People Books

Comer tells the story of his family by focusing on the remarkable life of his mother, Maggie Comer, whose determination helped her survive poverty and segregation in the South and discrimination in the North to raise of family of successful children. The first half of the book is told in Maggie's own words. The second half is in Comer's. An excellent example of the broader social migration of black families from the South to the North following Reconstruction.

I read this book for a college class this past semester and was truely amazed at how well this book was written. This book is basically broken down into three parts, all equally intersesting. The first part is based in Maggies story, her life, struggles and amazing accomplishments. The second part is all about the author, James, who is also Maggies son. The story of "Maggie's American Dream" is an excellent representation of a family that went through tough times and prevailed through a combination of church, education as well as being "taught and strongly encouraged to develop the needed social skills and personal controls." Maggie raises her family during a time when it was difficult to be a black person in America. Maggie was ridiculed and pushed away from any opportunities simply because of the color of her skin. Maggie became a wonderful mother, which I feel is the most important part of this story. Her son James tells the stories of how he was raised. These are stories of a mother that attended all sporting events, assisting her children in becoming talented at several different activities ranging from playing the piano to playing sports. Maggie was always there for her family. She taught them right from wrong as well as a strong sense of that "never give up" attitude. These children continue to strive to do their best in anything they did, even during a time when they were held back from doing just that. This is an example of how a family can make it through most adversities as long as they all stick together and work towards their goals and dreams.

Wonderful book Mr. Comer and thank you for opening my eyes to a great story.

I did a research study on American Dream in America during the 20s-30s decade. I've read a lot of books concerning the subject; literary works, forming the main portion of my resources. These ranged from Fitzgerald's 'Great Gatzby' to Steinbeck's 'Grapes of Wrath', from Dreiser's 'An American Tragedy' to Lewis's 'Main Street'. In addition to these quite old literary works, I collected statistical, analytical information about the particular decades, to verify what I've acquired from the novels. It was a hard study, but I managed to write a reasonably concise thesis, with the help of not the sources I listed, but with this book, 'Maggie's American Dream' instead. Why?

Almost all of the books I've read were productions of imagination. Even Dreiser, who was inspired from a real account, did not stick to facts in his book, but altered them to create a fiction. However, 'Maggie's American Dream' is a true story. It is told from James Comer's point of view, in a very poetical fashion. The second part of the book is his mother's story, which is again expressed by James. The book also contains a nice section of pictures of the Comer family, which are quite interesting after reading about the family.

James P. Comer had a very hard childhood, as it could be expected during the years of never-ending racism issues. Comer beautifully expresses how they managed to stand tall, and get their share in the competition of living. Mr. Comer is now working as a psychiatrist in New Haven, after having completed his doctoral work in Yale University. It is a dream that is realised, indeed.

This book will provide you with a lot of insights about the lives of black families, American societal norms, family relations during the 20s and 30s, which you cannot find easily in any other source this clearly and truely.

What a wonderful book. Very easy to read with lots of short chapters so that even the busiest of us can get through it quickly. And of course Maggie and her family are so real that you find you can't put the book down...you just have to find out what happens to them all next.
It's a great story, and worth reading from that angle alone. But all the way through this book also gives you plenty to ponder - whether you are someone with an interest in education (and doesn't that include all parents?), someone who wishes that all people had an equal opportunity to realise their potential, or someone who really wants to know what life is like for others from different backgrounds and countries. The author also inspires us to think about how we can make a difference, in some small way, wherever and whoever we are.

This book I have read is the best book I have ever read. It has inspired me by not being mad ever time someone gets in my face and be racis toward me. I really like this aurthor he is a very insperational writter. I would tell everbody who is going through something very hard, reconmemd this book to any and every one

So much has happened since this book was written. The Space Shuttle Columbia, sadly, was lost on reentry. Scaled Composites won the X-Prize. The X-prize organizers founded the Rocket Racing League (RRL). These are major power quakes in the space field. You'd think Berinstein's book would now be hopelessly out of date. Not so.

In these pages, you'll find the back story behind many of the ideas and personalities driving private space activity today. The interviews are really insightful, and the author profiles just about everybody: Buzz Aldrin, Jim Benson (whose SpaceDev built the engines for Scaled Composites's X-prize winning flights), Peter Diamandis (X-prize and RRL founder), Prof. John Lewis (asteroid expert and author of Mining the Sky), Denis Tito (first private space traveler), Robert Zubrin (author, The Case for Mars) and many more. She lets everyone tell their own story, then provides her own viewpoint, which is sometimes slightly critical (though for truly deep criticism, see Weil's "They All Laughed at Christopher Columbus" or Benjamin's "Rocket Dreams").

Berenstein does leave out a few important figures, such as hotelier Robert Bigelow and Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. But it was not for lack of trying. Bezos is still keeping mum about his secret rocket company (Blue Origin) and Bigelow wasn't talking much about his inflatable space stations in 2002.

Berenstein's book sets the stage for today's flurry of activity in private space. If you want a good introduction to the people behind it, this is a great place to start.

"Making space happen" is for me a phrase that conjures up visions of the world as portrayed in "2001: A Space Odyssey". But of course the world portrayed in that 1968 film -- one with routine space travel -- has not come to pass. Now, 45 years beyond our first, tentative journeys into space, that situation begs the question: Why not?

Paula Berinstein's book is a valuable component of the answer to that question. One reason is that Ms. Berinstein understands business and finance. Indeed, she makes her living advising others on business ventures. For this book (her sixth), she spent three years researching the economics of such ventures as tourism in space, and interviewing many of the movers and shakers in this burgeoning, but largely unnoticed, area.

Its publication is well-timed, for today the biggest barriers to getting into space are not technical ones; they are political and economic ones. This is why business sense is the important asset. Good businessmen with an interest in space -- space entrepreneurs -- are not so common as the techies; but they do exist. This book profiles a number of them, revealing that while getting into space is no cakewalk, it need not be as difficult as the powers that be maintain. One example is the chapter on Jim Benson. He took a look at NASA's Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous (NEAR) mission, with its $250 million price tag, and decided it could be done a lot cheaper by the private sector. A feasibility study done in 1997 by industry experts confirmed that $25 million would do it. An order-of-magnitude cost reduction is not bad. (And note that this is with the existing stable of launch vehicles -- themselves much more expensive than they might be.)

Each chapter deals with one aspect of the problem (human health in microgravity, funding space ventures, insurance, laws, etc.) and profiles an individual or team of individuals actively working in that area. Those profiles include generous portions of the interviews with the subjects. Along with these interviews, some surprisingly candid, come cogent discussions of the relevant issues, supported where applicable by numbers. At the end of each chapter, Ms. Berinstein gives her own opinion of the facts and views just presented. These opinions reflect her admitted bias in favor of routine space travel, but are often skeptical about specific points.

Following the 20 chapters and an epilog on Dennis Tito, there are four appendices that go into greater detail about space tourism market issues, market surveys, regulatory issues, and propulsion. A bibliography, a glossary, a biographical sketch of the author, and a very thorough index round out the book. There are also 29 color and three black-and-white plates, many from photogrpahs taken by Ms. Berinstein herself.

I'd say this very readable book is a worthwhile introduction to some people who, relatively obscure today, might be making us all sit up and take notice in just a few years.

This is a good survey book for getting up to speed on what's happening in private space development. It's quite exciting to see all the different activities currently happening with private space.

Berinstein covers many different bases. She talks to people inside and outside of NASA and the aerospace establishment, and people from countries other than the US and Russia. She covers politics, with Charles Miller's Prospace organization. She discusses a wide variety of private space efforts, including the Space Frontier Foundation, the Mars and Moon societies, Applied Space Resources, and Spacedev. She also delves into less technical subjects such as ethics, philosophy and property rights.

Some of the most interesting parts of the book are on the history of private space through the post-Apollo letdown of the 70's and 80's. Some recent successes have been many years in the making, in particular NASA's recent friendliness to private space.

It's also fascinating to see the personal histories of space activists. Knowing what Peter Diamandis, Rick Tumlinson, Jim Benson and others have been up to for the last 10 or 20 years makes them all the more interesting, and in some cases inspiring.

My only qualm with the book would be that Berinstein sometimes gets off on tangents, or poses lots of open-ended questions. She does a fairly detailed analysis showing that women are underrepresented in space, and technical fields in general. An important subject, but this is hardly news, and it seemed to distract from the focus of the book.

As of Jan 2005, the book has become somewhat dated. Sometimes in pleasant ways, as with Scaled Composites' X prize win. I'm also unable to find any current info on google about Applied Space Resources, a company featured prominently in the book.

Aside from a couple minor qualms, this is an expansive book, one that makes it easy to get excited about the opportunities for private space. A good jumping-off point for getting more involved in this area.

Making Space Happen fills an important void in the dialog and literature on space exploration, exploitation and the future. Reading the visions and realizing how much is underway to achieve dramatic new breakthroughs is exhilarating. Telling these stories by bringing the cast of characters from out of the mainstream fully into the discussion provides many new insights -- and with solid credibility.

I learned an awful lot about some important and exciting initiatives I'd not been aware of -- though I consider myself a fairly serious student of space development and space issues. My assessment is that the two segments of the space industry -- the mainstream and these entrepreneurs in the Making Space Happen story -- have significant voids in their understanding of one another. This book can address one side of that imbalance -- if it is embraced by the mainstream.

I am impressed with how Paula Berninstein has been able to jump into such a complex field as space and in a very short time, capture so broadly and comprehensively the essence of today's challenges in space exploration. It's not that governments -- and particularly the U.S. -- have not "made space happen" in the past 4-5 decades nor realistically that governments ever will be out of the equation. However, her marvelous research and presentation has reinforced my firm conviction that it will ultimately be the private sector lead by entrepreneurs who, through space exploitation, will force the acceleration of space activities and bring the benefits of space finally back down to Earth in a substantial way.

Paula has taken a segment of the rapidly growing space industry that has been largely ignored by all the space "high-rollers" and put it on the map. It's disappointed me in the past to see senior "aerospace industry leaders" ignore and even belittle the creative thinkers and free-spirits who are suggesting unconventional approaches to long-standing space challenges. If these leaders had all the answers, the challenges would not remain so fundamental as high costs of getting to space and generating healthy return on investments -- from other than public coffers. NASA and the aerospace industry personify the bureaucratic approach to space exploration and real breakthroughs and progress will only come with the high-risk, creative directions such as those she's chosen to describe in this book.

Tom Rogers, for example, is one of the best thinkers of our time with regard to space tourism and the potential impact this new industry can have on our capability to get to space. He also has been justifiably critical of how the billions in public resources have been applied to advancing human presence in space. For this, he has not been well received by the establishment. Well, the establishment and all thinking people need to hear what Tom Rogers and the others in this very informative book have to say -- and moreover what they are actually doing to change the future. Then maybe the two segments of the space business will figure out how to cooperate and together make the next great leaps in space really happen.

This is a great book for long time space enthusiasts as well as those who have just caught the space bug.

This isn't a book about NASA or its programs, though she does discuss them. This is about private citizens who are trying to make space accessible to you and me.

She brings most of the players (individuals and organizations) into this book and what the current burning issues are. There are some people that I wish she would put into the book but this is a very minor quibble.

Her book is an easy read. It doesn't get bogged down in technobabble. She lets the people profiled in this speak themselves through long interviews.

The statistics and data she presents are well placed thus not becoming a distraction or interrupting the flow of reading the book.

There are some people that I didn't know even though I keep up to date on private endeavors. She also brings people in other countries who are involved in private space efforts which is good. We need to know more about what's going on in other nations and what their attitudes are regarding private space efforts and opinions on space generally.

This is a very informative book. She's fair and balance presenting the pros and cons of what it takes for private citizens to get into space.

She presents her opinions at the end of most chapters in a section clearly highlighted as opinion. Her book has helped me crystallized some half form opinions about some of the individuals and organizations that are involved in private space efforts.

If you're interested in who's making things happen space for us and what their technology, plans, and goals are, this is the book.

Good job, Paula!

I bought this to read for a class, but was taken aback by how good this book was. An excellent read for anyone.

Like a lot of university educated folks, I heard in Psych 101 that once you hit your teens, your capacity to learn languages takes such a nosedive that if you haven't learned by then, you'll never be better than "Me Tarzan, you Jane" no matter how hard you try. I'm not ashamed of accepting this "language expiration date" -- there was no reason not to, and besides, it tracked with my own frustration learning foreign languages. For decades, I accepted this Psych 101 nugget without question.

When I started reading A Man Without Words, I had no idea my old Psych 101 nugget's days were numbered. I heard about the book as something a fan of Oliver Sacks would enjoy, and I associated it with Oliver Sack's book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, about neurological dysfunction, not Sacks's Hearing Voices, about the deaf. I assumed until I started reading that the "man without words" was aphasic -- had brain damage that prevented him from understanding language. Turns out, though, the book's namesake is deaf and poor and had simply, at 27, never been taught any language. No one had ever bothered. Susan Schaller then proceeded to overturn the Psych 101 sacred cow I never knew I had by describing how she taught this young man the beginnings of ASL over the course of a few weeks. Then, so I couldn't think of him as a freak or fraud, Schaller goes on to show that many deaf people receive no language training and can also be taught to sign long after the Psych 101 "language expiration date."

Schaller claims that almost every deaf teacher, and most hearing teachers, of ASL know of adults who have grown up without language. While her book is anecdotal and therefore fundamentally unscientific, she makes a passionate plea for academic study of the acquisition of language by adults, which makes her more plausible than those who would brush science aside where it does not prove their case. A Man Without Words is a powerful request, and a strong basis, for further research in this area.

A Man Without Words is also very well written. Schaller is both artful and precise in her descriptions of sign idioms and grammar, to the point that I, who know little of sign other than what I read here and in Hearing Voices, felt I understood what I needed to and enjoyed learning it. Her narrative case study is better written than many novels, and besides being fascinated by the information Schaller imparts, I also became submerged in the story.

Learning that something I believed for decades may be dead wrong gives me a feeling of loss of equilibrium (I got the feeling a lot when I first started reading about urban legends). No matter how skeptical I try to be, I always seem to be assuming something. A Man Without Words is a convincing argument for skepticism about the "language expiration date," and it raises concerns that the "expiration date" idea may make us give up up too quickly on languageless adults. It is also a fascinating read as a story, which makes the loss of equilibrium easier to take. Now I just hope that since this book was published in the nineties, someone in academia has taken the hint and done some study on linguistic development in adults. I'm off to cruise the Web to find out -- which, I'm sure, is just the kind of reaction Schaller was hoping for.

This book really opened my eyes to the world of adults without a communication system. I just took for granted the fact that everyone had a way of communicating when in fact, this book shows clearly that there are many who don't have just that. In addition, this book is a real page turner and packs a lot of interesting information in just a little over 200 pages.

Wow! A must-read for parents of deaf children, linguists, and SLP's. The author expertly describes the isolating effects life without a shared language. She tells the story of a deaf man who grew up in a poor town in Mexico. The man was never provided any education and was never taught how to communicate. At the start of the story, the man uses only gestures and miming to express himself. He lacks the concept of "language" --a system of symbols (spoken words, manual signs, or written text) that can be used to express an individual's thoughts & experiences and be understood by a whole community of people. The author recounts her struggle to figure out how to teach language and the man's struggle to learn. In addition, she clearly articulates the need for social change, the need to develop resources & programs for teaching the many languageless deaf adults who exist today. While I thoroughly enjoyed the story, I found that the numerous quotes throughout the book detract from the overall story. In this respect, the book seems somewhat like a hybrid --it is a positive & triumphant story of two people embarking upon a difficult journey with no map to guide them, AND it is an informal dissertation on the needs of an overlooked segment of the deaf population. Either way, it is a great story and is well-worth reading.

I've read many of the previous case studies of languagelessness in children. We studied Genie and the Wild Boy of Aveyron in an education class on language and it's place in education. This was my introduction to this particular group of disenfranchised, neglected, and abused people...except I thought it was all children usually discovered in late childhood (around age 13). From my neuroscience classes I remember being taught that the brain continues neuronal growth (to targeted synapses in the brain) until about age ten, then begins to cut back. This was supposedly an explanation for why language learning is so difficult later in life. So coming across this book, with its story concerning adults with no obvious psychiatric problems (just a physical difference in lacking hearing) who had managed to survive to adulthood with no language, came as a complete surprise.

This book got put aside as I had to read other books for school and work, but I picked it up again and finished it. Schaller basically is providing a qualitative study, a case study, to draw attention to this apparent problem. This method of educational research is used more and more in writing dissertations, and I actually didn't recognize what it was until I took a qualitative research class myself. The writing and book tend at first to repeat itself. I am not sure what Schaller was doing in writing this way. Perhaps the book had to be a certain length or she felt readers might not pay attention to the seriousness of this problem for Ildefonso and other adults without language. This repetition caused the first half of the book to drag a bit.

After I picked the book up again, I finished it in two days. The addition of the search for other adults with no primary language, Schaller's introduction to other adults like Ildefonso, and then her search for Ildefonso really added to the pace of the case study.

This book throws a bit of a wrench in much of the things I have been taught in both neuroscience and education. There are a few things the book illustrates better than any other book I've read on this topic. First, given the amount of adults who were deaf and had no language that Schaller found in Southern California really illustrates this has to be a major problem internationally. If we are finding such a large group in our nation which pushes education and literacy, what about in countries such as China where there are many deaf (due to overuse of gentamycin) and there are many people with no access to education. Second, again, we obviously don't know everything there is to know about the pliability of the brain. Third, I am very concerned about discrimination against this group, and the possibilities that there are many of these people in psychiatric wards or prisons or other institutions, merely because they have no way to assert their rights. This possibility would be criminal.

I'd like to see more books by Schaller on this topic, and hope to learn more about this in the future. For the most part, this is a great book, and it definitely is a great story which needed to be told.
Karen Sadler
Science Education
University of Pittsburgh

I'm ALMOST done with this book and am looking forward to the next book(s) in the series. Its a wonderful mix of modern American times, magic, adventure and sci fi, where a couple of young kids/tweeners learn the value of their skills and how to be unique!

I purchased this book after hearing the author talking about it on TV. My pre-teen loves this book. I have purchased books in the past but this is the first she started reading and can't stop talking about it. This was one of my best purchases and at a great price.

Wow! What a story!

Louis Proof is a teenager in East Orange, New Jersey. When the book opens, Louis one of the most popular students in his class. He is helpful, kind, and smart. He accepts an invitation to go to a wonderful amusement park where all of your wildest dreams come true. After things go a little wrong there, Louis leaves and mysteriously collapses and falls into a coma.

When Louis awakens, it is three months later and everything is different. Many adults are being replaced with replicas of themselves -- and they are a child's dream. They let their kids do anything they want. Slowly, Louis realizes that he is the earth's only chance. Earth is being taken over by Galonious, a very funny but evil person. He takes away a person's inhibitions and promises freedom. Some people steal and vandalize while others commit murder.

I spent some time speaking with my fifth-graders about this concept and I believe that they found it as scary as I did. The story doesn't come to a conclusion, as there are supposed to be sequels. The hero is also African-American, which is a first, and there are many references to popular culture which makes the story fun.

Enjoy reading THE MARVELOUS EFFECT!

Reviewed by: Marta Morrison

Being an adult who still reads what are called "chilrens novels", I was pleasently suprised that kid in me has been re-awakened in Marvelous fashion. Troy CLE has infused Hip-Hop, True teachings, and a world of fantasy into the "Marvelous World" of East Orange New Jersey...I would say more but the Crims would get me. Then as young Brandon would say, it would be "on". I highly recommend this to anyone who has children of their own, or better yet, to anyone who has a child's heart... Bottom line, "it's marvelous darling". Peace.

This is a beautifully written book that will instantly engage even a reluctant reader. It's fun, it's deep, it's alive with a lively plot and creative setting. I use it for an urban book club. Most of my kids have never read a book over 100 pages, yet they finished this book ahead of schedule. It's a very smart book with great vocabulary and themes that are rich for discussuion. This author has written a book that kids can see, hear and feel.

Now in a newly revised and enlarged edition, Medicine Hands: Massage Therapy for People with Cancer is an in-depth guide to using massage to lessen the deleterious effects of chemotherapy and radiation, relieve pain, and improve overall quality of life for cancer patients. Written by massage therapist Gayle MacDonald, Medicine Hands is intended especially for fellow massage therapists, offering years of professional experience and wisdom concerning techniques, learning to assess the needs of patients, special considerations for therapy upon patients with common side effects of cancer, children living with cancer, or patients nearing the moment of death. Extensive references, black-and-white photographs, and plain-spoken, highly accessible writing style distinguish this enthusiastically recommended supplemental resource for massage professionals everywhere.

I am taking Gayle MacDonald's Oncology Massage Therapy Certification program courses and her new updates are wonderful! Much of what we have been studying is in her book, so its been great study tool. I currently work with people living with cancer and now I feel totally competent in my field of expertise doing so. Great book, and can't wait for more books by her.

I got this book when I was in massage school, writing a short essay on massage and ovarian cancer patients. It has an excellent chapter on massage and metastases that every body worker and physician working with cancer patients should read, all necessary information on precautions during all stages, and tons of good advice on everything from working in a hospital setting to working on friends and family of the patient. I will definitely refer to it whenever I treat clients with a history of cancer, or work in a medical setting.

I found this book to be a true inspiration for me. I found out about it through one of the Massage magazines and I can honestly say it was one of the best and most important purchaces I made since I graduted from massage school in 1999.

I have used it as a reference while doing volunteer as an LMT on the oncology unit at my local hospital and it was extremely helpful. Staff and students alike were very impressed with it when I showed it to them. The layout of this book is very user friendly and the appendixes and references in the back were excellent.

I personally feel it's a good ideal to get further training related to the oncology in the clincal enviroment as far as massage concerned. Yet this book was also very clear as about the limitaions and contraindications which made me feel at ease. This book is an excellent starting point for thoes wishing to give care to people facing Cancer and is quite thorough in all topic covered. It can help the therapist, student therapist and/or caregiver understand the challenges and rewards of providing the gift of touch at a time when it maybe needed it most.

The non-profit educational institution that I chair just hosted a three-day training for massage therapists with Gayle, and we were the first group to be taught using this newest edition of her book. I own the first edition and had devoured it cover-to-cover; this edition is a huge step up from that wonderful book. Gayle dispels myths about cancer and massage with science, and also gives the reader and practitioner many new tools and ways of working with people living with cancer, either preparing for treatment, undergoing it, and also for those several years out of treatment.

The primary thing that I learned was just how much I *didn't* know about the cautions of people undergoing or who have undergone treatment for cancer. Both the training and the book have given me confidence that I can *safely* touch and work with every single person with compassion and gentleness. Her book also gives me a sharper understanding of working more intelligently with my clients who do not have cancer but who may be in a medically frail state, such as those in Hospice with whom we work in our practice.

I cannot say enough wonderful things about this author, her book, and her teaching. This is a "must-buy" for all massage therapists and for anyone who is a professional touch therapist.

I did not find this book as mesmerizing as her former books. I suspect she is laying the groundwork for future books with these characters. Miss Stewart did a fine job of delineating characters. The suspense just wasn't there.

Great series opener (I'm assuming by the open ended plots and character lines). Great character development and intriguing mix of backgrounds intertwined. Wonderful romance and love stories enfold and hopefully will continue to develop in the next books. Strongly recommend.

Internet mogul Robert Magellan's life has been torn apart by the disappearance of his wife, Beth, and their baby son, Ian. Beth took Ian with her to her cousin's baby shower, joined in the festivities and then left for home, only to seemingly vanish into thin air. Somehow, in spite of a lengthy and exhaustive search, the woman, the baby and a Jeep Cherokee are nowhere to be found.

Over a year later, Robert's cousin, Father Kevin Burch, shows up asking Robert to pay for an investigator to locate the missing teenage grandson of his parish secretary, Mary Corcoran. Mary's grandson, Ryan, met his three closest friends from Our Lady of Angels High at the Dexter Street playground, a place they had frequented since childhood, on a lovely April evening. However, this night would be different from those previous meetings, because two high school seniors, Adam and James, were shot to death, and two others, Ryan and Courtney, disappeared.

Robert is struggling with his own demons and disappointments, and is not particularly enthused about financing the search. His experience with private investigators left him convinced that there are none who are competent or trustworthy. But his close relationship with his cousin and the plight of Mary Corcoran convince him to cover the costs if a reputable investigator can be located.

Enter ex-cop Mallory Russo. Mallory was rising through the ranks quickly when rumors and scandal put an end to what was shaping up to be a promising career. Now she's off the force and working on a true-crime book. The last thing she wants is to return to active detective work. However, when an old friend and colleague recommends Father Burch contact her about the missing teens, Mallory is too intrigued to resist the challenge of helping these young people and their families.

Mallory is not working alone for long, though. Before her investigation has barely begun, she crosses paths with Charlie Wanamaker. Charlie is from the old neighborhood but recent years have seen him on the Philadelphia police force. Now he's back and joining the Conroy force in order to care for his wildly dysfunctional family.

Not only do Charlie and Mallory make a dynamic duo on the crime front, they develop a chemistry that reaches beyond professional simpatico. Before they know it, they're comparing notes, tracking down leads and hot on the trail of the teens and a killer. As if they don't have enough on their hands, there is also a sniper loose in Conroy, keeping the citizens scared and on edge.

It's a race to the finish as they try to solve the mystery of the killings and locate the missing kids, the only ones who hold the answers to the horrific crime that has shaken this small community.

MERCY STREET is a gem in the ever-growing selection of romantic suspense novels. Mariah Stewart has created real characters with flaws and problems. They are memorable and likable, stay with you, and make you wonder what they're doing long after you close the book. She also has tied together three mysteries into one fascinating story, and I for one can't wait for the next installment in the Mercy Street Foundation series.

--- Reviewed by Amie Taylor

There was very little about Mariah Stewart's Mercy Street that I didn't enjoy, and the majority of that most folks probably won't notice. There are some minor point-of-view issues early on (such as a phone call which appears to be from one participant's PoV at first and then from the other's), but I think most readers won't notice those. Also, the bad guys are rather shallow and stereotyped---they definitely aren't the focus of the book, and are meant almost entirely as foils. However, as much as I love a good, three-dimensional villain, sometimes a mystery is plenty fun & engrossing with a good old-fashioned plain-cut villain, and I think this book falls into that latter category.

Mallory, Charlie, and the chief are all interesting characters, as are the priest, his cousin Robert Magellan, and Robert's assistant and housekeeper. Where the bad guys lack depth, they're made up for by nearly everyone else in the book. In particular, Robert and his situation (he lost his own wife and child more than a year before the story begins, and definitely hasn't moved on) are interesting, and play into the story in fascinating ways.

Charlie and Mallory are both great detectives, and they make a fantastic team. They have an enjoyable chemistry, and it's interesting watching that slowly develop as they work together. The plot is interesting---it's somewhere in the middle of the road, I'd say, with regard to complexity; it's neither the most straightforward and obvious nor the most complex and twisting mystery I've read. The pacing is great; it builds appropriately, pulling the reader in early on in the book and gripping harder the further it goes. By the end there's definitely some interesting action and a few tense moments.

If you enjoy mysteries, this is a good one. It's a rich, visual tale with tension and interesting characters, and I find myself hoping there will be follow-on novels!

I have read this author for many years until her latest trilogies left me rather cold -- too surface, too simplistic, written too fast (or something). So for three years I stopped buying her books. The reviews of this latest book, however, were enough to pique my interest, so I bought it. When it arrived, I sat down to read just the inside flap and/or the back cover, and I surfaced the next day. I handed the book to my busy journalist daughter, and she couldn't put it down either. I thought the plot was good, the writing was well above average and the characters were ones I really liked and could relate to. So -- here's my recommendation: Read this book to rediscover Mariah Stewart. I sincerely hope this is the beginning of a series because I will not hesitate to buy the author's next one.

I purchased this book for my sister for her birthday because is is a Die-Hard MJ fan and she just loves everything about this book!!, The pictures, The Interviews she says that it even has MJ opinion about how he felt about the his earlier hits. So I say this is a very excellent book to purchase for yourself if you too are a die-hard fan of MJ'S or even if you know someonre who is they won't be disappointed.

P.S. It even has his lyrics to certain songs. So how can you go wrong? this book was worth every cent I sent to it knowing how happy it made my sister.

this book is basicaly a bunch of facts on the star with itntrevew tranacriptions and some nice pictures thown in although the way the book is set up is a little odd and the typing errors in the first few chapters lead me to belive that it was rushed to prir This book iss not a bio it was a book put togther by a big fan that becaily said michael jackson is cool and heres why after quickly going over his personal life (and not in much detail) it basicaly breaks down what hes done with somerarelly seen at least in some areas of the word intervieews printed

This is a beautiful book from the front cover to the back. It's a down-to-earth, no-non sense read on the entertainer. It's a keepsake for the bookself.

This 300 page book is not just another book on Michael Jackson! This book is unique and a mile from the rest! It's packed with detailed information on the life and career of the entertainer. It's a well-written book that can be housed in any public library or on any high school bookshelf. Yet, I have noticed that this clean book on Michael Jackson doesn't appear to be selling as well as all the other books that are on the market about him. What a pity! This book is more of a literary work on the Superstar life and career than any of the others that I have read. But it's missing one main ingredient - Trash! It doesn't really get into throwing stones and pulling what-ifs opinions out of the wind.
But that's the world we're living in. Give the people what they want, and what they want is dirty laundry over good writing! Decent works like this one get left behind!

this Book is very Detailed&the world Owes Michael Jackson as does the Media a Big saying they are Sorry.He is One o fthe Greatest Musicians Ever. He has Broken down many barriers.Michael Jackson is a Civil Rights leader&Strogn Pressence that will never be denied.almost 40 year career.He is the King of Pop&this Book goes into many areas acknowledging His Genius&timeless Musical Qualitys.

This book is so great I had a old copy that was my moms when she was litle then mine, so I bought a new one for my daughter it is GREAT, very interesting and good for the imagimation. However there were some coffe stains in the book when the seller listed it as new.

Over the years I continue to love this book. Part of the reason is that it is a well told story involving animals. I also love the drawings.
I recently purchased this book for my niece and for the older children of two families who will be having a new addition. When I was asked to present a child's book to my class in middle school this was the book I chose.

MY DAUGHTER LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH, THAT WHEN SHE WAS SELECTED TO READ TO OTHERS DURING LIBRARY WEEK, SHE CHOSE THE MITTEN. THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN A FAVORITE OF OUR FAMILY'S AND NOW I AM ORDERING THIS ONE FOR MY FIRST GRANDCHILD. A READER FROM CA.

Even though I buy them for my daughter, I try not to review items that I owned or remember from my childhood as I feel I am biased towards them simply because of the nostalgic factor. However, I do think I would still love this book even if I had just recently come upon it. For starters it has such vibrant colors with the alternating turquoise background and the bright red and gold Ukrainian clothing. And what child wouldn't love the thought of woodland creatures taking refuge from the snow in his or her lost mitten, although the story is just folklore and the product of a child's imagination...or is it?

What a treasure: the illustrations and the story go hand in hand so wonderfully, quiet and witty and authentic. If you have Slavic roots, the Ukrainian illustrator's work may have extra resonance for you. Yaroslava drew the animals wearing Ukrainian costume, but with subtle touches of real life; this one's boots have creases, see the wrinkles in that one's heavy coat. I always wondered if there was an anti-Soviet subtext to the characters all insisting on sharing one living-space until it bursts at the seams (literally)...

THIS BOOK IS PART MEMORIES AND PART SOCIOLOGY AS IT EXAMINES THE UPS AND DOWNS OF BEING A FANATIC OF ANY MAJOR COLLEGE TEAM (IN THIS CASE THE BASKETBALL TARHEELS). THE MEMORIES OF THE AUTHOR ARE AUGMENTED BY THE DIARIES KEPT BY 15 DIEHARD UNC FANS FROM THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND BEYOND. ITS A GREAT BOOK ABOUT BASKETBALL AND MORE IMPORTANTLY WHAT ITS LIKE TO BE A FAN IN THE AGE OF TELEVISION AND THE INTERNET. A MUST READ FOR ANY SPORTS ENTHUSIAST.

THIS A COMPILATION BETWEEN MEMORIES OF CAROLINA FANS AND A STUDY OF MAJOR COLLEGE FANATICS. THAD DOES A WONDERFUL JOB TALKING ABOUT HIS HISTORY GROWING UP AS A TAR HEEL FAN. THE DIARISTS ALSO PRESENT AN INTERESTING PICTURE OF THE UPS AND DOWNS OF A COLLEGE BASKETBALL FAN. THE LAST SEGMENT OF THE BOOK PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO THE BASKETBALL FAN IN THE AGE OF THE INTERNET AND CHAT ROOMS. ALL IN ALL A GREAT BOOK AND A WORTHY ADDITION TO YOUR BASKETBALL LIBRARY.

I'm a student at UNC and when I first got here I didn't know much about our basketball team. I thought this book was really cool because it has so many fun facts in it and I learned so much about the proud tradition of UNC Basketball!

Mr. Williamson's unique position, growing up in Chapel Hill with close connections to the Carolina program, provide him with a perfect vantagepoint from which to view and analyze the phenomenon that is Carolina Basketball. Part history, part social analysis, part simple fandom, More Than A Game is an extremely interesting and impassioned book which provides the reader with questions to answer for him or herself about extremism vs. a fun hobby. Particularly interesting is the fan survey which gives us a look at the nuances of everyday life from alumni, fans and those who take it to another level altogether (like myself). Reading the book took me for a stroll down memory lane, comparing Mr. Williamson's view of Carolina basketball history to my own. Sports fans, hoops fans and recruiting junkies will love it.

First off, I'll admit that I'm biased - I'm a member of the email list-serve that figures so prominently in this book. But the appeal of Thad's work reaches far beyond this core constituency. It presents a scholarly analysis of the good and the bad of fandom, and an insight into how one arrives at the stage where a basketball team can mean so much. Divided into four parts, there's something here for everyone: social commentary, philosophy, statistics, and yes, basketball. Carolina basketball, no less! The combination of the fan diaries and the survey give powerful insight into the UNC fan community - at least, that portion of the community on the internet. To my knowledge, such an honest assessment has never been performed on any team's fans before now, but it's worth the wait. If you've ever felt the Fever, and wondered, even for a moment, whether it was a good thing, pick up this book and let it help you decide for yourself.

I enjoyed this book. I do think this is a book for all children , it has great stiries for the whole family. I love to read this book to my daughter.

I can only hope that this brilliant book helpd educate muslims and non-muslims about the true beauty of Islam.

My favorite short stroy is the Black Ghost. The children run from fear of her and her young son is dreadfully embarrassed until the black ghost rescues one of the boys. Reaching out from under her black abaya, the mysterious woman is soft and gentle. The young boys confront their friend, "You never told us you had such a nice mother."

Children's Nonfiction

This is a wonderful book. It's informative, non-judgemental, and non-proselytizing. I was especially impressed that the authors managed to tell a series of situational stories from a child's point of view. My favorite was the one about the little boy who becomes separated from his parents at Mecca and finds shelter with a kindly old man. This book covers such topics as Muslim minority children having to choose between adherences to their religion, e.g. forgoing observance of prayer times and dietary restrictions for the sake of convenience and fitting in with the crowd. I could feel the self-consciousness myself when a little boy overhears his friends mistaken his mother for a ghost after being frightened by her veil, and the guilt when a young girl succumbs to temptation and devours the delicious candies that contain pork byproducts.

This book is so informative and well-written it should be in every muslim house. However, this book is not only very good for muslim children, it is also an excellent book for non-muslim children to read and learn more about islam. It can be used as an excellent tool in a classroom to dispel any misconceptions non-muslim children may carry against their muslim classmates. They will be able to learn more about prayer, fasting, eid and other things that their muslim classmates and friends follow in their lives.