Aquarius Books

This is a fun book, but I discovered in research for my own book ("Let the Sun Shine In: The Genius of Hair") that many of her stories aren't entirely true. I've talked to original cast members, one of the authors, and the original producer, and they tell me this book has a fair amount of fiction in it. STILL... it is a good read and I think it does provide a good general sense of the times and the energy of the original production, even if all the details aren't true...

I couldn't put down this fascinating book. Perhaps it's because I felt that I was getting to know the people I saw on stage performing in that incredible, groundbreaking, entertaining show. The real story is just as entertaining, and Ms. Davis has taken us backstage to peak at just how amazing those times were !

Although out of print, if you're interested at all in the show "Hair" or just the 1960's and the counterculture movement, get your hands on this book! Davis chronicles not only the decline of the joyous Broadway musical, but also the end of the "love and peace" era. Also gives a fascinating look at the unorthodox creation of one of the most unique experiences in theatre history. A great read!

First, I'd like to say that to everyone who said this story was far from unrealistic, and so were the characters, I bet you're sitting in a nice comfortable chair right now in the comfort of your suburban home where children can safely play outside with their friends and everyone is provided for financially and everyone is well adjusted and fits into the "social norms" of our superficial world.

But I've seen first hand what it's like to be in a dysfunctional family. Granted, my family isn't nearly as bad as this. There's no incest nor is there murder. But I can understand the threat.

Also, I'd like to warn you, this review does contain spoilers for the story, so if you don't want to be spoiled, stop right here and go on to the next review. Oh, and speaking of this, be careful reading any reviews before reading the book. I read some before I read it and I got spoiled for the ending which totally took the impact of the twist away. So, ye be warned.

I absolutely love how Tawni painted Harvey. Here's a 19 year old boy who's struggling with the death of his abusive father, the incarceration of his mother, and having to raise his three younger sisters. Jody's a sweetheart, but he fears her being in this environment will make her end up like her two older sisters. Misty is a psycho. Understandable? Yes. And everything points back to their father. But she's pretty screwed in the head. And Amber's a little tramp, pulling a kind of Cruel Intentions and going after the one person she can't have.

I loved the dark twistedness of this story. Here Harvey was, having sex with a married woman with two young children, trying not to let Amber take advantage of him, and trying to stay sane as he works two or three (not sure which) full time jobs so they can barely scrape by.

By the end, I feel so bad for him. After going through everything, he finds his peace by being locked up? Especially for admitting to a crime his skank of a sister committed and for her finally taking advantage of him. That just sucks. But the characters are written in a way to where even though they do horrible things, the reasons behind them are very realistic and make you feel sorry for them.

I definitely recommend this book. If you're a sucker for a story that doesn't have a happy ending and is pretty much as realistic as it gets, then this is the story for you.

Tawni O'Dell writes a fantastic story, and this is my favorite. No sense rehashing the plot. What makes this book brilliant is her insight into the plight of a young man saddled with all the baggage of his lower class background in rural western Pennsylvania. As the plot twists and turns, Harley does his best, but he's up against the tide. O'Dell portrays his descent into madness with compelling prose. She also captures the atmosphere better than most anyone.

I can't believe people are even giving this book the slightest recognition. The only thing the author has accomplished is a literary rape of the already ridiculous movie, "Deliverance".

The characters in this book remind me of some charachters that were in the movie "Deliverance" The writing is good but sometimes hard to follow when the main character Harley has flashbacks of bits and pieces of childhood memories. It was hard for me to figure out if there was child abuse the author gives you hints but it's very vague. There are some disturbing themes in this book which doesn't surprise me given the title,setting and family history. The ending could have been better.

"Glass Castle" also has kids raising themselves in poverty in crummy houses, scratching for enough money to buy food, but I liked it better because the characters are better-developed, there's hope, and they rise above their environment. Here all the family's past conflict is in retrospect, the main character is a head-case, fantasizes about sex and violence. The ending is like a trainwreck which may explain why people read it in one sitting, and the twists seem a bit contrived and too weird.
You know nobody is going to get anywhere, you get little of the flavor of the town since the characters and settings are very limited; the places Harley works and their home are most of where the story unfolds. His sister Amber pushes him constantly and he just takes it yet has fantasies of smashing people's faces into glass. You never know much about his parents except how they treated their kids and a tiny bit about where they were from & how they came to be married; a big grey area considering the family later dissolves (to put it mildly) and you have little to base it on. Tons of sex, sexual circumstances, situations and language as though that's all a teenage boy thinks about, but it is written by a woman.......

This book was not up to Sparks' usual par. I read the rescue prior to this book and was much more moved by The Rescue.

This book gives you a look at real love. Whether you have it, had it and lost it, or never had it.... you will love this book. Its slight humor and major romance is great for anyone who loves to get lost in a great romance book. I have read it over and over.... still cry!!!

I met Nicholas Sparks with "the Notebook" movie. Then I started reading his books. Besides "the Notebook" and "the Message in a bottle", "Dear John" brought another point of view. I have never read a soldier as the hero and throughout the book, his being a soldier never scratched my mind. That is, the author could easily made me penetrate the hero's life. From this point of view, the book is easy to read. The story absorbs you. A beautiful love story, tragic and it could take me from my life and I can say that book was really a holiday for me.

I've read all of Nicholas Sparks' previous novels and this is one of my least favorites...maybe it's cause I just couldn't relate the prim and proper female character or really feel a part of this "great connection" they supposedly had. The relationship between John and his Dad is very touching as is the end but not sure I'd recommend this to anyone.

I have read some better books by Nicholas Sparks. (the Wedding keeps coming to mind, simply because of its amazing and heartwarming twist at the end). Dear John is not a bad book, and the short amount of time it took to read was easily worthy of the story. As most Nicholas Sparks novels, this was an easy to read love story. My gripe is that I didn't feel the chemistry between John and Savannah. It rung true as first love, certainly. But I never felt the pull between this couple as I have between most of Sparks other couples. I truly feel that the stregnth of this book lies in the story of the relationship between John and his father. Savannah's biggest contribution is what she did for that relationship. In that father/son relationship lay all the beauty that I've come to expect from Sparks. The ending of the book satisfied me for the most part, but I can definitely see why others here don't share that viewpoint. Sparks does amazing things with character development and per usual, these character's feel like living and breathing entities. I gave this book four stars due to how much the father/son story affected me (bawling baby!) but if I was rating the stregnth of the love story, it would maybe be a three star. However, I was sad to see the book end, and I could see this book's potential for a sequel.

You can easily imagine that Tyler's first title was "Immature Marriage" but being a wordsmith, the more interesting title (and concept)emerged. (Amateur is a word from the Latin, which means "to love.") And, the umbrella question of the whole book is whether this is love... is it passion, is it filling in the blanks of one's personality and abilities, is it a societal acceptable married front, is it compatibilty, is it the ability to raise children by inches from infancy to a legal age? The couple portrayed, Micheal and Pauline, are both capable of intense passion (positive and negative)and they raised children but it seems to me that the story is about two people incapable of love. Yet that idea never occurs to them and they assume that what they have together must be love. Tyler's writing is incredible; her use of language and her insights and comparables are just so impressive; the quirkiness in events and personalities is pure genius. I liked the layout of the book as it progressed through 60 years; each chapter you must get your bearings as to what part of life this is and what everyone is up to. It was a splendid mix of fine writing, storytelling events and psychology. Loved it.

Both characters, husband and wife, were competent in their own ways, but deeply incompetent as a parental unit, to run a family and ultimately the intensity of their relationship became an increasing negative. Interestingly, the husband, Micheal, took action only when he realized that only his wife Pauline, and himself were excitedly and delightedly recapping their dramatic fights as their only stories at their 30th wedding anniversary party; their adult children were neither delighted nor amused. It was such a censoring "rear view mirror" moment that crystallized the problem and precipitated Micheal's immediate departure from the marriage. One is left to wonder if he just wanted out of the blame and by being the one who initiated the divorce it was one of those "when you are being ridden out of town on a rail try to get out in front and make it look like a parade" moments.

Both individuals were portrayed as underdeveloped and flawed; sometimes a marriage fits to the extent that one person's weakeness is supported by the spouse's strengths. But in this case, each had similar weaknesses that created a serious problem for the development of the children; they both loved drama (although the husband, Micheal didn't think he did) said and did hurtful and antagonistic things to each other; they were both sexually inappropriate, including overt seductiveness in front of the children and "bedroom activities" with children aware of what was going on around their children; they fought viciously and behaved in vile passive-aggressive ways in front of the children. Pauline was so boundary-less that she would have had an affair in an instant-with three children and a husband in the home- and was stopped because of a random phone call.

Micheal wearied of the running gun battle after 30 years and suddenly divorced Pauline, and he married an opposite type, an unexciting, undramatic, unimaginative and self-contained plain woman, Anne, who is psychologically flat, extremely even. While at first the enormous relief was a source of attraction to Micheal, (drama/intensity fatigue) but the second marriage is flawed for him and never becomes as important to Micheal as the first marriage. Anne is the least likable person of the book, toadlike and unable to be talked into or convinced of anything or taking other's needs into consideration. Her boundaries were so far afield and hun-like defensed that she could not be healing or much of anything but a sterile companion, content with being blameless.

The interesting thing here is to look at the singular entity both marriages created. The first was a vigorous two headed creature either snarling or kissing, with sexual passion in its arterial system and bitter bile in its veneous. The second marriage was a half-hearted calcified creature with tap water circulating. Micheal becomes a sympathetic personality at the same moment you realize how avoidant and evasive of blame he is and how underdeveloped he is, understandable with his overburdened sorrowful childhood and overburdened frenetic life from young adulthood through most of his life. As a matter of fact, it becomes apparent that he is neither good nor bad, just confused and undeveloped.

The unrecognized surprise to Micheal was that he craved the intimacy and passion that an explosive unstable personality, female beauty and naked dependence created; life was deadly set before he met Pauline and somewhat like that after he left her, especially after her death. One is left with the impression that he left his colorless life with his widowed and depressed mother (who lost a son and a husband) to marry an unstable and vivacious woman and then when he got tired of that (describing his life with Pauline as "hell" after 30 years) or didn't want to be associated with being 1/2 of a destructive parenting team, divorced her and went once again to a life with the polar extreme of a colorless and unchallenging woman who saw him as "dessert," in other words not necessary to her life. In short, she didn't really appear to have the ability to give anything essential to the relationship to create a bonded couple happiness; she was kind of a quid pro quo gal.

Interestingly, Pauline and Micheal raised their grandson better than their children, probably because they divorced when the grandson was young. When they were married their dual drama was their priority; the children were damaged by witnessing the drama-both the fighting and sexualization of the household, wild instability, and emotional neglect. The oldest child was completly destroyed and ran away; the damage to the other two went underground and affected them deeply as well. This kind of nuanced storytelling feels honest. It rang true that neither Micheal nor Pauline considered that their loose behavior and lack of real love was the cause of their oldest child becoming an addict and a run-away or that the other children were also damaged albeit more subtly. When the oldest child returns decades later after Pauline died, her comments that her parents were ice and glass, similar agents, equally destructive to children growing up came as an absolute shock to Micheal. It was also shocking to him when his grandson named his daughter Pauline and when the family had good memories and stories about Pauline, but not him; no doubt this character, Micheal, was based on a real life personality who assumed that the more overt personality in the couple could be pointed to as the sole source of the family's problem, especially as he was the one who initiated the divorce. The shock to him was that he wasn't perceived as "the good guy" or a victim (of Pauline) by his children; he wasn't able to understand or escape the fact that to them he was one of two adults partnering a deeply destructive parental unit.

I thought it the passage of time was interesting - 60 years of Americana; the writerly details were incredible. This book was nuanced in detail of each era, which made for good reading. You can imagine how psychologically unsophisticated things were in an immigrant neighborhood in 1940s Baltimore. Micheal and Pauline were immature unbalanced abberations of a psychologically unsophisticated time; their highly imperfect union was fueled by something that was assumed to be amare (love); the evidence that it was not love was chronicled by the damage to their offspring.

I AM AMAZED AT ANNE TYLER'S ABILITY TO PRESENT EVERDAY LIFE WITH SUCH INSIGHT. THERE IS NO INTRICATE PLOT HERE-JUST THE UPS AND DOWNS OF AN ORDINARY MARRIAGE OVER A LIFE SPAN BETWEEN TWO VERY OPPOSITE MINDED PEOPLE.MOST MARRIAGES CAN THRIVE AND GROW IN SUCH AN ATMOSPHERE BUT OBVIOUSLY MANY CANNOT. THIS IS A BOOK THAT WILL STAY WITH ME FOR SOME TIME.

I cannot remember reading a more depressing novel (and I just finished The Kite Runner). The Amateur Marriage is very well written except for some style inconsistencies that bothered me but, because the story is so "small," it would be a difficult film treatment. What they should make is a movie of the reviewers' marriages who have described this story as "delightful." What must they be like?

The pace of the book is unique, in which years are cleverly rolled out in a way that make you wonder what happenbed to them... just like real life! Tyler jumps ahead decade by decade and clues the reader in using subtle current event hints that further illustrate how detached Michael and Pauline were from their own "real lives". I couldn't see either life as anything but a series of wasted, undocumented days that filled the unwritten chapters in between.

Throughout this novel you'll want to scream at the characters to "step back!", "simplify!", "communicate!" In the end, I was so glad for my own marriage and family that I demonstrated it, so, I guess you could say, this novel changed me in a good way.

I absolutely loved "The Amateur Marriage." It was the third of Tyler's novels I've read, and by far the best. As with all her novels, the characters are so fully realized as to seem like they're members of your own family, but what makes "Marriage" excel is that the plot is strong as well. I tore through this book because I felt invested in the lives of Pauline, Michael, and their friends and family, and I especially could not wait for the resolution of the Lindy drama (I'm being vague here so as not to spoil it for anyone). Some of the characters reminded me of my own relatives, which could be part of why I found the novel so compelling. I highly recommend "Marriage" to Tyler fans, and it's also an excellent starting title for those new to Tyler. Truly a gem of a novel.

The Amateur Marriage relates to all of us in a sense that we are all in amateur relationships of some kind. None of us are experts. This story really helps to illustrate just how vulnerable we all are to life's situations and complexities which can simply consist of everday happenings. Its a wonderful and relaxing read. The Amateur Marriage: A Novel

LISa Gardner'S BOOK ALONE WAS GREAT. EXCITING & INTERESTING
AM GOING TO READ MORE OF HERS. IN FACT I HAVE 6 MORE WAITING TO READ.
[...]

Looking for a new author, I picked this up in a bookstore and hunkered down with it. Once I started it, I could hardly put it down. So often with a lot of books, I end up skimming pages waiting to get to another good part, bored with what I'm reading but this book kept me turning pages, kept me completely interested, kept me flipping pages wondering what would happen next. I never got bored, I never lost interest and it was a welcome change for me in a book. I love Gardner's style of writing. Dialogue was good, plot was good, whole book was good. So I came to Amazon to see what else she'd written and am happy to see she'll keep me busy for awhile. Can't wait to read another one.

I read "Hide" in 2007 and thought it was one of the best books published that year. When I read it, I had no idea it was a Bobby Dodge series. Of course when I found out, I had to get "Alone." What a series! I love it and hope to see so many more.

When veteran officer Bobby Dodge of the Massachusetts State Police Special Tactics and Operations Team is called out to a hostage situation in progress, little does he know that in a matter of moments his life would change. Seeing a woman with a young child in her arms held at gunpoint, he keeps the gunman in his sight of his scope from fifty yards away, but when the gunman rips the child from the woman's arms and points the gun directly at the woman's head, his finger tightening on the trigger, State Trooper Bobby Dodge does what he was trained to do.

It is that split second action that will raise questions that remain unanswerable until Bobby puts on his thinking cap in a very unorthodox way. Moreover, the beautiful damsel in distress, Catherine Rose Gagnon, has a lot of issues, including a secret past that continues to haunt her. Her child also has issues, but what they are will keep the reader guessing until the shocking finale. Once again, this author has created another intense thriller. Full of surprises and suspense, this fast-paced, intricately plotted book will keep the reader turning its pages.

I am a Lisa Gardner fan. Her stories are usually breath-stealing, on the edge of your seat suspenseful. Alone starts out great, but just never develops into a good solid performance.

Rose Gagnon and her son are being held at gun point by Rose's husband, Jimmy. The police have been called and the STOP (special tactics and operations) team are assembled to bring an end to this "supposed" hostage situation. Bobby Dodge, a member of the STOP team has Jimmy in his crosshairs and as Jimmy's finger starts to pull the trigger of the gun he is pointing at his wife, Bobby does what he has been trained to do.... he takes Jimmy out. Jimmy happens to be the son of a powerful judge who claims that Rose set up the whole scenerio just to get Jimmy killed. Bobby finds himself caught in the middle as Rose and Judge Gagnon fight it out. Also caught in the middle, is Rose's young son, who is in and out of the hospital with constant illnesses that Judge Gagnon and his wife claim are just a simple case of Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome. Is there more than meets the eye in this case? Did Rose use the police to kill her husband. Is she trying to kill her son as well?

This book started out with a bang, like all the other Gardner novels I have read. It was exciting and fast paced. About half way through the story, however, it took a ridicuous turn. It became apparent that Ms. Gardner was trying really hard to build up the suspense and wanted to throw the reader off by adding alot of junk to the story to keep you running in several directions at once. It simply didn't work this time. The mystery and suspense and constant adding another layer to be stripped off by the reader exhausted me and took away from the story. There was just too much going on to be remotely believable and after a few chapters of being introduced to new information, i just became too tired to care.

This is definitely not one of Lisa Gardners' best efforts. I would not recommend it. There too many "good" books out there to waste your time on this one.

About Alice contains some very powerful stories about the transforming power of human love. The story about the handicapped girl at the end of chapter VII (p.65-66) is especially moving.

This is a slim book and a quick read but don't let the small size fool you; it packs a punch. Readers of Trillin's other works may recognize a version (or two) of Alice in this book. He never nails down Alice's essence which may be a disappointment for anyone who picks up the book with the hope that Alice's true personality would be revealed. This is a love letter about Alice and their marriage.

Love can be the culmination of stories told (some details are naturally remembered differently than your partner) and shared experiences. Trillin visits many different stories and memories (his and others') about Alice and their life together. There is no doubt he loved her and was inspired by her to be a better writer and a better person.

Calvin Trillin's wife Alice died of cardiac arrest in 2001. During their 36-year marriage, Alice had served as Trillin's muse and first editor, and she often featured as a sort of character in his writing. (I confess I've only read one other book by Trillin, his 2001 novel Tepper Isn't Going Out). In About Alice, published in 2006, Trillin seems to be trying to define his wife's personality, to preserve a piece of it for the record, to explain why she inspired his devotion. It is not a maudlin account. He writes about Alice's attitudes toward parenting and money, for example, about the role she played in his writing, her charity work, her cancer scare in 1976. The book is a sort of extended love letter to Alice, to be sure, but a further point of the exercise is to be found on the book's dedication page. About Alice is dedicated not to her, but to the couple's grandchildren, who will never know her. The book is a nice gift to them, and to Alice.

About Alice is brief--it only takes about an hour to read--and Trillin's prose goes down easy. The book should be of particular interset to readers familiar with Trillin's characterization of his wife in earlier books.

-- Debra Hamel

A touching in memorium to the author's wife, who recently died of lung cancer. The couple's relationship is tenderly depicted, but I found myself not liking Alice all that much. She is definitely a complex person, but she also seems a bit superficial and showy at times. i suspect this is my misinterpretation based on a few episodes described by Trillon. I really enjoyed Trillin's writing and his sensitive treatment of his relationship with his wife, though.

It's all been said before, but never so eloquently. A true loss. An amazing spirit.

WELL I READ THIS BOOK AND IN MY OPINION GROWING UP IN THE STREETS OF CHICAGO, YES DRUGS, SHOOTINGS ETC...THIS DIDN'T SEEM LIKE ANYTHING NEW TO ME, SO HE SOLD DOPE, GOT FAMOUS AND NOW LIVES LARGE. END OF STORY, MY LIFE WAS MUCH ROUGHER, HE HAD A GOOD HOME FROM WHAT IT SEEMS, C'MON GOOD IN SCHOOL, GRADUATES? PEOPLE I KNEW WERE LUCKY TO MAKE IT TO HIGH SCHOOL, WORK WAS FIRST IF YOU HAD TO SURVIVE. HE IS SO COMMERCIAL! THIS IS SO PHONY OR SOMETHING, RAGS TO RICHES? HE CHOSE TO BE BAD HE SAID IT IN HIS BOOK, HE WANTED TO BE THE THUG THAT HE WAS AND NOW I SEE HIM LIKE A MAMA'S BOY WHO JUST WANTED TO BE A PUNK AND THAT IS IT, I THINK HE SHOULD HAVE KEPT HIS STORY TO THE KIDS IN LONG BEACH, LOTS OF FOLKS GREW UP THIS WAY OR WORSE, HE JUST GOT A RECORD DEAL.

CHICAGO

I am a real dogg fan and I just loved this book. Snoop has worked hard for everything he has. And his lovely wife stood beside him all the way. You go Dogg!!

In this story are you trying to say that you died and the devil would make you rich and famous if you gave him your soul and you agreeded? Or is that another book? If its this book then i rate it a 1 and that's that. I wish there was a no star(0)or negative 5 but all the choice I have is 1 so whatever.

- God's sunshine

Does anyone out there understand what a Gost Writer is? I suppose not... A gost writer is someone that writes peoples books for them. If only a famous personality could actually go out and write a best selling book all by themself. In a perfect world...
But setting this aside, Snoop's literary creation isn't that bad. I think he contradicts himself entirly too much,. but what can I say? It frustrates me to bump his almums and hear him drawling on about Thug this and Thug that, only to go out and write some preachy tale about how gangs and drugs are wack.
However, for some reason or another, I respect Snoop as an artist and a family man.
And despite the fact that his new stuff sucks, his book was sitll partially enlightening.
Peace out.

Snoop tries to please everyone with his tale. He wants to make his momma proud by talking about God and spirituality, but he wants to continue his gangsta facade. In the end it comes out completely hypocritical by him essentially saying, "I'm doin God's work by pimpin these mutha ***** ho's, N***!"

The book has it's moments. If Snoop wasn't interesting, why would I have bothered reading about him? But this a book to sleep walk through. Written on a 5th grade reading level, it made for good toilet time.

Don't expect anything profound, nothing truly revealing, and you won't be disappointed. It's simply a PR work.

This mystery is superb. The plotting and idea (without giving anything away) are original and involving, the characters convincing with that "real" sense about them. Nowhere is this truer than in the character of the protagonist/narrator, Elizabeth Chase. I suspect there is more than a bit of Martha Lawrence in Ms. Chase (similar experiences and place of residence), but Ms. Lawrence makes her detective--and her unusual psychic gift--very accessible, human, and true by having her sometimes at a loss in dealing with that very gift, and having a down-to-earth, humorous attitude about the whole thing. This makes it easy for us to do so as well. There is no hocus-pocus here, just a very bright, dedicated detective trying to solve the mystery of a young woman's disappearance in a religious "cult" and encountering mysterious twists and real danger before the end. She gets to use her psychic gifts, but they are never really the focus of the story--it's mystery, not scifi/horror. There's sharp wit and intelligence here as well, and the story is delivered with a precise, involving, straightforward style that never bores. Ms. Lawrence and her detective are terrific! (Can't wait for more.)

Perfect for mystery addicts who crave variety in their favorite genre. A good leisure read but not a transforming book (in the philosophical sense!) Still, I'd recommend it as a guilty pleasure. Engaging from page one, you will find yourself instantly involved in the life and work of Elizabeth Chase. Chase is a likeable, well developed character who is smart, and generally insightful, without regard to her unusual paranormal abilities. But sometimes the "psychic investigator" is just as bewildered as the rest of us--that's when a "little extra something" kicks in. It is good fantasy (if you don't believe) or comic comeuppance of the bad guys (if you do.) The best of a good mystery series combined with a daydreamy kind of "wouldn't it be nice..." fantasy too. This is a good read for airplane time or at the beach. I would not recommend it at bedtime because you won't want to put it down, and a bleary eyed bedmate may not appreciate it. Oh, yes, this is definitely what my husband calls a "chick" book. I'm not sure what that means... But this chick is looking forward to reading the entire series.

I'm not a mystery fan in general , but I loved this book.I loved that it was set around a cult.I found that really interesting and I loved the psychic angle.Its so worth reading.

This book was the best of the series for me. I finished and thought, "WOW." She writes extremely well and her plots are courageous and engaging. This one had a real surprise ending. PLEASE READ THIS ONE BEFORE THE TWO THAT COME AFTER.

As a mystery writer with my debut novel in current release, I found myself initially reading Martha Lawrence's Elizabeth Chase novels with suspicion. I first thought her "psychic" PI was a bit too gimmicky for my taste. I was wrong. Once I began reading AQUARIOUS DESCENDING after attending an appearance by Ms. Lawrence at a mystery convention at which I was also appearing, I realized what a strong writer this woman is. AQUARIOUS DESCENDING is a marvelously plotted book in which Elizabeth Chase takes on a cult. It features strongly written prose and vividly drawn characters. It reads well. There are no gimmicks. I recommend this book, as well as the rest of Ms. Lawrence's excellent ongoing series.

I bought this on a whim and read it nearly cover to cover. Fascinating reading if you're interested in counter culture, the 60's, psychedelia and/or the occult. Another in a long line of interesting, informative and wild books by Disinformation.

This book was a lot of fun to read. When I got to the end of its 400 pages I wanted it to go on for another hundred. It tells the story of the rise of mysticism and the occult in the 1960's in America and England. You know brother, the Age of Aquarius... But where did these beliefs come from and how did they disseminate throughout popular culture? Yes, Lachman tells us about the Buddhism of the beats, but he also uncovers other sources like Madame Blavatsky, Henry Miller, Herman Hesse, J.R.R. Tolkein, and Alister Crowley. We see L. Ron Hubbard conducting black magic ceremonies before the invention of Scientology, and we learn about accusations that the Maharishi used his powers of mind control to reduce his hotel bill. We hear Neil Young's testimony that Charlie Manson was a "really great" musician before he had Sharon Tate slaughtered in a Satanic ritual, and we encounter Carl Jung's dream in the 1930's about a tree of flowers sprouting in Liverpool, and his prediction that the Age of Aquarius would dawn in 1964. In all, this book is a juicy history of the mystic happenings of the 1960's and a source book for the influences that brought about the events of that unique decade. It's like an "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls" of the Occult in the 1960's. A great summer read...

Amazing read of music history. An insight of music and lyrics and the possible influences to the music we have all been affected.

With so many people named and their connections to the mystic. Each person could have a chapter devoted to each of them.

As I read the book, I certainly have come up with great questions that I would ask music icons, like Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney of their musics true meaning.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through this book and I have to say it's okay to read for the fun of it, but it is riddled with misinformation. On the first couple of pages Lachman makes reference to Charles Manson's audition for the Monkees; there was no such audition. He also goes on and on about Anton LaVey, all of whose stories about his life have been debunked. (You can find the truth about him elsewhere on the internet). This kind of stuff kills the credibility of the rest of it, for me, anyway. Go ahead, if you're bored, though. Give it a read

Don't let the cheezy cover discourage you. This book is well written and well-researched. He covers all the dark and "groovy" aspects of the 60s with a fair-handed and well-researched approach.

It's a fun read and no matter how much you know about the 60's and its love of the occult, I can guarantee you will find gems of knowledge stashed away in this little tome.

He covers everything from Aleister Crowley to J.R.R. Tolkien, not to mention such icons of the 60s as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

This was a great book! To see the struggle of this woman's life during aparteid in S. Africa rattled me to the core. And it brought to light some of our issues with race in this counrty. This is truly a book for the strong and I think we can all learn something from it.

Firstly I have to admit that I haven't finished reading the book, I will edit my review when done. But I was curious about what other have said about it, so I paged to this review page.

I bought this book because I vaguely remember the story of Sandra Laing from newspapers etc. as a kid growing up in South Africa. She is quite a bit older than me, I was rather young when the incident happened, and I cannot remember much about all the controversy.

I mainly bought this book because I am quite interested in the genealogy of Afrikaner families. I have spent several years now documenting my own heritage. Frankly, I am surprised that the case of Sandra Laing stands out so much, as we Afrikaners are a creole nation who speaks a pidgin language - and I say this with pride. After 356 years in Africa, I don't believe that any of us are "pure whites" whatever that means. I guess it is not a well known fact (even amongst Afrikaners) that Afrikaners have on the average 6 to 12% of non-European blood (depending on which researcher's works you read). However, the majority of that proportion is Asian blood (particularly East Indian). In my own case I have verified this through DNA testing and genealogy - only because I was curious - my self-guestimate is 1/16th. I am sure the situation in the USA is not dissimilar.

It is well known that people were formally classified as belonging to a race after 1948 (though I submit that Apartheid existed long before that). Physical appearance played some role. This was one of the stupidest acts of the then National Party. My family looked European, and we happened to have been classified as white. Though I know that we are not - completely.

So why in the case of Sandra Laing was her appearance more African than many others? I don't know enough about biology to answer that question, as much as I don't know why my son's eyes are blue when neither my eyes nor my wife's eyes are blue. However, the way this family (and others) were treated due to physical appearance was certainly one of the many tragedies of the era.

Flipping through the book, what really irritated my immensely, was the atrocious spelling of Afrikaans phrases in the book. They don't even resemble any language I am familiar with. Was the editor out to lunch? Could the author not spell-check her phrases in her word-processing program? My version of MS Word (purchased in Canada) can spell-check Afrikaans, why can't hers? Such poor attention to detail really diminishes the professional image and academic merits of the book.

Another thing that irks me quite a bit are blanket racist statements by people like the first reviewer from that Bookclub - based on well-meant, but utter, ignorance (did she get her "facts" from the book?). While I agree with her summary and 'apartheid was bad' sentiments, she made too many factual and historical errors in her "review" for me to address here.

In short. Afrikaners blood was never pure to start with - well-known fact - whatever they say or said. Afrikaners merely look less coloured than the coloureds. There were not 3 classifications (she goes on to mention 4) but many more initially. Afrikaners have much (about 20%) French blood as well, but never conquered the country. They may have conquered parts of it, but it was the British Empire that conquered the whole country (almost the whole continent!) for the "Queen" (for the mineral wealth, more to the point). While Afrikaners had a big role to play in institutionalising apartheid (unfortunately), they hardly invented it. They merely took over that role from the British in 1948. Williams talks about the American south - I believe that Afrikaner leaders actually studied laws in the American South before institutionalising apartheid in South Africa. There were several study tours by many to the American south (rather than to nazi-Germany as some believe). Etc, etc.

Many Afrikaners were (and still are) racist, some Afrikaners supported the system, just like some Americans/Germans etc supported their systems. But the Afrikaner National Party could never stay in power without the English vote. Fact. So please don't blame the entire Afrikaner nation for the acts of some - even if the majority.

Anyway, while a few historical and grammatical errors are clearly in need of being corrected, I am glad that someone wrote down the story and sad circumstances of Sandra Laing. This is a story that needed to be told again, so many years later, in context. It is worth reflecting on it and remembering it. Sadly, the country is not out of the woods. Today (2008), the future still don't look rosy, never mind that Afrikaner power left the scene 14 years ago after 46 years of running things. But I guess the problems are new and different today.

I want to commend Judith Stone for the phenomenal work she has done in discussing a number of difficult subjects: Sandra Laing herself, the history of South Africa, and the nature of memory, family, and the examined life. Clearly, Sandra's lack (repression) of memory, and her inability to articulate her feelings, left Stone with an enormous challenge. She works through this brilliantly by marshaling the journalistic reports from the time and later, interviewing people who know Sandra, and sensitively explaining and exploring Apartheid's tortured history. Stone uses her knowledge of studies of PTSD, false-memory syndrome, and other relevant fields in psychology to examine Sandra's individual and South Africa's collective forgetfulness/refusal to admit reality. All in all, Stone has done a stunningly professional and sensitive job in illuminating one person's life, the cruel and terrible absurdities of Apartheid South Africa, and, more broadly still, what it means to live in a world where an ideological rigidity based on lies and hypocrisy sucks the life out of everyone--oppressor or oppressed.

I found Judith Stone's book on Sandra Laing wonderful as a chronicle of the history of race in South Africa. The book is a reminder, though, that people don't easily fit into categories. Sandra's white parents wanted her to be classified as white. I felt that the book presented convincing evidence that Sandra, despite her appearance, was the natural daughter of two white parents. Sandra herself felt more comfortable with blacks and wanted to fit in with them.

Judith Stone clearly wants Sandra to be a victim of apartheid and a symbol of the new South Africa. Stone has a hard time making Sandra fit into this, though. Stone talks a lot about the hardships Sandra faced, and sometimes it seems she is bending over backwards to make excuses for Sandra's behavior. Although Stone doesn't say so, it seems clear from the story that Sandra is either borderline mentally retarded or somewhere close to it. Sandra claims she didn't know at the time she was expelled from school at nine that it was because of her color. Her parents homeschooled her until age 12, while working endlessly to get her the legal right to attend a good school. When they finally succeeded and Sandra returned to school, she was put back two grades, then found it difficult to pass even that. Sandra went on to fulfill every black stereotype in existence. At 15 or so, Sandra left school to move in with a black man who was already married to someone else and had three children to provide for. The thought that maybe it might be a good idea to finish school seems never to have once crossed her mind. She went on to have five children out of wedlock with three different black men, again without the slightest forethought. Three of Sandra's children were turned over to foster parents for nine years. Money Sandra received, both from working at menial jobs and from payments for her story, flowed through her hands like water. I frankly felt sympathetic with Sandra's white parents and brothers, who eventually cut off contact with Sandra and her train wreck of a life. Yes, there are plenty of white girls in the world who act just as foolishly. But making a heroine out of Sandra is difficult, no matter how much color prejudice she experienced as a child.

This book presents good evidence that race classifications are superficial. Unfortunately, removing racial classifications is not enough to create responsible citizens.

When Sandra Laing was born in 1955 to a pro-apartheid Afrikaner couple in South Africa she was registered as a white child - but upon entering a white boarding school, was persecuted by students and teachers because of her brown skin. Her parents believed an interracial union back in their family history was to blame, but neighbors thought Mrs. Laing had committed adultery with a black man and the entire family was shunned. She was reclassified as 'coloured', her parents fought the South African courts to reverse the determination, then as a teen Sandra eloped - with a black man - and her parents disowned her. WHEN SHE WAS WHITE: THE TRUE STORY OF A FAMILY DIVIDED BY RACE crosses back and forth along discrimination lines and is riveting. Impossible to put down, it will enhance any general-interest lending library and is an emotionally charged, highly recommended pick.