California Books

A good history of Guatemala's civil war that is not boring to read. While the viewpoint seems to be that the communist rebels had a just cause, they are given as much blame for the violence that ensued.

The terrible situation that happened to this Central America nation is very well documented in this book.The author, Mr Perera, writes with a lot of insight and first hand knowledge since he lived in Guatemala for several years.The book is full with interviews the author did with local people such as soldiers,politicians,ladinos,mayas and just the average person in the street.The author is not afraid to let the reader see what is the real situation in Guatemala and is not afraid to point fingers to the real culprits.This book is a very good work that identifies the problems of not only the mayans as a people but also the problems and corruption that politicians have brought on its own people.Great work!

Victor Perera is a native guatemalan who took the better part of 6 years to write this book. This book is chock full of great information gathered from hundreds of interviews. Perera doesn't waste time trying to interpret the events he writes about, instead he let's the participants and witnesses speak for themselves. He interviews everybody for this book from wealthy landowners, government officials, military personel, catholic and evangelical clergy and mostly the mayan people who have suffered from 30 years of civil war. He then fills in the cracks with historical background. His writing is very precise and specific, his descriptions paint a very vivid picture of the oppression and genocide that continues to take place.

The book begins with his visits to the garbage dump slums of guatemala city and proceeds to other hot spots of violence. The core of the book is those chapters about the ixil triangle area where as many as one third of the local mayan population was killed, disappeared or forced to flee the country.

..............socks

AND I BELIEVE That everything that this "people" have done to the poor of the world, is going to come back at them to bite them right in their behind!.

"THIRD WORLD COUNTRY" STANDS FOR MIND, BODY AND SPIRIT.

This wide-ranging book, written beautifully and knowledgeably, is a pleasure to read and a must for anyone interested in Guatemalan (or Central American) history and/or Mayan culture. Mr. Perera does not take particular pains to hide his sympathies (clearly pro-environmental protection, pro-indigenous people's rights) but the intelligence of his writing and the mastery and breadth of the subject matter make this the most articulate, beautiful, informative statement of those views I've read. What a disappointment to learn that this powerful voice was silenced not long after this book by a stroke and his subsequent death. Read this book!

Needed book for a class. I received it early and fast. I would buy from this seller again.

An incredibly thorough examination, making hundreds of original interpretations of the individual works of Duchamp as well as his body of work as a whole. Throughout I was charmed by Judovitz'sense of humor and punnery which reflects that of Duchamp. A real treat for readers, writers and artists like myself.

Dalia Judovitz has written a challenging, stimulating and exhaustively researched book on Duchamp. Her take on many aspects of Duchamp's career is fresh and imaginative, as for example in her close reading of his word play and ready-mades. After the comprehensive studies of Duchamp's ready-mades by Antin, Bauer, Caws, Compton, de Duve, James et al this is very impressive.

A key chapter on Art and Economics, cultural and economic value, as one Duchamp scholar observes, "opens up a whole new area of investigation. Her discussion of the Monte-Carlo Bond and the less well known Drain Stopper which she cleverly compares to Renaissance Art Medals will intrigue all those who are seriously interested in Duchamp.

This is a book to be read and re-read.

Unpacking Duchamp is a highly innovative and breakthrough investigation into Duchamp's transformations of the conditions and status of twentieth-century art, art making, and art viewing. Judovitz approaches Duchamp's "oeuvre" from many interrelated angles, offering detailed and illuminating analyses of individual works, all the while contextualizing her discussions through considerable research and erudition. Her mode of inquiry is at once historical and philosophical -- perfect for the study of Duchamp. Intellectually refined, the book is clear, well-written, with many dashes of humor.

Unpacking Duchamp will appeal to culture critics, historians, and theoreticians, as well as to artists and writers. It is a must read for anyone interested in the contemporary conditions of art.

With so much of the literature available on Marcel Duchamp offering accounts that neither seem to fully resonate with the evidence of the work or with the spirit of the artist himself, I find Unpacking Duchamp to be a refreshing exception. Not only does this book live up to its title's promise of showing us how to "unpack" the master's enigmatic thinking, it does so with such wit and grace that I suspect even he would tip his hat to its author. Taking a body of his work that often appears overly difficult and elusive to enter into, Ms. Judovitz does the nearly impossible, gently prying it open in ways that are beautifully lucid, accessible, and free of jargon, yet, entirely up to the challenge of her ever-moving subject. She constructs readings of the work that go beyond analysis and interpretation to become aesthetic acts in their own right --- reciprocating one that generously enable her readers to enter into and perform their own Duchampian thinking, in ways that genuinely illuminate and bring it to life. This is potentially Duchamp's most important legacy to us but an aspect of his work that often seems poorly understood by many specialists.

In short, I'm extremely glad to finally have a book like this, and I look forward to rereading it in the future. If you are considering it, I would say that it's a challenging read, but one I would strongly recommend if you are at all interested in Duchamp or just interested in exploring an extraordinary mode of thought and creativity. While I do have some knowledge of twentieth-century art, this was not really essential to my appreciation of the book. Its interest and appeal should be broad-based and not limited to either an art audience or one of largely academic interests.

this book was AWSOME i had to read it for class but i loved it. plot was twisting and turning and had me hooked till the last word

I recently met Marcos M. Villatoro, the author of this series, and was compelled to read A Venom Beneath the Skin after hearing him speak. I was not disappointed, in either the book or the author. This book grabbed me on page one and kept me hostage until the very last word. The story and the writing are hard hitting yet compassionate, and the look into the multi-cultural layers of Los Angeles fascinating. Romilia Chacón is a true masterpiece as a protagonist. She is tough yet vulnerable, and her emotional and intellectual relationship with drug lord Tekún Umán is both titillating and bone chilling.

I love this series. After hearing a profile of this book and author on public radio, I read Home Killings, followed quickly by Minos, and now this book. Each one is better than the last. Readers of the first two books should particularly enjoy the focus on Romilia's relationship with Tekun, the compelling villain/hero/love interest in this novel. I don't read a lot of "genre" fiction, but this book demonstrates that crime fiction can have all the complexity and character development usually associated with literary fiction.

From first page to last, Marcos M. Villatoro's A Venom Beneath the Skin is a suspenseful page-turner, but more importantly this fun book is also an intelligent feminist multi-cultural literary intervention.

Looking at the book from a feminist perspective, first, Romilia Chacon is a strong, yet realistic woman. For example, she is sexy (and there are sex scenes!) but her sexuality is truthful. She's both "hot" and matter-of-fact. Second, several other multifaceted females support Romilia's story. Detective Chacon is not presented as a female superhero anomaly. Finally, the males' stories may be secondary, but they too are diverse and sensitively portrayed in often surprising and nontraditional ways. This description may sound vague, but if I give details as to how these characters are multifaceted and nontraditional, it would give away some of the shocking twists!

As a multi-cultural story Villatoro's book is extremely effective. It teaches histories and cultures without being heavy-handed or didactic. I learned more about Tijuana Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, Guatemalans, various cities and political histories, and yet it never felt like I was being taught. Whiteness is also deconstructed and explained (through a here unnamed female character!) and African American and Asian American women make appearances that may be brief, but they're not tokens.

A Venom Beneath the Skin is excellent for anyone to read for a good time however what makes it a truly excellent read are the sensitive character portrayals and the socio-political framework. I'm a picky and easily offended reader, but I do love to read. I'm choosey with my recommendations, but I sincerely recommend Villatoro's book for pleasure, in the college classroom, and for reading groups.

After taking down Minos, Romilia Chacon, a Nashville Police Department detective is offered a job with the FBI in Los Angeles, which she accepts. In LA she has an affair with Special Agent Samuel "Chip" Pierce. The relationship ends when he wants more from her than she can give; they go their separate ways until one night he calls her to see if they can start anew since he is retiring. As much as she cares for him, she can not marry a man she doesn't love.

That night a man breaks into Chip's home and murders him. The evidence, markings on his chest and a poisoned dart injecting venom into his system, suggests that drug trafficker Tekun Uman, killed him because of the former agent's involvement with the woman he loves. After reviewing Chip's files and other evidence Romilia concludes that Tekun Uman isn't Chip's killer, but made to look like he did it. She has no idea who would kill Chip and why and how Tekun Uman fits into the scenario.

Who is behind Chip's death and the murders of several drug traffickers and why he wants them dead is the core of one of the most exciting storylines in a police procedural in the past year. It is hard to tell the heroes from the villains in A VENOM BENEATH THE SKIN because all wear masks to hide their true faces. Marcus M. Villatoro is a talented writer who hopefully will createmore Romilia Chacon novels.

Harriet Klausner

Being a native Californian, I was immediately attracted to this book. When I opened it, I fell in love with the wonderful little watercolor illustrations and personal journal format. I agree with a previous reviewer who made the comment that this is a nice little souvenir book. It's definitely a worthy addition to the bookshelf of any Californian or someone who just loves California.

I live in California and I am often asked how I can stand the crowds, traffic, smog, whatever? The fact is California is a very nice place to live and visit, and Ms Gessler catches the essence of this perfectly. You can easly read the book in about an hour, but will find yourself going back again and again to enjoy the little watercolors of plants and wildlife and special places that caught her fancy, it is a fun read.

This book is very cute and an inspiration to anyone who loves to sketch or watercolor. The artwork is well done and the accompanying notes that the author wrote are humorous. Hollingsworth Gessler's trip from north to south in California and her journaling of the trip made me want to go visit towns that I've never seen before. I really enjoyed this book, so much so that I decided to buy the other book by Diana Hollingsworth Gessler called "Very Charleston". Perhaps it is because I'm a Californian that I think this book is better than the "Very Charleston" version, the watercolors in this book seemed more appealing.

A delightful read. Not a serious word in this little book of California - absolutely adorable. The illustrations are whimsical, the text is full of humor. I was right beside her experiencing everything and that which wasn't familiar I long to visit.

Diane Gessler has written (and painted) the perfect travelogue of her trip through California. It won't serve well as a guide book, even with the maps included, but her watercolors and anecdotes capture perfectly the mood and the spirit of the places she and her husband have visited. If you have been to California, this should make a much nicer souvenir than the standard-issue t-shirt with the cable car picture, and if you live here, it's the perfect reminder why one might be willing to endure the rolling black-outs or the excessive housing costs. Aside from that, the watercolor illustrations are very, very nice and made me think of taking out again my own watercolor set. Highly recommended!

I can confidently echo for you the praise the other reviewers on this page have granted The Virgin of Flames. It is the lyrical, grotesque, ecstatic, outcast story of a Los Angeles that simmers unknown to many of it's own citizens-migrants and natives alike. Chris Abani's imagery of Black, Iggy, Sweet Girl, Bomboy, Ray-Ray, Rio L.A. and East L.A., among others is quite reverential and even more than the pictures and qualities he conjures, they are brave.
As a resident of L.A. and it's environs I enjoyed those references to neighborhoods (yes, L.A. has neighborhoods), bridges, restaurants (Thai Palms-Thai Elvis) and the like that told me Mr. Abani walks these places and sees the faces and grafitti, decay and sublime magnetism that propels many of us here. He captures the mystery and possibility of Los Angeles in the radical expressionism of Black's identity experimentation, Iggy's underground venues and physical risk, Sweet Girl's bold sexuality and paralyzing trans/pro-gression. As well, the Catholic blood that run through the dusty past of Los Angeles and California, the WEST, in all it's harrowing, piercing pain. Abani's vision of a modern martyr, his many attempts at acceptance and expression reminded me of Leonard Cohen's Beautiful Losers. The artist living his life as a work of art, challenging the dominate modes through as many of his avenues of existence as possible.
Some favorite passages:
"It seemed, though, that those with a clear sense of the past, of identity, were always so eager to bury it and move on, to reinvent themselves. What a luxury, he thought, what a thing, to choose your own obsession, to choose your own suffering. Him, he was trying to reinvent an origin to bury so he could finally come into this thing he wanted to be, and he knew that if he didn't find it soon, it would destroy him, burn him up." (pgs. 123-24)
"This River was alive, this River was here before anyone knew this was a River, before anyone saw it and said, River. And its personality shaped this city. Was this city." (pg. 135)
Referring to the L.A. Mission, downtown: "It had long since lost out to Six Flags fun parks and Universal Studio's theme park. It looked sad, not in the way of a rejected wallflower, but more in the commonplace shame of a community center. A place kept open by a grudging love." (pg. 155)
Mr. Abani expresses one of the prime enigma's of Los Angeles life: "In LA we are always becoming, and any idea of a solid past, as an anchor, is soon lost here. And I mean any, that's why there is no common mythology here, that's why people come here, to get lost or to be discovered, makes no difference. It's the same coin. Other cities, like New York, have an overwhelming myth, and there is no you, as it were, without this-shall we say-New York state of mind. But here, there is none of that bulls**t, there is just you and what you see and imagine this place and your life in it to be, moment by moment. If you can't change, if you don't embrace it, you destroy yourself. The only landscape in this city is in your mind. It's very Zen..." (pg. 207)
"Ambivalence is the heart of this town. Not in spite of, but because of." (pg. 207)

I look forward to reading more of Mr. Abani's works.

This was a great read, start to finish. Daring and unexpected. Highly recommended.

I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed this book. Abani's characters leap from the page. It's a stunning book and I can't wait to go back and read some of Abani's earlier novels.

The Virgin of Flames is odd, complex, and accomplished. We find many of Abani's earlier themes: lost, found, and created identities, violent acts and defered release and the consequences of both, surreal consciousness, sublime sexuality and abhorent flesh, choices, imperatives, the absence in the human condition of objectivity - all ignited on the page into an escalated blaze that can keep you up nights. Abani's writing is not for those invested in happy endings. The suicides of his protagonists speed up the inevitability of a death most of us strain to delay. Yet, this is fiction, and, if you give youself over to it, The Virgin of Flames reads as a unique, disquieting voice, an extended prosepoem which will leave you changed. What other is the purpose of art?

In the Virgin of Flames Abani gives us a lyrical, daring portrait of a city and its inhabitants struggling to find their place between darkness and the sublime. Black, a mural artist, is a modern-day Hamlet searching for answers to the riddle of his past, fighting to create a whole from its fragments. This conflict is mirrored in the topography of Los Angeles, where the holy and grotesque combine in a city that reflects the struggles of post-9/11 America. Abani does not provide easy answers to any of this. Instead, he shows us characters that navigate violence and despair but retain the ability to truly care about one another and a city where, despite its urban malaise and constant veil of smoke and ash, people sing joyously in the streets. From its vivid dreamscapes to its gritty realism, Abani's novel will leave the reader breathless at the beauties and complexities of life.

I have been looking for many years for something that helps me improve and solve problems in life -- finally I found something in my hands that really tackles problems at their root causes.
It is amazing how effective the proposed solutions are. Simple, but -- and this is of utmost importance -- they WORK!! It is the first time I found a self-improvement book that helps achieving sustainable results. This book delivers what it promises if one follows each step exactly the way it is stated. If only I had had this book earlier. This Mr Hubbard must have been an amazing man -- I do not understand what his critics complain about; I am sure they never tried the solutions he proposes! In summary: A must read!

This book is simply written so that it is easy to understand. I have used many of the principles in this book and found them quite workable. A must-read for anyone who wants to learn more about several areas of "life".

There is plenty of information in here which loads of vested interests do not want you to have. And these are answers you can understand, legal and ethical ways to get on top of life's hard problems. This is rubber meets the road stuff. I've read, understood and used it all.

I found many things in this book of use to me. What I found the most helpful was the section on assists which give several simple exercises to do if someone is ill or injured. I used the assist on my husband and my daughter and it worked well both times. Each section is relatively short and easy to read. There are exercises in the back of each section to help you learn the procedures. You learn things to help people in a variety of situations. If you like to help people, whether you are a social worker or just as a good neighbor or a parent and want to learn some new things to help, I highly recommend this book.

Over the years I have refered back to the essays and solutions compiled in this volume many times. I've used it to resolve problems with my family, improve my relationship with my wife and keep me focused on my goals. It's amazing how L. Ron Hubbard wrote so many common-sense solutions that no one else though of.

Witty and fast-paced, Vulture Capital is one fun read. Fans of The Immortal Game will be thrilled with the return of private eye August Riordan, and also the reappearance of his likeable sidekick Chris Duckworth. Newcomers and old fans alike will appreciate Coggins' vivid, stylish prose, well-developed plot line, complex characters, sparkling (and also very funny) dialogue, and the novel's San Francisco Bay Area locations depicted in the author's own photographs that introduce each chapter. I say "Hammet is a Coggins for the twentieth century."

I enjoyed the book a lot. The high tech backdrop for the story feels very realistic and provides numerous insights into how this high tech software development and funding works (or not).

The whodunit part of the mystery is very engaging and kept me turning pages rapidly. The reader gets many clues along the way, some obvious and some very subtle, but enough are false leads to keep you in suspense.

Action abounds as the main characters Valmont and Riordan careen around Silicon Valley and the Napa valley wine country. There is also plenty of humor from these two very different protagonists who share little in common except a very sharp and biting sense of humor.

I really enjoyed "The Immortal Game", and I've been waiting for more August Riordan. I found him in Vulture Capital, but I also found a very interesting Ted Valmont character. The concept of Venture Capitalist as hero caught me by suprise, but I loved it. Valmont and Riordan make a great team. I hope we don't have to wait long for their return.

An extradorinarily fine and distinctive mystery. Noir updated and downloaded. And a savage morality play.
Focused writing. And it has enough secrets that it is easy to be surprised, even when you think you're ahead of the plot.
A cliffhanger, too.
Fans of Coggins' first mystery will enjoy encountering the Riordan / Duckworth team from a different perspective.

Vulture Capital is a well executed, slightly twisted and weird, but completely believable story about the dark side of Silicon Valley's start-up community.

Venture Capitalist Ted Valmont is informed that the brains behind a biotechnology start-up he's funded called NeuroStimix is missing. Without the technology guru, NeuroStimix's future is in jeopardy just as a new product designed to aid spinal cord injury victims is about to come to market. Valmont engages PI August Riordan to help find the missing man and we soon learn that the disappearance is part of a larger conspiracy to use NeuroStimix technology for dastardly purposes. To complicate matters, the missing man is Valmont's buddy and Valmont's own brother, as a spinal injury patient, would benefit from the NeuroStimix discovery.

Co-founder of a failed Internet start-up, Mark Coggins injects lots of local color into his work. Technology-types and dot-com veterans will especially appreciate the Silicon Valley photos and clever quotes, which open each chapter. Settings and situations will be familiar to industry types, but the jargon is not overwhelming. The book is even dedicated to the Pets.com Sock Puppet.

VULTURE CAPITAL is the second in a series featuring August Riordan, a private eye we first met in Coggins' well-reviewed debut THE IMMORTAL GAME (2000). THE IMMORTAL GAME received extraordinary attention for a debut title from a very small press. It was chosen as a Penzler pick and nominated for a Shamus Award. This would only happen because the book was good. Expect similar praise for VULTURE CAPITAL. According to the excellent Vulture Capital Website... we can expect more titles to come in the Riordan series

The story really has good descriptions(I know because I've been to the light house in the book)and it really makes a picture in your mind of what it would of been like back then!This is one of my favorite books so I would definitely recommend it!

The story, Walk Across the Sea, by Susan Fletcher, takes place at a town near the ocean. White people thought themselves superior to others, especially the Chinese. Chinese were often looked down upon and shunned, mainly because of their religious beliefs. The lighthouse keeper's daughter, however, was different from other white people. Believing her father's talks about Chinese people in the beginning of the story, the girl, Eliza Jane, meets a Chinese boy around her age. After the Chinese boy saves her goat, Eliza becomes interested in the boy's behavior. Soon, she learns that everyone may not be as they seemed.
This story was rather interesting in a way. The time of the story show how the characters act and think. The story also shows how different some characters are, such as Eliza's father and mother. ("Something moved inside me, like a sudden shift in the wind.") Eliza was also, in a way, different from other white people. She befriended and showed kindness toward the Chinese boy. ("`You'll do him no harm? I have your word on it?'") I was also amazed by the twist of the story when the story reveals that the father truly worries about the Chinese boy.
Of all of the stories I have read, I have never found one that was perfect. This story is no different. When the Chinese people were driven out of the village by angry white people, I could feel the same shock and anger Eliza felt. The story, however, has a few more bad parts. One boy, Amos, accidentally broke Eliza Jane's nose while trying to find the Chinese boy. Afraid that he might get in trouble, the boy lied to his father about breaking Eliza's nose. To make matters worse, Amos blames the fault on the Chinese boy! ("I had a mind to shout at him, to tell him to put her down...") On the other hand, I did not like how Eliza acted toward the Chinese boy when they first met. When the boy yelled a warning, Eliza thought he was trying to scare her off so he could steal her goat. Therefore, when the boy was holding the goat, Eliza thought that he was taking the goat from her, when what really happened was that the boy saved the goat from a wave. Even so, that was not the worst part of the story. ("`Get you from me,' he said. `I can't be near you now. Get out of my sight!'") As a father, Eliza's father was expected by me to listen and talk to Eliza about her Chinese friend, and maybe even understand why she was protecting him. As a result, I was shocked and disappointed in her father when he told her that he did not even want to talk to her! Thankfully, there was nothing worse than this part of the story.
("Terrible things can happen in this world-things you can't explain away. It's not safe here, Andrew John. I can't promise you'll be safe. But there are miracles, too-like you. And love. And glories well beyond our knowing.") The ending, where Eliza talks to her baby brother about life and the Chinese boy was my favorite part. It ties everything together and concludes the story about friendship.

genre: historical fiction
setting: 1886, Crescent City CA and its lighthouse
1st person account of Eliza, 15 yrs, protagonist

Eliza struggles to come to terms with the contrast/mystery between a merciful God and the loss of a prematurely born sibling together with rampant community prejudice toward Chinese immigrants.

Fletcher's description of lighthouse technology and administration and tidal cycles is captivating for someone who has been landlocked most of his life.

What makes the story is the unmasking of fear and loathing toward Chinese immigrant laborers who came to America to bridge our country from Atlantic to Pacific with the building of the railroad and to incur exploitation for the sake of sustaining loved ones back home.

This is the account of the expulsion of Chinese residents from Crescent City, CA due to fears of job loss by white, Christian families. It is part of my own legacy--Chinese residents were massacred and railroaded out of Rock Springs, WY, my own native state, around the same time.

Fletcher makes good use of artifacts and dialogue of the period to firmly ground the story. The one shortcoming--Chinese characters are underdeveloped. It's an engrossing story.

* title of book chapter

Ever since she was three years old, Eliza Jane McCully has lived in the lighthouse at Crescent City, California, where her father is the keeper. Now thirteen, Eliza has many responsibilities, helping her father to keep the light burning, and eagerly awaiting the birth of her new baby sibling. One day while chasing her stubborn goat across the pathway to the island, she is caught by a wave. A Chinese boy saves her goat and warns her about the wave just in time. Eliza is confused, because her father has taught her that the Chinese are evil heathens. An unexpected tragedy causes Eliza to doubt her own beliefs as well as questioning her father's. When the townspeople run the Chinese out of Crescent City, Eliza watches in horror, unable to do anything. But when the boy who rescued her comes to her for help, Eliza must make the ultimate decision. Is she is brave enough to openly defy her father? I highly reccomend this novel to readers who enjoy historical fiction.

18th century California was a time of prejudice. Walk Across the Sea, centers around independent Eliza Jane, a young teenage girl who lives with her parents in a northern California lighthouse. When a mysterious Chinese immigrant boy saves her goat from the California waters, she tries to find him to pay him back. She soon learns that prejudice surrounds the Chinese by the people of her town. Along the way helping her is her brave and helpful friend Sadie, her open minded and kind neighbor, Dr Wilton and her pet goat Parthenia. This story has a mix of friendship, prejudice, religion, compassion, and morality. This out of the ordinary story shows prejudice back then and gives lessons on how we can be rid of prejudice today. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested about life in general. Walk Across the Sea makes you think about things that you normally wouldn't think about in life. You learn you always have to been open minded and very conscious of other people and their beliefs. If you want to read a different story, Walk Across the Sea is for you! I also recommend ALL books in the Dear America, My Name Is America, and Royal Diaries Series.

This is the latest of many maps I've purchased for Baja, and by far it's the best one! The things I love the most: it's basic topographic, with perennial streams and springs marked, and road-quality marked the best of any of the maps I have; the settlements and important points-of-interest (gas stations, etc.) are well- and accurately-marked; and it's waterproof (in case you spill your cafe on it). If they come out with another series that is more detailed (say a 1:250,000 scale), I'll be ecstatic!

I got the map and have spent hours looking at it. If there is a more detailed, current map of Baja I haven't seen it. I like that the peninsula is divided on both sides, allowing for a fantastic level of detail. The texture is also very durable, though I'm not sure that it is truly waterproof. If I could only take one publication with me to Baja, this would be it.

I love maps, and getting one that is water proof is the best laminate for the fact it still folds nice an stores in the map drawer or libary shelf. This came fast and was in perfect condition.

This is an excellent map. It helped us wander our way through Baja over spring break. It's plasticized material stands up to all kinds of abuse, and it contains an impressive amount of detail and useful information. Couple it with The Rough Guide to Baja California (Rough Guide Travel Guides) and you're ready for a guide time.



The only other map for Baja I'd recommend is the AAA one, free to members.

Great map. Water resistant would be more accurate description. A must map for Baja travel. Only complaint of its functionality would be some typos in names and legend icons. Complaint of its aesthetics would be the hideous photo on the cover. Baja is a beautiful peninsula, surely there were a thousand better images to feature on the cover of this map. Get it anyway.

i knew i was buying a used book so when it arived i wasn't suprised that it was a little musky. it didn't matter to me and i enjoyed every page. It was a really good read

I've read this book many times and I never get tired of the honesty and humor in it. Some books are not worth reading a second time, but I've found this one only gets better with repeated readings. Zesty...funny...hopeful...all those things.

loved the book. it reminded me alot of my own life

I read What It's Like To Live Now 2.5 years ago. I read it twice and some parts three times.

That time I was confused with my affectional orientation and wanted to know what gay and lesbians are like. I read books of social science research, gay Christian prayers, hate crime reporting, gay marriage, ethics and more.

This is the most inspiring for me. It teaches me what love is. A personal story tells much more than scientific research and theories.

Humorous look at life in the 90s from the point of view of a divorced mother trying to raise a family with her lover. Her insight was touching. At times she seemed a little self absorbed, but isn't that what autobiographies are all about. She has a story to tell and does it well. I eagerly await her next book.