Dillon, a thirty-something mercenary with a mysterious past who has a reputation for escaping near-death situations. After stealing a ring from a downed ship, Dillon finds himself going up against government agencies, cyborgs, and bloodthirsty assassins employed by the Order of the Black Sun and its leader, the mysterious Odin. In the process, Dillon is the one thing standing between the planet and the devastating effects of a sonic weapon called the Voice of Odin.

An action book of the highest caliber, Dillon and the Voice of Odin borrows influences from all manner of action stories across all different mediums, primarily from the pulp stories of the early twentieth century. Dillon himself pays homage to various action heroes, combining elements of James Bond with Doc Savage, a bit of Indiana Jones and a touch of John Shaft.

The plot may seem a tad unrealistic and perhaps even predictable, but that's part of what makes the action stories of this kind so much fun. It's unapologetic, and it never becomes pretentious or pretends to be something more than it is. Ferguson even pokes a bit of fun at the action genre in a tongue-in-cheek fashion when Dillon encounters an Asian assassin named Chew Mi. Dillon makes no bones about the absurdity of the character's name, saying, "you even talk like a cartoon character."

Bottom line, Ferguson knows he's here to write an action story to keep readers entertained by throwing the hero into impossible situations and watching him find a way out of them. From gunfights aboard an ocean liner being lifted into the air, to a battle on hover bikes, and Dillon going up against an attack helicopter while his land rover sits on a rickety old bridge. Ferguson never drops a beat in his crystal-clear depictions of the action. He keeps the story flowing in such a fashion that puts the reader right into the center of Dillon's antics.

For a fun action story in the realm of the James Bond or Indiana Jones films, check out Dillon and the Voice of Odin. As this is a print-on-demand book, you have to ask for it by name in a bookstore, or order it online through Amazon.com or Frontier Publishing's website: http://www.frontierpublishing.net.

I'm a huge fan of Derricks and Dillon just solidifies his place as one of my favorite writers. I have never been a big fan of action adventure books, finding that the visual description never does what it's supposed to. Dillon and the Voice of Odin is the exact opposite. Derrick manages to put the reader right into the action barely letting us catch our breaths before we are off on another adventure, running for our lives.
Plenty of characters are brought into the action and good or evil, you become attatched to each.
I think my favorite part of the book are random hidden references to some of the best cult and blockbuster movies. If you look close you'll see a few. I think my favorite is the Princess Bride reference.
I love this book and if you read it plan to just sit down and read it, don't expect to put it down and come back to it. It's adictive!

Right from the very first page you get sucked straight into the world of Dillon. Derrick throws just enough descriptions and real world locations at you, at all the right moments, to visually build a world that you can envision in print. From murking around in dank waters, to smack talk face-to-face with the bad guy, to just sitting down and enjoying a cigar, you feel right next to Dillon during every moment... almost making you wish that Derrick could create a character just for you so you could really do all the cool stuff that Dillon does in stride. Derrick creats a character that probably has influences from dozens of classic movies and comics, from the adventures of Indiana Jones, to the rich sofistication and sly mind of Bruce Wayne, the headstrong attitude of Richard Roundtree's 'Shaft', and dozen's more that'll make you go 'Damn, what else does this remind of?! GAH I DON'T KNOW!' which all comes together in a very original character... Suspense, Mystery, and Action Adventure all rolled into one tight story with enough believability, and fantasy to keep you going every page.

This book will grab your interest right from the prologue as in Claudia's own words she recounts the camping trip and the horror that followed. Claudia's vernacular "chosen family" etc. will ring a bell with those in the community. I felt as if I was listening to a friend speak of a terrible tragedy.
Claudia's wild trek out of the woods after the shooting, her vivid descriptions of it all made me ache..for her and Rebecca. Even though I knew the outcome I was still hoping that somehow it would be different......
I didnt' feel that Claudia was emotionless at all in the telling The very fact that she could speak of it, could put down in words that unbelievable tragedy speaks of her own courage and strength.
I found the book easy to read and the small breaks of the third person are actually a welcome respite from the terror.You can breathe a bit more before Claudia comes back to tell her story.
This is a page turner, real people that you come to care for and pray for and hope for a different ending.
I have never been camping and after reading this......I never will be!
Thank you Claudia for the strength to tell your story! Rebecca lives on!

Hey, I haven't read this book, giving it a five anyways and I will read it someday, but I would like to inform all who actually read this book to read "The Whole Truth? A Case Murder on the Appalachian Trail" by H. L. Pohlman. It's a book on the same case, but in an unbiased and legal view. This book is meant to show the legal workings, but it also gives you a middle perspective of what actually happened, leaving you the decision of what actually happened.

This book was a heart wrenching read. I could identify and feel for the characters. This is one find that all lesbians should have on their shelves, and that all people alike should read. The only complaint I have is that at times it seems like the main character is a little emotionless in her writing. Other than that, I would highly recommend this book.

I read this book several years ago for the very first time. Since then I've browsed through it over the years to remember how lucky I am that I was able to read it and live an activist life full of efforts to iradicate this type of violence. It was a quick read in some ways, because I didn't want to put it down; but then in some ways, it took a while to get through because I HAD to put it down. It shook me to tears. It's an emotionally charged piece of writing that is so descriptive, that I lost all concept of space and time once I started reading. I am currently a teacher at the 12th grade level and have included Brenner's story on my course syllabus in an effort to outrage and organize a new generation of peace-mongers. I hope that Claudia's story will touch them as deeply as it's touched me.

American society has the rather unfortunate tendency to shun hate crimes legislation on the grounds that it would restrict an individual's right to freedom of expression and trivialize the First Amendment. Both assertions are clearly absurd, but the nasty allegations continue. In the greatest of ironies, the "pro-family" "pro-life" relgious right will oppose this legislation because it supposedly interferes with their political activities.

I challenge anybody to read this book and then still believe the lies and distortions popularized by the right wing.Hate crimes are meant to stigmatize both the indiviuals affected and the larger marginalized group of which they are members of. Supporters of hate crimes laws are not well-heeled elitists, they are (quite litterally) the most vunerable members of society who fear for their lives.

Brenner describes how she and her lover were enjoying a wonderful day in the mountains when the later was gunned down by a homophobic peeping tom. Although she survived and the physical injuries eventually healed, I could tell that it was still very emotionally hard for her. I applaud her for comming forward and retelling her story in the hopes that future generations of Americans will never have to personally experience the same fate.

Not supprisingly, Brenner became an anti-violence activist following this incident and has appeared before Congress urging passage of federal hate crimes measures. While her story did not recceive as much publicity as the later murder of Wyoming's Matthew Shepard, she helped personalize the face of hate crime victims.

Although it was her lover who was gunned down, Brenner realized that the day after that it could be somebody else's and the ugly pattern would continue until people of all sexualities started demanding an end to anti-gay violence and taught respect for different groups.

A fun book of entertaining short stories about the people who live in the small border community of Tecate, Baja, Mexico. Good insight as the author, tho American-born, lives there on his rancho. Several surprise endings, some superstition. The first romantic tale is so engaging it's worth the price of the book.

THIS BOOK WA ASSIGNED TO ME BY MY TEACHER AND AFTER READING THE ENTIRE BOOK, THE THING I MOST REMEBER IS THE CHAPTER ON JEEMY A WHITE MALE THAT WANTS A CALM AND PEACEFUL LIFE AND HE IS RICH TOO.

I don't know when I've read a book that I enjoyed any more. After 17 years of life in Mexico, I KNOW that this author knows what he's talking about. Wonderful insights into Mexican life and that great mystery--Mexican Macho.
The chapter about Casa Grande and Casa Chica was just dead on...Makes me want to meat Daniel Reveles.

Sorry - I couldn't help but continue the conceit of the book, that this is a plate full of "chismes" (tales) from Tecate, Mexico... tales that are truly delightful to the palate.

You will meet a host of intriguing characters, from El Gato, a man who is larger than life, and resident of my favorite novela, "Of Time and Circumstance"; to Fito, who fulfills a promise in "The Man In White"; to our un-named narrator, our "servidor". Mexico and the city of Tecate are characters too. The settings and happenings are ordinary, but imbued with magic, which is part of the delight.

Another reviewer states that this isn't a true depiction of Tecate, and I have no doubt that they are correct. For instance, I'm sure the peasants aren't actually blissfully happy in their poverty. But one of fiction's jobs is to take us to places that don't exist, and in that, the book succeeds admirably. And if the stories make you want to learn more about Mexico, then so much the better!

This is probably the best author you've never read. Pick up a copy ASAP! I can't wait to get a hold of his other two books... my mouth is watering in anticipation!!!

I enjoyed the stories in Enchilada, Rice and Beans, but my favorite was the one about El Gato, who is a character bigger than life in all that we find out about him at the party in his honor. Reveles tells some good stories and I think they don't have to be super great to please the critics,just warm enough to encourage a good look at out neighboors to the South, who embrace life slightly differently in some ways, and yet just like us in others. Very enjoyable.

Recieved item on time, right when we were told it would arrive. Book in very good condition.

Tim Rasinski has successfully married theory and practice with this easy read, and included forms, resources and practical ideas that can be integrated into the classroom immediately. We purchased them for several teachers in the district so that they can get the strategies to students without delay. Strongly recommend this resource to others!

I ordered two copies. They arrived quickly and in great shape. Thank you.

This book is an excellent resource if you are teaching reading at any level. It is researched based and provides concrete, practical teaching tips.

Very practical for teachers but at the same time is research-based.

History that reads like a novel. The other reviewers said just about everything else.

This book follows the exploits of the Balao class submarine USS Archerfish (SS-311). Launched in May, 1943, Archerfish's first year of service in the Pacific was lackluster, with two skippers and only 2 sinkings to her credit. Her next skipper had earlier lost his confidence when in command of USS Dace after missing the Japanese carrier Shokaku, and had asked to be relieved of command. Archerfish was Joseph Enright's second chance. Initially Archerfish draws "lifeguard duty" for B-29 raids south of Tokyo Bay. After being released from this duty, the submarine was patrolling near Tokyo when it picked up an uncharted island on radar. Shortly it was determined that the "island" was moving. Closing in for a look, Enright ran the submarine parallel to the large, indistinct target. They determined that it was an aircraft carrier, and slowly outrunning Archerfish. Just as they were losing the race, the target turned to the west, heading directly for Archerfish. Enright submerged the boat, and continued periscope observations, plotting course and speed. Although he could not identify the type of aircraft carrier, he did draw a sketch on paper of the target. As shooting time was near, one of the escort destroyers passed directly over Archerfish, and as soon as she passed, Enright came to periscope depth and fired six torpedoes. The crew heard them strike the target, and believed they heard breaking up of the target. Initially Archerfish was given credit for sinking a 28,000 ton Hayataka class carrier. After the war, it was found to be the 72,000 ton Japanese supercarrier Shinano, built in secret on a battleship hull, and as big as a postwar Forrestal class supercarrier. It remains to this day the single largest warship sunk by a submarine.

One of the authors (Henry) served on board the Archerfish in the early 1950's, and he describes the postwar exploits. After the war the submarine was inactivated in 1946, and with the Korean War and the Cold War was reactivated in 1952. The submarine was not modernized to Guppy configuration, but rather retained her original fleet boat look. She participated in a number of operations, including making movies (Operation Petticoat), testing early SubRoc, and acting as a diving bell target in rescue simulations. The most unusual operation commenced in 1960, in which an "all-bachelor" crew was selected for an around the world cruise, termed "Sea Scan". The story was that she would make a complete hydrological and meteorological survey during the cruise, and she was loaded with impressive racks of equipment. In fact, her true mission was to submerge every 60 miles to provide a stable platform for extremely sophisticated gravimetric measurements under the oceans. Early missile launches were straying from their tracks due to fluctuations in the Earth's gravitational field. These sensitive measurements, which mapped small variations in the Earth's gravitational field, were essential for accurate ICBM targeting. To prepare Archerfish for the cruise, she was sent to the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Because of the cover story and the very limited number of "need to know" personnel, the Navy Yard assigned little priority to outfitting the submarine for the hydrographic science mission. In order to prepare their ship, the crew engages in "creative requisitioning" that is reminiscent of the better episodes of "McHale's Navy" and "MASH". We the get to follow the crew on a series of adventures and mishaps as they make their way around the globe, disguised as an aging submarine with a randy bachelor crew and a mission that no one would want. Eventually, Sea Scan takes until 1967 to complete all phases, and shortly after that, at the end of 1968, USS Snook (SSN-592) sinks Archerfish in a torpedo exercise off of San Diego. Many books focus on the exciting SSN operations during the Cold War. This book is a look at the DBF part of the Cold War, when even second line fleet submarines had their role to play. I highly recommend!

I picked this book up figuring it would be another WW11 account of a submarines' exploits then on seeing the jacket I had to find out what this sub did.......I laughed and felt fear, I felt sorrow at the parts where members of the crew left.....I can only imagine what it was like from the fires to the storms to the beauty that was there both in nature and in the closeness that was her crew...few are that fortunate to actually belong to a group of men that are all like brothers....and feel that their "boat" was in fact a living being...it must've been some ride.........

Gallant Lady traces the history of a remarkable "boat" from its WWII pinnacle with the sinking of Japanese super-carrier Shinano to the final Cold War mission.

This latter segment of the story is told from the 'rag hat' perspective and gives insights that are informative, entertaining and funny as hell.

"Rollicking" is probably the term Hollywood would use, and probably such a movie from the latter part of this book would be a hit. There is little question of the drama of ARCHERFISH wartime patrols and her singular distinction in stalking and sinking the world's largest enemy ship on its maiden voyage. Like many other accounts of submarine warfare, GALLANT LADY vividly describes the stuffy quarters, grimy tension, and grim excitement of WWII submarine life. Where the book becomes unusual is in the story of ARCHERFISH's third commission as auxiliary to a modernized fleet in which she has become an anachronism. Not intimidated by her diminishing status, she forges her own direction for the next ten years, embracing with gusto a series of routinejobs and a unique assignment that no other ship can be spared for. In the process her maverick (and envied) crew lives an experience of exploration, adventure, and hi-jinks worthy of the sea sagas of earlier centuries. No other commissioned ship of the Navy has enjoyed such a voyage, and no others are likely to. This is a fascinating tale of camaraderie and initiative in service to our country that belongs in every seafarer's locker. Frank S. Virden, Captain, USN (Ret.)