People Books

Once I started reading this book, I found it difficult to put down. I'm now reading it a second time. Since applying the practical steps outlined, I've found it easier to rise above the obstacles in my life and find I'm making better decisions. I feel energized with an enlarged vision for my future and look forward to the second half of my life. I highly recommend this book to everyone wishing to enhance the quality of their lives. Cathy Lannes

I was amazed by how many of my own life experiences, thoughts, and feelings were similar to Tim's. I thank Tim for his suggestions on how to deal with them and move on to a happier and more productive way of living.

Midlife Tune-Up offers construction suggestions on important skills to build a better life. As in the author's examples, life throws us curves and this book gives us helpful strategies to take control of our future. It gives intellectual insights and a encouraging step-by-step plan on how to live and behave productively. We are reminded we do have a choice in our perception of life. This is a good thought provoking book with lots of information to absorb.

Being a mother is a job in itself but being a mother that works, owning a business, taking care of a house, raising two children and being a wife it can be overwhelming at times, but after reading this book it has some really good self help tips. I have known Tim Burns for several years now and he truly is a great person and he has such a warming spirit, that quite frankly is a rare find these days, so if you are looking for a great book with some great self help tips and just a great read, pick up Mid Life Tune Up you will love it as I did.

"Midlife tune-Up" is an honest, straight forward outlook on coping with difficulties on aging and change. As Tim pulls from his own personal life, he is able to target main concerns of both men and women. This is an informative and insightful take on how to manage with what inevitably happens to all of us... age, change and challenge.

Miss Spitfire

Miss Spitfire, by Sarah Miller, is a historical fiction book that talks about the life of Annie Sullivan. Annie Sullivan was Helen Keller's teacher, and this book describes how she taught Helen Keller to communicate, even though she was deaf and blind.
Most people are aware of Helen Keller's story, but overlook the stories about the teacher who made her story so famous. Annie Sullivan was only 20 years old when she arrived in Tuscumbia, Alabama. She went to Ivy Green, the Keller's house, and began to teach their blind and deaf daughter, Helen Keller. At first Helen is very difficult to teach and gets frustrated when no one can understand her. Under the watchful eye of her parents, Helen becomes almost impossible. Finally, Annie Sullivan convinces Mr. And Mrs. Keller to let her take Helen to the little house next door in order to teach her. Helen is stubborn for the first few days, but finally begins to accept Annie. After a while, however, Captain Keller insists that Helen returns to Ivy Green.
Even though Helen can spell, Annie believes it is only mimicry. She wonders if she will ever get Helen to communicate. Hopefully, in the end Helen will realize that words have meanings.
I thought this book was a wonderful story and showed how someone who had never taught before could teach one of the most difficult students. If only it wasn't so short.

Annie Sullivan, Helen Keller's teacher and lifelong friend, tells her own story for middle grade to high school readers in this fictionalized autobiography. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from Sullivan's letters to Sophia Hopkins, a mentor and friend (as well as housemother) from Perkins Institute for the Blind. Annie was sent to serve the Keller family after her own hero journey from Tewksbury orphanage to Perkins, half blind most of the time. While the story will be familiar to anyone who has seen The Miracle Worker with Patty Duke and Ann Bancroft, the details of Sullivan's first teaching job, counter pointed by details from her personal history (sent to the almshouse, the ensuing loss of a brother, her blindness, her trepidation hidden carefully from the Kellers about not being able to help Helen at all) will ring true. The courage and determination of a young woman triumphs in the face of family reluctance and interference which made her efforts to teach Helen Keller the "true meaning" behind the fingerspelled words very difficult. Annie's emphasis on civilized behavior despite disability is remarkable in our own "anything goes" world where comportment has fallen into the world of archaic concepts. The author's afterword is perhaps the heart of the book, telling the story concisely of how 20-year-old Sullivan broke through Helen's shell in a month, and for the next fifty years accompanied her on the incredible journey into the wider world. 11 photographs, an extensive bibliography including books, articles, films and videos plus online resources will help readers continue inquiry if they desire. A two-page chronology of events is also included. The cover includes Braille rendition of the title and subtitle.

While most people have at least heard of Helen Keller, few know much about her teacher, the dedicated and passionate Annie Sullivan. Sarah Miller's MISS SPITFIRE may change that. The novel gives a fictionalized but well-researched narrative, in Annie's own voice, of the first month Annie spent with Helen. Her struggle to reach this wild, blind, and deaf child and overcome the obstacles presented by Helen's family makes a riveting read.

Miller delves deeply into her subject, letting readers in on Annie's early life through memories and flashbacks--of her abusive father, of the horrible years she spent at a state almshouse, and of the better but still difficult years in a school for the blind. Readers will find it easier to sympathize with and relate to her loneliness and longing for affection. It's wonderful to see the parts of her personality that had long been considered flaws--her stubbornness, her fierce temper--become assets in dealing with Helen. More than just a historical figure, in MISS SPITFIRE Annie Sullivan becomes a fully realized human being.

It's clear from the novel that Annie's success didn't come easily. It details every setback and every triumph, no matter how minor, until readers will be racing through the pages waiting to see how she will finally break through to Helen. They may be a little disappointed to discover that the novel ends shortly after that major breakthrough, wishing to read on and continue the journey with Annie. A sequel would certainly be welcome!

MISS SPITFIRE is everything a historical novel should be--richly imagined, true to its period, and providing an engaging story that will feel completely relevant to modern readers.

Reviewed by: Lynn Crow

I love this book! When I first read it, I was reminded of reading the play, The Miracle Worker. Ms. Miller has written a wonderful book for children about Annie Sullivan, the teacher who helped Helen Keller connect to the world. I have shared the book with my students and other teachers. Some of my students have commented that they never knew about Annie Sullivan, and how important she was to Helen's education.

"My heart is singing for joy this morning."
-Anne Sullivan to Sophia Hopkins, March 1887

So begins one of the chapters in Sarah Miller's debut novel Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller, and her quote from Annie Sullivan describes just how I felt when I finished this magical book.

Last spring, I issued an invitation to authors of historical fiction, to send me information about their books for a presentation I'm doing this fall at the New York State Reading Association Conference. I heard from wonderful writers -- some whose works I knew and some who were new to me. But one title REALLY caught my eye: Miss Spitfire by Sarah Miller. First, it got my attention because the titles of our books are so similar(Mine is called SPITFIRE). When I opened it up to start reading, it got my attention in another way -- a sweep-you-away-in-the-story kind of way.

Miss Spitfire: Reaching Helen Keller tells the story of Annie Sullivan, the young woman who battled beliefs of the time and fought with every ounce of energy she had to give Helen Keller the gift of language. Sarah Miller tells the story in Annie's voice -- and tells it with a passion that speaks to the depth of her research and her pure love for this historical figure. Miss Spitfire not only tells the story we see in The Miracle Worker -- the story of Annie's time with Helen -- but also plunges into Annie Sullivan's past, and in doing so, provides a deeper understanding of the commitment and determination that led to her success.

The portrayals of Annie's emotional, psychological, and physical struggles with Helen were so vivid that I found myself reading with my brow furrowed in determined solidarity with Annie as she plunked Helen back into her seat at the dining room table for the tenth time. Truly, Annie had to be a spitfire to survive this monumental challenge when she was little more than a girl herself.

The minor characters in this novel sparkle, too. One of my favorite scenes brought Helen together for a lesson with the Kellers' servant boy Percy. I felt like I was about to burst with pride right along with Annie when Helen began to turn from a student into a teacher, helping Percy with some of the letters. Mr. & Mrs. Keller, too, are painted with a tremendous depth of understanding. It would have been easy to portray Helen's parents as one-dimensional characters who got in the way of Annie's work, but instead, Sarah Miller helps us to see their complexity and feel some of their anguish at having a beautiful, broken child.

Early in the book, Annie tells Helen's mother why her lessons are so vital to Helen.

"Words, Mrs. Keller, words bridge the gap between two minds. Words are a miracle."

Indeed, they are. And Miss Spitfire will have you believing in that miracle all over again.

I read this book from cover to cover and only set it down when I got tired. Each night I would set aside some time to join adam on his adventures growing up playing the harmonica. He talks about love gained and lost and how he first became a harp player, including some of his influences. He has a captivating writing style and brings alot of imagery to his writing. I really felt he poured his soul out onto the page and you really kind of get to know who Adam and Satan are. Not the Prince of Darkness but Sterling "Satan" Magee. The overall story really is about the awkward white boy putting himself out there to play a soulful style of music and how he went through pain and heartache to pay his dues with with his friend and bluesmate, Mr. Satan. I would highly recommend this piece of work by Adam. You should also check out their 3 albums: Harlem Blues, Mother Mojo, and Living on the River.

I could hardly put this book down to perform activities of daily living, let alone going to work. "Mr Adam" has created a masterpiece of American musical literature. Being a blues lover of many years, I was bored to death by the almost clinical approach of most writers on the subject. Not so, Mr. Gussow! He delivers a passionately honest and heart felt memoir filled with wonderfully alive and vibrant individuals, sharing with us the one true American music, the blues.

It is an amazing thing when an artist (in this case, Gussow, a writer/blues harp player) can somehow manage to make their mark despite all the confusion and hard knocks life throws at them- and they sometimes throw at themselves. This is a moving story about a burgeoning blues musician captured with excellent dialogue... Gussow has made his characters come alive and jump off the page the way writers are supposed to.

Not only is it Gussow's personal memoirs of his early years in music, but a riveting biography of one of the most unique and original blues acts in recent years- Satan & Adam. Gussow's accounts of his early music/life mentors (such as the underexposed harpist Nat Riddles) with sincerity and genuine emotion is fascinating. The telling of Mister Satan's story is a valuable contribution to blues history that could well have been lost in obscurity.

There are issues explored in this book that have rarely been expounded upon with any meaningful insight in any musician interview or book I can remember. The passages in the book where Gussow is in the middle of Harlem grappling with the rift and misunderstanding between black and white is especially poignant, particularly from his perspective as a young, white, Princeton educated "bluesman".

Although this book isn't an instructional course on technique or musicianship- for those who aren't aware- Adam Gussow is considered by many blues afficionados to be one of the best harmonica players alive today. So he's paid some dues and he knows what he's talking about.

Adam Gussow had the good fortune, the talent, street smarts and the heartfelt focus to get out there and live it- become an apprentice to a bluesmaster- just like most traditional art is passed down from accomplished teacher to eager student. I admire him for it. Mister Satan's Apprentice is a must read for any struggling musician or blues fan- it just might get you thinking about your own life's journey.

Recently it was my privilege to see author and harmonica player Adam Gussow at my local huge independent bookstore here in the Eastern US. I rarely do commercials, but if you can't catch Adam, you can check out his new novel "Mr. Satan's Apprentice". Adam calls it "a blues memoir", and so it is. The guy is a no-shit, kick-butt, street-smart harp player! FYI, I have fairly high standards in this realm. If you've seen or heard the New York duo "Satan and Adam", you'll know what I mean. The guy is ALSO a juicy and creative, energetic, sexy writer - something I'm also picky about. Princeton Ph.D. candidate - English.

Adam's book describes a journey that a few of us know, but most do not. The musician in you will relate to the tale of the emergence of deep and powerful music from the little instrument - and the romantic in you will throb with the ways the emerging harmonica player and boundary-crosser discovers the things he needs to grow musically and personally - and then sometimes fearlessly, sometimes not, sets out to acquire them. You'll meet his teachers and mentors, and like it or not, you'll see life through the eyes of this seeker of musical and personal connection. You'll go with Adam on the romantic roller coaster as loves come and go - and you'll travel with him to Paris to play in the Metro and on the street; to the American South, and to other places exotic and otherwise - including a hitch with the road company of Broadway show based on Mark Twain's Sawyer and Finn. Later we get into the recording studio with Mr. Gussow and Mr. Satan - the Harlem street mystic and one-man band who becomes Adam's main-man mentor and muse, the Mr. Satan of the book's title. Throughout the book you'll find Adam the street intellectual examining his position as a white man among black men (and black women) in this blues-filled world - an examination in which Mr. Satan plays a key role.

A book for players and lovers - of the spirit of the music, of the street; of the endless forms of beauty and love, as they are found ALL over the place. The author is one who knows, and magically, describes, many of the gut experiences we players know; to my knowledge no one's ever written quite this way about these things before. Like the performing moments, the pulling out of all the everything you've got and then some, when the audience is on it's very EDGE, right there with you; when you are truly and purely the great IT! Blowing and drawing deep, and deeper, and then high and higher; and the room is all whoops and smiles, and all there in your hand. A good player knows these things, and believe me, in a blues band, nobody gets that kind of juice but the harp player.

OK, so maybe you don't know the peak of performance grace and light - but you know your peaks, and Adam's telling can stir it back into view...

Adam Gussow writes of music, romance, conflict, and awakening in an intimately physical and heart- connected way. As a player, I'm rocked. -"Harmonica Jack" Merrylees (JMerrylees@aol.com)

In "Mister Satan's Apprentice," street musician extraordinaire Adam Gussow has left in just about everything, and it's about 40 percent too much; the book would have read far better at a sleek 250 pages. But the good stuff is really good, and the book is well worth reading despite its distractions and digressions. In his early 40s, Gussow is currently a doctoral candidate in Princeton's English department. But thousands know him as the harmonica-wielding half of the "progressive gutbucket blues" duo Satan and Adam -- three-CD recording artists, photogenic subject of any number of newspaper and magazine features, and cameo stars of the U2 movie "Rattle and Hum."

In his autobiography, Gussow gets deep inside blues, and his relationship to it, and manages to successfully translate the music into language. "Blues harmonica played well was a miniature tongued slalom, a tornado swallowed and contained," he tells us, and his words capture every bit of excitement that the grooves and notes have to offer. "Mister Satan's Apprentice" is about much more than the blues, though -- it's a provocative meditation on race from a white man immersed in a traditionally black genre, neighborhood and world. Playing around with his first harmonica, in 1974, Gussow contemplates the subtleties of playing blues. "It had something to do with being a black guy," he muses.

As the protagonist in his narrative, Gussow pales (no pun intended) next to two marvelous characters: his two mentors, Nat Riddles and Sterling "Mister Satan" Magee. Twenty-two years older than his protégé, Mister Satan is as colorful as they come. He's a visual artist and apocalyptic numerologist with a murky music-industry background, and a font of, if not wisdom, then brilliantly idiosyncratic aphorisms and soliloquies. A Harlem fixture when Gussow approaches the guitarist to jam along, he shouts and hollers, runs hot and cold, towers over other men. Mister Satan looms larger than life, but harmonica player Nat Riddles is entirely real, an odd-job taxi driver with a dazzling smile and soulful tone. "He was perpetually on the verge of becoming the blues world's Next Big Thing," Gussow writes. "A young black harp-player with the Sound." Riddles flits in and out of fortune, showing up unexpectedly to astound a New York club, phoning from somewhere in the South, destitute and desperate, surviving gunshot wounds only to eventually succumb to a cruel wasting disease.

It's the music, finally, that counts most -- Gussow gives his story its own soundtrack, one of restlessness and yearning, of his struggle to capture the Sound: "The Sound was Southern-bound, it was cocky, playful, manic, chucking, resentful, edgy, comforting, relentless. It took incredible lip strength and finesse to produce. It was sexual. It was the haunted, restless feeling of a guy's apartment late at night after the woman who used to live there had moved out. It was whatever nasty things she was doing with the other guy-a virile sensitive soulmate-this very minute. It was the best way of beating those visions back into the ghoulish cave they had crawled out of. Working hard at the Sound was a socially acceptable way of sobbing, raging, and primal-screaming from a hot heart while pretending merely to be practicing." A little of this kind of writing goes a long way, and there's an awful lot of it here. Granted, it's a real challenge to maintain a level of excitement in writing about music page after page, particularly about blues, a genre built on the same few chords locked in a repetitious groove. So it's forgivable that Gussow often leans out a little far: "The sidewalk scene dissolved; I was wandering in a garden of earthly delights, hands cupped against the sweet cold fluid air. Every bent note was a pitch-perfect arrow puncturing the gray dusk. You only live now. Blue notes danced and spun, lines endlessly unfolding like so many wrapped gifts laid bare." You have to remind yourself that he's talking about a harmonica, one of the more prosaic of instruments.

For all Gussow's breathless adjectives and action verbs, he's frustratingly vague about the technical aspects of the duo's "huge raw perfect sound." The book's photos show Gussow with effects pedals at his feet, but he makes no mention of them; he doesn't mention the basic information that he plays in "cross harp" style until page 386; Mister Satan's "phase-shifted guitar wash and deafening clatter" is described pretty much only in metaphorical terms, as, for instance, "an endlessly unrolling Persian carpet with gristle and clanks added." Gussow is so good at getting inside his playing that the narrative sags whenever it moves to other topics. A hefty amount of the bloat deals with his failed relationships. We meet mercurial crackhead Robyn and inconstant ex-fat girl Gail, but mostly there's erratic, irritable hyperfeminist Helen. Gussow tells us on page 30 that Helen left him back in 1984, so we're predisposed to dislike her, and we indeed do. "Most men had a girlfriend," he writes. "I had Aphrodite crossed with Kali the Destroyer, She of infinite ravenous limbs." Worse, the book's artfully jumbled narrative, with short sections ordered sort of sequentially on several tracks, dooms us to read about Helen over the entire course of the book. We think we're finally through with her, and then: "1983. Things with Helen had turned out surprisingly well . . ." Enough already!

In the late '80s and early '90s, a period when racial violence kept flaring up in the outer boroughs of New York City, Satan and Adam's young-old, white-black novelty made a splash, but momentum slipped away. "Minor celebrity beckoned, then faded," Gussow writes. And despite the book's vibrant cover photo of the pair, they no longer perform, according to an e-mail Gussow sent me. "[I]t's impossible to keep the act together," he wrote, noting that Mister Satan now lives in south-central Virginia and has no telephone. That's a real shame.

This book is a wonderful, simple, and quick read. Of course the subject matter does get unpleasant, but it's good to know the facts from the perspective of His Holiness at the time that he wrote it in 1962.

The book tells the story which everyone knows: how the Chinese invaded Tibet and the Dalai Lama was forced to feel to India. But this book goes in to detail and as a reader, it was great to finally get the "real" details of that story, again from his perspective. Prior to reading this, I only knew the story based on films and summaries in guide books, etc.

I highly recommend this book, and I would suggest reading this one prior to reading his second autobiography, "Freedom in Exile" from the early 1990's.

Having long been a fan of the Dalai Lama and his other books, I was anxious to read his autobiography. It is an amazing story that he has to tell. We should hope that our world had evolved beyond invasions after World War II, but that proved not to be true when China invaded Tibet and eventually ousted the ruling party in 1959.

Having been previously familiar with the story of the exile of the Dalai Lama to some degree, I was anxious to learn about it in more detail. Truly the people of Tibet are and continue to be victims of China. China crept into Tibet saying only that it would help to modernize the "backwards" people of Tibet. After numerous broken promises the Dalai Lama exited just ahead of the first morter blasts that rocked his palace. China's only real goal was to take possession of the land at any cost.

Few religions place a greater emphasis on peace than the Tibetan form of Buddism. While the author gives readers some of the basic principles of the faith, the language should not be confusing to those not familiar with Buddism. This amazing story, though it ends with the Dalai Lama's arrival in India, is still fresh and eye-opening today.

I enjoyed this narrative, my first experience with the writing of H.H. Dalai Lama. He writes so well. It's clear, descriptive, and engaging from the first sentence to the last. Suitable for all ages, the earlier the better. It has really sparked my interest in this country,, or at least how it once was. It has been almost two generations since this tragedy and I doubt things will ever be the same. Well, at least the chinese have thier railroad at the expense of an entire nation. Oh, but the writing isn't bitter at all. Just me.

I am a college student who has studied China extensively in school. I can speak Chinese and have traveled to China several times and to Tibet once. While I have never agreed with many of the Chinese governments policies in the areas of religion, personal freedom, Tibet, and Taiwan, I think this book could have done more for its cause.

I decided to read this book after I spent 2.5 weeks in Tibet last year while studying in China. Tibet was one of the most fascinating places I have been to and I really wanted to know more about what happened there after China invaded. This book tells the Dalai Lama's story very well. Up until the last 15 pages or so, I really loved the book. However, before closing, the Dalai Lama makes several accusations about Chinese human rights abuses in Tibet (beatings, child abductions and the like) but provides no evidence of their existence.

While I personally feel Tibet was and still is a sovereign country and what China has done is wrong in many ways, the charges made in the last few pages don't belong in this book. While the Dalai Lama's story of his life and last days in Tibet are very powerful, I really think it would have been even better had the those last parting shots been omitted. Charges of human rights abuses such as these are very important and would be better served in a book of their own.

I think most Americans will enjoy this book but not share the same reaction I had to the last few pages. I have studied China for several years now and have heard accusations from both China and the world on countless occasions on a wide range of issues. Maybe this is why I get turned off when I don't see concrete evidence included when someone makes a charge such as the Dalai Lama does at the end of his book. I still think the Dalai Lama is a wonderful man and has an important story to tell, but feel this one could have come across a little better.

Even if you already know the life story of His Holiness, this is a great read. Written in the Dalai Lama's usual clear and forthright style, the story is deeply moving. Recommended for students of both Buddhism and history.

I loved this little book so much. Of course having a golden retriever is what made me purchase the book and it shows what a great love and bond that can form between a Golden Retriever and it's human family. My retriever "Einstein" is a blessing in a beautiful gold fur coat that I just love with all my heart. His precious nose is always at my finger tips when I'm walking around at home and his big beautiful brown eyes are filled with so much love it makes my heart swell. A golden gives so much unconditional love and all they want in return is as much love as the give. This books tells that story over and over again. I never get tired of hearing it.

I felt so honored when asked to provide my Golden story for this book, and when it arrived I let it sit for a few days. I was worried that some of the stories would be sad and open old wounds for me. One day I sat down and read it cover to cover and am a better person for doing so. Author Margo gently nudged each and every one of her authors to speak from their hearts in their own voices and each tale is utterly unique and beautiful. This book pays a fitting homage to the most loving and companionable breed of all time, the Golden Retriever. It is a wonderful testimony to what adopting a rescued Golden can do to enrich the lives of the adopter and adoptee.

My Golden Frosty's story in in Margo's book. I read it first when I bought it, I was so proud. Then I started reading each of the other wonderful stories and was feeling every emotion, from tears to happiness and whatever lies in between. Each and every story brought such emotion to me. There are so many out there who love Goldens so much they devote their lives to them. I am very proud to be included in this wonderful book and to have been owned by such a wonderful dog.

In her book, Margo McHann proves that whatever you put into a dog, you get back with interest! The forward to this book couldn't encapsulate it any better: rescued dogs are not second-hand throw aways! Hopefully this book will convince many people why they should adopt from breed rescue groups.

Kudos to Margo McHann for putting together such a wonderful book, that will tug at the hearts of all Golden Retriever lovers everywhere! This is a must for anyone who loves or has been loved by one of these wonderful dogs. My own little girl is featured in this book and it will forever be a very special book to me! Thanks Margo, for opening the eyes of the world to "Rescue" and what it is all about!

Gillian Zoe Segal's book, New York Characters, is outstanding- the best photography book I've ever seen/read! The photographs featuring prominent New Yorkers are incredible. Each one captures the true essence of the "character" and truly comes to life on the page. The characters are all photographed in their natural environment, and as Segal points out and demonstrates in her book it is New York's characters that make "it the greatest city in the world". In addition to her photographic genius, Segal writes beautifully. The vignettes's about the characters are intersting, informative, humorous, and touching. No coffee table should be without a copy of New York Characters. It makes the perfect holiday gift for New Yorkers as well as out-of-towners because everyone loves or has an interest in New York, right? Furthermore, all of the proceeds of the book sales are going to the September 11th fund. So what could be more gratifying than supporting the city's recovery effort by buying this wonderful book for yourself, for your friends, for your family...? I feel confident in saying that anyone who picks up New York Characters will enjoy it immensely. What will Segal do next? I can't wait....

Gillian Zoe Segal's book, New York Characters, is outstanding- the best photography book I've ever seen/read! The photographs featuring prominent New Yorkers are incredible. Each one captures the true essence of the "character" and truly comes to life on the page. The characters are all photographed in their natural environment, and as Segal points out and demonstrates in her book it is New York's characters that make "it the greatest city in the world". In addition to her photographic genius, Segal writes beautifully. The vignettes's about the characters are intersting, informative, humorous, and touching. No coffee table should be without a copy of New York Characters. It makes the perfect holiday gift for New Yorkers as well as out-of-towners because everyone loves or has an interest in New York, right? Furthermore, all of the proceeds of the book sales are going to the September 11th fund. So what could be more gratifying than supporting the city's recovery effort by buying this wonderful book for yourself, for your friends, for your family...? I feel confident in saying that anyone who picks up New York Characters will enjoy it immensely. What will Segal do next? I can't wait....

I got a copy of this book and the other night three friends and I made a bet as to who had seen the most "characters" in real life. Sad to say I was not the winner but did pretty well with 24 and came in second. Anyway, it's a great book and a kick to get the real stories behind some of the interesting people we see around town. Highly recommended.

If you admire great photography and exquisite prose and feel the slightest attachment (or wish you did) to New York, then Gillian Segal's book is for you. I moved from New York a little over ten years ago and was determined to keep in touch with the city I love. However, it was only a matter of time before I lost touch with what really made New York special: the people's unique personalities. Gillian's book has allowed me to reestablish contact with the city that I still like to call home. Now, when my colleagues in Providence ask me what to do in New York, I no longer provide them with a mundane and outdated list of restaurants and sites. Instead, I refer them to Mrs. Segal's book. I inform them that in its pages is where they can find the real New York. Everything from great food, The Egg Cake Lady, to a wonderful opera on 57th street, performed by Opera Man, to a great jogging partner, the Mayor of the Reservoir (he is featured on the cover) can be found in "New York Characters".

If you are a New Yorker, a former New Yorker, or someone new to the City, you should own this book. The photography is both penetrating and compelling, and the characters featured are truly fascinating. It's like the Zagat of New York people. I hope the author comes to Los Angeles to do a book on characters here (there are plenty)!

This is a romance novel, an "elder lit" romance novel, if such a category existed. Perhaps it should. I applaud older authors (Williams was 92 when he wrote this book), or any authors, for that matter, who treat elders as real people rather than stereotypes and consider them worthy subjects for fiction.

Main characters Morgan and Dixie meet contentiously in an accidental physical collision outside the Whispering Pines senior residence. Morgan, 89, is considering moving to the independent living section, and Dixie, 79, works there part time.

All the usual problems of old age are present: bad previous family relationships, clouded pasts, suspicions, heath and financial issues, loneliness, hopes, plans, disappointments. At 89 and 79, Morgan and Dixie carry much more emotional baggage than most romance novel characters--but fortunately, more spirit and knowledge, much of it experienced-based, as well.

As they tentatively and gradually fall in love, Morgan and Dixie face their challenges together with the eventual help of Morgan's long-lost grandson. Youth and age combine for a positive outlook toward uncertain futures.

My pessimistic side tells me that this book's ending is unrealistic, yet we all can, and should, hope that our dreams will come true if we keep trying. The positive message overshadows doubts.

This skillfully-written book by a former journalist should be required reading for everyone involved in elder caregiving and everyone contemplating the issue of aging. It is honest, informative, and entertaining, a pleasure to read.

The book includes a Reading Group Guide which would seem to make it an excellent choice for Senior--and Boomer--book clubs.

Reviewed by Richard R. Blake for Reader Views (1/08)

Mardo Williams, a career journalist, and award-winning author of "One Last Dance," is a highly effective communicator. His writing demonstrates a clear understanding of the reality of growing older. Williams connects with an audience of intergenerational readers as he gives them an insight into the aging process through a backward glance into the past, a glimpse into the future, and the challenge of the present. Williams delivers a clear message of the importance of family stability. This adds an important additional dimension, beyond the delightful entertainment value, to the book.

Eighty-nine-year-old Morgan was considering moving into Whispering Pines Retirement Center and Nursing Home when he literally bumped into seventy-nine-year-old Dixie, a member of the recreation staff at the center. The elements of romance, mystery, and suspense, all add to the message of hope threaded throughout the story of Morgan and Dixie as they enter a relationship based on economic needs in their later years.

Dixie kept secrets from Morgan regarding her medical background and indebtedness, while checking into rumors of scandal in business and family skeletons from Morgan's past life in Chicago. These two strong-willed people are set in their ways; Dixie and Morgan begin to experience change and growth as they discover a new appreciation for each other as their relationship deepens.

Unresolved emotional issues, financial insecurity, and the fear of the unknown plague Dixie as she struggles to find balance in her work, her faith, and loyalty to her friends. The complications of romance at this stage in life, medical expenses, house maintenance, and the loss of independence, all play a part in the dilemmas faced by Morgan and Dixie.

There is an unexpected plot twist when Tony, Morgan's grandson, is introduced into the story. He comes in with a flurry of vengeance, destruction, mistrust, restitution and rehabilitation.

I enjoyed Williams' use of humor and his descriptive language in developing his characters. These characters take on a life of their own as they convey the emotions of criticism, anger, frustration, love, and empathy for each other.

I highly recommend this book for every senior citizen, and for their children. Williams' writing is strong and reveals a deep understanding of the challenge of growing old in America. Inspirational and entertaining, "One Last Dance" offers the promise and hope of finding companionship, love, and meaning and any age and the challenge of living out your dreams.

Anyone--of any age--contemplating a relationship--of any kind--would benefit greatly from reading this charming, positive, poignant book. It's very close to being a text-book for managing a successful partnership or marriage, or even parenthood. There are a wide variety of life lessons to be garnered from its pages. You don't even have to be of `a certain age' to appreciate the wit and wisdom of the author who was 92 when he began this book!

At 79, Dixie was a very active, involved part-time worker at a retirement home, while Morgan was 89, and had come to that same home to visit a friend in rehab. They literally bumped into each other, leaving remnants of the birthday cake that Dixie was bringing to a friend all over both of them and the sidewalk. Sparks of all kinds flew through the air, some of them verbal.

He was taken by the slender, curvacious blonde with the big blue eyes; she was intrigued by the well-spoken, tall, white-haired gentleman. Before very long, there was another encounter, and another.

These two hardy souls were survivors, and in hardly no time at all, they had decided to survive together. The original plan was for Morgan to rent a room in Dixie's large house, to help pay the expenses, and provide companionship. They became better friends, thinking of maybe more than that, yet they each remained hesitant to share some of the important details in their past--as well as current--lives.

A third person enters their world, causing no little disruption, before bringing even greater happiness to the older couple.

Along the way, they learn important truths about each other and themselves. They learn to appreciate life's little blessings, as well as the bigger ones. They learn to compromise and not anticipate the other's opinions or thoughts. There is a wonderfully happy ending, but not without a bit more trauma along the rocky path to bliss.

The most important truth here is--keep going. Don't just sit and molder. Be active, be involved, you'll be ever so much more alive for the doing.

"One Last Dance" is delightful reading. It has humor, suspense, romance, complexity of character, regrets, yearning and hope. I repeatedly loaned my copy, gave others as gifts to friends and recommended it to everyone. We are all looking ahead or have already achieved the age of the lead characters, Morgan, age 89, and Dixie, age 79. The author's age of 92 when he writes "One Last Dance" is itself an inspiration and more importantly it lends authenticity to the story. The fictional account makes it clear there's more to look forward to but the golden years have as many complexities as those years that preceeded them.

I belong to a book discussion group and have been urging our group to make this one of our monthly selections. Being budget-conscious, though, we have been waiting for a paperback version or good buys on used books. I wasn't able to find the book in our local library, but a friend checked it out for me from the Columbus library.
What a delightful read this book was! I am a slow reader, wanting to picture everything in my mind before moving on. The book has lots of conversation, making it easy to read quickly. The storyline keeps one interested so I found myself not wanting to stop reading to eat or to do anything else. I finished it in a little over one day even though it is 419 pages long.
The book gives us characters who have their faults but are good at the core of their being. We share in their worries and in their triumphs over those worries. We learn the innermost thoughts of the characters, making them feel like our dear friends. We get a glimpse of what it will feel like to be 79 or 89 years old.
What a talented family the Williamses must be! The great writing and editing skills of the father and the two daughters are apparent in the product they have given us readers. How I would love to talk with those two daughters!

I own this book as well and in reading it to my grandaugther it brought memories of when I was young as well as seeing the excitement in her eyes. You have to read this aloud and it was truly a great experience for her. She always want to hear a story. I do believe we have to keep the stories alive in our children, the tones, the simplicity of life....a history.

I first heard of this book when I was in 5th grade (about 10-11 yrs. old)...I'm 28 now. My African-American teacher would read us stories from it. I remember enjoying the stories so much that I bought this book for my son about 2 yrs. ago. My son is almost 3 now & while he can't read yet, I know he will enjoy the stories as much as I have. This book comes with a CD & is narrated by the author & James Earl Jones...the narration was well done. I listened to the CD & I felt as if I had gone back in time. The narrators are so vivid & they really get your attention. The CD is definitely a plus & the book was well written. I really like that the stories have morals & life lessons that we can learn from. I recommend buying this version of the book because it comes with the CD. I also recommend this book for children 9 & up. This book would be a great addition to anyone's book collection. I hope my review is helpful.

I read this book when I was in elementary school and fell in love with it. Virginia Hamilton really captures the essence of West African story telling and transfers that essence into American form. As an educator and historian, the lessons in this book has stayed with me for well over 18 yrs and I suspect the lessons will remain with me forever. I recommend that this book is on the shelves of every African American family.

As a storyteller and folklorist/historian, it saddens me that so few children today know anything about the joys of hearing a good tale from a wise elder. In Black America in particular, generations of children (including my father, thank God) had the wonderful tales of Brer Rabbit, Little 8 John, Raw head & Bloody Bones, Wiley & The Hairy Man, and the People Who Could Fly (title story) told to them as today's children are familiar with Kim Possible and the Proud Family.

I bought this for my beloved niece when she was eight and pretty soon, she began entertaining the children of the neighborhood with these tales just as I did after listening to my dad and I still do during storytelling gigs today.

Virginia Hamilton (RIP) did a masterful work in leaving this beautiful legacy to a generation where it is fast disappearing. She does a good job in interpreting the likes of Wiley the Hairy man, Raw Head and Bloody Bones (the PC crowd occasionally complains about this being too scary for kids as well as Brer Rabbit-let these crybaby fools go ahead with that sickening Barney the Dinosaur and the care bears). The edition that I bought for my neice was before the CD with Miss Hamilton and voicemaster James Earl Jones came out, but I have younger neices and nephews (and hopefully my own children in the future) that I will certainly look out for this for.

Another reason why this collection is in such need is that often, African-American parents (rightfully) complain about the lack of wholesome entertainment for their children in particular. Unfortunately, most parents of today were not exposed to these stories as I was and this often leads to well-intentioned but foolish recent activities such as the NAACP here in Charleston (SC) complaining about the lack of Black Santa Clauses in the local malls. As Miss Hamilton and those of us raised in the folklore tradition know, we have enough good things of our own culture to pass down to children than to worry of the color of Santa Claus.

Buy this, reconnect with your children, and enjoy.

This book is a trifecta:

1. You get to hear the author read her own writing. If you want to hear Virginia Hamilton and James Earl Jones adding their own special lyrical beauty to the reading of these stories, then purchase this version. Considering that Ms. Hamilton died in 2002, this CD is a must have.

I think it is important for children to hear the author reading their own work. So if you can't get to a book reading by the author, this is the next best thing. And you get to hear it over and over again.

2. The illustrations are magical, delicate, and powerful. Every child (but especially black and white) in this nation should hear the stories in this book. Before they know color issues, they should get to know the beauty and dignity of brown skin. To hear the dignity, power, and humanity of their own heritage or that of someone elses, before a world of anger taints them.

3. At the end of each story is a brief history of the story: it's origin, and variations, and other facts that help the story to become more real and personal, especially for a child who wants to know more about their heritage. This will inspire them to ask questions and (if they're older) do research as it caused me to do.

My favorite article in this book is about all the "bootleg" '57 Chevys sold in used car lots across the USA. Never found any other article/evidence to coroborate this story--truth or urban myth?

Don't know--but tons of articles with nuggets like this poulate this hefty volume--like others here, you'll be reading & re-reading it for years to come....

This superbly readable almanac has loads of interesting tidbits and narratives, and is as relevant today as when it arrived in the mid-1970's. The authors look at such varied topics as world events, history, science, politics, U.S. Presidents, psychic predictions, religion, authors, sex, inventions, etc. Whatever your taste, there is almost certain to be many things of interest to you in this readable and informative book. The authors also have a properly skeptical view of politicians, politics, and propaganda. You can pick this book up for a couple minutes or for several hours, read it in one long sitting, or use it constantly and briefly as a source of reference. The book should be of keen interest to trivia buffs, and though slightly dated, is very much worth having even in this day of internet information.

The father/son author team of Irving Wallace (1916-1990) and David Wallechinsky wrote easy prose that proved very popular with readers. They followed up this winning 1975 effort with PEOPLE'S ALMANAC Volume 2, plus THE BOOK OF LISTS and THE INTIMATE SEX LIVES OF FAMOUS PEOPLE.

My parents gave me the money for this book when I was in junior high school. I lost it but found another at a used bookstore in Chicago. I still have that copy and refer to it quite often. The epitaphs are my favorite: ("Here lies Lester Moore/four slugs from a .44/No Les/No Moore." or "Here lies Ann Mann/who lived an old maid/but died an Old Mann.") We need a new version to tell us about all that happened in the last 25 years!

When I was 21, I was hit by a car against a building and suffered a mild stroke because of the accident. After my initial recovery, I was not able to read anything longer than a short newspaper story. . .I just couldn't concentrate long enough to retain anything. A dear friend brought me a copy of The People's Almanac. I thought, "Great. . .just what I need. . some book to tell me when the sun will rise and set." What I got was a valuable treasure! I was able to read, comprehend and RETAIN these wonderful articles about EVERYTHING UNDER THE SUN! To make a long story short (TOO LATE). . .the information and interest I cultivated from reading this book and the ones that followed help to make me a JEOPARDY! champion in 1989! Thank you, Wallace FAMILY!

This book is a treasure for the predictions alone. They lead off the book in chapter one "the other side of the looking glass: predictions of present-day psychics". It also has predictions by psychics of the past and modern day scientists. Notables include the Berkeley Psychic Institute, Nostradamus, Leo Tolstoi, Daniel Bell-Sociology prof at harvard, Arthur C. Clarke, Paul Ehrlich of Stanford who wrote the population bomb, Orville Freeman- former secty of Agriculture, Herman Kahn- the 300 pound economist, Margaret Mead, McGeorge Bundy, and Roger Revelle: Dean of research at the Univ. of Calif. and Al Gore's original mentor on the environment. The rest of the book is chock full of interesting tidbits. The self-purported difference between this Almanac and others is that this one avers that it gives you facts with truth and honesty. That is to say it avoids special-interest propaganda and government double-talk. The authors present it as a reference book that tries to be entertaining while giving the reader in-depth material on selected topics rather than endless, dry, bare-bones dates and figures on all subjects. Buy it and be the judge. This is a collector's item for all aging hippies from the Age of Acquarius.

I had my daughter write a little "book report" about The Pickpocket's Tale after she devoured it during our family vacation this summer. In part, she wrote "I liked the book because it was realistic and was full of suspense. I also liked that the author used Thieve's cant and a real time & place."

Karen Schwabach's A PICKPOCKET'S TALE tells of a tough ten-year-old pickpocket in 1730s London who becomes an indentured servant to a Jewish family in New York City. Banished to America, Molly only wants to go home, even though her employers are good to her. History comes to life in a survey of their family's changes.

In 1730, ten-year-old Molly is a pickpocket on the London streets who is caught and sentenced to be banished to America. While waiting in prison for the trip to America, two gentlemen come to her cell and tell her that she is a "daughter of Israel" and when she gets to America she will be indentured to a Jewish family. Her mother died of smallpox when she was 7, and she has little memory of her heritage. Upon her arrival to America, the Bell family purchases her as an indentured servant until her 21st birthday. The family is very good to her, even teaching her to read, but Molly is determined to get back to the London she knows. Molly grudgingly learns about compassion, family, and the real meaning of freedom through her contact with an abused African slave. Some characters speak an old London dialect called Flash or Flash-cant, a secret language that thieves invented so they could hide what they are saying. There is a glossary at the end with the definitions of the words used in the book. Children should particularly enjoy this aspect of the book. This is an engaging novel for young readers with historically accurate information about life in London and New York that is presented with all its complexity. It is particularly useful as an excellent introduction to the life of the Jews in New York at that time, and includes a map of New York in the 1730's. This book was the winner of the manuscript award of the Association of Jewish Libraries. Ages 8 - 12. Reviewed by Barbara Silverman

Ever since Karen told me that this book was comming out I have been waiting for the day I could buy it. This book is wonderful! The historical detail is great. From the expression of Jewish culture, to the use of 'Flash' talk, to the straightfoward way she presents the life of the poor in London Karen has done an excellent job. This is one that you will not want to put down I read it the day that I recieved it. You will fall in love with Molly and her story.

In 1730, Molly is a ten-year-old orphan who is convicted of pick-pocketing in London and deported to America. Even though her mother was Jewish, Molly is unfamiliar with Jewish customs and rituals. When a Jewish family in the new settlement of New York purchases Molly to be their indentured servant, she learns to follow and respect the Jewish traditions as well as the more civilized lifestyle of a "nib cull." She also learns about the importance of family, forgiveness, and faith. Karen Schwabach's rich descriptions of the food, clothing, living conditions, and scenery are impressive. Her use of the London dialect Flash-cant, used by pickpockets, while adding authenticity and flavor, weighs down the dialogue at times and may frustrate some readers. However, the unique plot, multi-dimensional characters, suspense, and excitement will make this meticulously researched novel a favorite among historical fiction fans. A map of the city of New York and an author's note providing historical background is appended along with a glossary of Flash-cant words and phrases. A great choice for a book club discussion and a fantastic tie-in for students learning about early-American history - highly recommended!