Companies Books

After reading this I somehow felt changed. Written so well that you feel her emotions immensely throughout the book. I didn't want to put it down.

When Boken Glass Floats tells the story of a young girl and her experiences and life as she lives in Cambodia with the Khmer Rouge. It is very emotional as she weaves the story of her family in the labor camps and then the periods spent in the refugee camps in Cambodia and Thailand. I recommend it as a five star book.

A great book. A very sad account of a young girl that reflect the experiences of million Cambodian refugees. Also showed what perseverance and setting goals can achieve. If Miss Him can survive and succeed, so should everyone.
Highly recommend this book.

When Broken Glass Floats is the author's journey to find the magic of a world lost as a result of the Khmer Rouge. This book, as a personal account of the Khmer Rouge regime, is also my personal journey as a reader and a Khmer person. Through this magical journey, my own forgotten memories are awakened and many traditional beliefs that I have pushed to the back of my mind resurface.

I was too young to have memories of the Killing Fields, but I have heard enough stories to feel connected to it. There were gaps missing in my memory and this book filled those gaps. When Broken Glass Floats is poetic and touching, a book rooted in the author's desire to let the world know about the tragic death of her family. It begins when her memories are awakened as a result of her work as an interpreter and interviewer for the Khmer Adolescent Project, studying post-traumatic stress disorder among Cambodian survivors. This is a story of triumph, survival, and hope written from the Khmer soul of a Cambodian-American woman.

When Broken Glass Floats is a book with two moving and powerful purposes: one, as a therapeutic tool for the author, and, two, as a reminder of an event that should never have occurred. The author describes her book as a way "to use the power of words to caution the world, and in the process to heal myself" (p. 23). The process of writing the book became a trek to the Himalayas, "a search to recapture the long-lost magic in [her] life" (p. 23). My travels have taken me to the Himalayas. I have been seeking magic for my own healing like the author of When Broken Glass Floats. The process of reading her book and other autobiographies has provided much healing. I recommend this book for everyone who is interested in this subject, but in particular to Cambodian-Americans, because this book can take you on a journey into yourself, your soul, memories, and past.

This was an entirely good read. One of the amazing things I kept realizing as I read is Chanrithy Him has condensed a number of harrowing years of into just ~300 pages, so the reader only hears about some of her experiences - there's probably much more that didn't make it to the pages of this memoir. Also, Him's story is only one out of myriad others . . . thousands of thousands of Cambodian people who could tell a story even more devastating than Him's.

When Broken Glass Floats kept me interested from cover to cover, and I enjoyed Him's writing style. It's likely I can't say anything positive that hasn't already been said, so I'll pick out a couple of things I wonder if other readers noticed.

For one, the black and white family photos included in the book did not resemble the images I had of disease-stricken, starving children Him described. For instance - granted he is wearing a shirt in the photos, none of the pictures show Map (Him's youngest sibling) with a protruding belly - although towards the end of the book Him tells her readers Map fails to lose this effect of starvation even after his diet improves. Similarly, the photo of Ra on her wedding day shows a young woman who looks healthy (nice complexion, full cheeks, hair in an up-do, clean floral shirt), so I couldn't help but feel confused because this is far from how Him described her physically weak, skinny sister who was barely recognize at times. I realize the photo was taken during better times, but do people so sick and hungry recover to that degree so quickly? Also, the memoir chronicles countless dizzying days, months, and years of walking, working, and barely surviving from severe dehydration, starvation, infection, diarrhea, disease, and depression; personal belongings (books, valuables, etc.) were stolen, taken by the Khmer Rouge, and lost along the way. Under those conditions, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of doubt as I read about the photos Him had "managed to keep safe during the Khmer Rouge time" (p. 330) and the "cream lace blouse from Phnom Penh, which she (Ra) managed to keep safe during the Khmer Rouge time" (p.286). Given the circumstances described, this just didn't seem plausible. But who knows . . . not a major problem for me, it just caught my attention - as did the typographical errors I found from time to time.

Great book . . . would have enjoyed a bit more of a history lesson. If that's what you're seeking you might look elsewhere, because this is a tale focused on a very strong and intelligent young girl's survival.

One of my best friends bought this book for me when my husband was very ill in the hospital. I'm a knitting addict and this book was not only hysterical, but really lifted my spirits! It's a book you can't wait to read & will make you smile and laugh! You feel like someone else really understands your world as a knitter! Hilarious! I just loved every page of it! Stephanie has amazing wit! You'll love this book - it's a must, must read for anyone who loves to knit, read and laugh!!

This author never ceases to enthrall me with her true life experiences as a knitter.
If you knit (at all) you will 'see yourself' in her observations too.
The only problem is I can't read the book. laugh and knit at the same time.
However all knitters should rest their hands periodically, and reading this book
and sipping a cup of coffee is my prescription for rest!

Stephanie Pearl-McPhee is not only a talented knitter but a gifted writer as well. I have 4 of her books and want to get them all eventually. It's great to have a knitter I can relate to. She has a super way of expressing herself. This is a gem of a book, and I recommend it, yes I do! Get it for yourself or for a friend who knits. I first read one of her books from the public library, then I was hooked. I usually read them in bed while my husband's sleeping, trying not to wake him, while I'm snickering away. I've even read parts of her books to him. After living with me (a knitter) for so long, he gets her humor too. Wonderful book.

This is a great little book... I decided to bend the corners of each quote that I liked. Needless to say, most of the pages have a little corner turned down. I recommed this book.

How delightful!! I tucked the book in my knitting bag to read in spots were knitting is not deemed appropriate - but those are the very spots where laughing out loud is not deemed appropriate either. I promptly decided I needed to spend less time in such places.

It is so very humanly funny, that I had to share it with my mother - who doesn't knit at all. She loved it too. As a matter of fact, I never got it back...

This book follows Tomorrow when the war began. It is Full of Adventure and romance, sharing real feeling, and the violence inside us all. it will be hard to let go of this book.

Ellie and company continue their fight to save their families and their homeland from foreign invaders. This part of the story shows just how creative, tough, and competent young people can be and that they are capable of doing well without adults. The encounter with Harvey's Heroes made me root even more for the teens hiding out in Hell. This book is as well written as the first one and makes the reader pine for the next volume in the series.

This book is great for readers that are interested in action and tons of excitement. Elie and her friends are some of the only people not captured in the small town they live in. There is a war that has become very fierce and deadly which makes it hard for them. They try to fight back whenever they can so that the enemies are weakened.

In the first book Elie and her friends were surprised that there was a war going on and hid a lot. In the second book, though, they were more familiar with how to handle things in the war and they moved into action by doing things like blowing up a bridge so it would be harder for the enemies to transport their supplies. This caught me of guard because I didn't know that Elie and her friends would be able to do that.

If you like the Alex Rider series then you should like this series, too. It's one of my favorites because there is action and suspense that makes me want to keep reading on. Also the characters all have their special pros and cons which makes them seem more realistic. For instance, Elie is brave and a leader who can make decisions and Kevin depends on others to make decisions for him. The characters also change from the first book by taking different roles which makes it fun and exciting to read because new things happen. There is one major twist in the book which really surprised me but I don't want to give it away so you'll have to read the book to find out what it is!

The author ended the book by including the start of the third book in the series. This is an example of why you should read the first book in the series before this one because all the books tie together and you need to know the story lines to understand and enjoy the books better so be sure to read the entire series!

This book is great for readers that are interested in action and tons of excitment. Elie and her friends are some of the only people not captured in the small town they live in. The war has become very fierce and deadly which makes it har for them. They try to fight back when ever they can so that the enemies are weakened a little bit.

Elie and her friends are now familar with what they do and what they need to do so they don't hesitate any more; they just move into action. They make big advancements in this book which caught me off guard because I didn't know it could happen.

This is so far one of my favorite series because I like the action and thriller it has just like I think it has in the Alex Rider series. I would consider this a great follow up book to the first one because it starts off with what it ends with in the previous book. I like that because it reminds you of what happened last. The characters all have thier special prons and cons which makes the book more realistic. There is one major twist that suprised me deeply. I never thought of it happening which made the book take a different turn. The characters also change and take different roles which is fun and exciting because you get to learn more and have new things happen. The author does this in a way so that they change by doing different actions, leaderships, and bravery.

This is just the second book of the series so don't forget to check out the rest of the books!

I loved this series when I was younger and I love it now that I'm an adult. I re-read the entire series probably once a year. It is absolutely fantastic writing - Marsden deals with issues realistically and completely and somehow manages to make this scenario seem entirely real.

Every book in this series is on my favorite books list. If you are an avid reader, you MUST read this series.

A marriage counselor suggested I read this book. I had been married for 12 years at the time and we let things go. We needed some direction. We will be married 18 years this summer. It was wonderful. It gave me new hope and a new perspective. I have given several copies away to friends whose marriage was in trouble and a few as wedding gifts. It's great for the newly married couple to the oh boy our marriage is in serious trouble. I have re-read it a few times, and each time I pull something different from it. I highly recommend it!

I highly recommend this book. If it's not on the rocks, then I still recommend it, as it shows you specific biblical references to marriage and how to treat your partner.

I recommend it for those contemplating marriage and who are already married. Dr Wheat's books can transform any marriage into one made in Heaven.

For a christian, it is literally amazing how very far I was from the biblical principles for marriage. This book showed me how to act in accordance with these principles and I found nothing vague about it! It clearly outlined the appropriate behavior for a married christian and I go back to it again and again to remind myself of the good that god has in store for me as a partner in a christian marriage. I continue to buy this book in volume and share it with everyone I know, as my marriage was so close to the edge that I am still in awe of the blessing I've received from this book. Putting biblical principles to practice in your marriage can produce amazing results! May you be as blessed by the biblical wisdom explained in this book as I have been.

If you are looking for "secular" advice on marriage this book is not for you. However, if you are ready to have the marriage that Jesus Christ planned for you to have this book will help you start living the love-life you deserve and are biblically commanded to have. Every ounce of Dr. Wheat's advice is based on His Word, yet it is written in an easy to read format including examples of couples that Dr. Wheat has counseled. A strong and Holy marriage is hard work and even harder in the world we live in today, but it is possible with help from God and a commitment to walk in His ways. I also HIGHLY recommend Sacred Marriage by Gary L. Thomas.Sacred Marriage

I bought three of these for my niece for Christmas. She is a Lit Major and is an amazing writer. She loved them. I think that the money that you pay for them is incredible for the quality of these journals. No they are not real leather but they are beautiful despite the fact. I will but her more soon.

I can't imagine a more perfect looking journal for writing down important notes. Make no mistake, this is not really leather -- but it is an awesomely beautiful book with a museum-quality look.

No need to resist, this is worth the money -- just for how wonderful it makes you feel. What a great gift for yourself or a friend!

I purchased this as a Christmas gift for my wife. She enjoys writing poetry and I wanted to give her something like a journal to copy them over to. I was lucky enough to come across this product which is just beautiful and very well made. She loves it. It is a great gift for anyone who writes poetry, keeps journals, or even short stories.

What a great buy. It was well worth the money. The magnetic closure is very nice.

I just received this journal as a birthday present, and I can't believe I even wrote in journals before that weren't by Paperblanks. The picture shown does not even begin to do it justice. The gold foil embellishment adds a beautiful touch to this journal. Inside, there are two pages that cover the front and back of the lined pages that are a dark, shiny, golden color. Unlike the previous reviewer, my journal did not have a space to put who "this journal belongs to." It has a beautiful bright satin ribbon marker and a momento pouch inside the back cover. The pages are cream colored and unbelievably smooth. If this look doesn't suit you, Paperblanks has many others to chose from. Just do a search. I can promise you once you get one from this company, you'll never be satisfied with anything else! I will DEFINITELY be getting more in the future when I fill this up! :)

Beezus and Ramona is a good book! In this book, you meet Fred, Ramona's imaginary pet lizard. Ramona also happens to destroy a library book! How do you spell Ramona and Beezus? F-u-n, f-u-n, f-u-n! I'm not allowed to tell you anything else. So how do you find out about this? READ THE BOOK-NOW!

Is there *anyone* on the planet who doesn't like Beverly Cleary's books and the wonderful characters she created?

Beezus and Ramona (along with Henry Huggins and the rest of the gang on Klikitak Street) were part of my childhood. 40 years later, they were just as appealing to my own son. And don't tell anyone -- although we bought these audiobooks when he was about 8, at 12 he still likes to put these on ocassionally and listen. Why? In large part because of Stockard Channing's masterful performance here. Her rendition of Ramona is EXACTLY how we imagine this impish little creature would talk.

I highly recommend these books, both because of the delightful stories and characters that Mrs. Clearly created for us, and because Stockard Channing has brought them to life so perfectly here. The stories are reminiscent of simpler times and will take parents back to their own childhoods while providing toddlers to tweens with good, wholesome entertainment.

We listened on road trips, and unlike certain kids entertainment (a certain purple dinosaur comes to mind), you won't want the kids to wear headphones to preserve your sanity. You'll want it on the main speakers for everyone in the car to enjoy.

Five stars!

Beezus really got annoyed with Ramona, she wrecked the art class, she bite into all those apples,etc. I would have probably screamed if I had Ramona for a sister! I like Beverly Cleary's books. I own this particular book of hers, and I read it again and again! It's awsome! I totally recomend it, along with Cleary's other awsome books!

Ask any older sibling about younger siblings, and you'll get one common answer...they're A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G. They steal your toys, throw tantrums, and constantly steal the spotlight. But, even the most perturbed older siblings know that, deep down, it's impossible not to love younger sisters and brothers - sometimes.

Nine-year-old Beatrice "Beezus" Quimby has always been a quiet soul, content with spending her time embroidering pot holders, helping her mother do the sheets on Saturday's, and reading the countless books she checks out of the Glenwood Branch Library on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, her four-year-old sister, Ramona, is the exact opposite of her. Ramona has one thing on her mind, and that's making as much noise as possible, and driving the whole family out of their mind. Beezus can't stand it, especially since the responsibility of taking care of Ramona, and ensuring that she behaves, is often delegated to her, so that her parents can get their work done. Ramona, however, refuses to obey Beezus. Unless, of course, she's reading one of her favorite books - The Littlest Steam Shovel, or Big Steve the Steam Shovel - to her. But even that doesn't keep Ramona occupied for long. When Beezus is in the midst of creating pictures for her art class, Ramona is there to cause a mess, and challenge Beezus' imagination. When Ramona is offered two marshmallows as a snack, she uses them as powder puffs, as opposed to putting them in her tummy, where they belong. During checkers games with Beezus' pal Henry Huggins, Ramona destroys the checkerboard, and wreaks all sorts of havoc - even some involving Henry's beloved dog Ribsy. In Beezus' eyes, she can't win - even when it's her birthday. But as she gets older, and learns more about her mother's relationships with her siblings, Beezus begins to realize that, as obnoxious as Ramona is, she's still her sister. And even though she may become angry at Ramona for her crazy antics; she still loves her - just not all the time.

I fell in love with Beverly Cleary's RAMONA books when I was five-years-old, and now that I have decided to re-read them, I'm finding that I can't help but fall in love with them all over again. I feel as if I have reverted back to my five-year-old self, and can actually relate to the mishaps that continually take place during both Ramona, and Beezus' lives. Beezus is such a fun character, who seems wise beyond her years, and is serious to a motherly extent. Ramona, on the other hand, is carefree and impossible to handle. Her wacky thoughts, and determination to always have her way is humorous; while some of the debacles she finds herself in are downright cringe-worthy. Cleary has penned a book here that is essential to read aloud to both older and younger children. The message of love is clear on every page, and truly helps to bring siblings together. Clever, funny, and irresistible.

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

If you have a little sister and think she's annoying, think again. Does your sister think Bendix is the most beautiful name in the world? Does she ruin your birthday cake--twice?! Sometimes little sisters are annoying, but Ramona is impossible! Beezuz, Roamona's big sister finds out that no matter what happens in her childhood with Ramona, they will think it funny when they grow up. I hope you'll enjoy this book!

This book "flows" easily and it does a great job covering the meteoric rise of both Bill Gates and Microsoft. The narrative is never dull and both, the man and his company, are given a fair treatment. This book was published in 1993 and a lot of interesting stuff remains to be told. Wish the authors would team up for a sequel. This is a well written and authoritative account of Microsoft and its founder.

Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire

This book is a must-read for people who consider themselves ambitious and driven. It taught me the importance of single-minded drive and determination, coupled with a passion for the line of work one is in. IT is a tough line of work to be in - jobs could be outsourced anytime, skills become redundant quickly and there isn't the glamor or get-fabulously-rich possibility of finance or investment banking... but this book demonstrates that as long as you are passionate about what you do, there is always room at the top. Take heart from it!

This is the definitive Book about Bill Gates (and the history of Windows). It covers all the management aspects of how he drove Microsoft and how the work became his life. The man doesn't do business... He LIVES it. And this book describes it in very much detail.

The details includes how Bill "turned over" IBM... Promissing them the OS/2 under the "NT Technology" flag and how he realeased Windows 95 and killed IBM forever from the Desktop business. It also shows Gates apreciation for Older woman (and many that took him to bed). As part of this "private" package, it also explains the problems that He had with Steve Ballmer. How Ballmer was showing poor management and leadership under Gates perspective and how Ballmer got over it and made his loyalty to Gates forever.

I was more interested on the part that explains how Microsoft Windows 1.0 was developed. How disastrous the first Office was compared to the competition and how they managed to "work around" and fix it, by "coping" the competition and improving it "the Microsoft way".

Buy this if you want to know how business can be done... or be "copied".

This is a decent book on how Bill Gates and his business team built the Microsoft empire. The good aspects of this book include the following:

* The emphasis on how Microsoft was not built in a day but with many, many long days and lots of innovative thinking. This book illustrates how hard Gates worked.

* The portrayal of how relentlessly competitive and ambitious Gates is, be it at efficient programming, dominating the various software markets, studying higher mathematics or playing poker with his buddies.

* The specific details of the growth of Microsoft, as a company, up until the time of the book's publication.

* The implicit theme of how Gates never stops thinking.

Unfortunately, there are several aspects of this book that I disliked. These include the following:

* The writing is repetitive and often very stream-of-conscious. This book reads like a 250-300 page book diluted into a 400 page book.

* There is a lot of negative commentary about Gates' personality. First, this negative illustration seems to be done without providing the proper context. Gates is often portrayed as very immature. In this book, Gates is described as frequently issuing direct attacks on the intelligence of his employees during meetings and in private communication. He is also portrayed as immature through negligence, such as when he, presumably inadvertently, left his dirty laundry thrown about on a hotel floor for a top executive of his company to collect.

Although these incidents may be true, the authors should have emphasized that Gates is an enormously successful executive who is *only* in his twenties. While this does not excuse the described behavior, it does provide context for it. Needless to say, these immature outbursts would be appalling if they were committed by a seasoned executive in his early sixties.

More generally, this image of Gates conflicts with the image I gathered of him through other means. A friend of mine who worked at Microsoft described Gates as routinely hosting interns in his mansion for dinner, magnanimously forgiving a new employee who accidentally dented his car and graciously answering a personal e-mail concerning the artwork in his home. The Gates I have heard of through my friend, and the one who runs the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, does not fit the mold of the Gates described in this book.

I am not challenging the veracity of the information contained within, I am just surmising that the negatives sound like a few bad habits that Gates may have grew out of.

Delightful book. Its one flaw is its addictiveness, I couldn't put it down which did cost me sleep (I'm an IT professional with an entrepreneur spirit- your results may vary).

The Microsoft/Gates biography is impeccable in its wealth of interesting details and engaging story-telling.

Bill Gates is a fantastic decision maker. He would be as successful selling water or space suits, he just happened to be at the right time in the right booming industry and pushed with his business-business mentality to the limit. Right decision after right decision, the Microsoft journey is a story that any entrepreneur should nitpick and absorb as much as possible.

Of course, his terrible capitalistic drive is a perfect subject for a discussion on morals, social responsibility and related matters, but without a doubt when it comes to maximizing outcome while playing by our economic rules, Hard Drive tells a tale of epic proportions featuring a superhero / villain that rivals the best of science fiction.

My peers know me as a baking hobbyist. This book might as well be my "Bible!" All of my favorite brownie recipes come from the recipes in here. Boom Booms, Jayne Mansfields, Chocolate Orgasms, and more have become a permanent part of my brownie repertoire. Maya's Pocketbooks (a jam-filled pie-like cookie) is another favorite!

Easy to follow and made with common ingredients, these recipes are truly what baking is about: eggs, flour, butter, a lot of flavor, and a lot of love!

I've given this book as a gift -- it is that good!

Every recipe is a winner -- personal favorites are Noah Bedoahs and Brownie Shortbread. All are simple to prepare with step by step, detailed instructions so that the end results are exactly the same, each and every time a recipe is made. My first copy of this book was the paperback version ... used it so often it fell apart; I replaced it a couple of years ago with a hard cover copy. Judy's second book, all Cookie recipes, is also a worthwhile investment!

the recipes are easy and really delicious. a nice addition to your baking books collection.

This is the best $11 you'll ever spend if you are looking for a baking book. I love every recipe I've ever tried. Every one comes out perfectly. Judy Rosenberg really knows her sweets and it shows. If I have a special occasion I need to bake for, I don't bother testing the recipes out first anymore. Mine is dog eared and butter stained and when it falls apart, I'll get another! I'll say the same for her cookie book!

Absolutely love this book. I've owned it for years and whenever I need to bring something sweet to some event, this is the book I go to. The Lemon Squares on pages 152/153 are the best I've ever had. Everything in this book is so good and fresh tasting. Nothing is over cooked, or bland or ordinary. I love Peach Crumb Pie and the Very Short Shortbread Cookies.

The frosting recipes in the book is also pretty great.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it is very informative, and accurate. we just started to apply these principals to our diets, and we have been eating healthy and feeling great.

Dr. Russell writes in a way that, to be consistent, one would have to become a 7th Day Adventist. He takes extinct Old Testament references regarding what Jews were supposed to eat and what they weren't supposed to eat, and acts as if they compose God's universal, timeless law. Poor exegesis. If he stuck to the scientific pros and cons of food I would have received him better (even though much of his data is controversial/speculative). There have to be better written books out there (I know Richard Foster does a much more thorough analysis of health and fasting).

The title of the book really says it all. God created us and gave us specific instructions on what to eat. We would be wise to follow them. I've given copies of this book to my whole family.

I have found this book to be very insightful about my eating habits. Putting biblical boundaries around my eating choices actually gives me the freedom I've been needing to say no to all types of junk food. It has also helped me learn to trust God's guideance in other areas of life. God knows His creation and wants the best for us.

This is the best book I have read with clear, easy to follow advice that will show you Bible references for all of it's tips. It has a page of foods with Bible verses to look up where the food is eaten. There are references for the unhealthy foods, too. If you want a straight forward book without a lot of the authors own "reasons why", you will be very happy. You will come away with the answers you were seeking.

this book is unbelievable. to take something like the injustice of caryl chessman's death by gas and turn it into such a story of murder and madness is wonderful. thomas bishop, his magic and his madness are, without a doubt, scary and plausible. looking at the serial killers of my time, late 60's to present time, this man is the scariest. his ability to blend, hide, and kill are masterful. the book was difficult to put down and it's one of my favorite of the genre.

I read this book years ago. It scared me so bad then that I would have to put it down and walk away from it to regroup and I have never forgotten it. I read it again recently and it scared the @#$% out of me as if it were the first time. I have never read a book that totally sucked me in and took me on such a freakish, disturbing nightmare into a killers SICK life. It's just plain old scarey, terrifying, horrific and captivating. You have to keep pinching yourself and keep saying "Its only a story...its only a story." If you like to get scared THIS is the book for you.

Thomas Bishop/Vincent Mungo is THE most heinous killer ever committed to print, all the more so because he appears to be an all-American, apple-cheeked, tousle-haired young man. He's a complete psychopath who believes he's on a mission to kill women. And what he does with the bodies ... well, the book leaves a lot of that up to the imagination, but it must be pretty awful.

The book is an epic, beginning a generation before the killer's career and bringing in a huge array of cops, reporters, psychologists and politicians (usually with self-serving agendas) who are part of the nationwide manhunt. The book is written in the dry, clinical prose of standard nonfiction, which makes it even more chilling. No purple prose at all. No book has ever better described the kind of horrifying childhood abuse (his mother is a real piece of work, as frightening in her own way as her son) that creates psychopathic killers.

Absolutely fascinating, but profoundly disturbing. I lent it to my brother, a tough customer, and even he was shaken by it. Forget Norman Bates and Hannibal Lecter. Vincent Mungo's the real deal.

In "By Reason Of Insanity" author Shane Stevens's 511 page novel depicts a scenario where the convicted rapist Caryl Chessman raped a woman prior to his capture and later execution in 1958. She did not report the rape, but she perceived that she had gotten pregnant from the encounter. Her husband was soon killed in an armored car robbery, but their relationship had been rocky from the start, and after his death, she began using her maiden name of Bishop, and her son was born as Thomas Bishop.

As her short life progressed, she slid into insanity, which included many beatings of her child. Finally, at age 10, Thomas Bishop committed matricide and he was confined at Willow, a local insane asylum, probably for life. In a brilliantly planned and executed escape, the 25 year-old Bishop began a nation-wide rein of terror, leaving a trail of murder and mayhem as he traveled east to New York City.

A nation-wide magazine was running a special edition on Bishop, and thus enters our hero, the hard-charging and experienced reporter Adam Kenton. I generally don't care for books which glorify lawyers, politicians and especially reporters which are generally both lazy and clueless and rate right up there with used car salesmen and aluminum siding telemarketers. But Kenton's character was an exception. With skilled and well thought out snares and traps, Kenton tried to first correctly identify Bishop, and then run him to ground. The narrative depicted his many defeats and minor victories as he fought his way towards the climax of the story.

Mechanically, the book was difficult to read in some areas and was too long as a result. As an example, in each of the towns Bishop visited, the author felt the need to describe in minute detail, exactly where he was in the town which was of no interest except to current or former residents of the location. There was also an excessive use of our character's dreams; word-filling narrative, which the reader quickly learns to skip on through.

With that said though, Stevens' clever and well-laid out plot carried the day. A solid 4 1/2 star effort and the reader's time is well spent with this one.

This is an amazing book when looking into the insane mind. The political aspect is mainly ignorable but the main function of the writing is very worthwhile.