Q Books

i have not yet received my book and i purchased it more than a week ago. i need it for a class. its very disappointing

I ordered my book on the 28th of May. It is the 28th of June and I still have not received my book. I have sent the seller numerous emails. They say that they will send it out but they have not done so yet. My class is already half over. I would not recommend buying anyhting from seller "Tagmir".

I appreciated the thought and careful attention to detail that was put in this CD suite. Our students took quite well to the techniques and made progress quickly.

I'm an extremely mad that I have not received my book yet. I ordered
that book on January 8, 2007 and I have almost had to drop my class
because I have not received the book. This is absolutely ridiculous and
I want a some sort of refund. This book has caused many problems and I
payed over $50 to recieve it two weeks ago. I WANT SO DISCOUNT AND I WANT MY BOOK!

i really liked the books. it was a new package as promised and also delivered on time.
thank you.

This is a good survey of American foreign policy since 1938. It can be dry at times since it is dealing with policy but I highly recommend it. Stephen E. Ambrose co-wrote it so you know it must be pretty good. I recommend this because many Americans now adays don't really know much about America's foreign policy and how we became a hegemonic power. If you are interested in American foreign policy since 1938, then this is the book for you.

Ambrose's writing is so fluid and exciting that the book reads more like a novel than a history book. A great read.

mr. ambrose has always been an easy target. he's overextended they say. well, after reading this pile of words, i'd reduce ambrose to a decent intro to the topic. if you'd like an overview of events during america's rise to superpower status, flip through these pages and consider his editorials lightly. the events are indisputable and his spin is helpful. ambrose is like water on a paper towel. give this book to young students who express interest in american foreign policy during the 20th century. if they indicate an interest, start pursuing other tomes, written by legitimate historians well-versed in their subjects.

This book started out really well. Ambrose did a good job of laying out the history of America's global relations. Like a good historian he pointed out the facts of what happened. He gave credit where credit was due but also gave appropriate criticisms. Yes it is easy to look back and criticize but he did so evenhandedly so that students could learn.

Somewhere in the book the tone changed decidedly. Instead of pointing out what was good and what was bad about the presidents and their policies the book started taking on a definent slant. Where one would have at least expected some criticism of Carter you got only defense. At one point the author's only justification for Carter not being all that bad was that Nixon was bad too. This sounds like playground logic if I ever heard it.

I went through the book and found something out that I did not know when I purchased it. Rather than two authors collaborating on one piece the actually wrote separate parts of the book. Originally written by Ambrose the book was later revised by Brinkley who obviously is nowhere near the historian that Ambrose was. A good historian can turn their personal feelings aside and look at things objectively, Brinkley is not one of them.

The book was five stars up to the Nixon years when Ambrose was clearly writing. 0 stars are attributed to the op-ed portion that marks Brinkley's contribution.

This is a great book for those looking to understand the United States' position in the world today. Ambrose and Brinkley are two critically acclaimed authors who have an excellent grasp on America in the 20th century.

The current edition of the book covers the period from 1938 to the first Clinton administration. The authors provide a good explanation of all major military conflicts and foreign policy decisions the U.S. made during those years. Note, however, that this book only covers U.S. foreign policy and deals very little with domestic policy and events. Ambrose and Brinkley do an excellent job connecting major themes in American foreign policy, such as containment and the Truman Doctrine, to the actions Presidents and Secretaries of State and Defense made.

The book is an excellent overview for casual readers and historians looking to understand American foreign policy over the last sixty years. Sentences are kept brief and to the point. The chapters flow with a good narration of events and in a chronological order. Ambrose and Brinkley, while not providing a bibliography, do provide some good suggestions for further reading. Overall, this is an excellent starting point for casual historians and students of modern U.S. history concerned with foreign policy.

It is a classic and, therefore, deserves a close reading. Norton editions are great. The text size is good, the print tends to be first-rate, and the critical essays usually include classic essays and major critics. This doesn't strike me as being worthy of the "A" list of literature, but that is a prejudice. I can't really accept any genre lit on the list, including detective, gothic, or science fiction. It is an interesting sample of this period, but I didn't get a lot out the the book itself. For one thing, the atmosphere of doom and gloom doesn't work for me. Everyone is sick and morbidly depressed and sad. This is not explained and I don't think one can easily guess. The writing works, sure, but I don't find the prose style uplifting or thrilling, as writing. The story is very familiar. As a child of the 60s, I remember well watching reruns of the classic film on TV. It is hard to divorce the brilliant film from the wordy novel. The film has some brilliant set-pieces. The novel has a lot in it and it certainly can and should be read at multiple levels, but in the end it is Victorian intellectual thought of the low order. There are other, better thinkers and novelists of far greater talent.

This is a classic and that is the reason that I read it. I liked the movie but the book is a whole other experience. I liked the format; I like the style; I liked the prose; I liked the intellectuality. I really didn't analyze it. I just read it for the fun of it. It was good. It was fun.

The chronological table in the back of the book helped me situate Mary Shelley within the time of the writing of Frankenstein. Percy B. Shelley's critique of the book, published after he died, was interesting. I liked the Criticisms in the back of the book. Most of all, I loved the Being Frankenstein created. This is the saddest, most thought provoking, book I've read in recent times (even though it's old).

Mary Shelley was the daughter of the famous feminist and author, Mary Wollstonecraft, who is best known for her work The Vindication of the Rights of Women. In Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, a young university student, Victor Frankenstein, obsesses with wanting to know the secret to life. He studies chemistry and natural philosophy with the goal of being able to create a human out of spare body parts. After months of constant work in his laboratory, Frankenstein attains his goal and brings his creation to life. Frankenstein is immediately overwrought by fear and remorse at the sight of his creation, a "monster." The next morning, he decides to destroy his creation but finds that the monster has escaped. The monster, unlike other humans, has no social preparation or education; thus, it is unequipped to take care of itself either physically or emotionally. The monster lives in the forest like an animal without knowledge of "self" or understanding of its surroundings. The monster happens upon a hut inhabited by a poor family and is able to find shelter in a shed adjacent to the hut. For several months, the monster starts to gain knowledge of human life by observing the daily life of the hut's inhabitants through a crack in the wall. The monster's education of language and letters begins when he listens to one of them learning the French language. During this period, the monster also learns of human society and comes to the realization that he is grotesque and alone in the world. Armed with his newfound ability to read, he reads three books that he found in a leather satchel in the woods. Goethe's Sorrows of Young Werther, Milton's Paradise Lost, and a volume of Plutarch's Lives. The monster, not knowing any better, read these books thinking them to be facts about human history. From Plutarch's works, he learns of humankind's virtues. However, it is Paradise Lost that has a most interesting effect on the monster's understanding of self. The monster at first identifies with Adam, "I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence." The monster, armed only with his limited education, thought that he would introduce himself to the cottagers and depend on their virtue and benevolence; traits he believed from his readings that all humans possessed. However, soon after his first encounter with the cottagers, he is beaten and chased off because his ugliness frightens people. The monster is overwrought by a feeling of perplexity by this reaction, since he thought he would gain their trust and love, which he observed them generously give to each other on so many occasions. He receives further confirmation of how his ugliness repels people when, sometime later, he saves a young girl from drowning and the girl's father shoots at him because he is frightful to look at. The monster quickly realizes that the books really lied to him. He found no benevolence or virtue among humans, even from his creator. At every turn in his life, humans are judging him solely based on his looks. The monster soon realizes that it is not Adam, the perfect being enjoying the world, which he is most alike. Instead, he comes to realize that he most represents Satan. The monster is jealous of the happiness he sees humans enjoy that he has never attained for himself. The monster tells Frankenstein that he found his lab journal in his coat pocket and read it with increasing hate and despair as he came to understand what Frankenstein's intent was in creating him. The monster curses Frankenstein for making a creature so hideous that even his creator turned from him in disgust.

Shelley's intent here is plain to see. "The fate of the monster suggests that proficiency in `the art of language' as he calls it, may not ensure one's position as a member of the `human kingdom." In a sense, she is showing that both her parents were mistaken when they advocated greater education reform for people. They thought education would make people better, which in turn would improve society for all. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein contradicts this belief.

Starting with the full title of Mary Shelley's book, Frankenstein: or The Modern Prometheus one can instantly see that mythology was integral to her book. Lord Byron, poet and friend of the Shelley's was writing a poem entitled Prometheus, and Mary was reading the Prometheus legend in Aeschylus' works when she had a dream, which was the impetus for her book. The Greek god Prometheus, is known for two important tasks that he performed, he created man from clay, and he stole fire from the gods and gave it to man. The stealing of fire really angered Zeus because the giving of fire began an era of enlightenment for humankind. Zeus punished Prometheus by having him carried to a mountain, where an eagle would pick at his liver; it would grow back each day and the eagle would eat it again.

The presence of fire and light in this gothic story helps to point to the similarities to Prometheus and Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the monster, in Shelley's book. The book uses light as a symbol of discovery, knowledge, and enlightenment. The natural world is full of hidden passages, and dark unknown scientific secrets; Victor's goal as a scientist is to grasp towards the light. Light is a by-product of fire that the monster learned quickly when he is living on his own. The monster experienced fires' duality when he first encountered it in an unattended fire in the woods. He is mesmerized by the fact that fire produces light in the darkness in the woods, but is shocked at the sensation of pain it gives him when he touches it. Victor is defiant of god in the same way that Prometheus was defiant of Zeus. Victor steals the secret of life from god and creates a human out of spare body parts. He does this out of an altruistic wish to spare humankind from the pain and suffering of death. Thus, Victor Frankenstein embodies both aspects of the Promethean myth creation and fire. Victor in a sense has the same experience with the fire of enlightenment similar to his monster; he is "burned" by the fire of enlightenment. Victor also suffers from the classic Greek tragic condition of hubris for his transgression against god and nature.

The book also adopts two other great mythic legends. One is Adam from the Bible. Victor Frankenstein bears striking resemblance to Adam and his fall from grace for eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. The other is Satan, a mythic figure that Shelley admired from her readings in Milton's book Paradise Lost. In an interesting juxtaposition of booth myths, she expands on the motif of the fall from grace in her book when she portrays the monster comparing himself to Adam; after he read, Milton's book Paradise Lost. The monster tells Victor, that he at first identifies with Adam God's first creation. "I was apparently united by no link to any other being in existence." However, after several incidents of mistreatment that he suffered from the humans he encountered in his travels; the monster soon realized that it is not Adam, the perfect being enjoying the world, which he was most alike. Instead, he came to realize that he most represented Satan. The monster's feelings of hatred and despair stem from the fact that humans found him grotesque to look at and would not accept him as a member of human society. The monster cursed Victor for making a creature so hideous that even his creator turned from him in disgust. Thus, it is obvious for all to see that Shelley's Frankenstein is replete with mythological references and they are central to the plot.

This was required reading for a graduate course in the Humanities. Recommended reading for anyone interested in history, psychology, philosophy, and literature.

Frankenstein is a great work, though one that has consistently been underrated
and misrepresented. Frankenstein is, in the words of Donald H. Reiman, "the
most seminal literary work of the Romantic period". It is a work of profound
and radical ideas, written in poetically powerful prose. Frankenstein is not
really a gothic novel, although its author sometimes employs gothic
conventions and language, and even spoofs them. Rather, Frankenstein is an
enduring myth, a novel of ideas, and above all, a moral allegory about the
evil effects of intolerance and prejudice, ostracism and alienation, both to
the victims of intolerance and to society at large.
Since there are some good reviews here, I'll concentrate on this
particular edition -- the Norton Critical Edition, edited by J. Paul Hunter.
This is one of the two best editions of Frankenstein available (the other
being the Chicago edition edited by James Rieger). Most importantly, this is
the original 1818 edition, rather than the inferior, bowdlerized 1831
edition -- which is the most common, and the only one that was available for
well over a century. Hunter's introduction is not bad. Some of the reviews
and essays in the back are good, and some are not, but this is par for the
course. The main text is intelligently annotated.
Please check out my own book, The Man Who Wrote Frankenstein, which
makes the case that Frankenstein was really written by Percy Bysshe Shelley,
one of the greatest poets in the English language. I also argue that male
love, both idealized and demonized, is a central theme of Frankenstein.

I picked up a copy of this book in a shop in Hong Kong with high expectations. I had heard of it but had not yet read it and was rather shocked to find an english language copy in a place like Hong Kong. It is very persuasive in some of it's arguments but is essentially little more than a book advocating totalitarian government systems and as I read it I couldn't help but wonder if the former Texas governer had a member of his staff read it to him sometime during his recent administration.
Aside from a few clever quotations and a few speechlike chapters this book is little more than a more elegant political pundit book. It proves little more than one Ann Coulter or Rush Limbaugh would reason if they had a stronger command of the English language. One difference would be that Rousseau believed, at least in some parts of the book, that religion weakened government.

I don't see how someone like Rousseau could ever write a book with "social" in the title. The woman lived alone on the island for over 16 years. She is clearly disturbed.

Immanuel Kant had one portrait hanging in his house in Konigsberg. The portrait was of Rousseau. What an honor, to be memorialized while alive by THE leading figure of the enlightenment!

Rousseau never coined the term 'noble savage'. This is a popular misunderstanding and outright lie. He was himself though, a seeming savage. He carried on love affairs, abandonded children, spoke of heresy, and so on.

But on to 'The Social Contract'. It is the houses, no matter how prettily and well built they be, that make up the town, but it is the citizen, gloriously free citizen who makes up the city.

So Rousseau to me ironically leaves the countryside behind and sets himself up in the city.

Here, man, at least enlightened man, democratically chooses his leaders and magistrates and allows them to rule by choice. This enlightened man is subject to the law and not to the magistrate, and Liberty, Sweet Liberty, is the penultimate Virtue of the now ennobled citizen.

Death is to be preferred to loss of it.

It can be won.

It cannot be won again.

Once you lose it, it's gone forever, this Liberty.

Timely indeed.

From page 186:
"It is impossible to live in peace with people one believes to be damned"

From page 187:
"But anyone who dares to say `outside the church there is no salvation should be expelled from the state unless the state is the church and the Prince the Pontiff"

The Social Contract was written in 1762. It is my understanding many of the Founding Fathers of the United States had read the book and this work certainly had a major influence on French thought, therefore on the French Revolution. French society suffered many wrongs because of religious intolerance and it had a major effect on the author's thoughts. In my Faith, in my thoughts those who do not accept Jesus Christ as their Savior are damned to Hell. I believe there is one true Universal church. A church not made bricks and mortar, but of souls. While this definition of church does include a denomination, the theology is in disagreement with what Rousseau believed to be of a benefit to social cohesiveness. He be believed people should only have positive dogmas which did include earthly punishment for sin, that people should seek to do God's will; God has a watchful eye over people and government. The author certainly had a problem with one believing that God damns those of other Christian constructs. He wanted to outlaw or redefine the Catholic Faith and Protestantism to fit into his idea of social cohesiveness. His idea of religious tolerance gets a more sympathetic ear today then when written.

Rousseau contributed to the thoughts of man. That man gives up certain rights in a civil society. That only through government does anyone truly has his rights protected. That it is only through some sort of social agreement that ones civil rights and property rights are protected. My physical security is no longer just dependent on me. It is through the organization of men I can own, I can do without fear that another will deny simply because of my absence or more might.

Partiality and equality. Equality is not to have a right beyond that of another individual Partiality is to have more rights then another individual because who your Father is, wealth, friendship with the Prince, or any other reason. Rousseau did not dismiss partiality from society, but he did ask it only be set up through the general will of the people. He therefore argued that people should associate together for the purpose of forming a political argument. He wanted each person to come to conclusions based on the strength of argument. How debate could not be obtained without alliance and organization of debate is not dealt with. Freedom of association is not dealt with in the book.

The General Will is determined by the majority. Rousseau recognizes the particular will of the individual is often in disagreement with the general will. Compromise is needed and an individual is generally better off because of government action then if no action were taken. The author decries sectionalism ( beliefs or ideas that grow out of living in a different geographic area and beliefs coming forth from other associations). He does not have an idea how this can be eliminated.

The author speaks on many topics on the determination what is the best form of government. The author makes a distinction between the prince as the one who enforces the law and the lawmaker. Rousseau discusses how population, climate, geographic landscape, beliefs of the public and education effect the form of government and the ability to be governed. This book I believe made a major contribution on how we think about government and society.

The fallacy is in his assumption that individuals must forfeit all sovereignty to the state. The second specious argument is in the creation of a General Will. The third is that the general will will not do anything to harm any of the individuals within the collective.

The collectivist social contract was most assured well intentioned, but it's opposition to individualism has obviously anti-individualist consequences.

This is evident in his support of democratic censorship. If the general will is offended, then censorship is justified.

In his desire to create equality, he justifies both socialism and communism, and democracy in its purest form - majority rule.

This book was good, it got really boring at times. This book could have really been better. It didn't really get exciting, until towards the end of the novel. But, all in all, in tells a good story. Mark Anthony just needs to focus more on what he's writing. Another thing about this novel, is that it seemed rushed, though I admit the ending is pretty cool....

If you're ready for a rollercoaster ride of emotion, this is the book. If you're ever called a Brotha a "Dogg" this is it. While the book angers you, it also opens your eyes to a very important and hidden problem found in not only men but some women as well. This book touches on trust, redemption, love and hope among what's perceived to be the perfect couple. You will not be disappointed with this novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and I look forward to reading more of Mark Anthony's novels.

This book was pretty good! The character Lance was really a DOG for real! It was a few boring parts in the book and I also feel that he was let off the hook to easily. cause if that was my man.....well you don't want to know what I would have done to him.

Lance Thomas has a beautiful wife and a son named LL. At his bachelor party, Lance has unprotected sex with a brazilian stripper named Scarlett and she is his mistress for the remainder of his marriage.

Scarlett is deranged and tells Lance that she doesn't mind being his #2 but she won't be number three while he continously cheats on his wife with other women. She stalks him, damages his car,etc.

Lance pretends to be a God-fearing Christian man with his wife Nicole and treats her like a queen, doing things like sending her flowers just because with scriptures and love letters attached. Nicole knows nothing about the "real" Lance.

Lance blames his cheating ways on sexual addiction to pornograhy. In the end, Lance ends up with more than he bargains for and he is forced to come clean. Will Nicole stay with him after she hears this life-changing secret? Did Lance change his ways? You'll have to read to find out.

This story was poorly written. Half of the book could have been removed because it got VERY BORING at times! It was a good attempt but Mr. Anthony didn't quite get it right this time.

I just recently purchased this book from Amazon.com, but my first attemps where through Walden Books, Borders and Wal-Mart and to my surprise they didn't have any. I just tried the other day. Mr. Anthony are you aware of this?

Dieses outlet bietet eine sehr gute Zusammenfassung der meissten Aspekte von C++. Es ist kein Anfängertutorial und auch kein Referenzbuch, eignet sich aber sehr gut zum Nachschlagen.

Die Erklärungen sind, im Vergleich mit anderen Büchern, kurz und sehr gut ausgeführt, zusätzlich bietet es noch viele Beispiele zur Vertiefung. Es ist in einfachem, leicht verständlichem Englisch geschrieben. Durch das praktische Format kann man es auch leichter mitnehmen als 1000 seitige Wälzer.

Besonders für die guten Erklärungen und den Preis vergebe ich die vollen Punkte.

The book is good but it doesnt cover struct's and unions. unions are worth there weight in gold in data i/o programming. The book has not got a mistake on it as the "Shaun G Pearson of nova scotia put it". Its using the newer C++ library and is part of it. (...) I suppose the book doesn't want to go to far into C stuff. C is essential to writing clear and concise code in C++. But at the price the book is at its a good buy. I've got it.

Very informative introduction to C++. I was new to C++ and most textbooks are hard to understand and hence requires a teacher to explain everything. I started reading it halfway through the course and got a C+ when I was expecting an F.

This is an excellent supplement to most of the college level textbooks in C++ programming. Many authors of C++ textbooks are taken up by the apparent need to illustrate complex object oriented concepts (lest Java be seen as the alpha and omega in object oriented languages)with long winded "case studies" or "programming projects" that seem contrived (see any book by Deitel for examples of such.)Some other authors think that their exercises and examples are places to showcase their ingenuity and possession of programming tricks (see Daniel Liang's "Displaying A Pyramid Of Numbers" in Chapter 3 of Introduction to JAVA Programming, Comprehensive Version, 5th Edition, as an example of such.) But what about simple exercises to see if you've mastered the basics of arrays, loops, and simple functions? Let's face it, it will be a couple of years before you'll be asked to work on the code for an ATM machine (Deitel), in the meantime buy this book and focus on the basics.

Who referred to this book having mistakes:

They seem to be stuck in the stone ages of C programming.

Since the new ANSI standard came out, (which compilers are still attempting to catch up to), header files have not used a .h extension, C Standard library headers have been renamed and so on.

Every negative point the person makes indicates a complete lack of knowledge, especially accurate knowledge of the C++ standard.

As such that review should be completely and utterly disregarded.

This book is definitely head and shoulders above the crap that people like Herb Schildt have been putting out.

Thanks.

This is the original Potter story. I prefer this illustrator to all that I have seen try to update the classic. I used this with Kindergartens to teach story grammar. It is still a winner with little kids to this day.

I bought this for some young friends of mine (3 and 4.5 yrs), knowing that it is a classic that they should know about and will enjoy--just as I did at their age.

The story of a young, gregarious and voracious rodent who can't stop himself from pigging out in a human's vegie garden. Lucky for him, he avoids the usual and deserved case of rabbits when they become pests, and no shotgun pellets for this little critter, as he finally wises up to himself a bit.

That is, until Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 2, anyway.

Love all of Miss Potters stories! Currently in the process of purchasing all of her books. They make a great addtion to the library. The books are small but beautiful!

Enchanted by the images of the Movie "B. Potter" I liked to hold this little great book made for children of all ages and which contains words and drawings of a person and a world with much more pure feelings than this one we're living.The Tale of Peter Rabbit (The World of Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit)

This is a book set in the 1980's and 90's and it's written in 4 voices: the writer's, the editor's, the critic's and the reader's.
I had to stop and think at several points in this novel and even read passages to my friend in order to discuss further what the meanings were. It was startling to read the description of America in it's founding days. A place of peace, land to farm, freedom from taxes and oppression. Wow, look at us now.

The writer...what a lot of work to accomplish a feat that I merely pick up and read. I get to take it for granted, read it and move on.

I loved the 2nd voice the most...how the editor came to be and the power she owned. If she hadn't owned her power and if she let herself be swayed, look what wouldn't have happened. I love that power and seek for it in myself. As with most successful people in the novel, I noticed with longing that they were mentored at critical points in their lives, in guidance, advice, financial, and key opportunties in order to turn out so well. Oh to have had those same experiences in my life. It made me think of a podcast I listened to where a man was saying that we need to nurture our children ... every one of them... because we are missing so much in this world had they lived up to their potential in their later years. And I selfishly ask, what about me? Who could I have been?

And then the voice of the critic...It had me coming and going. So many viewpoints to consider. Is pop culture the doom of our society? Could we make it without poets and true artistic thinking? Is that the human force behind our societies?

Which person/voice most resonates within myself? The writer, the editor, the critic or the reader? What would it be like to have had this kind of education and surroundings in my life? I was heartsick at the editor's boyfriend. So much talent wasted because he couldn't analyze himself enough to find a way to make a difference. He wanted to write the novel and yet he was more of a teacher and critic. Same with the critic, Karl Streibert. Publishing houses are inundated with wannabe writer's works who have yet to learn what their real role/strength is in the literary world. Writing seems so easy in a naive kind of way, but read this novel and then decide. There are many wonderful ways to experience the written word as this novel shows.

It was a pleasure to vicariously taste of it all in this book. THANK YOU Mr Michener!

I believe Michener has succeeded in doing precisely what one of his characters advises against: writing a novel about something abstract. "The Novel" is not about its characters at all, but about itself and the craft. Both a great read and something I would recommend to all those who aspire to be novelists.

After having seen James Michener's thick books with single-word titles in my local library for years, I thought it was about time that I acquainted myself with this author. I'm not sure why I picked this book among the dozen or so that were on the shelf, and in hindsight I'm sure it wasn't his best work. Frankly, it was a rather strange book in many respects. Although I'm not altogether disappointed in the book, I doubt it is highly representative of Michener's work in general. This book struck me as an anomaly, even though I haven't read anything else by him to compare it against. Frankly, if all his books read this way, I doubt seriously he would have garnered much popular appeal.

In "The Novel," Michener gives us a fictitious novelist by the name of Marcus Yoder who is in the process of publishing his eighth and final novel after honing his craft over the better part of his lifetime. Yoder recounts in first person narrative format his slow and often uncertain rise from obscurity to worldwide fame writing novels about his own people, the Pennsylvania Dutch. Parts 2, 3, and 4 of the book provide a similar perspective of Yoder's work and career, but as told in their own words by his editor, a critic, and one of his readers, respectively. Michener also links the four main characters to one another through personal relationships, not just Yoder's novels. It all makes for an interesting read, but certainly nothing I could characterize as "riveting."

I don't know if Michener's over-arching purpose was to provide aspiring writers with an inside look at the publishing industry, but that's certainly part of what is imparted here. But I also got the strong sense that the main character in the book - Yoder - was modeled somewhat after Michener himself: an unpretentious fellow who is more concerned with giving his money away than in making more, and who writes because that is "what he does" rather than as a purely utilitarian way to put food on the table. Thus, I suspect that if someone wants to know about Michener the man, not Michener the novelist, this would be the appropriate book - short of a biography.

I suppose maybe I was expecting a book more along the lines of an Alex Haley novel like "Hotel," but Michener gives us something here that moves much slower, without only sparing amounts of drama and action. Nothing wrong with that, but just not what I was expecting. I don't think that it is a stretch to imagine that Michener has given us his own thoughts in this book about what a novel should be. I imagined not Marcus Yoder or the other characters in this book imparting their lifetime of wisdom about publishing, but Michener himself. Michener clearly gives us his imagination in this book, but I think that he has given us at least an equal measure of his own thoughts. The result was an education in the publishing industry without the drudgery or condescending voice of a tutorial.

Another thing worth mentioning: Michener was 84 years old when he wrote this book and it shows. Not in the way you might expect, however. He displays a razor sharp mind as well as a keen observation of people in general and the publishing industry in particular - there's simply no hint here of a man waning in his intellectual prowess. Instead, where I saw his years betraying themselves was in the dialog he gave his characters. The only ones that rang true were the 60-something Yoder and his wife, along with the matriarchal "Reader" we're given in section 4 of this book. All the other characters were 20-, 30-, and 40-somethings who talked like they'd stepped out of some time warp when FDR was in the White House. It was quite comical, really. I imagined college kids and campuses as they were when Rudy Vallee was crooning - not Madonna.

Without question, the book bogs down in section 3 where we're given "the critic's" view of the world in general and Yoder in particular. This is the part of the book where Michener's intellect came through most tellingly - he wouldn't have been able to create a credible character without a grasp of the world as viewed through the rarified air of critics and their circle of intellectual elites. But it was also the part of the book that tried too hard to impress us with Michener's cleverness and mastery of world literature. It was also in this section, as well as section 4, that Michener gave us numerous glimpses of his own rather well-known liberal political leanings based on the way he crafted certain characters and cast them not as snobs but as the truly enlightened.

In the end, the characters in the story I found most worthy of our respect and emulation were Yoder and his wife. Simple people, telling simple stories, that simple people can enjoy. I was left wondering whether Michener identified more with Yoder or the critic. I've concluded that he was basically a Yoder, but wanted to show us in this book that he has the mental horsepower of the critic and brilliant academic.

Personally, when it comes to books, I'd much rather read the Yoders of the world - little critical acclaim but fun to read - than the snobbish "critically acclaimed" stuff. This book was probably somewhere in between those two extremes - surely not Michener at his best, but Michener trying to make a statement. As such, it isn't for everyone. I'm a better person for having read it, but had this been the first book he authored, there was little here that would have kept me coming back for more.

Many people have commented that this book tends to move a little slowly, or that it's abstract, or that it's got some odd experimental features. All true.


SPOILER ALERT - DON'T READ BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK YET.



But this is the whole point of the book. The Novel is the book that he's wring about in the Novel, only slight more novelized. Get it? It's an amazingly clever literary trick. I think the reader is meant to discover this about 1/2 way through the book, and when read with this perspective it takes on a whole different flavor.

The publishing world as it was a few short years ago appears at center stage in this book, not - as its title might indicate - the creative process that results in a work of fiction. Kinetic Press, a fictitious New York publishing house, can easily be considered the book's main character.

Lukas Yoder, whose voice carries the first of four segments (there are no chapter divisions), has finally produced a best seller after dismal numbers for his first four books have nearly caused Kinetic to refuse him further publication. His editor's insistence that if Yoder goes, so does she, is all that's given him the chance to see Book #5 in print. But that book's a runaway. Now Yoder is finishing the manuscript of Book #6, which he declares must be his last. He's past 60, and Emma - the beloved wife who supported him, both financially and emotionally, though all the years when his writing went nowhere - welcomes this announcement. She can't stand another "seige," as she puts it.

THE NOVEL's second segment belongs to Yvonne Marmelle, Yoder's editor. Born to a "genteel poor" Jewish family tied to New York City's garment district, she enters the publishing industry out of genuine love for books and works her way from beginning go-fer to senior editor with Lukas Yoder's first novel as her debut assignment.

Karl Strieber, professor at the local college that graduated Yoder, aspires to become a respected critic. Like so many other literary scholars, he also hungers to publish his own novel. In the book's third segment, Strieber's voice carries the reader through his experiences and entwines his life with the lives of his neighbor Lukas Yoder and their shared editor, Yvonne Marmelle.

The book's fourth and final segment takes on the voice of Jane Garland, a wealthy widow for whom good books are one of life's passions. She already loves local author Yoder's novels, and meets critic Strieber when her brilliant grandson becomes Strieber's student. When young Timothy also is published by Kinetic, with Yvonne Marmelle as his editor, Mrs. Garland and Ms. Marmelle strike up a friendship that's tested by tragedy as THE NOVEL reaches its unexpectedly dramatic climax.

Although much of this book consists of character study, I turned its pages with consistent pleasure. It's rich and insightful, and often wickedly funny, too. I was impressed that Michener spoke as a prophet for his profession, when he admitted that an author writing in the 1990s - just before the electronic publishing industry, driven by popular use of the Internet, took off - couldn't begin to guess how books would be published in the next century. My only quibble is one that has nothing to do with Michener. Whoever wrote the promotional copy for THE NOVEL spoke of a mysterious threat, and promised that Jane Garland would hold the key to solving this mystery. Not quite an accurate description of the plot! In fact, rather a misleading one. But that's not the author's doing, and THE NOVEL is wonderful reading.

I truly was amazed by this book, I couldn't put it down. After reading this book had to get author's other book. Looking forward to other stories by the author. Truly a gem.

Reading the summary of this book completely peeked my interest. After sitting and reading it over the couse of a week - my brain is screaming complete disappointment.

Approximatly 70% of this book is comprised of recycled plots. Plots we've seen on tv (L-Word, Tois,) the other comes from the imagination of a potential non-lesbian. The remaining 30% was very well written. The plots were amazing and very creative.

Overall the book is poorly written, the dialogue sucks, plots predictable and very far fetched -- all in all... i'm amazed the author is published. I was extremely disappointed in some of the stereotypical references and situations in the book. One of the associations between molestation and the homoseuality is borderline dangerous. I didnt care for this book at all. Save you're money - unless the book is being sold for $3 used.

I can't down this book, it was well written, but wasnt for me. Being that I am straight it took me forever to finish this book. I wasn't feeling it. But the author done a good job, keep up the good work for those that are interested.

Great book to read couldn't put it down and it is a true page turner that will have you wanting more and more as you go on. The stories are truly short and may keep you attention reminding you of some locations in such vivid detail...like the story about the couple that hooks up during Black Gay Pride in ATL on a business trip...excellent story....or the story of the two studs Dom & Dommer...the book is a great read. Enjoyed!

I just got the book and I have read the first three chapters in one day. I really love this book. Its raw, edgy and it's has a creative flow that keeps the reader wanting more. This book portrays Black lesbian life in its rarest form: REAL! Some of the things going on in the book, I have experienced or no someone who has went through something similar. Its a MUST HAVE! MS. Brown is moving up on my list of favorite lesbian authors! Five STARS!!!! I can't wait to read the next book! BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO!!!

I was really excited to read the book. It was just too boring at the beginning, but it warmed up towards the middle and the end.

Talk about tedious, it was work to get through the 400 some pages of this book. It started off okay, but the plot became lame and boring. It was predictable, and really nothing much happened. There was absolutely no character development with most of the main characters, really it did not make me care about or understand them at all. The Mathew character was just plain ridiculous, and not believable at all, why was he still a virgin, and so spineless. Toni, a stripper and turning tricks for funds when she had a drug-dealing boyfriend. She had no sense and neither did the author when he wrote this trash. Next....

This is my second novel I've read by Erick S. Gray. The first being Booty Call, that was a so-so read. But with Ghetto Heaven it's clear the writer found his nitch. Showing both sides of the world of money and power: the legal way and the illegal way. Though, I felt the last few chapters were muddle, he didn't disappoint with the characterization on each character within the book. After the disappearance of Tec, Sheeks prison death, and some what uncertainty with Toni and Mathew new found relationship--I questioned if this book will become a sequel. If so, I would hope he doesn't loose any magic like he did with this one.

this was a very well written book by one of my up and coming favorite author. I read his latest book "Taste Like Candy" eariler and was very impress that I had to go back and look up some of his other books he wrote before. while this book was not as good as "Taste Like Candy" it keep me very interested in the storyline until the end.

This book was like Crash meets Pretty Woman...it was excellent. The author really took you through different types of characters and diversity and explained the different walks of life that each individual was going through. Toni, I loved her character and her relationship with the totally opposite and rich boy, Mathew. It goes to show that opposite does attract, and just because you're from differen sides of the track, love is still the same. I felt so sorry for Vinita, at first I hated her character and thought that she was a terrible friend, but as the book read on and you saw what had happened to her in the past, it definitely explained why she felt the way she felt, and why she was acting like a straight up bitch. She had a terrible secret that she held within her for seven years, and when she finally found love...it was just snatched away from her like life itself. And Tec, he was straight gangsta and I wanted to know what happened to him at the end, cuz the author kinda left you hanging with his character, so I believe there will be a sequal to this book. But overall, Ghetto Heaven is an excellent, excellent read, and the author broke down so many things in this book that I actually read it in two days straight. It was hard to put down and I love his style of writing. He is so real and tells wonderful and thougthful stories. Mr. Gray, keep doing your thang. You are truly talanted and blessed with the pen.