Texas Books

Even though I have read a number of books about ancient Mesopotamia, many of which are focussed on political and economic history rather than on beliefs and religious practices, I am was still very confused about who were the principal gods and goddesses, during what period of time and where they became prominent, and why they were worshipped. The uniformly positive customer reviews of this 192 page book were what persuaded me to buy it , and I was not disappointed.

When I buy a book, however, I do prefer to read it from start to finish, so reading a dictionary in this way is somewhat difficult and it is probably not the best way to read this one. The "gods and goddesses " entry in this dictionary indicate that more than 3000 names have been recovered, and while the book doesn't attempt to describe all of these, it does provide a significant amount of interesting reference material about the beliefs and religious practices of the peoples of Ancient Mesopotamia. Perhaps it would be better to use the term "ruler" or "the elite" rather than the term "peoples" since it is clear that nearly all the available information about the gods, demons, and symbols comes from inscriptions which were either from the rulers or from the priests of the religious institutions.

At the beginning of the book there is a useful author's note on the variant spellings of ancient names which explains the scholarly consensus on the probable pronunciation of the Akkadian and Sumerian languages. This is followed, by a concise introduction which provides summaries on the places and peoples of Mesopotamia, their mythology and legends, their art and iconography and the periods of the various dynasties and a helpful one page chronological table. At the end of the book there is also a short bibliography listing books recommended for further reading.

The bulk of the book consists of about a thousand entries (I didn't count them) on the different deities, religious objects, icons, symbols, and practices, of the peoples of ancient Mesopotamia. Most of these are quite short, although there are a few which run to three or four pages. At least half of them refer to one or more illustrations which are liberally sprinkled throughout the book, and this approach definitely enhanced my understanding of what I was reading. I did get the impression, though, that much of the information about the earlier period comes from the Assyrian kings of the 1st millennium, and while they were heirs to the Sumerian and Akkadian traditions, it is still not clear to me how much of a bias they brought into their inscriptions in order to better serve their own interests

There are 159 illustrations in all, which are a mixture of drawings and very clear black and white photographs. The drawings by Tessa Rickards, the illustrator, are beautifully done, elegantly simple, and in my opinion, bring out the essence of the object of the illustration. While most illustrations are embedded in the text close to the most relevant entry, there are a number which are referred to by several different entries. I found it was quite time consuming to flip around the book to find the references of those which were not close by, so I ended up by using book markers to speed up my search for the most important, which were the groups of illustrations on demons, monsters, and symbols for the gods, and the genealogical table of gods and goddesses. Perhaps there is no way around this, but I think it would have been helpful if there had been an index of the illustrations referenced by time period and page number. It may also have been easier to refer to them if they were included one place, perhaps at the back of the book.

Notwithstanding these minor quibbles about the organization and content of the book, I found that reading it the way I did, was an effective and time efficient way of increasing my depth of knowledge about this aspect of ancient Mesopotamia. It will serve as a useful reference tool for my other books on the civilizations and dynasties of Mesopotamia, and I certainly recommend it to other students who are focussing their studies on this particular subject.

This illustrated dictionary is excellant, and informative. The authors have a knack for noting out of the ordinary tidbits, which enhance their profiles. Unfortunately, they do not recognize that Mythology is 95%
Propaganda. Thus, Ea, called "favorable to man", is in fact the Ultimate
Architect of Evil, who along with his "two-faced" minister Usmu, and the
scribe Nabu, propagated a Revisionist Mythology, that has subjugated and
subverted the 5% Truth, ever since.

"Gods, Demons and Symbols of Ancient Mesopotamia" (An Illustrated Dictionary) is the best resource on the Gods of the different cultures from that region that exists. Though they call it a dictionary, Jeremy Black and Anthony Green (editors) have put together an encyclopedia of knowledge on the subject. They cover Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Hurrian mythologies, and touch on several more as well. This review is based off of the fifth edition of the book, which was published in 2003 by the University of Texas Press.

There is a lot of material here, and it would be easy to give this book five stars based on what it does provide. However, as I use this resource I often think about what more they could have done to make it more useful. One big thing would have been more visual resources. I would have liked to see a map section where it shows the various eras and empires and the extent of their control. There is one map near the front of the book, but it provides only a limited view.

A big area of improvement would have been to provide sections instead of including all the material together from A to Z. For example the maps mentioned above could have gone into a geography section which could have also shown the evolution of the city names as they spanned eras, including the modern names for those which still exist. Another section could have covered the kings, queens, and heroes for each of the empires. The section on deities could have covered the evolution of deities as they were adopted by the later empires, as well as the new deities which arose during the passage of time. You will find that some of this material is scattered throughout the resource, but it is not complete, and it is difficult to find unless you already know where to look.

Despite all the things I would have liked to have, I still think this is a very good reference, and one which anyone who studies the ancient history of that region will want to have in their library. It is easy to come up with ideas of ways to improve things, but the work that was done in putting together this reference was exceptional, and as with most things which whet one's appetite, it leaves the reader wanting more.

Excellent resource listing much more than the title would suggest. Black really knows his stuff and generously shares his knowledge. Much better than I thought it would be. Includes all kinds of definitions in great detail. Well written. Highly recommend.

I am saddened to see that this is no longer available. If you are interested in ancient Mesopotamian religion, then this book is needed. It is a perfect resource to get quick information, and provides enough information to conduct further research in the areas. If you are a student taking a class on Mesopotamia, a religious historian, or a Reconstructionist, then this will give you the facts you need at your fingertips.

This is another wonderful tool given to us by the author Marvie Ellis and the illustrator/artist, Jenny Loehr. The author uses a little girl, the older sister of an autistic child, Keisha. This is very effective! The author certainly has a way of taking a very complex subject, and through her use of words, bringing that subject to the level that a child is able to understand. I loved her concept of "closed doors" and "opening doors." This is quite understandable to a child, and indeed, an adult faced with this devastating condition. Well done! The author takes us step by step through the process of identifying the condition, its treatment and, again, does it in a way that a young person can well understand.

I was delighted, and in fact thrilled, to see this work presented in both Spanish and English, together between two covers. Over the past five years our area of the country has gone through a change with the influx of Spanish speaking people. Our resources were, and are quite thin, and I am sorry to say, quite limited. Books such as this go along way in correcting this situation. My daughter, a first grade teacher, is faced with this language (and indeed, autistic children) problem each and every year, and works such as this are most helpful.

I personally found the illustrations in this book, by artist Jenny Loehr, quite pleasing as I like her method and style. She has the ability to capture so much with her simple facial expressions. The color choices certainly appeal to children and are quite eye catching in a subdued way. The illustrations go perfectly with the text and each, the text and the art work, complement each other perfectly.

Children have as much of a struggle understanding this devastating condition, even more than most adults. The author has done a wonderful job, in the way of explanation, at their level. I might add that any adult will also find this work quite informative. This is another valuable tool and should be included in any school program or home library were applicable. I, as a fully retired individual, do a tremendous amount of substitute teaching at our local schools. I fully intend to read these books to my younger classes. Ignorance is a horrible thing, and this book and the author's other book, Tacos Anyone?, go a long way in stamping it, the ignorance, out. Well done Ms Ellis! I highly recommend this one!

This book is a great tool to help siblings, other family members and non-relatives (including teachers and students) to understand some of the world of kids with autism. This is a very touching story deserving of the acclaim it has received and more. Schools systems would do well to include this book in their libraries. Great story and illustrations! Great work!

I have a son w/autism and I purchased this book because I haven't seen any af/am profiled in autism related childrens books before. I enjoyed the book very much. Kudos to the author!

Author Marvie Ellis, pediatric speech-language pathologist, founded Speech Kids Texas Press in 2005 for to publish children's storybooks on communication needs. Kiesha's Doors is a bilingual storybook in which English and Spanish text appear simultaneously on the same page. This technique reinforces to children and adults alike the multicultural nature of the modern world we live in, and seeing other languages on the same page may encourage children to explore secondary languages. I think this technique is superior to the alternative of publishing two separate translations. Children's brains easily learn multiple languages, so why not give them as much exposure as possible?

In Kiesha's Doors (Las Puertas de Keisha), 2 year-old Kiesha has stopped communicating with her family, become a picky eater, and taken to a favorite rocking chair. Kiesha parents and her older sister Monica (age 9) learn that she has autism, and they must adapt their communication style to reach Kiesha (to "open her doors"). The story is not just about Monica's adjustment to life with Kiesha, but about the Mom and Dad's journey to get a diagnosis and learn how to relate to their child. It is truly a family story, and it raises important diagnosis questions as well as coping skills. The illustrations are vibrant crayon-style (I loved the way the eyes and faces glow!).

Every library should invest in a copy of this book, and every child and parent should read it at least once, to learn about dealing with people who communicate differently from ourselves.

Marvie Ellis is providing a great service to a significant number of people with her Autism Story Books. If you're like me, you know less about autism than you think you do - unless and until someone in your life is born autistic. And if we adults don't really understand what autism is and is not, imagine how hard it would be for a young child to understand it all. Keisha's Doors is told from the perspective of just such a child, a nine-year-old girl who doesn't understand why her three-year-old sister Keisha won't play with her or speak when spoken to. When Keisha is diagnosed with autism, we are there with her family as the doctor and therapist explain what this means and begin to teach them techniques for establishing better communication with the little girl.

The conventional, knee-jerk reaction to a diagnosis of autism would probably be one of alarm and grief, and I'm sure one of the author's purposes in writing this book is to dispel such notions. Here, Keisha's condition is described in terms even her nine-year-old sister can understand: Keisha has certain mental "doors" that are closing her off from some of the people and things around her, and she just needs help opening up some of those closed doors. Rather than tearing the family apart, the situation actually brings them closer together. Now, even Keisha's sister understands why Keisha is different - she even knows a little bit about how to go about helping her expand her awareness.

This is a very positive, heart-warming look at a family caring in the proper way for an autistic child. The story itself is printed in both English and Spanish, while Jenny Loehr's beautiful illustrations speak volumes in and of themselves. Put it all together, and you have a wonderful book - perhaps the only one of its kind - designed to reach as many different people as possible with its important message. I learned something about autism myself in these pages, and I'm sure anyone with any kind of connection to an autistic child will benefit from this book - and Marvie Ellis' succeeding Autism Story Books - immensely.

This was a very well-crafted and informative book, which I would recommend reading to those who haven't yet. For those who have, and who enjoyed it like I did, I would recommend Tent Life in Siberia: An Incredible Account of Siberian Adventure, Travel, and Survival, which George Kennan's account of his travels around eastern Siberia on dogs and reindeer sleds.

The Other Side of Russia is part travel narrative, part social history, part memoir, part food writing. All these parts come together to make a terrific book.

Sharon Hudgins and her husband Tom spent a year and a half in post-Soviet Siberia teaching business management for the University of Maryland's overseas program. As peripatetic ex-patriates, they were familiar with unfamiliarity. But they were still not prepared for what Siberia had to offer them.

Join Sharon and Tom as they picnic with the Russian Mafiya, try to teach in an educational system that discourages questions and independent thinking, and ponder why a herd of horses is tangled in downtown rush hour traffic.

In "Absurdistan" it is just one perplexing thing after another. The electricity and water in their poorly-constructed apartment building work only intermittently. But in spite of such challenges, they make friends and entertain regularly. Cultural differences mean that the same friends who swoon over delicacies such as wafer-thin horse liver slices rolled with layers of horse fat, are unable to enjoy a Hudgins Tex-Mex feast.

Hudgins's previous work as a food and travel writer are evident here, and I wouldn't be surprised to learn that she writes fiction as well. The narrative is effortless and the stories she tells are by turns engaging and frightening.

In The Other Side Of Russia, author Sharon Hudgins takes the reader along on her Trains-Siberian Railroad adventure through Siberia and the Russian Far East, an area that was closed off to Westerners (and most Russians) prior to 1990s and the collapse of the old Soviet Union. Here the reader will be treated to a unique travelogue that will take them from the frozen surface of Lake Baikal, to feast with native Siberian Buryats, the food markets and "high-rise villages" of Vladivostok and Irkutsk, Christmas celebrations, New Year's banquets, Easter dinners, and Siberian festivals. The Other Side Of Russia dispels the myths and misconceptions about the Asian part of Russia which extends across eight time zones between the Ural Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Offering a window of observation into this land of harsh winters, vast uninhabited spaces, friendly people, strange cuisines, and thriving modern cities, The Other Side Of Russia is a welcome, informative, and highly entertaining read which is especially commended to the attention of armchair travelers and students of Russian culture and history.

The Other Side of Russia emerged from Barbara Hudgins experience of living in Siberia for a year and a half, from 1993 to 1994. Working as the onsite program coordinator for the University of Maryland University College in Siberia and the Russian Far East, she worked and lived in Vladivostok and Irkutsk.

Hudgins book is the first book about Siberia I'd come across written by someone who spent extensive time in Siberia. This gives her a depth of understanding that adds a lot to her memoir.

The structure of her memoir is unusual. She's divided the book into two sections. The chapters in part one focus on place - Irkutsk, Vladivostok, Lake Baikal, etc. - and the chapters in the second part focus on aspects of life and culture in Siberia - housing, education, food and festivals. Hudgins supplemented her first-hand experience with extensive research. This offers readers an in-depth source of information about many aspects of Siberian place and life.

What's lost in this non-chronological format is Hudgin's own adaptations and reactions over her time in Siberia. She does insert some feelings and personality, but the focus is on the topic, rather than on her personal experience or characters who change and develop over the period.

Hudgins seems to have thrown herself into Siberia with a remarkably open mind. She expertly captures the small details of Siberian life and renders vivid pictures of feasts shared with Russian friends. For those who have been to Siberia, this book will take you back there. For those planning on going, The Other Side of Russia provides a great overview of the life and culture.

In THE OTHER SIDE OF RUSSIA, the University of Maryland University College has established a joint undergraduate degree program in business management with the Far Eastern State University in Vladivostok and the State University in Irkutsk. In the summer of 1993, author Sharon Hudgins and her husband, Tom, packed off to Siberia and the Russian Far East to serve as teachers in this cooperative venture, while the former was also Maryland's on-site program coordinator in both cities. This book chronicles their experiences from their arrival until their departure in December 1994.

Whether she's describing the immensity of pristine Lake Baikal, the problematic living conditions in their high-rise apartment, local customs and food of the Buryat people, the vagaries and perils of shopping for household necessities, maddening water and electricity outages, local festivals, the growing pains of a free-market economy, the university students' learning ethic, or the conviviality and generosity of their Russian friends, Hudgins has a keen eye for small details, as when describing an open air market:

"An Uzbek woman ... sold raisins and nuts in small paper cones made out of official forms from the Irkutsk Municipal Water Department ... In one part of the market, a pretty teenage girl, wearing a garish, flower-printed dress and a thousand-yard stare, held a handful of peacock feathers and sipped a can of Dr Pepper, while in another section two older women, both drunk, tried to punch each other out in a fist fight."

I haven't been so engaged by a travel essay about Russia since Hedrick Smith's 1976 bestseller, THE RUSSIANS. My only criticism is the relative lack of photographs - only a couple at most per chapter. Luckily, Sharon's poetic prose paints pictures almost as effective as snapshots, as this from her vantage point on the Trans-Siberian Railroad:

"A profusion of wildflowers carpeted the meadows, like an Impressionist painting exuberantly expanding beyond the limits of canvas and frame: undulating shades of yellow, gold, and blue, maroon and magenta, soft pink and pristine white, the pale purple globes of wild onions gone to seed, thousands of red-orange tiger lilies, whole fields of dark purple Siberian irises, and occasionally a single red poppy or two, like a stubborn symbol of politics past. Outside Chita a small lake glistened under the midnight moon."

For me, a travel narrative is all it can be if it makes me want to go there myself. THE OTHER SIDE OF RUSSIA accomplishes that. Well, maybe for just a brief visit, perhaps, because I certainly wouldn't want to live there.

An excellent behind the scenes look at Cuba today. No better example of a failed yet still forced socialist state. This is not some itellectual dissection of the situation but a "person on the street" documentary. Must read for those who take democracy and free enterprise for granted and for those who even think Cuba is better now than in pre-revolution time.
As a Cuban born US citizen I applaude this book.

An excellent travel/biography book interspersed by b&w pictures of many Havana et al locations in Cuba.

The author had to flee Cuba with his family when he was 18, just months after the thake over by dictator-narcissist Castro. In '96 he visists Cuba again briefly and takes with him his camera. This is not a touristic approach to Cuba. This is the personal and nostalgic -not angry- brief comeback of a Cuban exile. And man, does he succeed in making us feel like exiles too!

Themes visited:

-How does Cuba's socialist regime make it to survive so long?
Interviewee. "It's their fault (the Americans') Castro is still here making everyone's life in Cuba hell. Time and time again they've saved Castro. How? By permitting immigration. In 1980 Cuba was ready to explode. What does the US do? They allow a hundred thousand Marielitos to emigrate. I tell you, those people were ready to kill. So Fidel lets them go ... He's a master at duping the Europeans into thinking this a democratic socialist paradise. And he is a master of repression."

-Discrimination?
"Cuban leadreship is almost exclusively white, and out of a hundred generals in the army, ninety are white, while the majority of Cubans are black. The prison population is reported to be overwhelmingly black."

-A sharp question
"I've heard this joke: 'socialism or death: what's the difference' How come I don't see antigovernment graffiti? -Because we have the most sophisticated repression in the world ... the jails are full of people they have caught doing graffiti. We still have plenty, but it gets painted over immediately."

-The US embargo
"A visit to a dollar store makes it clear to everyone that the embargo doesn't prevent Cuba from acquiring whatever American products Cuba wants or needs since they can get them fairly easily through Panama or Mexico."

"The embargo provides Castro with his last excuse why the Cuban economy is in shambles. Also, Fidel functions best when he is attacked. He becomes energized. He needs an enemy, a scapegoat. And the Helms-Burton law is to order ... the way to fight him is to hit him where his system is vulnerable. Flood Cuba with American tourists, American dollars, with ideas and information. The socialist state cannot withstand that ... If something doesn't work for forty years, you try something else."

Out of 200 people he met, only 5 still supported the revolution. And they were professors or people with privileges.

I'd like to find another good book like this, even without pictures, only updated for the 12 years that have elapsed.

The author immigrated to the Northern states and his personal view reflects: he is not so radical as the people in Miami are, he claims. If I had to live in Cuba without freedom I'd even be more "radical" than the Miami exiles. I'm sure he changed his mind a little, after his excursion on the island, because the people there think more like me.

JAN. 12, 2001

I FOUND THIS BOOK VERY EASY TO READ. IT WAS AS IF I WAS READING PART OF MY STORY, MY LIFE. IT ANSWERED MANY QUESTIONS I HAVE HAD. IT ALSO ANSWERED THE WHY OF MANY FEELINGS I HAVE. THE LAST TIME I WAS IN CUBA WAS 1953, MUCH LONGER THAN HIM. I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO GO BACK AS HE DID. MY HUSBAND AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IF THIS YEAR WE CAN GO BACK. WE JUST ARE NOT SURE OF HOW SAFE IT WOULD BE. WE WOULD LIKE TO GO TO SANCTI SPIRITUS, LAS VILLA, VERY FAR FROM HAVANA. I FOUND IT TO BE GREAT READING. IT WAS TOLD IN A VERY CLEAR WAY. IT EXPLAINED MANY THINGS I DID NOT UNDERSTAND. THIS BOOK CAN BE READ BY CUBAN'S AND THOSE WHO ARE NOT CUBAN'S IT IS VERY INTERESTING FOR ALL. ALSO ONE CAN APPRECIATE ALL WE HAVE.

STILL WOULD OF LIKED MORE. I WOULD OF LIKED MORE PICTURES OF THINGS HE WROTE ABOUT. HIS SUMMER HOME, WOULD OF LIKED TO SEE OTHER PICTURES OF THE HOUSE. WOULD OF BEEN GREAT, FOR HIM TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO MAKE HIS TRIP TO THE OTHER PROVINCES HAS HE HAD WANTED TO DO.

I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE IN SPANISH.

I WOULD LIKE TO THANK MR. MENDOZA FOR THIS BOOK. WISH HIM THE BEST, WILL BE LOOKING FOR OTHER WORK HE HAS DONE.

Like Tony I am a cuban american who left Cuba in the early 60s for political freedom to study in the States. I came from a successful middle class family and a history of political successes and upheaval. I have always wanted to go back to re-live my youth in Havana, Tarara y Santa Maria del Mar (like Tony in Varadero) where I spent the happiest time of my youth. I have known of the misery of our people because I kept in touch, however Tony has been able to portray that misery in his wonderful black and white pictures. His writtings and dialogues are very easy to read but with a real message for everyone to understand. This is a great book for those who will like an honest and unbias portray of the cuban situation today. Tony has let these people speak out their feelings (pro and against) for the world to judge. I envy Tony for having the opportunity to return. His book has made me very sad because we are limited in our ability to help them. I cried for the younger generation unable to better themselves. Only the beauty of our land and sea remains untouched. Someday our people will be free again to make their choices and Cuba will be a wonderful place to visit. I promised myself to be in the first plane to help rebuild it.

I,too,like Mr. Mendoza, was forced to leave Havana, Cuba, as a child because of my familys' political beliefs towards Castro. I was a child of 9 in 1967, when my parents and I uprooted ourselves from our beloved land because we had been politically betrayed by someone that a whole generation felt was to be their "savior" from the dictatorial regime of Batista. In the last few years I have started to rediscover my roots. I found this book extremely educating as to what to expect to see there, if you plan to "go home for a visit". It has convinced me that I must go home again even though it won't be the same as I remember as a child. This an easy to read book, with compelling sepia tinted pictures of scenes and people Mr. Mendoza came across throuhgout his travels. I highly recommend this book.

An award winning anthology of poetry, "Dark Card", is Rebecca Foust's reflections on dealing with her Asperger's Syndrome afflicted Autistic son. The poetry within explains why the chap book is award winning, and why the titular poem was nominated for 2007 Pushcart prize. "Dark Card" is an excellent collection, to be considered by poetry fans everywhere. "Underneath": His face is blank as a kettle pond/dawn, but he feels everything/there is underneath-- //tadpoles, minnows, sunfish, perch/fish-hooks, tangled lines,/frays of fat yarn algae strands,//filaments tethering lily stars/that from above seem free to skim,/milky writhe of swimmers' legs//mossed undersides of floats,/surprising truth of sailboat keels,/their iceberg depth.

The twenty seven linked poems of Dark Card, winner of the 2007 Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook award, turn on the poet's experience of raising her son, born with Asperger's syndrome. The narrative arc travels from grief and white-hot anger, to Foust's difficulty in accepting all aspects of her child's disability, opening finally onto transformative acceptance-- a state of grace, perhaps. The resonance of recurring themes and images help mould this collection into an almost novelistic whole.

Foust shows us her gifted, afflicted child as he is. We learn about the syndrome's manifestations, the child's neurological deficits, the wrong-headed practices of institutions responsible for him. When, in the title poem, the boy creates a scene at school, we are shown the coping mechanisms of his mother, as well: she plays the "dark card of the idiot savant ... /...It's my ploy to exorcise their pitchforks and torches/... But it's a swindle, a flimflam, a lie/ a not-celebration of what he sees/with his inward-turned eye:/the patterns in everything---"
The poet's emotions overflow the page. She rages against the possible sources of her son's syndrome. Like a tongue to a tooth, the author worries "...that Gordian- knot neck-throttled curse, /that gene-encrypted, linked-chain curse,//that DES-taken-by-his grandmother curse,/that fumble-fingered-fool-doctor-shaped curse..." . She spits out her indictments in diatribes worthy of the name. Her anger hits its target in "Palace Eunuch":

Don't say you were trying to be kind,
you ball-less prick soft dick eunuch
cowardly coin-counting conservator.
You were practically pissing yourself
in your fear of malpractice,
you were shaking in your green paper booties.

These poems show the many ways in which the quality of life argument is entirely subjective. We see how the boy's behaviors set him apart and make him singular, but we get a rounder view here than in disability poetry purely from the patient's POV (The Hospital Poems by Jim Ferris comes to mind). In one of the best poems, "Asperger Ecstasy," Foust observes the activities that make her son "vibrate with joy." "It can be tying flies under a microscope, knot patterns / the size of this period. It can be cataloging washing / machine brands or the note variations in a symphony, / or committing to memory for joyous recounting / the entire year's schedule for the El-train." As she makes peace with his differences, she begins to celebrate them: "He makes/ meaning from acorns,/ the sky,/knotted bits/ of string." (The Visitation) We watch her empathy swell. She makes us believe her when she says that her son "loves who he is."

Foust's use of poetic devices is as expert as her emotional spectrum is varied. Her line breaks reveal meaning in fresh ways, and her use of sound is a mark of her craft---the sustained vowels throughout "Instrument," the single word lines in the final strophe of "Firstborn," echoing the child's first thin breath; the compound words that heighten the passion in her teeth-gnashing rants. There are allusions to Emily Dickinson's feathered hope and Temple Grandin's empathy, and Foust raises the hair on the reader's arm when she says about her baby, "You freeze my heart to stone/when I measure your foot with my thumb."(No Longer Medusa).

The author reconciles the grim with the hopeful in Dark Card, and her voice never wavers in its fierce emotional honesty. And when, in the extraordinary final poem, the recurring image of her son's Gordian knot "unravels with his years, unwinds, unfolds,/lets loop out in vast uncoiling spirals/whole archives of text,/found worlds," we are moved. The poet has succeeded in making the personal universal. We close the covers, uplifted by Rebecca Foust's courage and her compassionate song.

Life as art ... there is a special gift in the ability to share one's life as art, to issue a challenge to each beholder, to trigger a deeper reaching within and without, to one's coming away changed. The amazingly insightful cover and the signpost of a title dare us to pass through this doorway, to accept the challenge to go beyond and experience what these travelers before us offer to share. Will any two come away with the same experience? I don't think so. For me this journey was worth the beauty, love, and mystery revealed along side the pain of Dark Card. Without the presence of light, we would not even see this silhouette. I am thankful that there are artists and poets who can transcend the dark to share their lives by shining light.

In Dark Card, Rebecca Foust gives the reader a lesson in courage -- the courage of a mother raising a child with a disability, the courage to face the reality this forces upon her, the courage to probe the feelings deep within, and the courage to put those feelings into unforgettable words. This is the open heart of a mother, with all the pain and joy exposed. Read it with respect. It will move you.

I read Dark Card on my vacation. I reacted most deeply to Perfect Target, Sweet Heart, Begin Again - all three made me pause and just feel sick about how cruel people can be to each other and the impacts of seemingly small events on a precious life. It makes me wonder how easily we as individuals and a culture are afraid of vulnerability and the need for eliminating the weak to make ourselves feel strong rather than embracing them. These three poems are marked with tears. There were a few others that really hit me in the gut for how much the emotional content of the poem became my own: Apologies to My OB-GYN, No Longer Medusa, Unreachable Child, He Never Lies, Eighteen (he made it!), Refrigorator Mom. These poems are marked with a check to reread. Thank you for sharing yourself and your son's journey through poetry.

It's been a while since I've read another Willie-Morris related book but I was drawn to this one by frequent references to Celia Morris in a recent biography of the Harpers editor by Larry King, not the talk show host but a Texas based writer and anecdotalist. I've read the biography of Willie, but it seems that Larry King, who knew both Willie and Celia, didn't really care for Celia because his book is clearly biased in favor of Willie's second wife, the editor JoAnne Pritchard. I decided to go to the source and find out more about the woman herself, Celia Morris, by reading her account of her own life, and in FINDING CELIA'S PLACE I struck the motherlode! She tells it exactly as she found it.

It was a challenge for Celia to overcome to orejudices of her place and time, while still remaining true to her roots as a Texan and a woman. She had strong female relatives, older crones in the family, women she learned from, their struggles and their achievements, and also, how frustrating it was trying to be the perfect wife in the 1950s. It's not all tears, though, there are many amusing tales, including the first penis she saw! Belonged to a neighbor boy who could do tricks with it, wiggle it a bit, and Celia was singularly unimpressed!

Eventually adultery and alcoholism deter her from her path, and she winds up with not one, but two "liberal folk heroes" as she calls them. In a 12 step program, a fellow drinker confides in the group that if he were to take another drink, he would die. She comes right back with, if she were to take another drink, she'd marry a third liberal folk hero.

The glamor and the excitement that Willie Morris brought to his book NEW YORK DAYS, and the adoration of the lab Skip, in MY DOG SKIP, she sees from another angle, for often enough thoughtless Willie would bring home twelve men from Harpers and order her to make dinner, when she was completely worn out from dealing with little David all day, his skinned knees, his need for adventure. Plus, they were trying to survive in the jet set on a very limited budget. Finding her own place in the sun meant shedding the excess baggage of husband and traditional domestic cares. Good for her.

I was surprised to see, after an initial flurry of reviews in the months immediately following publication, that no one has apparently written about FINDING CELIA'S PLACE on this Amazon site in four or five years! A tragic lack of recognition, when this book should be required reading in all college classrooms. Perhaps people got tired of the title, it sounds whiny, when the book itself is anything but!

Quite by lucky accident we stayed a Celia's Place for a few days. Thanks to the book, when she came to the door we felt that we already knew her. A wonderful book about a remarkable woman.

Finding Celia's Place is an enthralling, absorbing tale of one woman's ability to and struggle to rise above and go far beyond the confines of Texas. From most adored woman on campus to the lodestar of Americans at Oxford, Celia really did find a succession of strong places in the minds and hearts of her men and her many other friends. She did make a magnificent difference to her contemporaries well beyond those Texas bounds. An uplifting as well as a great read.

I've read lots of memoirs by women and written one. Let me tell you, Celia Morris' "Finding Celia's Place" is in a class all its own. For starters, it is beautifully written and hard to put down. More importantly, she pushes the envelope for honesty among women on the subjects of sex, motherhood, marriage, and politics. I can think of hardly any books that go as far as she does in depicting a woman's sexual maturation beyond youth and into late middle age. She stands almost alone among women who have written well about their intellectual roots and maturation. Simone de Beauvoir's "She Came to Stay" is the only book I can think of to compare to this one.

judith paterson

Celia Morris' memoir should be a permanent fixture on the syllabus of any Women's Studies course - or American History, for that matter. Morris' wrenching account of a woman struggling to keep up appearances at the same time that she is developing intellectually, emotionally, and psychologically throws into high relief the relative comfort in which the daughters of her generation (like me)are able to move through life. Were it not for the faith - and occasional lapses of it - and courage of women like Celia Morris, women of my generation would have no hope but to fall victim to the same myths of femininity and womanly duty.

American women of all ages owe Celia Morris a debt of gratitude for giving us her story.

This book is informative and very well made. Hundertwasser is one of my favorite artists and I own several books about his life and work. This is one is (so far) the best. The Taschen book reproduces his work beautifully, showcasing the washes and color use that make his work truly sublime. It also contains some wonderful photographs of the buildings he designed, which make one wish all construction could be so imaginative. This book was more than I expected for a very fair price.

This book really shows off Hundertwasser and is a great addition to any art collection. This is another hit by Taschen.

REVIEW SUBTITLE: A Serendipitous Purchase

While I had come across references to "the art of Hundertwasser," because I knew only of him as an architect and consider architecture an art, I assumed that the colorful work adorning the cover of this book was one of the Gaudi-esque architect's occasionally fancified plans. As a number probably know, however, it is not. Rather it is but one of Hundertwasser's many paintings.

Though I'd expected a book on architecture, I was not disappointed to receive one focusing on H's development as a painter. In fact, I was elated, for splashed across approximately 2/3rds of the 197 pages of this book are what had originally attracted me to him: the "lush opulence" of what I now know are his watercolors and paintings.

This book, however, is not just a visual feast. In addition tracing his development as an artist, the text includes and discusses H's thoughts on topics such as those noted in the Table of Contents I've included in the commentary following this review. And while some may seem esoteric, the discussions are not. In fact, they're fascinating.

That most of the focus of Taschen's retrospective of H and his work is on water colors/painting is not surprising, for so few of his structures were ever realized. However, approximately 30 well-illustrated pages are devoted to H's theories about architecture, his architectural models, and the utopian structure he was commissioned by the city of Vienna to build.

I was certainly correct in one assumption I made when I ordered HUNDERTWASSER: With the words "Taschen 25th Anniversary" attached to its title, I could not go wrong. Nor will anyone who purchases it.

Note: Lest you give any weight to L. Egan's comment about the book's "downsides," please read my response to his review.

I am a quilter, and bought this book largely because of my love for batiks,(which are cotton fabrics hand dyed)and on recollection of a show I saw 32 years ago on Hundertwasser in Toronto's ROM.I like it,big time.Yep,there's no gold leaf in them thar hills and curves of Hundertwasser repros,if it bothers you enough,grab a gold leaf marker and add it yourself.Taschen offers value for your money,if you want gold leaf,you may have to add another 20.00 to the cost of the book.I have no problems about the quality of the repros.Anything that looks like pale brown,try and doublecheck,it is likely it is gold leaf. The artist may not have alot to say as other painters,but his designs,and color sense are really got me going into my studio.
I am glad I got it!

Any book about art or an artist that doesn't make me fall asleep gets five stars from me. The only downside (but it still gets five stars) as that you don't get the full representation of the pictures and need to look at the description to see the medium. For example the foil overlay. Still wonderful. (Feb 17, 2008)

I eventually found a small, beautiful, cloth-bound catalogue of his Australian and New Zealand exhibitions (the one I have was produced in 1973 by cicero, gmbh and titled 'Hundertwasser 1974 Australia') and there you get glimpse of the phosphoric metallic brilliance that I find missing in many of the books about Hundertwasser - although for the price of these books, no complaint. This book and the catalogue are a good combination. The catalogue I was able to find at a very reasonable price of $30, but it took a bit of searching. (April 16, 2008)

As a student at Yale Law School planning to go into estate planning, I found this book very helpful. Highly recommended for anyone who needs to plan their estate or for law students taking estate tax or planning courses. This book is easy to understand, well organized, and provides a good amount of detailed information, not just vague ideas. Highly recommended.

This book provides an easy to understand overview of estate planning plus easy to understand detail on many special circumstances. It is very easy to understand which estate planning techniques are right for you, and there are many examples that illustrate how the techniques work. Approximately half of this book is relevant to everyone. The other half gives clear, common sense explantions of advanced planning techniques that are typically reserved for those fortunate enough to be planning a high net worth estate (lets say $1M+). The advanced techniques are not for do it yourselfers, but the book gives you a good understanding of the issues and lets you converse intelligently with an attorney.

Now in a newly updated and expanded seventh edition, Plan Your Estate is a resource provided by attorneys Denis Clifford and Cora Jordan which is packed from cover to cover with everything anyone needs to know to ensure their worldly goods are promptly willed to loved ones. Written in no-nonsense terms that the non-specialist general reader can readily grasp, individual chapters clearly address wills, how to avoid probate, living trusts, property-control trusts, naming guardians for children and leaving property to children, estate taxes, living wills, how to reduce estate taxes, and much, much more. Especially recommended for individuals who own a business or who have children from a former marriage, Plan Your Estate is a "must-have", "do-it-yourself" legal resource, which is applicable to all American states except for Louisiana. Even those who prefer to let a professional handle the whole process of estate planning would be well served to read Plan Your Estate cover to cover, before stepping into an attorney's office where time is money and the clock is running.

Great for law students taking an estate planning course or an estate and gift tax course. Also good for people wanting to learn about estate planning in general. I would recommend this book.

This book is a must buy resource for persons interested in estate planning. Whether you are planning to do-it-yourself or use a lawyer, it is good to know what your options are. I am much better informed after reading this book.

I simply couldn't put this book down! I found myself laughing out loud, tearing up, and refusing to turn the page until I re-read a passage that simply gripped my heart. I loved getting to know each of those children at the Hogar, and then hearing how their lives unfolded after 25 years. I also found the first hand perspective on Chile's political oppression in the 80s fascinating. This is a book I will read again.

After studying about Chile's dictatorship, one learns about the history and the ensuing events, but from afar. Through writing Santiago`s Children, Steve Reifenberg has done a masterful job of bringing Chile`s complicated history to the reader in an accessible and extremely thoughtful way.

As a US citizen living in Chile, I am grateful he was willing to share his insights and experiences with all of us as he not only gives a much fuller context to today`s Chile, but he also reminds us that we can get as much out of any experience as we give!

Reifenberg does a fantastic job with this memoir. The stories of the orphans he works with are engrossing, and his own story is quite interesting to follow as well. He also writes about the brutal dictatorship in Chile which is very much tied to why his orphanage is so important. I would highly recommend this book, especially for people who are interested in international service.

I read Santiago's Children after returning from a long-term volunteer placement in Latin America, and was thoroughly impressed. This book provides an unusually realistic account of volunteer work in a developing country. Although Steve Reifenberg occasionally sees dramatic results, he also learns to appreciate slow changes and small-scale victories in the lives of the children with whom he works. He depicts Chileans responding to political oppression not with heroic displays, but with quiet acts of kindness, courage, and generosity.

Fortunately, you don't have to be an international traveler to enjoy this well written and engaging story. Its protagonist, the young Steve Reifenberg, is a complex, down-to-earth, and entirely likeable character. Steve offers honest, self-deprecating accounts of his successes and failures, enthusiasm and frustration. His love for the people and places he discovers, and especially for the children of Hogar Domingo Savio, is apparent in every anecdote. He comes away from his experience in Santiago with a universally useful lesson: "I learned to believe that maybe it was not a bad thing to have big dreams, even if sometimes they fell short."

I read Santiago's children coming from two places :

First as an avid reader of autobiographies. This one will remain a gem in my memories. It is seldom that one finds a life story so well written, funny, terribly moving, sad, authentic and yet so humble. Reifenberg takes you from the first chapter to the very last page through numerous simple - yet incredible - everyday life stories in Chile. This book combines epics from the childhood of Chilean orphans, their wonderful "mama", Chilean history and includes Reifenberg's own story in the background. I roared with laughter, was moved to tears, even sobbed and did not want this unforgettable book to finish. A must read for anyone !

Secondly relating to the book as a career counselor. I wish that the choices my clients made could often take this path of self-reflection, as long, thorough and difficult as it may be. But where in the end one senses that the person has found his or her core values, the ones that will enable them a fulfilling career and life. Reifenberg seems to have set the ground for a lifelong self-understanding and calling during those two years in Chile.

I like the way Corey Mitchell writes, this book is excellent as is Evil Eyes. Both held my attention throughout with plenty of interesting details and juicy bits without sensationalism. After having read stacks of true crime books that declare they contain pages of "shocking photos" this book actually contains a really disturbing picture, I love it! Corey Mitchell writes true crime that almost takes you there. I dont pretend to read this stuff for purely intellectual reasons. I want to experience what the crime scene technicians and profilers experience. While I am very interested in what may separate a homocidal maniac from Joe America and I want to know warning signs and patterns and all of that. I admit I want a thrill of the forbidden and the chase. Corey Mitchell gives you the feeling of looking over the shoulder of the killer in my opinion and I like that. This is a really good book; but, I think Evil Eyes is even better. If you feel like I do, you probably should look into buying both of them.

I read this book in only a few days because I couldn't put it down. The way the author went into the backgrounds of not only the victims but some of the detectives, lawyers, etc. was really nice and cool. It helped remind me where I had heard some of the names before. Last night I was only gonna read to one part and as I was reading that mark kept changing until it was 5:45 AM and I was at the end :) A must for any true crime reader! Great job!

Once again, Corey Mitchell holds my intrest with his story telling. He is sure to become a favorite among true crime readers.

"Strangler" is another excellent offering from true crime author Corey Mitchell.
This is the second book from Mr. Mitchell that I have read. Like "Evil Eyes" it didn't disappoint.

The author includes transcripts from Anthony Shore's confessions.
The reader gets a chilling insight into the mind of an incestuous serial killer. He sensed that he would be discovered after submitting a court ordered DNA sample. Mr. Mitchell gives accounts of some of Shore's disturbing activities as a youth.

Corey Mitchell does a great job of detailing the investigation and prosecution of Anthony Shore.He writes about the crime lab scandal and that makes the independent DNA lab very important as a part of the prosecution's case. Add to that the tragic suicide of one of the homicide detectives,and the revolving door of relationships that the killer had and you have a very chaotic period.

The author provides a fast-paced but focused book on virtually every aspect of theses murders,from the victims,their families,Shore's family,the detectives determination to solve the cases,and the Assistant District Attorney who successfully prosecuted the killer.
A great read from one of the best true crime writers of the day!

This is the first book I have read from Corey Mitchell, and based on the strength of this one, I will be purchasing his other true crime stories. Mitchell has a gift. Even with presenting what could be dull facts, he keeps the pages turning. His writing is clear and concise, and never gets boring. The story of Anthony Shore is interesting and the author really details his life nicely. You can never really know what makes a talented musician and very intelligent guy turn into a murderer, but Corey Mitchell lays out all the facts and gives you everything you need to get into the twisted mind of this killer. Very good book.