Designers Books

I bought this as a textbook for my web design class. I already know a lot about CSS, and so far I've only read the first chapter, but it seems extremely easy to understand. Each concept is explained (in plain English!) and technical terms are defined clearly. And when sample code is supplied, you've already read about each part of it and know WHY it's there. I recently bought a book from a different author and publisher on ActionScript 3.0, and its so abstract, I don't think I know much more about AS than I did at the beginning. Stylin' with CSS, on the other hand, has defined even the basics (that I already mostly knew) so well that I've learned a few things already. I was so impressed that I ordered Charles Wyke-Smith's other book, Codin' for the Web, right away. I haven't gotten the chance to read it yet, but I already know I'm going to learn quite a few things from it.

One of the better CSS books I've picked up. I'm a long-time Html-er who erm...hasn't kept up with the times. I tried a few times to start using CSS/Style sheets, but frankly wasn't really picking it up and it seemed more work than it was worth. Of course now that I found a book that laid it all out clearly without bogging it down with too-much-info and kept it interesting I can definitely see that it's well worth the time to update my coding.

The examples are simple enough to follow, but interesting enough to *want* to follow. There are some goodies in the downloadable files that are invaluable (like the niftycorners). Well worth the purchase.

Most CSS tool books cater to the professional. While this book could teach many professionals a thing or two, it is an outstanding handbook for the amateur web builder, no matter how complex a website you imagine.

It helps you generate a clean, and changeable design in the simplest and most straightforward way possible. Good examples and good illustrations.

Clear and easy to understand, thorough in it's coverage. I read it twice and it really helped me more than any other CSS book or tutorial.

The explanations in this book leave very little to the imagination. In other words they are clear & concise & the author makes no assumptions about previous knowledge. I had read Elizabeth Castro's "XHTML & CSS" then Andy Budd's "CSS Mastery" & although they both gave me a good understanding of what can be done they failed to truly explain how to use markup & styling like this guy does. I like the fact that he doesn't seem like he's full of himself either. It really does take more than one book & a lot of hands on to get good at this stuff & I'd recommend this book as either the starting point for a beginner or to round off the edges of an intermediate designer.

I read this entire book in three days and learned so much about everything. There is not a lot of technical information in the book but design concepts and things that will just make you so much more prepared for designing websites. I have also read Robin Williams other books and I am totally in love with her writing style. Check them out if you haven't already.

I have only read about 6 chapters but there is so much basic information available about what is important when designing a web page. I am using this for a college course and this is preparing me to design a hypermedia project.

This book is OK for someone who might be trying to teach another the principals of webpage design. I had to buy it for a graduate level textbook and didn't see much use for it. It might be better used in the K-12 area, not college level.

I was required to buy this book for a grad course. It is to the point and easy to understand.

This book is seriously out of date for modern web design and development.

The author-slash-huckster's talent for assaulting the eye is perhaps only exceeded by a knack for self-promotion that even Ron Popeil would be proud of.

From the first page--nay, the dustjacket--"Goodbye, Gutenberg..." promises to be a stroll down Self-congratulation Lane, followed by a long saunter along Arrogance Avenue. Just as we should be wary of Franklin Mint trinkets touted by the manufacturer as valuable, limited edition collectibles, we should be cautious about a book so heavily praised by its own author. The blurb inside of the back, imploring the browser to buy this, one of only 4700 first editions (of course, she does promise many more printings), makes me wonder if Ms Kirschenbaum is trying to launch a writer's revolution or line her pockets.

Similar books, she confides, sell for as much as $100 or more. But you can get your copy of "Goodbye Gutenberg..." for the low, low price of only $47.95! I am only surprised she didn't promise to include an individually numbered certificate of authenticity and a handsome, mahogany-finish display cabinet. Or that she didn't tell us to wait, there's more! If you act now, you can receive a second copy at no additional cost! And if you order within the next ten minutes, she'll throw in an amazing instant meat defroster for free, so you'll never have to wait three hours for your chicken to thaw out again! That's a total retail value of over $125, but only if you order today! (Sorry, no C. O. D.'s.)

The blatantly commercial aspects of the work aside, "Goodbye Gutenberg..." is a visual nightmare. For countless years, writers have worked alone or in collaboration with designers to produce works that, through a combination of good writing and engaging graphic design, strengthen the reader's comprehension of the information therein. The key of these works' success seems to be that the reader synthesizes the text and graphics without being more aware of one or the other, allowing each to enhance the value of the other. Unfortunately, "Goodbye..." slaps the reader with its distracting and confusing computer-generated visuals and then whispers its information with a soft and easily missed sans serif font (a neo-Comic Sans MS affair designed by (who else?) the author).

I saw this work in a bookstore and tried to give it a chance, but found it to be an astonishingly taxing read. While I don't claim that minimalism is the only way to go, there is certainly a lot to be said for elegance and knowing what it means to be "over the top."

I strongly suspect this is the first published work of its kind for one of two reasons: 1) no other person alive has had enough free time to see such an unwieldy, pointless project to fruition; 2) such works exist, but no publishing house has previously dared print them.

Incidentally, unless Ms Kirschenbaum is trying to revolutionize the act of printing, I am not sure why she bids farewell to Gutenberg, who pioneered the printing press, not the aesthetics of books.

With Gutenberg's printing press, the invention of movable type, the concept of the mass production of books eventually led to what we have today: 90% of our books are black type on white paper and completely uninteresting from a visual perspective. In other words, while various authors may sound different, both in subject matter and style, they generally look the same on paper. This is very odd and curiously limiting since books are primarily a visual rather than an auditory medium. When books were hand printed, and thus generally full of imaginative and inspirational illustrations (e.g., medieval illuminated manuscripts), there was a liveliness and energy that engaged the reader on more levels than the purely mental. Our current books are supposed to mentally engage us with the stories they tell, and perhaps with the images that those stories help paint in our mental imaginations. But the incredible popularity of visual storytelling in such media as theater, television, and movies shows that people hunger for something different. Many adults spend the bulk of their free time watching TV, and reading continues to decline even as technology brings us more books than ever before.

Valerie Kirschenbaum, a teacher in the Bronx, was at a loss as to how to reach her bored and completely distracted students until a day in 1998 when one of her students asked why our books are no longer generally in color as they used to be. This started Kirschenbaum on an odyssey that would change her life and that of her students. She discovered that by simply putting the words of one of Shakespeare's sonnets into various colors, she captured her students' excitement and imagination in an overwhelming and completely surprising way. Kirschenbaum embarked on a quest to study imaginative illustration with a depth and fervor that allowed her to devour hundreds of books on various cultures' hieroglyphics, calligraphy, scrolls, and illuminated manuscripts. Realizing the power of these visual symbols to capture the heart and imagination, Kirschenbaum developed an unprecendented visual vocabulary that produced her stunning first book, Goodbye Gutenberg, which ushers in a new genre Kirschenbaum calls "designer writing."

Goodbye Gutenberg is truly a one of a kind book. With an incredibly eclectic variety of typefaces (including the original font Kirschenbaum invented for the bulk of the text), traditional hieroglyphics and calligraphy, old and new symbolic designs, drawings, photos, and paintings--all in a wealth of colors and with endlessly differing page set-ups and borders--Kirschenbaum enlivens our senses, inspires our hearts, and awakens our imaginative sense of play while she thereby very effectively tells the story of the evolution of books and illustrations in various cultures, especially the fascinating history of Western (popular) culture and its gifts to us: opportunities for our creative imaginations to truly flower. Goodbye Gutenberg is in essence a demonstration of how radically ideas can change depending on how they are presented visually. It is in this sense a call to socio-political action through the freeing of the imagination.

Therefore, while Goodbye Gutenberg is currently one of a kind, Kirschenbaum hopes to spark a revolution with its publication in which many more books like hers will follow, "a new flowering of the verbal and the visual arts," feeding the senses and imagination of future readers of any subject on multiple levels. Perhaps ironically, the logical extension (the computer) of the very technology (printing) that stripped books of their imaginative beauty to make mass printing possible is what now makes it possible to easily and affordably add that illustrative beauty back in exciting and endlessly new, even wild, ways. Anyone who loves books--and especially those who don't--will be fascinated, even stunned, by Goodbye Gutenberg. Kirschenbaum has created a truly must-see book for everyone!

Ms. Kirschenbaum, a school teacher, has set out to change the face of book-making and books for the future by proving how easy it is, using modern computer technology and easily-obtained software, to produce books that are not only informative, but works of art. By appealing to the visual learner in all readers, these new books just might transform reluctant readers into individuals who, while they might still not relish reading the written word, will at least be pulled into the text through other means. As a visual learner myself, I found this book to be one delight after another. However, her premise that this idea is revolutionary is perhaps over the top, since many publications already employ many of the ideas used in the book.


I do agree with some reviewers that the text is repetitive and that at times, the visuals and color seem excessive and actually hijack the reader's attention. Some of the fonts are also less readable and tend to be distracting. Less sometimes is more, and more sometimes is too much. However, I don't think that was the author's intent to present this book as what each book should look like. She is simply setting examples before the reader. As to the charges of shameless self-promotion, I take it that the reviewer who wrote that has never attempted to publish a book that is outside the mainstream of the rather bland fare that publishers tend to focus on---medical detective thrillers, Da Vinci code rip-offs, and Sci/Fi fantasy appropriations of Narnia and Lord of the Rings. Those with new ideas are forced to take drastic measures to get them heard. I applaud the author's efforts. If you don't like the book, fine, but don't assault the marketing method.

I do wonder how much a classroom set of such highly colored, high quality books would cost. As a teacher in a poorer state, I am well aware of the constraints on textbook purchasing because of money. Still, if the technology allows these books to be produced in mass and at low cost, this is a positive step in the history of book publishing.

Valerie Kirschenbaum sent me this book about a year ago to review, but when I saw it, I knew I just couldn't. The book was so different from anything I'd ever seen that I was at a loss for words. I didn't know if I liked it or not. Some of the fonts were hard to read and they were not printed on a white background. Plus there really wasn't a story or thread I could follow. This is not a book to be read cover to cover.

So, not wanting to give a bad review of something I didn't really understand, I chose not to review it at all. However, for the last year this book has mostly been living on my coffee table. Scores of my friends have leafed through it, all liking it. I've picked it up more times than I can count, opened it to a random page and found myself enjoying it for ten or fifteen minutes.

Then just tonight it hit me, like a bolt out of the blue, I like this book. I've gotten hours of pleasure out of it and will probably get hours more. Many of my friends reach for it as soon as they sit on my sofa. They've been through it again and again, but they can't seem to get enough. A great conversation piece, this book is. Will it revolutionize printing or modernize books, I don't know. But I do know now that I'm glad I have it and I am glad that I finally got around to giving it the five star review it deserves.

If you are reading this Ms. Kirschenbaum, I am sorry it took me so long to pen this, but I have now and I sincerely hope that my little missive helps you sell some copies of this wonderful book that will feel right at home on any coffee table.

Reviewed (finally) by Vesta Irene

Kirschenbaum's computer-generated tome is certainly a visually arresting work, and it comes with a provocative if dubious proposition: if love of learning and reading is to be dissemenated to the rising generation, it must be done so in non-traditional ways. The old venues to knowledge and pleasure provided by books are archaic. This is a brand new world. We must either adapt all our vocations and aspirations to the new ways or risk losing them altogether.

I am not sure I buy the idea. Perhaps it is the old Ludditte in me which loves the perfection of the book and automatically rejects any innovation. Wonderful as laptops and such are, there is no way to have the same sort of symbiotic relationship with them that one can have with a book. Nevertheless, mossbacks like myself may have no say in the ultimate path of knowledge.

Kirschenbaum has certainly provided an attractive and interesting parry in this debate.

Worth a look.

In a domain where 6 months is a lifetime, this book has survived the test of time remarkably well. Joel brings to bear his experience as a programmer, program manager and software company CEO in this series of articles on the software development business.

The book rambles through topics ranging from strategy to programming to project management. The strategy and project management topics are as fresh and applicable today as when they were written. The programing technology topics are relevant, but take some abstracting - "Knowing how to dig down into the details" has different details today than when the essays were originally written.

Even if you don't agree with 100% of what Joel says, the book should be included in the reading list of most programmers, program managers and software company executives.

Sometimes blunt, yet always pragmatic, Joel's writing is crisp and to the point. It should be required reading for IT managers and developers building software apps. The Joel Test has also become the de facto litmus test used by programmers to rate software organizations.

Joel on Software is a collection of Joels blog posts. There are maybe 40 posts and the book is about 350 pages. Making all posts independent makes it easy to pick up the book every now and then, read one, and move on.

Joel has an opinion on everything and a fairly strong one. He is an excellent writer and is able to convey his opinion often in a humorous way. I very often completely disagree with his opinion, but that did not make the book any less valuable. He writes his opinion and clarifies the argumentation. He writes it in such a way that I find it worth reading.

There are too many posts to summarize. Some of the really great ones are, "the joel test" which he explains how you can be a better programming. "Daily builds are your friends" in which he covers the importance of daily builds. "The law of the leaky abstractions" is a true classic explaining that our industry keeps abstracting but that non of these abstractions is absolute so therefore the total amount of knowledge a person needs to know will increase. "Two stories" which describes the difference between two companies in their culture. And it goes on and on.

I really recommend to get Joel on Software (or his new More Joel on Software) and just, every now and then, read one of the posts and reflect about his opinion. Great work.

Joel Spolsky's collected essays and blog entries mostly remain fresh enough even after several years (some go back to 2000 and 2001). Many of the good ideas he presents are still valid because they are still true and they remain challenges for many people and organizations today.

The more dated parts relate more to specific technology, such as COM and early browser versions. That's usually ok, as the specific references serve more as hooks for making a point. Plus, agile methodologies have made significant progress since Spolsky published. He gets a few digs in against Extreme Programming. I was unfamiliar with his blog before this book, and one thing nice is that his insight and spunkiness make we want to sample his blog going forward.

I especially agree with Spolsky on most of his "Joel's test", the need for modest specs (disagree on use of humor in specs), daily builds, fine-grained scheduling, the need to understand fundamentals of what's going on in your system, independent testers, scalability and understanding your market. That's a pretty good collection of topics.

Sorry, but at this point the book made for a good read from the library, as opposed to a purchase.

I bought this book for my husband who mostly sits 24-7 coding and even if he sleeps then he dreams in code.

This books is actually archive of Joel's messages (can i call it blog) on his website.

Easy and sometimes funny to read, also technical but at least smth apart.

Will buy other books from Joel also

An amazing effort creating an amazing result.
One of the most remarkable collection of concepts, ideas and observations.

Never fails to nudge the creative mind our of a slump.

The product was shipped the next day and got to me quickly. The book is awesome and was in perfect condition when I got it. Thanks!

This book is a tour de force of creativity and it is suitable for everyone, not just graphic designers. Each page is so thick and rich that you shouldn't browse through it. I highly recommend you limit yourself to 1 page a day so you can absorb and digest what it contains. It is a stunning whack of creativity that you need to take slowly. Over time this book will help you to see and to think in different ways and with significantly more "creativity".

If you consider yourself to be a creative person you absolutely, positively, have to get this book. It will change you.

All the scraps of thoughts, quotes, illustrations, art, and scientific insights all blend into a very nice amalgam of a book. I didn't read it from cover to cover, but rather opened up somewhere random and read different pieces. The randomness of all the inspirational thoughts allows for this type of reading - I think it actually makes the book even better. It almost works as the mind itself: getting bits and pieces of information to juggle with really gets your creative juices flowing.
A must have, and must-random-read, for everyone in the creative industries and arts sector. Not sure about what other people should do with it.

the book is big, heavy and has a confusing layout(page numbers refer to spreads, not individual pages) Some pages are printed with black type on darkblue or gray making them almost unreadable (including the index which also has numbers smaller than most eye charts.) There is no index and little way to get back to something you found before without post-its. Yet for all its drawbacks, it's a fascinating compendium of design ideas - ideas in general. Great price for this much imagery. And if one has even a bit of leisure to peruse books for what just might pop out, this would be a good one to have.

As a total Japanophile, I really loved this book! The pictures are beautiful and its just a perfect example of why I love those Tokyo Fashionistas. Unlike North America, where we are slaves to what we think other people want to wear and try to "fit in", a lot of the young Japanese people on the streets where what they want and have no qualms about standing out and looking unique!

The book shows and describes the different looks, and often which district the look is from or originated. The text is mostly narrative, but I would've preferred some more informational style text. Such as a list of what elements compose each style and/or how to recreate the look for yourself.

My current ringtone on my celly is a short clip of "Harajuku Girls" by Gwen Stefani - it's been on phone for over a year now. As someone who has spent a formidable amount of my life in Japan, I covet and collect anything remotely "cute" from or even inspired by Japan, ringtones included. So it's no wonder that I love this book. Published by Japan-based Kodansha International, The Tokyo Look Book (2007) is a motley collection of photographs and interviews of Japanese fashionistas and fashion designers. "Motley" is probably a huge understatement, given what Philomena Keet (the author/editor) calls the "fashion spectrum" that exists in Tokyo. The photographs of Japanese guys and gals make me smile knowing that those pictured often follow their own drum beats. Even in the most outrageous and incongruous outfits, the Japanese youth wear their clothes with confidence or paint their faces with layers of make-up without second-guessing why they do it. If anyone has ever wondered who these "Harajuku Girls" are that Gwen Stefani sings about, pick up a copy of this book. They are fantastic!

i love japanese street style! this book gives so many different pictures of fashionable people on the streets of tokyo. it gives a little bit of background information about the culture and background, but if you want to get a more in-depth background and information on japanese styles and and designers and shops, i recommend Style Deficit Disorder by Tiffany Godoy.

I've never been to Japan, and I read books all the time about how people in Japan love the global luxury brands (Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Dior). But seeing the cover of this book suggested that something else is going on with young people in Tokyo.

Philomena Keet focuses on Shibuya (cool youth fashion), visually avant garde styles, street-defined ensembles, high fashion in a global taste sense, and what the well-dressed man wears to work. The last two seemed somewhat like what I expected, the first three were not.

Each section is a nice combination of explaining the cultural roots behind the way of dressing, focuses on some designers, describes some celebrities defined by the style, and talks about the social implications. These aspects were welcome because I wouldn't have appreciated the logic behind the various looks without that background.

The book has four big weaknesses:

1. The analysis of what's covered is pretty superficial.

2. The photography isn't as good as you usually see in a style-oriented book. I suspect that's because these are often virtually candid shots rather than fashion shots.

3. The layout of the book isn't very appealing. There is an attempt to pick up the Tokyo look style, but I didn't think it worked.

4. The type faces and backgrounds make the text difficult to read.

Net-net, I found the book contained more than enough of interest to keep me reading through the book. I also felt I have a better sense of the role fashion plays for younger people in Japan. To me, the biggest aha was realizing that Western-style clothing is so relatively new to Japanese culture that young people feel a greater freedom to move away from traditional style concepts . . . even when the mixtures of clothes and styles are extremely eclectic.

Since I'm an author, and my novels often feature both Asian Americans and Asians who have moved to the US from overseas, I was very interested in this book as a research tool. I was not disappointed.

This book is rich with pictures showing the different fashion styles prevalent in Tokyo. For someone who only visited Tokyo a couple times with family (and who didn't meet anyone my age), this was an eye-opener.

I like the fact that there are often several photos showing examples of each particular style, rather than just one photo to show each style. It helped me get a better feel for the trends of the "look" rather than just one person's ensemble.

The book shows the entire breadth of styles, from conservative to garish. I liked the hair and makeup showcased on the people photographed, as well.

The fact that the people were all from off the street gave the book an air of greater credibility, since they didn't arrange a photo shoot with models. I felt like I was getting a slice of Tokyo life and culture.

For me, this was an excellent research tool.

A great reference for the DIY homeowner. Lots of drawings to show you the right way to do things from foundations to framing.

This book has a lot of good framing scenarios interesting tidbits. Both a good reference and interesting to page through.

I do a lot of non-professional new construction. For me, visualizing the right way do do something is the problem. Once the skin is on a building I have no idea what lies underneath -- I have no 'guide' to model my construction after. Also, building according to convention is useful -- for instance, it's good to know that you can expect to find a vertical stud in a wall every 16 or 24 inches, regardless of who built the building and when -- and this book clarifies what those conventions are.

This is a great book. The graphic representations are exceptionally clear and detailed. Many alternatives are given, and in building you simply choose the alternative that gives you the most of what you want and follow the diagram.

Have been using this reference for years as an Architect. Probably the best one out there that covers all the basics. Not overly complicated. Could use an advanced version for more complicated details, especially in roofing (half-hips, etc.) and foundations.
Great reference for the nomencalture of all the parts.
Do not expect to build from it as codes and structural sizing are required and vary too much, but good, basic detailing and understanding overall with plenty of illustrations.

This is a good reference for framing details, which I turn to frequently as we work on the design for our new home. That said, there are numerous gaps and while some might be excused as esoteric, like framing a swept roof at the eaves (though it is pictured on the cover of the book), many others are not, such as flashing at masonry entry steps. I would like to see the book updated to include more "Building Science" lessons, OVE (Optimum Value Engineering)and perhaps SIPS. Still a good book, overall.

This book gave me a lot of ideas on how to organize my sewing/craft area.
It was interesting to see how other women had arranged their personal creative/work spaces, how to store various items and the layouts that were most efficient. I would recommend this book if you are planning or trying to set-up a crafting/creating space.

Where Women Create: Inspiring Work Spaces of Extraordinary WomenThis book is a lovely, feel-good sharing of women in their home,creative workspace. Packham's books are well worth the space on my bookshelf and ones I look to on rainy afternoons.

This book has the best cover and it looks like a great idea book for setting up a creative space or improving a space. I was not as happy with it as with a few other craft space books out there. It you like reading about women who are already professional in some form or another and thier craft spaces this is your book. For that is truly the gist of the book. I enjoyed it and while it wasn't exactly what I was looking for I found some great motivation from it. Jnetti.

This book was very inspiring. I definately got some good ideas that I'll try for my own studio (when I have one that is). And some nice ideas for around the home creation areas too. I love to create. This book is about others creation spaces. I can definately appreciate that!
Create on!

I bought this bought because I am designing my own studio and wanted some ideas. I found this book VERY inspiring and full of great ideas! I recommend it to anyone designing their own creative space!

I bought this book on a whim for my daughter who is interested, like most young people, in the amazing sequence of events that lead to the sinking. I am a sceptic about reincarnation but this book has got me wondering. As well as the interesting accounts from William Barnes it contains a good deal of specific information about Titanic and her construction, most gleaned from archival material, or is it?

I had a chance to talk with the author a few years ago and found his story to be a fascinating account of one man sharing the memories of another. Since reincarnation is not consistent with my own beliefs, I cannot explain these experiences, but I do find them compelling and worth the time to hear and read. Although the Andrews family and the Titanic Society adamantly denounce Barnes (not his real name) and his story, there is too much he should not have known, and even could not have known. Even if it were possible, I cannot imagine anyone willing to do a comprehensive study of a man only to be viewed as a demented nutjob by his peers. Even if you don't believe in reincarnation, I give Barnes' story an enthusiastic five stars. He used to have his own website, but alas, seems to have otherwise vanished. It's too bad as I think his story would make an excellent movie.

Having read a great deal about the Titanic, I find his hypnotic episodes very interesting, and very accurate, as we know the facts up to this date.
I do feel sorry for him having to live with this all his life, and no one to back him up. We purchased it immediately after seeing him interviewed on tv.
Well writen and interesting; if you care for either Titanic in general, or sunken ships at all. A good read, but even better on audio disc.

On a cold Saturday I sat to read this book without any expectations as to its ability to interest me.
As I began reading the unfoldment of Tommie's life, I was no longer sitting at home but rather sitting in a bubble of time watching the progress of events that presented themselves in movie-like clarity.
By the end of the book I finally noticed the sun had set and needed a reading light.
This is not so much a narrative of events past, but rather a re-enactment of a drama that uses the reader's mind as a stage to play out a story that even today captures the imagination and fascination of thousands.
To me, not so much because of the magnitude of the calamity that happened in mid-ocean, but because it is exemplar of the real-life battle between the integrity and righteousness of the soul and the barely concealed evil of ignorance and selfish blindness in materially obsessed ego.
Perhaps there are those that think the story has an unhappy ending, but the fact that it had to be written by the one who lived it, is proof positive the justice (karmic or Divine) is not an obscure concept, but a spiritual reality.
Time and the efforts of the unjust, do not destroy truth, they just delay its inevitable revelation.

I think the measure of readers liking this story or not, depends on their willingness to surrender their minds to be transported to a different time and to be shown a simple truth:

"This is what happened"

Half a century and all the learned men of the world could not hide it.
Did I forget to mention that I liked it?

W. Silva

Poignant. This book enables one to become acquainted with the life of a master shipbuilder whom had a promising life ahead of him. This book reaches deep and touches one soul beyond belief. A most valuable teacher resource. A classroom must for history in regards to Titanic and her builder. Highest of praise! This book leaves the reader/listener with a sense of them knowing the designer and understanding the trials and tribulations of one most determined man. I am eternally grateful to the author for his meticulous dedication on the life of Thomas Andrews Jr.

Denise D. Vanaria
Titanic "Ship of Dreams"
Orlando, Fla.

Recently, I have become obsessed with literature. It started several months ago and so far I have had fantastic luck in choosing my books. That is, until I got to this one. I can't help but worry that I am missing something crucial that everyone else gets. This book just didn't do anything for me. My reaction after reading the last page was not "oh wow!" but more like "oh well. There are a few hours I will never get back." I just felt like it was a total waste of time. Don't get me wrong - it's not the sour mood of the book, the unhappiness, etc that makes me hate this book - I read Roth's American Pastoral (definitely not a feel-good book) and I loved it. I just felt like this book was terrible. The characters didn't pull me in - I couldn't identify with any of them and I could never get to the point of seeing things from their perspective. A homeless man with some sort of obsession with even numbers? A homeless woman addicted to crack? Even the more 'normal' characters - the ones whose stories set the stage for things going on in the present - just don't pull me in at all.

Some books I have read recently that I would recommend: American Pastoral - this book will have you thinking about it for weeks after you read it, Kent Haruf's Plainson (and the sequel, Eventide), and Hamilton's Map of the World.

Sorry, folks. I just didn't like this one.

Nathan Walker and his family are at the center of this well constructed story of hope, despair, poverty, racism and ultimately the possibility of redemption.

McCann masterfully portrays a realistic story of the lives of the men known as "Sandhogs" and the dangerous nature of their job digging tunnels under New York City.

Mixing history with metaphor and vivid language, we are taken into the bowels of the earth and then to the tops of skyscrapers with a powerfully written narrative.

McCann gives us people that we come to care about and empathize with as the harshness of their lives unfolds. Accidents happen, lives are upended and great sadness plays out with poetic sensitivity.

Nathan Walker is a man of great courage and sensibilities. He is a strong and gentle patriarch that you won't soon forget. McCann knows how to bring his characters to life and have the reader walk beside them.

In preparing for this novel, McCann went down to the tunnels four or five times a week.
He didn't pretend to be homeless; he slowly gained trust from many who lived in the tunnels. In an interview he said, "I met all sorts of people -- junkies, war veterans, people who'd recently been let out of mental asylums, others who had just lost their jobs. I was put in all sorts of different situations. Being Irish helped me - I was never seen as part of the established order, the system. I was outside."

How "the other half" lives shows how easily it could be any one of us.

Well worth the read!

My mother sent me This Side of Brightness and I consumed it with more hunger than any novel in recent memory. The Author's words washed over my brain and seeped in like cold seafoam on sand dunes. At times I got pissed at The Author and what he does to his characters! Couldn't he give them a break? Does it have to be so hard? So real? and still, I was compelled to follow his people through their lives in our city...passing through my history, my neighborhood, my thoughts. As I heard, watched, smelled, and felt their presence...I thought: "But for the grace of The Author, there go I."

If you've read this book, you should see this movie: Dark Days

It has been a long time since I turned pages into the wee hours of the night and spent the next day looking forward to finding the time to pick a book up again. "This Side of Brightness is so well written and engrossing I was torn between wanting to see it unfold and dreading the moment when it would be "all read up."

McCann's characters come to life vividly as we watch him and them create themselves with choices, circumstances and reactions to the random acts that come their way.

It's also a journey into a fascinating world of experiences that you are not likely to take in real life.

'This Side of Brightness' is a throbbingly good read which trawls the making of the underclass in trenchant prose. The voice is unmistakably McCanns', though the subject matter recalls the marvellous McCarthy's,'Suttree' and my favourit Ondatjee,'Skin of the Lion'. The fact of 'blackness' cuts through this tale. Using time shifts in alternating chapters, we reach the intersection between 1916 and 1991 as the third generation descendant of an Afro American tunnel builder, Clarence'Treefrog' Walker, copes with his family's checquered past. His grandmother was mowed down by car, his father murders the driver and is in turn done in by the cops. His mum turns to drink and then smack which kills her. He's raised by grandfather, Nathan. Some years after he marries and has a child. The rock in his life, the old man dies.He spins out and the wife, unable to tolerate his disintegration, abandons him taking the child. The gradual recognition of these connexions unfolds against the nefarious netherworld of New York's subterranean culture. Once an acrobatic genius on sky-scraper scaffolding, with his world imploding,Treefrog enters tunnel life, a descent with a radically different drive from the heroic grandfather. Treefrog rescues an attractive, drug-addicted whore from the violent clutches of a fellow denizen. Making love, a seeming reconciliation of emotions for his mother and wife, he is determined to, once again, scale the brighter world. The seemingly futile gesture which introduces him on the first page: freeing a heron from the frozen Hudson River, is given fresh resonance.