Companies Books

I came across the paperback edition of this book a couple of years ago and snapped it up at once. Major kudos to Ms. Plunkett-Powell for what is obviously a labor of love, painstakingly researched and exhaustively documented, full of great stories, equally great photos and reminiscences from loyal Woolworth's customers. Today's variety store chains, including Dollar General, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree, owe their very existence to the groundbreaking Woolworth's five-and-dime store chain and its contemporary competitors, such as Ben Franklin, McCrory's and S. S. Kresge (the precursor of Kmart). This book makes it abundantly clear why, as well as bringing back tons of wonderful memories of Woolworth's sheer variety of merchandise, its friendly and helpful sales staff and its dearly-missed lunch counters full of delicious meals, snacks and treats, all of which I enjoyed as a boy in my hometown of Lafayette, LA, with my late maternal grandmother, and later as an adult in New Orleans, which had not one but two Woolworth stores on its main shopping drag, downtown Canal Street. That its later owners allowed it to be so mismanaged and finally killed is a scandal to the jaybirds...but at least we have Karen's book to help us remember it.

Working class Americans once had a place to shop with their families where they were made to feel important, even rich. They could dine inexpensively at the lunch counter and spend a morning or afternoon just browsing through the most fabulous Five-and-Dime store in the world. The rich had Tiffany's and Macy's. Everyone else had Woolworth's.

Some Sunday mornings I still walk through the aisles of that familiar building with the Red-Font which bears the Woolworth's name. It is no longer Woolworth's, of course, but this only adds to the nostalgia while looking for Coke items or other bits of Americana to take home. The building is a nostalgic downtown landmark here in Bakersfield and has been converted into an antique's store. It still feels like a Woolworth's inside, however, even the famous lunch counter remaining to add to our sense of stepping into the past.

This marvelous book by Karen Plunkett-Powell will bring back fond memories for those not fortunate enough to still have that connection to America's past to enjoy. It is filled with sentimental remembrances from children who shopped with their parents or grandparents, or had an ice cream soda with the girl they later married. It is a book filled with recollections from those who bought all their Christmas presents for friends and family at America's Christmas store, and even some who worked at Woolworth's, personalizing a great success story.

It is that mix of personal nostalgia and historical narrative about this most wonderful of stores which separate this book from others of its ilk. The book is augmented by color and black and white pictures of stores in America and abroad, and Woolworth's products and collectibles. Even photos of Hollywood fan magazines showing the retailer's connection to early silent films are included in a book both fun and informative. While dealing with the business transitions and social and economic changes which finally saw the last store of this greatest of companies fade into the sunset, it is the nostalgia most people will find irresistible.

Not just the story of Frank Woolworth and how he built a retail empire by offering customers quality merchandise at low prices while making them feel special, it is very much a story of America's nostalgic past. Woolworth's was everyone's store. It belongs to our past and is imbedded into our memories. Any girl who ever bought a bottle of Evening in Paris and any young man who ever enjoyed its fragrance while sitting next to her in a movie house is connected to that icon of retailers, Woolworth's. I highly recommend this fabulous trip down memory lane. And if you're ever in Bakersfield you might want to stop at the Red-Font once again and remember how America once was.

Without question, the best written book on the nostalgic craze I have read. The book is superb with photos of all kinds.My favorite is the lunch counter chapter. Thumbs up to the author who cuts Woolworth's no slack in the poor wages paid to the counter girls and the refusal to serve blacks food in the white only lunch counter sections, which caused the well known sit-ins in 1960. This book would also make a nice gift to anyone. Hope author comes out with another nostalgic book.

Beautifully written. Well researched. Excellent sequence. Marvelous layout. Well presented. Not at all like the history books of yore, or the dull stuff by corporate hacks. "Remembering Woolworth's" brought back memories of the Bayonne, NJ, store where I got caught shoplifting. Only books, of course, because I was a literate young hoodlum. I think they called them "Big Little Books." Very bulky under a 10 yr. old's jacket.That's why I got caught, and learned my lesson. No police; just shocked and disappointed immigrant parents. Still, I went on to a brilliant career in crime.

This book brought back so many memories - and I'm only 41! It's
fun to read, with a layout that mixes photos, anecdotes, drawings, and personal reminscences - almost like a magazine. Reading this book makes you realize that Woolworth's was everything Kmart and Wal-Mart are not - charming, inviting, and much more than a place to get a bargain. Author Karen Plunkett-Powell captures the Americana, the nostalgia, and the details that make us all smile when we remember Woolworth's. For me, it was about recalling the malted milks my aunt used to buy me at the counter when I was small, and the quick gifts I used to pick up for friends and my children from the Woolworth's that used to be located downstairs from an office building where I worked for many years. So many of our everyday experiences nowadays are empty -- do yourself a favor and travel back to a simpler yet more meaningful time by reading this book or buying it for a friend. It's not a typical boring history book -- and it makes a GREAT gift for the senior citizen in your life who you never know what to get for a present -grandma, a relative in a nursing home, a neighbor who signs for your packages or whatever - even if that person is not the type to sit down and read a book, they'll have so much fun leafing through it.

This technique was new for a group of Costarrican quilters that gather on Saturdays to explore new methods and create the most wonderfull quilts. All of us has it's own style as what technique we like better, but this is new interesting and we are using it for the gift we are preparing to our teacher.

Then again I ordered 5 more books of this kind as a christmas gift to all of my classmates

Having taken a class at a local quilt shop to learn how to make a reversible quilt, this book was a very good reference giving information on all aspects of the quilt making process. The diagrams, pictures, and text assisted in learning how to sew a reversible quilt. This technique is great!

Book arrived...good service. It was what I was searching for. Lots of new ideas for me. PS...Amazon provides a great service. Thank you.

I have never made a quilt before but I used the 2-for-1 design to make 2 twin size quilts for my grandsons. I modified the front side w/ my own design & used the author's design for reverse side. It took me 8+ weeks to complete 2 beautiful quilts that totally impressed everyone. The book is well written w/ clear & easy instructions. I am already planning my 3rd quilt. The only fault I found w/ this book was the number of projects--I would've liked even more inspiration. I also bought this author's followup book -- More Reversible Quilts. I highly recommend these books.

I found the details well written and easy to understand if you have knowledge of rotary cutting and machine piecing. If the quilter has no knowledge I would suggest using scrap fabric and not their best craft fabric. The tips given are worth following no matter the quilters skill level. The projects could be cut down in size especially for a beginner.

I'm surprised Mr. Garren is not more well known. I recently met him at a book signing and he was very friendly and took several minutes to speak with me and my son. I live in Western North Carolina and could not stop reading this book once I started. I also visited several of the locations mentioned in the book.I think it will appeal to folks interested in the Civil War as well as history here in the mountains in general. Can't wait to read his next book The Fifth Skull.

Author Terrell T. Garren's dramatic story of war crimes in Western North Carolina is a captivating, dynamic true story of what happened to his own family members during the American Civil War. What an adventure! This book will capture the reader as if the reader is there, in person, living in the community, experiencing the events as they are happening. How intriguing to have the photos of the leading characters! The secret kept by the author's great-grandmother for one hundred forty years is now known and the historical facts leading up to the event are told in this epic story of war, war crimes and, romance on the homefront. This story left me with deeper empathy for the suffering of not only the troops but, of the women left alone to suffer on the homefront the crimes of the Civil War. I will never forget this moving story of "The Secret of War".

I found it difficult to put this book down. I've read a number of histories and historical novels about the civil war. This one was more personal as it followed members of a family through their war experiences and tragedies.

War is ugly. Up close and personal it is an abomination. Observing its impact on the Russell and Youngblood families and how the war brought out the best in some and the absolute worst in others, was a sad reminder of the horrors and atrocities being commited in wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Sudan.

At least at the end of the Civil War for these two families, honor was restored to some degree and healing could occur.

I don't know when a first chapter (can be read on Amazon website) has "grabbed" me like this one. As a lady who normally avoids war stories, I found this one extremely interesting, and very relevant to our current war in the Middle East. This book will keep you thinking about the situations involved long after you've finished reading it.

The Secret of War is an indelible and pivotal contribution to our understanding ot this most disturbing passage in American History. Against a backdrop of beautiful Western North Carolina mountains, we learn of a grim and silent history that has often been ignored.

Without taking either Union or Confederate side, Garren lays before us a spread of heart-touching and terrifying events. He shines a bright light on the fact that war begins and continues with power-hungry men on both sides who do not realize the full ramifications of their actions.

Through the story of Delia Youngblood, Garren gives a voice to women everywhere who have for too long fallen silent victims of the senselessness of war. That voice says: "Look at this. It will destroy us, even as we are destroying ourselves."

I read the book about a week ago, and I am still thinking of Delia. For the spirit of women and men, past and present, I am glad that her story has finally been told.

Speaker and writer Zig Ziglar makes the most of being endearingly cornball. He straightforwardly writes, "I plead guilty to loving the Lord, my wife, my family [and] my fellow man." He proudly wears his heart on his sleeve, dedicating this book to his beloved spouse of more than half a century, "Sugar Baby." He is sentimental to the extreme, writing across from the title page: "You can have everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want." Well, people obviously love Ziglar's schmaltzy wisdom. For almost four decades, he has been a hugely popular motivational speaker and writer. This book, a classic from 1975, has been published in 12 languages, including Korean, Serbian, Turkish and Slovenian. Unlike many motivational, self-help authors who serve up insipid clichés and warmed-over mush, Ziglar offers worthy, inspiring - if simplistic - ideas on improving your life and achieving your goals. Some of his message stems from his cited Christian beliefs, but his focus is on boosting your morale, not your morals. getAbstract thinks he'll make you feel good about yourself, the people around you and life in general, if you can just accept that corniness is part of the package.

It's a great book to motivate yourself and others. Now I also bought the cassettes. I wish everyone(family) has one like this. Then we will have a better society. I like the stories in the book. I have already used one in my toastmaster speech.
Buy it, Read it, own it, I bet you won't regret your time.

This book has a lot of very good material on enthusiasm and goal-setting and attitude. I highly recommend it for that. However, Zig gets a little preachy when he starts telling us we should spank children to discipline them, as well as his religious views. The final chapter is basically just thrown in to tell you his views. The main problem I have with the book is how Zig refers to homosexuality as a "bad habit" and how he equates "homosexual" literature with pornography. If you can overlook his homophobia, you will probably enjoy the book and get a lot out of it.

In this classic book, Zig Ziglar present 9 principles that will get you to the top. It is written in an optimistic upbeat manner that will truly inspire you and Mr. Ziglar is always mindful of a holistic, balanced way of living that serves your real purposes. For example, at one point he says, "before you climb the ladder of success, make sure it is leaning up against the right wall." These are the kinds of pearls of wisdom this book contains.

There are many people who have written good reviews on the contents of this book, there is no need for me to repeat all of this hear. However, I want to comment on the spirit and style of how this great information is presented. Simply put, Zig Ziglar is a master story teller that walks his talk. He is one of the only people I knew who got the best of the "Sixty Minutes" team!

If you are interested in making it to the top while preserving your values and not selling your soul, this could be a good roadmap for you. I discovered Zig Ziglar in my twenties, saw him speak and had a personal conversation with him.

In my twenties when there was a recession and I was feeling despondent because I didn't have a lot of job experience and I couldn't get a job, Mr. Ziglar listened empathetically to me and that suggested that the recession is not out there. It's between your ears and he said, "let's you and I make an agreement not to participate in this recession. I know that I'm still making lots of money." This really landed deeply and when I protested that I didn't have a lot of experience, he looked me in the eye and said, "you have twenty three years of experience being honest, open, communicating directly, keeping your agreements, etc." If your lack of experience comes up in an interview, tell them this and add that anything else you need to learn is easy compared to building good character. I never forgot that moment and in my next interview I tried it and I landed a good job with Pharmakon Research International as an Associate Scientist. I credit Mr. Ziglar with having the empathy to really see me and tell me just the right thing that restored my confidence. This is the space this book is written from and if this sounds good to you, I think you will get a lot out of it.

Some of the language of this book is old fashioned. However, the principles are really timeless and now that I am older, I realize he was right and that much of my success is the result of internalizing these principles and the principles of other good men that I have had the good fortune to know and be touched by.

When I first heard Zig Ziglar, I was not a fan. To me, he came across more like a carnival barker. I really preferred Jim Rohn, Brian Tracy, Denis Waitley, Earl Nightingale and so on.

But the more I listened to Zig Ziglar tapes and read his material, the more I liked him. The message was clear and he is very motivating.

To some people, this is just plain old common sense. Perhaps. But is it common knowledge or better yet common practice?

I heard recently that Zig Ziglar gets paid over $50,000 per appearance. That is a lot of money and after having heard Zig, he is worth every penny of it. And it helps make up for those thousands of speeches that Zig Ziglar made for FREE! And it is a small price to pay for the service he provides, empowering people to become all they can be.

Thank you Zig, we needed this!

Simple Traditions: 14 Quilts to Warm Your Home (That Patchwork Place)
For those of you who love traditional quilts, this might be the ultimate book. There are both pieced and appliqued quilts, and there are pieced quilt centres with beautiful appliqued borders - something for everyone.

As in the other two Kim Diehl books I own, there are full and complete instructions for making your quilt, right from getting started to finishing the quilt and binding it. If I really really had to choose my favourite quilt, it would be Feathered Stars Wall Quilt (52 1/2" x 52 1/2") and I have already had a request from my 5 year old granddaughter to make that for her. I must say she has very good taste!

I know anyone who purchases this book will love it as much as I do.

After acquiring Kims previous book, Simple Blessings: 14 Quilts to Grace Your Home,several years ago, they are a 'must have' in my quilting library! Beautifully photographed and presented, Simple Traditions: 14 Quilts to Warm Your Home (That Patchwork Place) continues her wonderful, warm homemaker style. From the simple wallhanging to more elaborate quilt, you will be sure to find something that will have you 'itching to stitch'. For a quilter who collects scraps and smaller cuts of fabric, this book is great! I want to make the whole lot!

I love Kim Diehl's books. They have beautiful photos. One could spend an afternoon just daydreaming through her books. The patterns for the quilts are easy to read, comprehend, and follow. I highly recommend her books to all quilters.

I ordered this book from Amazon,& since took a lesson from the author Kim Diehl,have a quilt made from it, she is a delightful person to have a lesson with ,you would not be disapointed if you took from her.
B.Stratton,avid quilter

Beautiful projects with an old-fashioned look to them. Any quilter would enjoy making them, from a small applique wall hanging to bed quilt size. Something for everyone.

There is only one problem with the writings of Heather Summerhayes Cariou: once you have experienced it, you can never get enough! It is a privilege to know such a skilled and artistic author personally. Heather has been an inspiration to dozens of aspiring writers, generously sharing her insights, talent, motivation and energy. Heather has been challenged with the responsibility to tell Pam's story, their story, and she has not only met that challenge head-on, but by overcoming and working through the tragedy and heartache, she has helped encourage and strengthen all of us in the process. The number of tragic human stories waiting to be told are endless. Stories of great suffering, and of amazing redemption. In the words of Helen Keller, (as quoted by Heather), "The world is full of suffering; it is also full of overcoming it." Anyone working with or living as survivors are automatically and intimately included in Sixtyfive Roses. Not only does Heather give her beautiful loving voice as testament to the struggles of her own family, she validates and shares all of our grief and pain, and in the process, we can reflect on our own heartbreak with renewed acceptance and look to a more hopeful future. Heather is a true artist whose medium is language. Her gorgeously visual phrases are as stunning as an impressionist watercolor in full bloom. It may be inappropriate to compare memoir and fiction, but this story is told with such beautiful eloquence and elegant prose as to be reminiscent of Sue Monk Kidd or Barbara Kingsolver. The strengh and devotion of the Summerhayes family to fight the disease of Cystic Fibrosis is an occurrence of immense historical importance. Without question Heather, Pam and the entire Summerhayes family have provided us with a gift of valuable knowledge, as well as real-world medical and spiritual benefit to countless numbers of families and children.

Excellent information , Well written ,Tells us how a person lives with cystic fibrosis and how it affects the family

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (9/08)

Siblings - if you have one or more, you probably know how that goes... Can't live with them sometimes, and can't live without them for sure. So often they are our mirrors - in which we see ourselves the way others see us, and at times the way we wish we would truly be. I just cannot imagine losing any of mine, and I realize all too well that they have helped shape me into the human being that I became, in many ways even more than my parents have.

Reading "Sixtyfive Roses" was incredibly sobering. I cannot imagine the courage Heather Summerhayes Cariou had to have to actually write this unbelievable story and have it published. But then, she had a lifelong training in "above-and-beyond" courageous behavior. Imagine knowing since early childhood that your baby sister is ill - and that she will never get better. Imagine promising her not to leave, and not to let her die alone. Imagine being her lifelong protector. Imagine living with this impenetrable black cloud surrounding you and your family. And yet, you have to grow up. And you realize all too well that one day your sister will be gone. Imagine the rage, the despair, the jealousy for not being the center of attention, the desperate desire to make your sister's life easier... all those conflicting, oftentimes violent emotions. And one day the unthinkable happens... and your sister takes the last, labored breath. She is gone. And you are still here.

The story of how Pam, Heather's younger sister, was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at the age of four, and how her family fought for her and other children with this debilitating disease is not a happy one, but definitely a positive and hopeful one. The strength and courage of everybody involved, from Pam herself to her family, her doctors and others with the same disease shows the world at least two perennial truths: that good does not necessarily win and that courage and fighting spirit can make an unbelievable difference. Back in those days children with CF tended to die very young, and Pammy's prognosis was no better, yet she kept fighting for over two decades and lived to the age of twenty-six. And she did not merely exist in this world, she lived her life as fully as possible and she made a difference in many other lives.

Heather Summerhayes Cariou's "Sixtyfive Roses" is a memoir, a tribute and a love poem, written in a clear, sometimes brutally honest and always sincere fashion. Her words are beautifully crafted, and her voice is distinct and unique. I have no doubt that Pammy is smiling at her big sister right now, and feeling mighty proud of her.

"Sixtyfive Roses" should be required reading for anybody dealing with a seriously ill person in their life, as well as anybody with any kind of a big or small problem. It certainly puts a lot of things in perspective, and it made me so very glad that I can go, pick up a phone and talk to my siblings right now, which is exactly what I am going to do tonight.

In a wrenching memoir that exacts a huge emotional toll on its readers, Heather Summerhayes Cariou, author of SIXTYFIVE ROSES, has effectively conveyed the turbulence and sadness that a family endures as it deals with the caring for a child who was born with Cystic Fibrosis.

Summerhayes Cariou's memoir recounts the short life of her sister Pam whose touching last words prior to her passing away was "Write... our story. Tell...what we...lived through...together." As Summerhayes Cariou emphasizes in various sections of the book, "Pam said tell our story. Mother said tell the truth. The story I tell lies somewhere between the truth and memory. Pam survives through the telling. So do I."

In the USA alone, one in three thousand, nine hundred children are born with CF-a genetic hereditary disease affecting the exocrine glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure. Unfortunately, there is no cure for CF, and most who are born with it die young: many in their 20s and 30s from lung failure. Hopefully, with continuous introduction of many new treatments, the expectancy of a person with CF will increase to as high as 40 or 50.

In 1958, when Summerhayes Cariou was six, her four-year old sister Pam was diagnosed with CF. You can well-imagine the stunned helplessness and devastation when her parents were informed that there was no cure or treatment for CF. When asked how long could she expect to live, the reply was that most children are diagnosed in infancy, usually at autopsy and thus it is difficult to predicate with certainty how long they will live. Perhaps, it would be six weeks or maybe six months and unfortunately, there was very little that could be done for Pam.

However, this was one gutsy young woman who was a tenacious fighter constantly duelling with death and who described her disease as sixty- five roses because she couldn't pronounce Cystic Fibrosis. Pam tried to protect everyone and she realized that if she gave up, she would let everyone down who had put so much into her. As mentioned, she lived for the family, compelled to stay alive because she knew that is what they wanted her to do.

She certainly wasn't a whiner and she never complained. In fact, her father even described her as "stoic." Summerhayes Cariou eloquently describes her sister's doggedness when she states: "When she was in pain, she pressed her lips tight and her face turned whiter than white. Her eyes became cold steel. You could feel the barometric pressure drop in the room, but she wouldn't let go a peep."

As Summerhayes Cariou sweeps us along in her richly textured and emotionally involved narrative, she threads her memoir with themes of coping, rebellion, anger, hope, feelings, sacrifice, flaws, guilt, death, jealousy, tempers, survival, love and moods. Moreover, as one excellently rendered scene follows another readers vicariously suffer the tragedy of a long-term catastrophic illness that the family had to consistently live with as they watched a sister and daughter suffer and peter away.

One of Summerhayes Cariou's principal talents is the manner in which she persuasively writes about highly poignant issues without resorting to corniness or insincerity. It is this gift that makes the memoir so probing and challenging yet astonishing beautiful. In addition, Summerhayes Cariou is an author of extraordinary sensitivity and grace as SIXTYFIVE ROSES brims with thoughtful observations such as when early on we are informed: "With the advent of my sister's diagnosis, it was as if my family had crossed the waters to a foreign land. We became immigrants in our lives, leaving behind our identities and relationships as we had known them, losing the future we might have otherwise have imagined for ourselves."

Although this memoir may be an emotionally devastating chronicle of grief and death as one is likely to encounter-one that childhood pain and family suffering become as real as a stab in the heart, it nonetheless teaches us important lessons when we ponder over Summerhayes Cariou statement: "it was not fear of death, Pam was afraid of unused life. Pam set an example of such courage for me that I would never fail to be inspired by it. She had taught me to acknowledge fear, and then move past it." Perhaps, by the end, you'll look at your own life in a little different light.

Heather Summerhayes Cariou was born and raised in Brantford, Ontario. Her father was the Founding President of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and both her parents received the Order of Canada in recognition of their wonderful work in inaugurating the CCFF. Heather was a professional actor and dancer and she is now married to the award-winning actor Len Cariou. The couple live along the New Jersey shore.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

You could say this memoir is one woman's struggle to come to terms with loss and to explore and understand the complex family dynamic that evolved in the context of her sister's terminal illness. You could also say it's a book written to satisfy a death-bed promise to "tell our story." On both levels, this is a monumental piece of self-reflection and painstaking re-creation.

But to stop there is to acknowledge only the motivation for the book and the challenge of writing it and to ignore its broader impact on the reader. In this page-turner of a memoir, Heather Summerhayes Cariou has taught us what it is like to live with a family member's chronic, severe, incurable illness. This book chronicles a family learning to tolerate the intolerable, to endure the interminable, to ameliorate the unmitigable and to understand the inconceivable. How do you watch your best friend and closest relation die for twenty-two years? How do you live fully, when your life exists on that liminal plane that most of us only experience briefly during times of crisis? Summerhayes Cariou has no clear-cut answers for these questions, only her own family's example of surviving and moving forward--at times coping brilliantly and achieving greatness (as in their founding of the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation) at others, scraping for the smallest reassurance that they'd all turn out okay.

This book is not sentimental, nor does Summerhayes Cariou portray the individuals involved as deities or villains. She reveals each family member with the matter-of-factness of an observer, rarely judging, except to say that, in spite of their failings, everyone did the best they could, under the circumstances. In Heather we see the jealous, angry, teenage older sister who lashes out, as well as the heartbroken protector, faced with the choice of living her own life or standing by her sister's side. We never feel that the author's actions are heroic--only human, and driven by the usual human motivations of fear, guilt and love. Eventually, the author even manages some self-forgiveness, implicitly encouraging us to do the same for ourselves.

In the end, this is a book about a relentless human struggle; it's a call for compassion and understanding and a reminder to us all--including Summerhayes Cariou herself--to be better human beings and to live our lives by Pam Summerhayes's legacy: to surrender, to have faith, to be unafraid, and to give and receive love freely, making the most of each day.

With Faulkner, and especially with The Sound and the Fury, you're in one of Three camps. You love it, you get it and you hate it, or you don't get it and you hate it. For the purpose of this review, I suppose I should note I fall in the first catagory.
Yes, a lot of (most?) people read it the first time in an English class, some of us get the pleasure of reading twice in separate English classes, and you would be hard-pressed to find an English major anywhere in America who doesn't, at the very least, say they've read it.
The first time through ain't easy. The Norton Edition helps greatly with that... I can't imagine trying to read any other edition the first time. And it's one of those 2 bookmark books... one in the novel, another in the reference section. Basically, you need a decoder ring to read it. Norton provides said decoder ring. Well, in book form. (a Faulkner decoder ring... now wouldn't that be neat?)
And, trust me, once you've gotten through it once, provided you can crack the spine again without crying, it gets better and better with subsequent reads. It's one of those "change your life" books, but without being preachy or even motivational... it's an honest and disturbing and heartbreaking and headache-inducing picture of family, community, an era, and existence as a whole.

Faulkner seems to be one of those authors you either love or hate. His stream-of-consciousness style can be hard to follow at times, but his stories are spot-on as far as the human condition is concerned. I never really got into this novel until grad school; now I can't get enough of Faulkner! Read it even if you aren't an English major!

I tried to read this book as a freshman in college, and it was utterly lost on me, I'm sad to say. At the time, I was in denial about my status as a Southerner; I just wanted to get out and move to NYC and pretend I was living in Andy Warhol's factory.

Now, as an adult, and as a writer with a forthcoming memoir about growing up in the South, TSATF is far and away my favorite book. I took it with me on a recent trip to Mexico and read it on the beach, completely unable to put it down. It's not straightforward until the third of the four sections; Benjy's section (though the most beautiful thing I have ever read) and Quentin's are stream-of-consciousness and difficult. This is where the Norton Critical Edition is so handy. The pages and pages of biographical info and criticism are compelling and insightful, and make a great companion to the book. If you buy this book, buy this edition. It's very well compiled and makes me proud that Norton is my publisher.

I read _The_Sound_and_the_Fury_ several years ago and have forgotten many of the details, but this book remains my favorite fictional work. The Norton Critical Edition provides readers with valuable insight into many of the passages, but some could probably do without the explanatory pages that follow Faulkner's actual book. Since I took an intensive course on Faulkner's work, I had help from a great professor. Even with the help of critical texts and analysis, I found _The_Sound_and_the_Fury_ to be difficult. I reread the book several times for a better understanding of certain sections.

Since other readers have provided summaries about this book, I'll just remark that this is a masterfully written book. I've read most of Faulkner's short stories and novels (except for _As_I_Lay_Dying_) and consider this to be his best work. Faulkner wrote each chapter according to the perspectives of four very different characters, and this is reflected in the form and substance of the chapters. Faulkner's long (many exceed one-third of a page), complex, and heavily detailed sentences demand concentration. It's certainly not a light read, although the book is relatively short. Overall, a beautifully haunting work that showcases Faulkner's idiosyncratic style.

This is perhaps the most difficult novel written that's worth the time to read. I'd STRONGLY suggest you buy Volpe's book on Faulkner's NovelsA Reader's Guide to William Faulkner: The Novels (Reader's Guides) to read along with it first. Volpe breaks down the points at which a different character takes over the narrative. After that, try it yourself, but Volpe is the best guide for the person new to Faulkner's harder(hardest)work. The Norton Edition has a great deal of helpful critical material which, though not in Volpe's ballpark, is very helpful. Buy this edition, but don't forget the Volpe on Faulkner's novel.

Stephen Mitchell's translation is a great intro to the Tao. Simple, a little convoluted at times and yet somehow straight to the point. I bought this illustrated hardcopy as a gift and keep a text version as my guide.

I have come to have a fondness and deep appreciation for Mitchell's work and choices of subjects. I bought this translation because of high praise for it hidden in one of Jim Harrison's poems. This version is, perhaps, the most readable of all I have encountered. Many people find it inspiring and that must be why it is such an acclaimed translation. Having dealt with a dozen or so translations and the texts behind them, I do note that Mitchell takes some liberties. His is a very idiomatic translation, which often reads better than word-for-word literalness, the latter often proving too wooden to be enjoyable or clear. And Mitchell might even omit a few phrases or add one here or there. But the spirit is all Lao Tzu. Also, the volume is full of the most exquisite ancient Chinese illustrations, making it the most beautiful of any of my Tao Te Chings.

In this version, Peg Streep edits James Legge's 19th century translation. The editing is a major bonus, as it adds something
to the overall flow of the work. Here is an example of the poetry of the words: "Abstinence from speech marks him who obeys the spontaneity of his nature." Whereas countless other translations are well worth the read, the text in this edition offers something every bit as beautiful as the artwork that accompanies it.

If every philosophy or religion had a book like this, it would be much easier to appreciate and perhaps even enjoy the diversity of belief among humankind. Mitchell captures the simplicity and straightforwardness of the text, and what we get is a incredibly beautiful book of verse. Some scriptures and cornerstone philosophy texts try to argue their way into your head; the Tao, especially as translated by Mitchell and coupled with stunning artwork, effortlessly works to seduce its way into the core of your being.

When you put the book down, you may disagree with many components of the Tao's underlying philosphy. But during the short time you live between the book's covers, it is a joy to enter the rhythmic flow of the Tao and put skepticism on hold.

Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching (The Book of the Way) has long been referenced by those who seek to understand the Eastern philosophy of the harmony of the universe. In simple, eloquent verse this collection of poems (though there are those who would object to the 'poem' label) the secrets to shedding the self with its attendant judgment, desire, and critique provide the guide for finding oneness with the cosmos.

Steven Mitchell is the translator of these ancient texts and his sensitivity to the poetic flow of the concepts and instructions enhance this version of the TAO TE CHING. And as if that weren't sufficient reason to make this your access to these ageless meditations, this book is an 'illustrated version', tastefully combined with old Chinese drawings and paintings that allow the eye to roam while digesting the moments of beauty of the words.

This book becomes a constant companion for those who look to make sense of the world and its chaos. If ever there were the perfect gift for the friends in your life, this elegant little book is surely one of the best. Grady Harp, March 05.

I just loved this book and was sorry to see it end, and I am a discriminating reader. The story is so incredibly well told and so well written. There is drama, personal stories, great environmental information. I read some of the paragraphs, which flowed just like the tide at Seadrift, over and over again. She writes just like Texans talk and I just enjoyed it so much. She fights the good fight. Right ON!

With the discovery that her "piddlin' little county on the Gulf Coast" led the nation in toxic emissions, Diane Wilson fought friends, family, local politicians, corrupt state regulators, legislators, senators, and the multi-billion dollar company Formosa Plastic. This leader of Taiwan's petrochemical industry had environmental practices so appalling that twenty thousand Taiwanese came out under threat of police violence to protest its proposed new $8 billion dollar complex. That's how Formosa decided to shift its operations to Texas. Texas was willing to give Formosa $200 million in subsides and to look the other way on environmental violations for it's proposed $1.3 billion expansion of its PVC manufacturing facility in Calhoun County, Texas.

Diane wanted to know why in her small community "a man could make the arrest column in the local newspaper any day of the week for running his truck with expired license plates or no insurance, but let a chemical company, half a mile wide and with a thousand unknown chemicals zipping through their pipes, release eighty tons of a baby-aborting chemical into his neighbor's backyard, and it would be lucky if it made a note in a report. The plant manager sounded startled over the phone. "Good God!" he said. "Of course we can't put that type of information in the paper. Do you want old Mister Weaver across the street to have a heart attack?" " (p. 250)

Vinyl chloride monomer is one of the worst cancer-causing chemicals in the world.
"It's so hazardous the government says you're in violation if a single pound is released. But here seventy-four tons of vinyl chloride was released within one mile of an elementary school right across the road from Point Comfort. And if that wasn't enough, Formosa, in the same breath they were polluting with, asked the state to permit a tenth reactor while the ninth was violating production permits. You tell me the state is getting it? You exceed permits and you're rewarded with more?" (p.186)

Maybe all this had something to do with Formosa giving campaign funds to U.S. Senator Gramm, who appointed his former campaign advisor to the head of EPA Region 6, and who was now the final authority on Formosa's penalty and all their permits.

"The commission decided that even though Formosa's fine warranted something in the seven-figure bracket, they would calculate it thirty times lower, and although Formosa continued to violate their wastewater permit on a daily basis into a body of water they had already degraded, the state would allow the waste water permit and violations to continue.
It wasn't the Water Commissions fault, Chairman Bucko said. The blame lay squarely with the federal agencies who prevented the Water Commission from dealing appropriately with the environmental issues at Formosa. Maybe now the agencies would back off their demand for a comprehensive environmental impact statement and let the state regulatory process work." (p. 208)

I found Diane's use of local dialect when "she" is talking, and standard prose elsewhere, a delightful aspect of this book. The local dialect is what one hears in the Texas Coast fishing communities, and it evokes an incredible feeling of time and place. The reader feels the salt spray right along with her.

Diane Wilson is not only an unreasonable woman she is an outstanding human being. She is a reluctant hero, the most authentic kind. She eventually stands up for her native waters, mother earth and the very survival of the human race.

Doing something doesn't necessarily mean you can write well about it. In this case, Diane writes in her own authentic and electrifying voice. Her story rings true and reads like the most exciting fiction. I recommend this book to anyone who loves nature, adventure or just plain good reading.

What a pleasure to read this story of an amazing and heroic woman, giving it all to take down giants. Ms Wilson's Marquez-like writing style and choice of words leaves me breathless and imagining I'm there with her as her mission lays itself at her feet and she picks it up and takes it on. Bravo! An absolutely wonderful read.

I bought this book for my nephew and it met all my expectations and I am sure he will be quite pleased with it.

Excellent reading. Michael Garrett has become a fine teacher like his father before him. A true student of life Michael takes the Cherokee ancestral stories, mixes in some modern day experiences and relays a wonderful message. If harmony and balance are traits you would like to have within your own life I highly recommend this selection.

If you want to find balance in your life, this book is an excellent way to start on that pathway.

Michael continues his journey of a Helper in the truest form of "being Cherokee". I am amazed at how simple God our Creator is revealed in our self induced complexity of life. Thank you Michael for helping to remove the scales of our heart and spirit. For those of you who are Christians, I would encourage you to use Michael's book as a help in your journey through the Bible.

Blessings

I came across this book while exploring my recently discovered Native heritage. It fit the bill perfectly, helping me learn about universal Native traditions, practices, and thinking. I could go on and on, but it's enough to say that this book is well written, informative, and enjoyable. Michael Garrett has a lot to offer.