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How does one approach the topic of Jonestown? Its very name conjures up too much drama, too much tragedy. Its an almost intolerable subject. Yet, Annie Dawid has found an approach that places it under a microscope one can bear to peer through. The reporter's voice supplies a kind of distance, a kind of protective lens for the reader. We all saw the pictures, heard the news reports, now we get to hear the intimate experiences, but through a scrim of journalistic control and time. We're not voyeurs. We're seekers. I was immediately engaged by this piece. For one thing, Ms. Dawid knows her craft. The writing is extremely fine -- the characters presenced, the voices authentic, and the material under control. And for another, I applaud the way she has conceived the book. I read the Publisher's Weekly review which found the story wanting because of the omission of the Jim Jones character. But I don't agree with Publisher's Weekly. Biography would be be the smarter venue for presenting Jim Jones. In fiction, where the story must be told 'slant', attempting to present such an enigma could simply be folly. It's not Jim Jones we're necessarily after. It's the mystery of those who were attracted by him. Why did they allow their lives to be so altered and ultimately consumed? The voices of many individuals talking about a shared experience is often the only way to come to some sort of actual understanding of that experience. I think Annie Dawid understands that, and I highly commend her for her writing and her presentation.

I was captivated by the beginning of Annie Dawid's novel. Her character, Watts Freeman, is so real that I found myself believing her first chapter was the actual transcript of an interview with a Jonestown survivor. I know little about Jim Jones and even less about the individuals who followed him to Guyana. I suspect that many of those individuals are not so different from me. I am very much looking forward to reading the rest of this book.

This narrative was very engaging. It was an unexpected start to a novel. I had to keep reminding myself that it was historical fiction.

Paradise Undone by A. Dawid addresses the Jonestown massacre as it reaches its 30th anniversary.

While this entire story gets its input from four points of view, this excerpt focuses on that of a fictional character, Watts Freeman. The delivery of Watts' tale through the premise of a radio interview allows for plenty of extra detail that might otherwise have felt too cumbersome in traditional story writing narrative. Watts himself is a very credible character, though at times comments on how not-smart he is, but then surprises me with some of the things he knows.

While I was reading the excerpt I alternated with refreshing my memory of Jonestown on-line. This left me with pause to wonder if this portion of the tale might be too thinly guised as someone's actual personal account. I understand it's supposed to be a composite of actual survivors but maybe the transition of information into Watts' character wasn't entirely complete. I'm sorry that I can't put my finger on it exactly.

Nonetheless, this is a naturally compelling story and this semi-fictionalized account seems like it will make for a terribly fascinating read. Just watch for the 'feel' of authenticity with the fictionalized components. If they are too close to the 'real' thing, then it might leave one wondering, why not simply use the real thing?

The excerpt opens with an interview of Jonestown survivor, Watts Freeman. Freeman was one of the lucky ones to have escaped. His wife and child were not so lucky. Earlene and his baby were among the first to die--Earlene surrendered their child to Jones to keep it "from the enemy."

What's so compelling is Freeman's assertion is that until Jones ordered his followers to die, they were better off than they were in the US. In many ways, he was right:

"So living in Jonestown not so bad compared to the States; for some, it was better. Way better. No crime. No worrying about not having enough cash for groceries or what to cook for the next meal. No dog food for dinner. No being afraid of not going to the doctor or the dentist 'cause you didn't have money. Everything taken care of."

What went wrong? Forensic scientists don't agree. Ms. Dawid's historical posit promises to be fascinating if her attention to detail and thorough research is as good in the whole manuscript as what this excerpt presents.

So far, the characterization is interesting. Presenting a survivor's description first is chancy, but the interview style is so engaging and well-depicted, you can almost hear Watt's voice.

To my knowledge, no one's undertaken a significant work of fiction covering the Jonestown Massacre. Thirty years have passed and I still remember hearing the initial report and the growing horror as more of the story unfolded. Ms. Dawid is a courageous author to conceive and research such an ambitious topic.

I understand Ms. Dawid already has a book of short stories published. I'm planning on searching out her work. If this excerpt is any indication, it will be stellar. Thank you, Ms. Dawid, for sharing this excellent excerpt with us and much success to you.

Foster would probably quibble with my description, "best book on prayer," but that's ok. The book is a phenomenal introduction to the rich variety of Christian prayer. The chapters are short enough to be read in a single sitting but call us to a profound transformation in the secret place of prayer. This book may well be better than Foster's "Celebration of Discipline."

C of D was very good. Prayer out does C of D by a long shot. Layers of good stuff are on every page. Buy and Read.

One of the best books on prayer I've ever read. He's very rooted in Scripture and yet very thorough in His observations on how we, as humans, interact with God. It continues to challenge me as I read through each new chapter. Highly recommended!

God used this wonderful book to pierce my heart with His truth. He has opened my eyes to what prayer really is and deepend my desire to be in converation with Him. This book has taught me new ways to approach The Throne and a new understanding about what it means to intercede for those I love.

I am in a study/prayer group which is using this book as a guide. I find it helpful to discover new depth in prayer.

There's pulse-pounding, suspense, horror, and spook, wrapped up in this read and something is lurking in the shadows that can't be touched. Something is trying to possess and curse Andrew Wilson, a successful mystery writer and he never would of thought it was his special lady with those mysterious eyes. In a frightful night things happen which leads Andrew into a frightful house that will change his life forever. Months after that night Andrew returns and that special lady is there and this time there's no escape. Get ready for some shrills & thrills that's going to build into a heart pounding climax and hidden secrets that are revealed and the results can be deadly!! Caution this is one suspense novel that will keep u looking around and wanting to read more!!!

Pick up any book Brandon has a part of. This guy is remarkable at what he does. I started reading him because i wanted to read a "supernatural" book. When reading the "unreal" it is just that....unreal. But his way of writing will have you wanting more.

This is another great book he has put together. Left me on the edge of my seat expecting more and actually receiving it. Good read. Pick it up

I thought this book was a little over the top. This was the first book I read of Mr. Massey and it didn't really sell me. I will probably try another book of his before I make a final judgement. I love to write and Mr. Massey is inspirational. He is very passionate about his writing and I admire him for making his dream come true. I think the best is still to come with Mr. Massey.

Although the plot was mildly interesting, it was a little too 'far out there' to be truly captivating. I wasn't especially impressed by the author's writing style; I found his repeated inferences to the black culture interupted the material's flow. I most likely won't seek out other works by this author.

Drew (short for Andrew) is a successful novelist who appears to have everything. He has a hit thriller series, a nice large home in Atlanta, several wonderful friends, and is eagerly awaiting his new book deal (which promises to make him hundreds of thousands). The only thing missing is the love of a good woman, or to finally admit that he is in love with his best friend, Carmen. A slave to habit, his life, which is clearly outlined and followed, is disrupted when he meets the "woman of his dreams" (Mika) in Starbucks. She seems, initially, to be everything he wanted....beautiful, smart, rich, sexy and seemingly independent. However, after a night of passion, Mika turns into something he doesn't want and can't handle. As the novel unfolds, Massey introduces an element of the supernatural that promises to hold the attention of the reader until the very end. With a stormy parental relationship with his father, and his mother's psychic dreams, Drew realizes that he is in trouble, but is unsure of how to escape the one he thought that he desired. Filled with psycho cats, a sweet ghost named Sammie, and a scary groundskeeper (Walter), this novel has it all.....a little romance, some mystery, some deaths and a great story. I won't tell you what or who Mika is, reading this novel will tell you that, but I will say that Massey is among the few today who can create a story to be rivaled by Tanarive Due or Octavia Butler. Read this novel and you will not regret it.

As I read the first page of this excerpt, I felt that I had plunged into 1930's Berlin. The author does an excellent job setting the stage with her descriptive prose. Each character captured my interest as the story begins to unfold and I read of the characters' current predicament and am given just a hint of the broader issues that brought them to this time and a glimpse of their future struggles. Through the personal strife of the characters, the story explores the effect of the Nazi occupation on the artistic expression of the people of Germany. The author has done an excellent job of allowing the reader to connect with the characters and leaves us wanting to read more as we root for these unexplored victims.

"It's not the external that's important; life is what matters". I'm blown away by the intelligence, creativity, sensitivity and pure talent of this writer! Ms. Reish is truly blessed and so are those fortunate enough to read her work. If you are interested in the history of Nazi-era Germany (1930's) plus enjoy a romantic sub-plot combined with intrigue don't pass this up. This novel has obviously been meticulously researched down to the last detail. It draws you in from the very start into the worlds and minds of very bright, sensitive characters (Johannes, Britte, Mies) wrapped up in the modern art world of Nazi Germany. My only disappointment is that there isn't more to read! I can't wait to read the whole novel! Fabulous job Ms. Reish! :)

This excerpt promises a great read. Set in the era of the rise of Hitler in Germany, the novel features a young architecture student, Johannes Schroeding, who is arrested on the close of the Bauhaus modern art school. Each character is richly portrayed with great sensitivity. Every scene reveals how the Nazis cultural oppression affects the lives of these ordinary people and how they cope, some by hiding their true feelings behind a facade of acceptance. Ms. Reish has written a compelling, artistic, and powerful first novel.

CBR has managed to slide in between the terrifying images of the Nazis in control and the formal schooling of archtecture, to peer into the minds of the people who actually had to find a way to try to live semi-normal lives during this time period. One tends to forget that careers,marraiges and lives continued. Did all of these people follow along blindly? What were they thinking of the way their freedom of choice was being so strictly controlled? It will be interesting to follow these fascinating characters to see what becomes of them and their ideals.

What an opening. Black uniformed Nazis are coming to close the legendary Bauhaus Art School in Berlin down. They're demanding identification and when Johannes can find none, he's forced onto a truck. Britte must watch and it is here they realize they love each other. He's freed by the Nazis only to look for Britte and discover she's disappeared--again.

Meanwhile, Mies, the director of the Bauhaus struggles to reopen the school. The Nazis found no evidence of Communist support of the Bauhaus, but they will not allow the school to re-open, either. They toy with flying the Nazi flag, but cannot.

This excerpt is fascinating and beautifully written. There's a strong sense of both place and people here. The foreshadowing of the war, the camps is everywhere--the students taken away on the truck wonder if they'll be freed, some people just 'disappear.'

Outside of this context, I have read very little fiction about World War II, the hard facts are bad enough. This excerpt is compelling enough to make me wish for the rest of the story. Christine Beth Reish has done a wonderful job re-creating a time and people we can care about. Best of luck to her--and congratulations on her ABNA Top 100 position. This excerpt well deserves its place in the competition.

After reading the first few chapters of Jenner's "A Great Undoing", I'm hooked! What intriguing characters and the story....I can't wait to read more! This is good stuff Jenner.

I don't usually find grown-up fiction that has a lot to say about romance,
relationships, marriage, children and family, AND is hard to put down to boot! A
GREAT UNDOING gives the reader plenty of food for thought, as well as the
intense pleasure of recognizing bits of ourselves in the narrator's stalled
life. Jenner's book leaves us with insightful thoughts, surprising moments, and
so much more -- I wish her tremendous luck with it!

A GREAT UNDOING is a near-miraculous combination of smarts and style and substance! The prose is lean and flawless, the passages clip ahead at just the right pace, and when the characters throw words around at each other, you feel like you're eavesdropping in the best sense of the word.
Great job, Jenner -- I look forward to reading more!

A GREAT UNDOING shows a lot of promise -- it has an interesting setting (1960s Montauk), complex characters, a captivating narrator/heroine, and fun dialogue that always pushes the action ahead.
I really hope this book makes the Amazon Top 100 Finals -- I can't wait to read more!

Wow, it has been a while since a piece of writing has kept me distracted. I started to read the excerpt and was called away and begrudgingly had to put it down. When I was able to continue reading I was left with that same feeling as I reached the end of the first chapter. It is nice to read something that was deliberated and didn't come across like an author that was meeting a contractual agreement with their publisher. Jenner - keep up the great mind provoking writing style it is a pleasure to read. I look forward to getting my hands on a copy of the entire book!

A frightening story with a redoubtable yet all too human hero who prevails. There are even evil and bumbling villains along the way during this shameful period. The Last Lion should be required reading for politicans and world history students. William Manchester does a masterful, well researched [and entertaining] job of describing the inspirational leader of the Free World.

There are two volumn of "The Last Lion" and both are them are an excellent history of not only one of Great Britain's finest statesman of the 20th century, but one of the World greatest statesman, historian, and many have said "the man of the 20th Century" And after reading these two volumns one might have to agreee with the historians.
Congtributed by Hurdrey Angus Jordan

This book was given to me by my father, who is a huge fan of Winston. I was absolutely shocked and amazed by the information that this book brought to light. I was taught, so little about WWII! I was amazed. I savored this book. I would recommend and have recommended this book to anyone, who would listen. Prepare to be amazed by the man and confronted with the real realities of Britain before and during the first declarations of war.

This was the first William Manchester book that I ever read. I found it inspiring. After reading it, I promised myself that I would read everything that Manchester has written. To date I've read several but I still have a few to go. Mr. Manchester is another one of those historians that makes studying and learning History easy. I had no idea what a character Winston Churchill really was. Manchester recreates a real true to life human being, with faults, idiocincracies, humor, courage, and some great phrasing. After reading both volumes of Manchester's on Churchill, I then wanted to read Churchill himself. From a writing perspective Churchill was great - but Manchester was better. Today I am a fan of both men. They were both heroic in their lives and fascinating in their prose.

For some inexplicable reason, the second (and unfortunately final) volume of William Manchester's biography sat on my shelf unread for some time. I think because the book spans the years 1932 to 1940 -- and does not cover most of World War II -- I skipped the book over, figuring that Winston's best and most important years were his war years. After reading "Alone", I realized immediately how wrong I was: if anything, Manchester's incredible book demonstrates that Churchill's so-called "wilderness years" out of power were his finest hour. Unquestionably, Churchill provided resolute leadership to Great Britain -- as well as the rest of the Allied world -- during the War. But he perhaps demonstrated even greater leadership while out of power, when he was quite literally the only European statesman who was repeatedly warning the world of the dangers of Nazi Germany and calling for rearmament to stand up to Hitler. Thus, "Alone" is not just about Churchill and his greatness, but also a powerful historical record of the dangers of appeasement in the face of tyrants.

This book goes beyond being a simple historical biography. Manchester's writing is delightful and seamless, literally depositing you into Churchill's time and Churchill's life. It maintains and builds a tenseness throughout the book as the world moves closer and closer to war despite Churchill's warnings, which if heeded, could have averted the conflict many times over. The work is meticulously researched and crafted, and flows perfectly. Perhaps most of all, reflective of the title, Manchester captures how completely and totally alone Churchill was during the 1930s. Aside from a very small coterie of loyal friends, Churchill alone rose in opposition to appeasement in the House of Commons and elsewhere hundreds of times as Hitler consolidated his power, practically begging his nation's leadership to stand up to the Fuhrer.

I suppose that one sign of a great work is that it moves you in some way, and evokes great emotion as you read it. The most striking asset of this book is how angry, shocked, and prideful I was as I read it. I shook my head in disgust at least 100 times as I read Manchester's descriptions of the putrid, almost treasonous behavior by Prime Ministers John MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin, and of course Neville Chamberlain as they repeatedly ignored Churchill's warnings and countless pieces of evidence showing that Hitler would not be appeased. Manchester's sections on the Munich Crisis and Britain and France's literal sacrifice of Czechoslovakia to the Nazis is particularly noteworthy; the Chamberlain government literally served the nearly defenseless nation on a platter to the German war machine despite a pledge from the British to defend them if invaded. Much of the book in fact summarizes the folly of His Majesty's Government's appeasement policy, and Churchill's many warnings against the policy. Fascinatingly, appeasement was heartily endorsed by nearly the entire British media establishment, which repeatedly refused to air Churchill's views and other dissenting voices. Indeed, as Manchester well demonstrates, the government and media literally crafted its policies and made important appointments, with pleasing Hitler being the sole objective. While hindsight is of course 20-20, reading these sections was completely maddening to me, and made me want to scream many times over.

I hesitated writing a review of this book because I know it is impossible to do full justice to Manchester and this fantastic book. I just wanted to express how much I enjoyed the book; it completely lives up to its reputation as perhaps the finest Churchill biography and easily the most accessible. I, like millions of other readers, am greatly saddened that illness and other tragedies kept Manchester from completing the final volume of his intended trilogy. Treat yourself to this book: it will give you greater appreciation of Winston Churchill's greatness, courage, and foresight, and probably an even greater hatred of appeasement and diplomatic cowardice.

Five big stars.

I picked this book up out of sheer curiosity and read it to its entirety in one sitting. Jenning's presentation style and narration are excellent - the book flows perfectly and many of the points brought up can be taken and applied.

Stories of successful businesses fill this book. The author got "down and dirty" and did in-the-trenches research to find the best performing companies in the world. Then he spoke with the CEO's to find out what makes them and their businesses tick.

This is not just another book about the secrets of famous companies. It is, instead, a book about the secrets of somewhat obscure but great companies. The principles that author Jason Jennings propounds are familiar enough, but most of his examples will not be familiar to the general reader. That is no drawback. Although some of these companies are less well known, they have all achieved great business success (if not fame) by applying some of the most tried, true and proven axioms of management. Treat people with respect, pay them for performance, focus on one clear and understandable mission - there is nothing new about these principles, except that they keep proving their efficacy even in the unlikeliest places. Do not look for a deep examination of management here. The book provides frustratingly scant background information about the companies themselves. But we assure those seeking a handbook of solid if venerable management advice that you will not go wrong with this interesting little book.

This book is an excellent example of the types of practices and procedures almost any company can follow to be successful both financially and ethically.
Jennings cites numerous companies who have carved out success while still remaining true to their customers, their employees and their values.
Not surprisingly, few of these companies are ones that so called pundits regularly review.
As the other reviews have noted, these companies are very successful financially, but they get there by asking the really pertinent business questions, and not by hiding behind an air of executive invulnerability. The leaders are real leaders, more focused on growing the company, serving customers, and doing right by employees.
What vividly differentiates these companies from the "name brands," is that in the "name" companies, executives are more concerned with their own compensation, preserving their own existence, and with profits at all costs, than long term success.
The questions you should ask yourself after reading this book are, "Where have all the leaders gone?" and "Why don't all companies follow many of Jennings' researched best practices?
After that, I would run, not walk, to one of these companies and see if you can start at the bottom and learn what it's like to work in a real company.

This spring, I had a night-flight from Houston to Europe. I never got any sleep due to this book. It reads like a fiction novel while the focus is very much on the softer issues of productivity businesses. The well-written behind-the-wall stories and interviews with successful top executives give us insight to many issues that usual case stories do not explain.

Business magazines often glorify top executives by telling about the grand strategic plan behind the success. This little book shows us a different story. It provides insight to the many seemingly small traits of the lean culture that only works because they taken serious by the organization and used in combination. These are the 11 traits required for the leader of a highly productive enterprise: attention to detail, high moral fiber, embracing simplicity, competitiveness, long-term focus, disdain for waste, coach leadership, humility, rejection of bureaucracy, belief in others, and trust.

I'm sure you're really not impressed of this list. Neither am I. But try challenging some of the advice. Humility? When was the last time you saw a big company using this as a standard. When you hear the story of many head offices visited in this book, you'll understand humility. Often you'll find a very simple and humble office building for a huge company. No art on the walls! No lavish entrance hall! In these companies, you don't find huge corporate staff creating immense bureaucracy and all sorts of information requirements from their operating companies or business units. These organizations do actually "walk-the-talk" on lean - unlike many fad-driven major firms who's paying lip service to a lean culture.

PERSISTENCE is a word missing from the 11 traits, though attention to detail and long-term focus do include some of it. They never lose sight of their BIG idea or focus. It includes their performance measurement. "Everyone who works for SRC gathers once a week in their respective lunchrooms and takes part in a review of the business's financial performance for the previous week. By DOING IT WEEK IN WEEK-OUT FOR MANY YEARS the exercise has also become a system".

Okay, I'm sure that the book's research on productivity could have been better. And some of the firms reported on may experience difficulties, though most are still flourishing. But don't read this book for the hard stuff. Read the soft issues that over time usually turn out to be the hardest to beat.

I agree that it resembles "In Search of Excellence" to some degree, but remember that this book is on the lean culture of Cost Leadership firms (my interpretation, not the author's).

Peter Leerskov,
MSc in International Business (Marketing & Management) and Graduate Diploma in E-business

My sister-in-law recommended this book. At first I was skeptical, because other "Chiristian" fiction I've read was pretty watered down and sappy, but this is a really good story with real life applications. Not preachy, or syrupy.

I'm definitely a fan of Dee Henderson books, and this one is a good read, too. My only complaint is twice at least in the first half of the book a comment was made something like "the tension in the air was palatable". It's supposed to be palpable. Palatable means something tastes good. I enjoy the story, but such glaring errors like this make it hard to concentrate on it. I hope she's no longer using the same editors as the ones that checked this book.

When Kelly says a delirious "I love you" to her deceased husband's best friend and Navy SEAL Commander, Bear, neither of them can ignore the words to avoid the consequences. Kelly wakes up in the hospital after Bear rescues her from drowning only to realize what a horrible mistake she's made in revealing her feelings. Neither character seems anxious to acknowledge Kelly's declaration because they don't want to hurt the friendship they have. Bear's active duty status doesn't help matters, either. But what else can you do when you are both so crazy for each other?

This novel contains the best, most extravagant first date I have ever heard of! There are also flashbacks of military operations that add depth to the story. The suspense plotline is very well prepared. But the true gems that warm your heart are displayed in less flamboyant sequences where everyday life happens: painting the kitchen, SEALs coming home to a fridge with food in it. This is a superb book!

A wonderful story and great dedication to our service men and women.

Dee Henderson has once again written a fascinating book. It is well written, absorbing, and fast-paced, yet contains none of the lurid details less skilled authors use to attract readers. It realistically shows the struggles Christians face when dealing with adversity.

This book did a great job of expressing new ideas on how to create/enhance emotional and physical relationships in marriage. The author looks at potential issues from both spouses point of view (male/female) and presents fundamental approaches to work thru any anger and resentment.

It also challenged me on how to educate my children on sexuality in such a way as to not cause stigmas in their future relationships.

For me, this book and the exercises within saved my marriage.

I've been married for nine years now and I found this book to be a fabulous tool to take the drudgery out of sex. It gave me a healthier, more inspired view of it and it's been great for our marriage. I just need to keep it up!

This book should be read by every married couple and couples thinking of getting married. It has a very open approach to how important a good sexual relationship is in a marriage and how by not having this how it can cause so many problems in the marriage. It gives you homework every chapter to help you achieve a oneness in a marriage that I never thought would be possible.

I highly recommend this book!

I haven't finished the book yet, but have liked what I've read so far--it has particularly changed my view of how early and how to present my children with an accurate and positive understanding of sex. O'm looking forward to reading that chapter specifically.

I heard about this book in a marriage prep class at college. The information is highly valuable and pertinent to both men and women. The book teaches that sex is ordained of god. It will remove sex inhibitions and revitalize.

I gotta say one thing; WELL DONE BRYCE!!!! first, i didn't cry; i'm not real sentimental, but i was very touched and i think that damon was a man of steel; going through 24 years of pain and suffering. i wanted to cry when damon's friends came over. well done, courtenays.

This book affected me so deeply and has stayed with me since I first read it years ago. Having lost a loved one to AIDS I could relate to Bryce Courtenay's pain and I could feel the anger and passion he felt writing this book. Through Bryce's amazing talent for telling a story I felt I really knew Damon and his family. When I got to the last page I let out a deep sigh and cried for Damon, for my own loved one and for everyone affected by AIDS. I thank Bryce for having the courage to write this important book and for sharing Damon's life with us all.

I've read several of Bryce Courtenay's books and every one is a gem. I'm only disappointed that his books are not published in The United States and not readily available in our local bookstores.

I highly recommend this book to everyone and I know you'll be hooked on Bryce forever afterward.

APRIL FOOL'S DAY was the hardest book Bryce Courtenay ever wrote, and it's also one of the hardest books I ever read. I started it (the first time) on a Friday evening and did nothing but read (and occasionally try to sleep) until I had finished it -- I couldn't imagine stepping out of the middle of the story into my own life. I've read this book, given it away, bought it again, several times: it's not a book you can forget.

Courtenay's son Damon was born in Australia with severe haemophilia. Along with the moving story of an afflicted but strong-spirited boy, Courtenay paints a bitter and angry picture of the Australian medical community at that time, steeped in paternalism and political expediency.

Several times a week Damon would bleed into his joints, and his father would take him to the hospital for infusion of Factor VIII to induce clotting. In other countries families were allowed to stock Factor VIII and infuse at home, minimizing both disruption to the family and permanent damage to joints. This was not permitted in Australia, to the extreme detriment of haemophiliacs and their families.

Worse than this, the screening and fractionation of donated blood in Australia did not at that time meet safety standards known and required in other countries. Damon contracted AIDS from the contaminated Australian blood supply and died of that disease on April Fool's Day in 1991.

The book is saturated with the author's bitterness, and the reader can't fail to walk his angry path with him. You WANT it to have been different, you WANT to find a justification or at least an exculpation for the medical mismanagement of Damon and the entire cohort of haemophiliacs in that time and place.

You'll find a celebration of Damon's spirit and his family's faithful support. You'll find love that fights tooth and nail for Damon. But you won't find forgiveness or exoneration, and if you're like me you'll think you should, and keep reading the book again looking for it -- in yourself if not in the author.

Courtenay's work (THE POWER OF ONE, TANDIA, WHITETHORN, etc) appears not to be well known in the United States, although he's highly regarded in his birth county (South Africa) and adopted country (Australia). APRIL FOOL'S DAY should be more widely known. It's a challenging read with a personal message the reader has to translate and tease apart. Read it for that challenge.

I am a fan of Bryce Courtenay, and have read all his books. This one tells the true story of his last son, Damon, who was born with haemophilia and went through a very hard life, still one full of love and joy. I found myself crying for what happened to Damon, from the purple head episode in hospital to the AIDS he caught during a blood transfusion. And I do completely agree with what Damon said, whatever your problem is, HEALTH is a gift, the most precious one we possess, together with LOVE. The book is about love against the odds, the prejudice, the injustice of a health and political system in Australia in the 1980s; it is full of details and vivid images, and I can imagine how hard it was for the author to write about his own experience, and the suffering in trying to explain in a clear way what exactly happened to him and his family those days. Everyone who has been through a quite serious illness will love this book, as I did. Thanks, Bryce.

I bought this book when we lived in Australia from 1993/1994. I have since read the book over and over again and have lent it to family and friends under the strict mandate that they must return it to me upon completion. This is the most moving book I have ever read and it will be one that I will keep forever. I cried, I laughed, I cheered and I was inspired by Damon's courage and determination to not only live a normal life but to overcome the stigma associated with HIV/AIDs. Bryce Courtney has written a beautiful testimonally to his son's life. I hope every parent loves their child as much as the Courtney's did to not only let him live his life but to also allow him to die with dignity. His girlfriend, Celeste, was also amazing. How many of us could stand by our significant others knowing what she did about the ultimate outcome.

This book is a must read on everyone's list, I am only sorry that it is out of print.