New York Books

One of these made it to the A&E series; as with other short stories, it would have been great to see the ensemble cast tackle the rest.

"Door to Death" was done by A&E, and we get to meet Andy Krusiecky, the man we'd all wished Theordore Horstmann could be. He's young, personable and a genius with the orchids...and suffers an awful loss.

"Man Alive" is about geyser-jumping. Not for the faint of heart...but his neice says that what looks to everyone like a suicide is really something else.

Finally, "Omit Flowers" is about a chef falsely accused of murder. You cannot beat food and murder in the Wolfe genre...but in the end, the way a woman feels about a man she loves who does not love her back tells the tale.

These are good stories, although you can detect a little "rushing" and lack of polish in some of the writing.

This edition boasts "As Seen on TV!" on the cover, alluding to the fact that one (as of the 2nd season) of the 3 stories herein has been adapted by A&E. The introduction is provided by Jonathan Kellerman, but otherwise the book is pure Stout. Archie provides a rare foreword, having noticed that Wolfe got a fee in only 1 of the 3 cases herein, to head off any funny ideas that might turn into a nuisance. :)

"Man Alive" - Cynthia Nieder, a young model getting hands-on experience as a fashion designer, not only inherited her uncle's half of Daumery & Nieder upon his death, but can supply the creative talent that was his contribution to the business. (Jean Daumery supplied the nuts-and-bolts business talent needed.) Cynthia wasn't surprised that uncle Paul killed himself within a week of Helen Daumery's death in a riding accident, since he'd been in love with her. (Although jumping naked into a geyser is an unusual method...)

That is, she wasn't surprised until she saw him in disguise a week ago in the audience at Daumery & Nieder's fall show, a few weeks after his partner Daumery's death in a boating accident. Did she really see him? Is the business as solvent as the creative side of the house thought it was? Who is trying to befuddle whom here?

"Omit Flowers" - Marko Vukcic, Wolfe's best friend, asks Wolfe to investigate the death of Floyd Whitten, who married the wealthy widow of the founder of the AMBROSIA fast-food chain, but not because of any care for the victim. Virgil Pompa, a once great chef forfeited any claim to professional respect when he took a high paying job in AMBROSIA administration, was once 'the best sauce man in France', and Marko owes him a lot. More, he knows Pompa well, and won't see him tried for a murder he didn't commit.

"Door to Death" - I recommend A&E's excellent, faithful adaptation with Maury Chaykin as Wolfe. Wolfe hardly ever leaves the brownstone, but a crisis has arisen: Theodore, the orchid nurse (as Archie calls him) is on an indefinite leave of absence due to his mother's critical illness. Not that Wolfe is worrying about old Mrs. Horstmann - with Theodore away, he can't just relax with the plants for a few hours a day; he has to *work*, and he's not a pro like Theodore.

Wolfe trudges all the way to Westchester with Archie, to tempt Andy Krasicki away from Mr. Joseph Pitcairn's orchids and into the brownstone for the duration. Andy is willing, and Wolfe, while happy to have his problem solved and to receive a tour of Mr. Pitcairn's orchids (as grown by Andy), might just as well have waited at home for a reply to his letter. But during the tour, they find Dani Lauer, Mrs. Pitcairn's nurse, dead under one of the orchid benches - apparently knocked out, then left to die during the previous night's fumigation. Wolfe sets to work to get his stand-in orchid tender out from under.

"Three Doors to Death" is a collection of 3 short Nero Wolfe novels by Rex Stout. In "Man Alive", Cynthia Nieder asks Wolfe to find her uncle after seeing him in New York. Paul Nieder had "committed" suicide by jumping in a geyser. Before Wolfe can find him, Nieder is murdered. In "Omit Flowers", Mario Vukcic asks Wolfe to help clear his friend, Virgil Pompa who is accused of murdering Floyd Whitten. In "Door to Death", Theodore Horstmann takes a leave of absence, and Wolfe goes to Joseph Pitcairn to hire his orchid man until Theodore returns. While there, Dini Lauer, Mrs. Pitcairn's nurse, is found dead under an orchid bench. Wolfe feels obligated to solve the crime. All three of these short novels are excellent. The plots are strong. I always enjoy going into the old brownstone with Archie and Wolfe.

I cannot stop reading this book! The charactures are so vivid and real that I feel as though I am really there. Read this book!

First published in 1976, and out of print fairly soon after (accidents fade quickly from public memory) this book is an exceptionally comprehensive and researched work focusing on the Turkish Airlines DC-10 crash of May 1974.

How did 346 people die such a tragic and somewhat brutal death in a forest just outside of Paris?

This book not only answers that question specifically in terms of the structural failure of the airliner, but perhaps just as importantly discusses the events leading up to the crash, and why and how it could and should have been avoided.

I must give full credit to the (British) Sunday Times Insight team for producing what I consider one of the most exceptional works of Journalism of the 20th century.

Most Engineering Students and indeed Engineers will find this book absolutely fascinating. Students of ethics might find it of considerable interest as well, as should the general reader.

*Destination Disaster* is a remarkable book of the politics in the (wide-body) commercial-aviation industry, and an accounting of the political warfare between McDonald Douglas and Lockheed Aircraft to gain acceptance of their designs during the early competition for wide-body commercial aircraft. One company, McDonald, pushed hard in Washington to prevent the technically more-advanced L1011 from being accepted in the commercial airline industry, only to see its candidate, the DC-10, later prove to be a safety nightmare. It is a spell-binding account of the troubles that ensued. In the end, Douglas' effort helped prevent acceptance of the L1011 for large-scale orders, and the plane ended production far too soon due to lowered order rate.

This out-of-print book is a must-read chronical of what happens behind the scenes in the highly competitive airline industry. It is well researched and written.

While it has been more than twenty years since I first read this book I have not stopped recommending it to my aviation-minded friends as the best of the breed. Encompassingly researched it sets its story amid the changing histories of the companies racing to be the first to bring a jumbo trijet to market. It meticulously details the engineering and, more critically, the marketing decisions that caused the DC-10 to be built with a fatal weakness that would be expressed so catastrophically (but not for the first time) in the skies near Paris. While satisfyingly replete with technical details it also is remarkably well written, referring for example, to a 747 taking off as "a cathedral in motion." It is an exciting book to read, one that had me knowingly shaking my head when a DC-10 expressed its heritage once again,losing an engine on take-off from Chicago.

Though it has been some twenty years since I read this book I have found it impossible to forget, a book that changed what I know. It would be, I imagine of interest to students of engineering and flight as well as a cautionary business tale. Though it is a nonfictional account of the jumbo trijet race is often reads like a whodunit and occassionally rises to the heights of great literature,e.g. describing a 747's take-off roll as " a cathedral in motion."

This story is amazing from the first page to the last. From Burke's rough childhood through her riveting years as a cop, it is impossible to put the book down. Hirschfeld delivers some powerful writing and allows every character to come across as they were, for better or for worse.

A female SERPICO story if there ever was one.

This story kept me in the edge, I couldn't put the book down. Thankfully it wasn't 1,000 pages, I stayed up all night just to finish it. ALL NYPD cops should be mandated to read this book.

"Detective" belongs on the same shelf as Robin Moore's "French Connection" and Peter Maas's "Serpico." Kathy Burke's career with the NYPD was exciting, contentious, tragic--yet ultimately groundbreaking and triumphant. Burke battled crooks, killers, corrupt cops, nasty superior officers, and her own demons. That she had the guts to deal with all that--and more--is the fuel that propels this compelling book.

This is a straight forward, kick you in the balls book of what it is like to be a woman cop.
The book concludes with a revelation of the two NYC rogue cops, Eppolito and Caracappa, who sold their souls to the Mafia and thus affected so many people's lives with their corrupt actions. This officer, Kathy Burke, was adversely affected in lifelonghorrible way. There's a great deal of undercover stories detailed here, sexual harrassment, love between cops--both plutonic and sexual. Officer Burke describes so much, including receiving the medal of Honor from Mayor Koch.
But in the end, she concludes, she has her self esteem and dignity. For the reader, its those two good for nothing turncoat cops that betrayed all that was good around them.

Jiji's novel, extremely well writen, is characteric of the modern day, urbanized woman's novel. Amazingly energectic and a fun must-read. Couldn't put the book down and had to finish.

I was blown away by the first novel of Jessica Jiji. Michelle is having to start over after breaking up with her boyfriend. Not only has she been dumped by the man that she thought she would marry, she also has to find a new and affordable place to live in New York City. This is a story of how Mish (as she is affectionately known by her sister) gets her life back on track and looks for a new love. Will she get together with Benny (or Bennett, the name he has adopted since he moved from NYC to the West Coast) the stoner turned QT lawyer/journalist. Will she get The Ring that she wants? Will she have to leave NYC to keep her job? This isn't just about her looking for love, this novel is about her life. Will we read this book again and again and wait anxiously until the next one by Jessica Jiji? That last one is an affirmative!

"Diamonds Take Forever" is the story of Michelle Benamou, a spunky, generously-proportioned radio producer. Michelle is the daughter of a Moroccan father and a European mother who clings to '60s radicalism, and she's all the while trying to figure out which of the three men in her life is right for her.

There's Joe, a macho New York City cop; Benny, a street-smart lawyer-turned-journalist; and Hammy, a sweet but not terribly attractive man who's in the radio business with her. At the beginning of the novel, Joe breaks up with Michelle because he doesn't want to get married, but later he's sending her roses, although the card is signed "Sincerely." Benny is going through a divorce on the opposite coast, in L.A. He's always saying how much he loves her, but she wants to know when he'll visit New York and when his divorce will be final. Hammy is more of a back-burner possibility, since she's not really into him. In desperation, she seeks out Fataha, an Arabic fortune teller.

This was interesting multi-cultural chick lit with a dash of romance at the end, but the beginning of the novel could have been stronger. The author takes a while to find her focus, and there's so much going on that I wasn't really hooked at first. However, the ending was strong and satisfying.

This story stands out from other formula chick-lit because the heroine's quest for Prince Charming is complicated not only by the usual obstacles, but by interesting cultural clashes within her family. This ethnic spice livens up the story and kept me reading until the end...very highly recommended!

Do not misinterpret the contents of this book when you read the title "Diet by Design;" because Diet by Design is not just another "diet book;" but rather, a one-of-a-kind, comprehensive health resource that teaches you about diet and nutrition, food and water safety, food combining, healthy eating tips; lifestyle factors, how to shop for, store, and prepare produce, and much, much more! Most other "diet books" present diets that do not work because you cannot wait to get off the diet and eat and eat and eat and eat [with the result of gaining the weight back and more]; however, Diet by Design is not like this because the pleasure of eating surpasses any junk food and fast food available and you can eat till you are satisfied and still lose weight, maintain your weight, or even gain weight if you need to.

Diet by Design has three main parts. Part 1 covers an enormous amount of subject matter. Part 2 is an extensive fruit guide [with nuts and seeds too] that provides you with buying, storing, and preparation tips that you would never have even considered. The guide is fully illustrated and has helped me to buy the best-tasting produce and has saved me a lot of money. Part 3 is a fantastic recipe guide that teaches you how to easily and quickly make all kinds of wonderful treats that are free from refined sugars, oils and fats [unless you use nuts or seeds], salt, and other harmful substances. The recipes are raw food recipes [although a few options are provided for those who want to eat bread and granola]. Vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike will be delighted and the recipes belong in every kitchen! I like the fact that there are recipes which take the place of store-bought ice creams, chocolate, and other candy and junk foods. There are all-natural recipes for smoothies, ice creams, fudge, toppings, sauces, salad dressings, guacamoles, soups, and more.

At the conclusion of the book are Scriptures relating to health and I found these extremely interesting even though I do not profess to be a Christian. The author also makes a statement in the book about Jesus and this did not bother me in the least, especially after seeing the Mel Gibson movie about Christ.

I cannot argue with anything presented in the book; and, I am a little embarrassed to say that I actually learned thousands of things that I never knew!

One final note: the author promotes protection of animals and the environment. The facts and positions that he presents have made me more conscious of animal husbandry and the need to preserve the environment.

Do not misinterpret the contents of this book when you read the title "Diet by Design;" because Diet by Design is not just another "diet book;" but rather, a one-of-a-kind, comprehensive health resource that teaches you about diet and nutrition, food and water safety, food combining, healthy eating tips; lifestyle factors, how to shop for, store, and prepare produce [in a wonderful recipe section], and much, much more! Most other "diet books" present diets that do not work because you cannot wait to get off the diet and eat and eat and eat and eat [with the result of gaining the weight back and more]; however, Diet by Design is not like this because the pleasure of eating surpasses any junk food and fast food available and you can eat till you are satisfied and still lose weight, maintain your weight, or even gain weight if you need to.

Diet by Design has three main parts. Part 1 covers an enormous amount of subject matter. Part 2 is an extensive fruit guide [with nuts and seeds too] that provides you with buying, storing, and preparation tips that you would never have even considered. The guide is fully illustrated and has helped me to buy the best-tasting produce and has saved me a lot of money. Part 3 is a fantastic recipe guide that teaches you how to easily and quickly make all kinds of wonderful treats that are free from refined sugars, oils and fats [unless you use nuts or seeds], salt, and other harmful substances. These fabulous recipes belong in every kitchen [whether you are a vegetarian or non-vegetarian]. I like the fact that there are recipes that take the place of store-bought ice creams, chocolate, and other candy and junk foods. There are all-natural recipes for smoothies, ice creams, fudge, toppings, sauces, salad dressings, guacamoles, soups, and more.

At the conclusion of the book are Scriptures relating to health and I found these extremely interesting even though I do not profess to be a Christian.

I cannot argue with anything presented in the book; and, I am a little embarrassed to say that I actually learned thousands of things that I never knew!

One final note: the author promotes protection of animals and the environment. The facts and positions that he presents have made me more conscious of animal husbandry and the need to preserve the environment.

Diet by Design has it all: Diet, Nutrition, Lifestyle, Health, Shopping, and Recipes! An enormous amount of wonderful, important, and edifying information is presented which is easy to put into practice. In Part 1, some of my favorite sections are Healthy Eating Tips, Avoiding Chemicals and Genetically Modified foods, Food Combining, and the information regarding animal foods and factory farming. Part 2 of Diet by Design is an essential resource which teaches you all that you need to know about fruits, nuts, seeds, and vegetable-fruits! It is illustrated and each item is thoroughly described - even exotics that you may across while traveling to other countries. Also, in Part 2, nutrients within each food are provided and there are hundreds of buying, storing, and serving suggestions which you have never even considered! Additionally, warnings about what to avoid are given. By following the advice you are not only able to obtain the highest quality produce; but, you also save much money and prevent waste - and this makes you feel efficient and productive. The tips and suggestions outlined in Part 2 have paid for my book hundreds of times over within a few years.

Part 3, The Recipe Guide, shows you how to make delicious, healthful alternatives for many otherwise un-healthful treats such as shakes, candy, puddings, ice cream, dressings, etc, etc.
No refined sugar, "free-fats", animal foods, preservatives, or additives. Great for children, teens, and adults!

Diet by Design is truly unique and there is not another book quite like it. This book is for people of every age and has plenty to offer to new health seekers and also health experts.

An excellent book!!! Finally I can shop for fresh produce with confidence. Using tips from this book I now have the knowledge to determine if produce is fresh, ripe, and safe to eat. I am no longer having to dispose of fruits and vegetables as I am able to shop wisely and store them properly. We have saved alot of money as result. I am also very pleased to see healthy, natural recipes for treats that my kids love. I would recommend this book highly!

I'm in awe of Priscilla Rhodes's ability to describe not only the sights, sounds and adventures she and husband Ken experienced as they traveled America, but also the refreshing spontaneity and honesty of her emotions and reactions to each place and person along the path. Her accounting of sidetrips and highlights is delightful: From museums, landmark buildings and historical state capitols to deep dark fir forests, spectacularly colored mesas, sparkling, snowy mountains and brilliant sunsets. Who can forget the candy-colored lady in the laundry room or the seven-year-old boy who survived an accidental trip over Horsehoe Falls? The book is a joy ride with moments of surprise and even heart-gripping suspense (such as that at the Gates of the Mountains at Helena). Reading the Discover America Diaries is like happily stealing away in Priscilla's pocket for the entire length of the journey, through all its hills and valleys. Thank you, Priscill Rhodes, for an unexpectedly delightful trip.

Back in the 1980s, there was an Albert Brooks movie about a couple of Yuppies who ditched the high-paced rat race, cashed in their nest egg, bought an RV and decided to discover America and themselves through a year-long road trip. They got as far as Las Vegas where the wife gambled away all their money. Later on, they ended up in some boring town with low-grade jobs. Nobody liked the ending.

A much happier ending has befallen Priscilla Rhodes and her husband Ken. Having quit their jobs in 1998 they bought a red truck and an attached trailer and set out for a few years of nomadic existence to discover the country. The result was a website devoted to postcards from the road called www.postcardsfrom.com which later led to this book. The couple actually sent e-mail postcards to people on their subscription list. The postcards became popular, as did the thumbnail sketches of the places they visited. After USA Today and The Christian Science Monitor lauded the website, their subscription base skyrocketed. Eventually this book evolved from their first trip: one that covered the northern route.

The diaries switch back and forth between personal accounts of their life on the road (and before), musings about society and deft descriptions of the monuments, towns, events and byways they encounter. Luckily for the reader, most of the personal accounts are very funny, and the descriptions are right on the money. Priscilla writes the diaries and the postcards while Ken takes the photographs and designs and emails the cards.

It seems Priscilla has the perfect husband. Not only can he handle a truck with a trailer weaving behind it (I personally avoid those things like the plague when I see them on the highway) he can also photograph,create a website, do professional book layout and fashion a very handsome book without benefit of high-price book designers.

So whether they are shivering in the cold, waiting for the sun to rise on Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park, baking in the heat when caught in Chicago traffic in their truck (which apparently is not air-conditioned) or climbing over buffalo dung in the Badlands, you will enjoy their journey and learn a lot about America, trailer parks, state capitols and various monuments. A very enjoyable read.

I'm guessing that there are many Americans who would enjoy and long for a trip to every state. Most of us will never do it in which case, it's fun to read about another's adventure. Priscilla Rhodes' book, Discover America Diaries, Vol. 1, is an armchair traveler's delight. Not only is the book fun to read, but it provides a real education about what this country holds. It is a uniquely personal account, as it should be, but it also mirrors the ups and downs of all our lives and especially I would think, the lives of anyone who takes to the road in search of education, adventure and themselves. If you do decide to hit the road, read this book first. It will give you hope that you can have a great time even if, like Priscilla and her husband, you know absolutely nothing about what you are about to do.

Hop in the passenger seat and bounce along the open road with Priscilla and Ken as they cover 15 states in a 30-foot RV. This personal journal proves to be a descriptive, easy-to-read travelogue that takes the reader across America from sea to shining sea. If you live in one of the states, have visited these states or long to see the beauty of the American countryside this is sure to inspire a sense of wanderlust. The authors venture off the tourist trap route and focus more on the obscure claims to fame of each of the states they visit. A unique look at each of the state capitals also makes this a great classroom supplement for U.S. Geography or History classes. For anyone who loves road trips, this travel essay is sure to bring about stories of "remember when." Review by JoAnna Carey, Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life

In looking through the photographs of this book I keep catching my breath. Remember how it was in the city then? Uncanny how the visual can be so associated with smell - burning and falling debris, our New York. If you were not here then or perhaps anywhere in blighted urban USA of the 1970's you would find it impossible to believe that this is the same place, so different now with the returned from the suburbs children of the gentry. But the thing that makes this book special, a work of the heart, are the photos of the people who inhabited our city then. The smiles and arms around each others shoulders in camaraderie testify to the power of heart. We would do well to take lesson from the power of this story as we watch dumfounded today as urban budgets are once again slashed. When the going gets tough will this city become once again a shadow of its former self? And if so would we have now that heart that keeps a community real on the inside while the outside tumbles?
Great book! Great photos.

Here is poetry in photographs. Like fine poetry, it pulls you into the action and makes you want to stay. Kahane neither sentimentalizes nor objectifies her subject. Instead, she lets you see how she finds worth and beauty in the South Bronx of a certain time. She invites you to see what she sees while giving you room to feel your own way through her subject.

An essay by Peter Frank and text by local artists expand the presentation. Whether or not you are familiar with the subject, you will learn as you immerse yourself in this book. Kahane states, "I recorded the Bronx in an attempt to explain it to myself." You will certainly try to explain it to yourself, too. Then you will start wondering what questions she will give us next.

This book is an antidote for the depressing excess of plastic and canned music that swamp us during the holidays, offering instead a hopeful reality.

As an aficionado of New York in the 70's and 80's, as well as being a lifelong New Yorker I found this book to be wonderful. It gives a glimpse of the creative scene contrasting with the culture of the South Bronx during a tumultuous time in the city's history.I find myself looking at it over and over.

The book documents the decay of the Bronx in the late 60s
through the early 80s. Both Presidents Carter and Reagan
visited the Bronx. I'm certain that President Clinton
has done the same. Page after page documents the run-down
buildings which were once proud edifices around the turn
of the previous century.

After a number of decades, the South Bronx has seen
a considerable restoration. The Bronx Land Reclamation
Project is put forth as a success story
in the continuing revival of the Bronx. Many pages have
actual pictures of local residents. Some of the pictures
are familiar to me. The presentation is an important
contribution to the continuing restoration of NYC and
the Bronx in particular. The author should have stressed
the role of "enterprise zones" in the restoration of
inner city neighborhoods.

a must read for advanced students who need intro to saivism, spanda yoga, and such highest of disciplines for self-awareness development. excellent text for history of and clarity of teachings. top level study.

When I bought this book I have never heared of Dyczkowski and I have been very positively suprised about the quality of his understanding. He succeds explaining in a very concise manner "matters" that almost escape explications. I You are so fortunate as to experience Silence (No-thought) from time to time and would like to have some indications about the deeper misteries of our lifesource, this is an exellent book for you.

If I could have only one book to read the rest of my life, this would be it. Not only is it a rich and revealing exposition of the doctrine of vibration of Kashmir Shaivism--the most comprehensive and internally coherent non-dualistic ontology I've ever encountered, it introduces the reader to the many paths by which this ontology can be realized in one's life. As another reviewer stated, this is a book for the advanced student. Those who have only a theoretical background in Asian and/or Western thought will read the words, but have no real sense of the Reality they refer to. But seasoned spiritual practitioners will find countless rewarding insights in this text. I originally bought the book about 10 years ago, having only a slight acquaintance with Kashmir Shaivism. Since that time I have read it at least half a dozen times. With each reading I continue to be astounded at the depth and breadth of Dyczkowski's grasp of this school of spiritual wisdom. I can only assume from what he's written that he really knows, at an embodied level, what it means to walk the "path of liberation."

Ancient Kashmir was a source for both Buddhist and Hindu spirituality and learning. Many of the metaphors of the nondual awareness school were handed down to our present day through generations of mystics and scholars and provide an extraordinarily rich source for meditative expansion and stabilization. The root guru of Adi Da Samraj was Swami Muktananda, who in turn was a product of the Kashmir Shaivist school of nondual awareness. The richness of the terminology, derived from the ancient Sanskrit, is remarkable for both it's clarity and depth. These teachings are readily accessible in meditative absorption, and are a wonderful adjunct in the development, expansion, and assimilation of transcendental awareness.

I have a Borzoi who has a Canine Good Citizen Certificate and is a SHARE (Special Human Animal Relationships) therapy dog. Soon we will be getting into the READ program for children in local schools where children with reading/learning problems read aloud to dogs. I bought this book for children to read to my Borzoi. It is a delightful story that captures the essence of the aristocratic Borzoi on a level that can be easily understood. Even if your child does not have a reading problem, I recommend this book for any child's enjoyment, as well as your own...

This is a great story with beautiful illustrations. Funny, charming, and entertaining for both children and adults. I bought this book for my 73 year old father who has a love of the opera and dogs. He loved it!

Smug, self-centered, perhaps even spoiled wolfhound "Pasha" is a supercilious Russian Wolfhound bred in Europe, who proclaims herself "une reine" (a queen) and looks "down her long Russian nose" at Sluggo, a cheerful "mix"--all scruffy American cheer--who looks past Pasha's haughty comparisons. "'You're a mutt,' barked Pasha." "'But it's fun being related to lots of different kinds of dogs,' answered Sluggo."

The narrative is particularly well written, with lots of dialogue, characterization, humor, and tension. Illustrator Erika Oller turns in a veritable tour de force, with illustrations that somehow capture the grandeur and sweep of an opera house. Her washes and shadings, contrasted with directional and suffused light, convey the almost mystical aura of live theater. Packed with scenery and singers, Ms. Oller shows that the stage is full of excitement, commotion, and even a little confusion.

In a way, the dogs become symbolic of class and racial differences, of royal Europe and upstart America. The reader may notice that the two dogs' class and "breeding" distinctions find a match in the performers' costumes. Pasha identifies so much with the woman singing of her royal pedigree ("Everyone looks at me because I am beautiful. My beauty makes me a queen.") that she begins to sing. Her howls (and I quote: "Wa-hoo, woo-hooo... Wa-hoo-woo-hooo-woo...") elicit giggles from the audience and she is pulled rather un-royally off the stage. There's your headline about wanted and unwanted attention!

Pasha is dejected. However, Sluggo, a canine equivalent of the archetypal James Cagney figure, reassures her. Comforted, Pasha resumes her royal stance and deigns to say, "Spasibo..." "It's Russian for 'thank you. " Nonplussed Sluggo gets into his 1930's everyman (everydog?) vernacular: "You're welcome', answered Sluggo. "That's English for 'anytime.'" Pasha and Sluggo become friends, although Pasha retains some of her canine-centric ways about her. In yet another amazing Oller picture, Pasha lies listening--all dreamy-eyed--to Metropolitan Opera House broadcasts. "And as she listens, she remembers what a beautiful voice Manon had...for a human."

West and Izen base their book on a truer-than -usual event that occurred on September 26, 1997. The authors were onstage as puppeteers during a Metropolitan Opera House staging of "Manon," and a dog really did begin to howl during the festival scene. "The Dog Who Sang at the Opera" closes with a newspaper article describing "Passion's" interruption of diva Renee Fleming, in which she is quoted as saying "I told the director, `it's the dog or me,'" and stating whether she couldn't decide whether this was the most humiliating or complimentary experience of the opera. Life imitates art! Fortunately, there is a letter (dated October 17, 1997) from Ms. Fleming printed on the penultimate page, in which she explains that not only was her "dog or me" proclamation said tongue in cheek, but that she is a dog lover from way back. "I thought Passion's high notes were at least as good--or perhaps even better--than mine." (Still, I had to love the seemingly imperious attitude of the opera, for there on the very last page of credits and other details is a legal disclaimer: "This book is not authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by the Metropolitan Opera.") This is a wonderfully told story, with a few quietly embedded lessons, and all of it glistens with the emotion and atmosphere of Ms. Oller's watercolors. Very highly recommended for all kids around elementary school age.

This book is magic. The story is charming and the illustrations are stunning. I have given the book to all my nephews and nieces and they love it.

I enjoyed this account of Al Ettinger's travels with the 69th infantry during WWI. It's interesting to find that he held so much detail in his mind so many years after the events, and after many years of not talking about it- finally opens up and recounts everything in such great specificity. I also appreciated that the accounts were checked out by his son in such detail to verify specifics before publishing- after all, no one's memory is perfect. The book is interleaved with historical maps and summaries of allied strategy, giving the reader a yardstick as to where the events fit in history. I really got a good feel for the deep sense of camaraderie that Ettinger developed with the people there in the ranks, and his heroes, especially concerning Father Patrick Duffy, a guy anyone would want to know in whatever place in history that he or she was born in. The only shortcoming of the book (and it is slight) is that it leaves out the outcome of Lt. Quirt (a pseudonym) in the epilogue. Great reading.

"It is enthralling and difficult to put down before completion." --Military Images

"A vivid portrait if a colorful outfit, DOUGHBOY places its emphasis on the human factor ... an invaluable and entertaining firsthand portrait of leadership, loyalty and morale -- the soul of any U.S. Army regiment." --Military History Magazine

"This well organized book becomes one of those rare war memoirs that has been back-checked for facts, that has such meticulous evidence of accuracy, it transcends the normal colorful remembrance to become a true work of history." --Gannett News Service

"Don't let 'A Doughboy With the Fighting 69th' escape you. It is destined to be a classic." --Irish Edition, Phila.

"An eye- witness account of World War I doughboy experience from a less than model soldier...a lively, personal account of both courage and realistic Army life." --The Bookwatch

"Although I have read many autobiographical accounts of famous generals and their bloody campaigns, few have touched me with the same effect as this story of one of America's true doughboy heros." --Ronnie Shimron, Curator, Jewish War Veterans

"It is enthralling and difficult to put down before completion. Afterward it is to be savored." --Military Images/ "A vivid portrait of a colorful outfit...an invaluable and entertaining firsthand portrait of leadership, loyalty and morale ... --Military History/ "This well organized book becomes one of those rare war memoirs that has been back-checked for facts, that has such meticulous evidence of accuracy, it transcends the normal colorful remembrance to become a true work of history." --Gannett News Service (John Hanchette)/ "Don't let [Doughboy] escape you. It is destined to be a classic." --Irish Edition (Philadelphia)/ "... a lively, personal account of both courage and and realistic Army life." --The Bookwatch

Private Ettinger, in his brief military career, managed to experience the battle of the Argonne Forest, survive four close shell bursts, a personal strafing by a German pilot, and some spectacular crashes on his dispatch-rider motorcycle, to provide us with one of the most engaging memoirs of the American Expiditionary Forces.
His very readable and entertaining reminiscences, augmented by some first-rate research by his son, are enhanced by rare photos, interesting appendices, and details of organization of a unit with some of the most colorful characters in American military history, such as "Wild Bill" Donovan, Father Duffy, Joyce Kilmer, and Douglas Macarthur (who personally delivered the author from incarceration).
Ettinger's story is highly recommended as a vivid window into the world of the doughboy, and a fine unit history as well.

(The "score" rating is an unfortunately ineradicable feature of the page. This reviewer does not "score" books.)