New Jersey Books

This is a nice personal interest read about a well to do Armenian family living in northern New Jersey. What makes it different is the undertone of a family tragedy suffered in faraway Armenia during 1915. During that time, the Young Turks of the Ottoman Empire sought to kill or dispossess 1.5 million Armenians of their lives and property. The author's grandparents suffered enormously and their parents and siblings died through the most brutal methods. When the Balakian was growing up, there was always something under the surface of their family. The author's parents did not educate how their family suffered during this time. When the author does a term paper on Turkey for his high school class and gets an A, his father is angered on the subject he selected.

The one thing that stands out in this memoir is that the Turks still deny they did anything wrong. A recent amendment in the U.S. Senate was defeated due to Turkish pressure to label this a genocide. This despite the fact that this happened over 90 years ago. Somehow the Turkish people and nation chooses to not assume guilt on one of the first mass murders in the world's history.

The book gets off to a slow start with several chapters on Balakian's grandmother. Some of the writings suggest mystical happenings like the black dog and blue lady. After that the author focuses in on his family and the tragedy of Armenia. One thing that I think the author got wrong is when the Young Turks assumed command of the Ottoman government. Two Sultans ruled from 1908 till 1920. They were figureheads to the Young Turk government. Other than that, an interesting read.

A very good, well written story of the author's discovery of his own Armenian roots and the genocide of 1915 of which his grandmother was a survivor. It also is about one half of an autobiography, detailing the author's upbringing in suburban New Jersey.

The first three parts of the book are subtitled Grandmother, Mother, Farther. I feel the book should have jumped into the Armenian part of the story much faster. A better course might have been to make the leap from Grandmother to the old country and then fill in the backstory of the author's upbrining in New Jersey.

According to the dusk jacket, the author was born in 1951, as was I, so I can testify to the veracity of his account of those times.

Much of sections set in Turkey during the time of the Armenian genocide are given over the official documents about the event, as if the author were uncertain his own word would be enough to convince the audience. Given the Turkish government's commitment to denial on this issue, I suppose that is understandable.

I just finished reading this book. It tells the story of a boy growing up in the 1950s who along with his Armenian grandmother who shared a love of the NY Yankees growing up in New Jersey. It also tells the trauma of the past telling the story about some of his family members killed by the Turkish government in 1915. It is well written and I loved the story. It's a really good book if you want a good read. It was both happy and sad. It also brought back a lot of memories of a bygone era. I liked it a lot.

The story of the author's grandmother is the same as the story my grandmother told me. Yes, her entire family was killed by the Turks. As a small child, I attended the Armenain school where all of us would compare stories as to how our grandparents survived the death marches. It is a very nice story that tells about history, a history that is kept hidden for many political reasons. Until the world fully ackhowledges what happened to the Armenians, and punishes the Turks, many more genocides and attorcities will take place. After all, if the Turks can get away with the torture, killing, rapes, and genocide (while countries such as the United States let them get away with it), then other similar regimes will committ similar attorcities.
I storngly recommend this book.

Peter Balakian's book, "Black Dog of Fate," tries to be too many things
and sadly fails at many of them. In essence, it is an attempt to tell a
sort of Armenian-American story which I find not overly interesting or
compelling. I wish the author had done a bit more in-depth work to learn
about his people and their rich heritage before embarking to represent it
or explain it or share it with non-Armenians, for he has much more to absorb
and understand himself first. I find the Armenianness in this book to be
tentative, unengaged and unconvincing. Pity, since the author seems to
have a lot of passion in his pursuit of other aspects of his life such as
football, the Yankees, modern poetry, and exposing Turkish attempts to
buy (among others) Princeton professors to act as mouthpieces giving
legitimacy to their vile historical revisionism, practiced by the
"modern" Turkish state and its organs.

It seems to be all the rage these days to elevate personal histories and
family testimonials into the realm of fiction and novels. The "I" and "we"
and "us" occupy center stage and the reader is invited to enjoy the
intimacy that must surely be in place via this artifice. But is it realy?
Since in order to make this legitimate, the writer must distance himself,
at least initially, from all this old world exotica, and like the reader,
question their validity or relevance in present day North American
society. What are all these old world, old fashioned ghosts and traditions?,
is the first cry of writer and reader alike, only, ofcourse, to be followed
by a sharp bank turn where the writer steers the satisfied and in-place
reader towards the opposite viewpoint wherein *this* culture and *this*
lifestyle become suspect in light of some tentative spotting of cultural
wealth that has been traded in or abandoned in order to swim swiftly towards
materialistic, memory-free, self-redefining, "comfort" seeking and buying
mores.

In the Balakian tale, one encounters suburbia instead of substance,
worldly goods acquisition instead of deep roots that steady the soul,
immediate family and relatives running away from their true identities either
towards surrealism, the abstract and unemotional, or else towards medicine,
respectability and detachment. Young Balakian observes but never
understands "the grandmother" for she is shielded culturally from being
able to reach him by her very offsprings who can not and will not instill
the Armenian identity he will eventually seek but never quite find. Their
crime is self-denial and a march to the tune of America's mixmaster
piper. "Be unlike your past and your future will be brighter," seems to be
what America promises, at the very least. The intermediate generation listens
and adopts this credo and Peter is left to find out but never quite
understand just what cost his ancestors have paid to remain Armenian and
to preserve our culture before the final denials on New Jersey pateos while
enjoying, as if to serve sweet irony, full course Armenian meals and the
mixing aromas of delicacies from the old country every Sunday.

Peter is lost alright, but as the book sadly shows, he remains lost.
Paraphrasing or quoting Ambassador Morgenthau does not an Armenian genocide
expert make. Personal family testimonials of the Turkish atrocities does
not a genocide history make (For that, read Vahakn Dadrian's "The History
of the Armenian Genocide" Berghahn Books, 1995). Episodic accounts can be
dismissed by the Turks as hear-say and as mere isolated incidents, leading
to more harm than good (for if better evidence existed, the arguement
goes, why would anyone resort to such flimsy fare?). For the story to have
worked, for the story to have *really* worked, as I would have liked it to,
Balakian's life and lifestyle would have had to have changed
significantly and his child rearing practices would have had to reflect
it, and his relationship with his wife who, like him, is not leading a strongly
Armenian existence, would have had to have changed, solidifying his roots,
celebrating his new found identity, and nurturing the metamorphosis by
sustained community involvment and grass roots movement participation
which, alas, never appear on the pages of this book. How else to explain
the lack of a turning around of the tide of assimilation to which Balakian
is a grand personal witness, except that the transition has not occured?
The ship of Armenianness sails by Balakian. He is finally aware enough to
be able to identify the ship and wave it goodbye and write about it, but
not resolved enough to climb aboard. That is how the book fails and that is
how his story fails. This is a story of assimilation and loss with a bit of
mid stream self awareness thrown in. For a real story of an Armenian
finding his roots and letting them take root in his own life and future,
read Mark Arax's book, "In my Father's Name (Simon & Schuster, 1996),"
where the transition is real and the early youth of disaffection is
replaced by a profound adoption of our essence revealed in exquisite
frankness and power by Mark Arax. One can only hope that Balakian's
partial reorientation towards our culture and traditions and essence will
somehow continue and that some day he will wish to live with a more meaningful
attachment to our cause and needs than merely as an able observer (not
withstanding his laudible actions as an April 24th -- Armenian genocide
commemoration speaker and an exposer of Turkish infiltration in the US
academic arena by buying spokesmen turned professors who mascarade as
unbiased researchers). This criticism I direct to the predecessor of this
genre of American Armenian writing first and to Balakian second. I speak
here of "passage to Ararat" by Michael Arlen (Hungry Mind republication,
1996) where a disinterested soit-disant Armenian goes to Armenia in the
70's and by the end of the short trip is somewhat more closely touched by
this strange people's woes and dreams. Too little, too late, and always
detached, is all I can say to these meagre displays of ethnic or cultural
reorientation. Much more needs to be absorbed before the essence is
transmitted to future generations to take and behold.

However, I remain hopeful that future transformatory stories and ethnic
identity survival stories *will be* written which will show that the tide
of assimilation and cultural abandonment are not the only outcome of this
experiment of transplanting peoples and cultures to this continent we
proudly call our home.

I personally didn't mind the interpretation of a white man (Neidhart) translating Black Elk's legendary stories into a published work of art. The book was a very easy read and insinuated deep emotion and spiritual awareness. I higly recommend this book to anyone who has the slightest interest in Indian culture and tense relations between Indians and Cowboys (Federal Government)

Both Thomas E.Mails and John Niehardt have brought to life the true nature of the Native American in their masterly renditions of their interviews with these Medicine (Holy) men, both Fools Crow and Black Elk. The result is an understanding of the simple honesty, good nature and trust that initially left them so open to exploitation. More importantly, they demonstrated a sincere belief in God that the 'White Man' was singularly lacking in the early pioneers. Their beliefs ran parallel with the Primitive Church as established by Jesus during his ministry in the Middle Ages.Fools Crow

This is an exceptionally moving book for anyone yearning to know more about Native American spirituality. Black Elk was truly a man filled with the holy spirit. It reminds me of the book, Walking the Trail, One Man's Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears. Both are highly recommended.

It says on the jacket of this book that Black Elk Speaks belongs in the company of 'religious classics'. Maybe so, but even if you regard his visions as indicative of a religious experience, the parts of the book dedicated to the description of these visions make for rather tedious reading. The real meat of the book is his decriptions of the last of the major indian battles at Rosebud, Little Big Horn (Custer's Last Stand), and Wounded Knee. Black Elk and his friends were there, and lived through those harrowing days. A must-read book for anyone who wants to know how it really was.

_Over the years I have read this book in the wilderness and in the wasteland. Every time that I have reread it I have come away renewed.

_There are just so many levels on which this account can be appreciated. It is one of the best first-hand accounts of plains life- from camp life, to the march, the hunt, courting, healing, etc. It is also one of the best first-hand accounts of historical events- the Fetterman Fight, the Wagon box Fight, Red Cloud's Treaty, the Custer Fight, Wounded Knee... It is also a first-rate autobiography of the deepest thoughts of a man who fears that he may not have lived up to his God-given destiny. But, above all, it is a legitimate Revelation from the world beyond.

_At times Black Elk seems to despair that he didn't live up to his great vision. Personally, I do not see this. He did what he was supposed to do. First, he brought his vision to his people in the form of the magnificent Horse Dance. Then, in his twilight years, he wisely brought the same vision to the outside world in the form of this book. This was too powerful and universal a vision to be confined to one people alone. Every part of it resonates with the Perennial Philosophy, the eternal religion that underlies all true Tradition- from the World Tree at the center of the people's hoop, to the certain knowledge that the things of this world are but a shadow of the true Reality of the next.

_As far as the sacred herb of four blossoms is concerned that he saw at the end of the forth ascent- that was the rebirth of the sacred tree from sacred seed. This book is that seed.

The "definitive" history of the New Jersey shark attacks of 1916. And we get that in the first three chapters.

And then we get endless speculation about what kind of shark or
sharks did the attacking, why it happened, other shark attacks world wide, and author nit-picking with other shark experts opinions -- repetitive and long-lasting stuff.

All in all, a good first draft effort. An editor would have had the author revise and restructure, cut the anecdotes, most of the speculation, and about a hundred pages, add some useful maps to show the scenes of action, and it really could have been something.

I really enjoyed this book. Although it will keep me out of the oceans and creeks forever! It was very interesting, and packed full of information. A+

being from the area of the attacks and actually just went to the second annual sharkfest in Matawan yesterday, this book really bring the events of 1916 to life. Mr. Fernicola vividly brings you back to the times of the attacks to give you a great feel of what transpired in those fateful 12 days. A great book for anybody interested in sharks and of history in general, especially of the Jesrey Shore.

I got to tell you i am not a big history fan but this book puts one of my favorite animals into the perspective (the shark). This book closely defined the attacks during July 1st and the 12th in 1916 that happened on New Jersey's shore line.
This book reads like a novel with plenty of historical facts and scientific learning. The author, Mr. Fernicola has put a lot of structure into this book.
A must read for anyone who has been fascinated with sharks or the history of New Jersey.
The New Jersey Man-Eater makes the New Jersey Devil run and hide.

I was both impressed and bored with this book at the same time. The story of the 1916 attacks was captivating and well written. I enjoy non-fiction and the first 100 pages did not disappoint. I admire and respect all the research and details, but do not care for that type of reading. Much of the book, especially the second half, was about the physiology of shark species as they relate to these attacks and others. I guess I was expecting more of the drama and excitement and less of the science and research. I certainly respect the author's expertise and this may be the most comprehensive study of the 1916 attacks (although it's the only one I've read, so don't hold me to that).

Well could be fancy and say its a post modernist novel with a form that counters the tyranny of the outdated narrative and naturalist tradition. Its plot: son at father's failed execution; father enrolled in the State's lotto prisoner execution programme, son writes a screenplay is merely a rack for lots of streams of conciousness/montage pieces.

I love books that break with conventions but when they engage me and not being just fun for the writer. I loved 253 or The Saddlebag for example. This is supposed to be his most novel like book but it reads like he lacks the discipline to write for the reader. Or at least not the sober drug free reader...it must be a profound read if stoned

This must be the best of Leyner's books, but it's still a difficult read. It's like drinking down a jug a Frank's Red Hot Sauce, and I don't think I'd wanna meet anyone who read it in one sitting. (Surely you've seen such people on the cop shows.) Getting through the novel was especially difficult for me, as I had placed a large C-clamp on my head while reading, and with each mention of anything morbid or lewd, I'd tighten the clamp a half turn. The purpose of such an exercise was to reshape my cranium to match the Brainiac forehead of Mr. Leyner. Only a dedicated votary of his work would do such a thing, although Caryl Chessman might've done so too had he lived to read Leyner.

"The Tehterballs of Bougainville" while far from your standard fiction novel is still Mark Leyner's most accessable book and most plot driven.

The narrative is, as usual with Leyner, taut with jackhammer style bursts of narrative. Leyner dispenses with detail and spends his time creating vivid, drug-like situations.

A execution goes wrong and the person to be executed is given a letter explaining he will be killed at a later date of the state's choosing without his knowledge, it may be while he's eating, etc.
The young protagonist gets it on with the female warden in a drug stupored sex scene.
The young protagonist is constantly interrupting procedings to take calls from his agent.

These are Mark Leyner themes. They crop up in all his work but here he manages to keep the narrative together and still deliver on the super-charged writing style that at once reads like a travel poster and a crazed rant.

Read the excerpts to see if this appeals to you. Leyner has some readers that dismiss him as fast food, faux literature. You may be one of these people, or you may appreciate the style which some newer authors have taken note of or have been influenced by.

Read Leyner and then read Chuck Palahniuk. Palahniuk is still a dense, fast read but seems languid compared to Leyner. Intentional or not these authors remind me of one another for their terse prose and cutural obsessions. Leyner tends to stick to seemingly lighter subjects but in fact makes the same points with the use of broader comedy and absurdism.

A fun, quick read that can be enjoyed more than once.

This is one of those books that if you get it, you love it, but if you don't get it you're in for 300 pages of extreme pain. You need some sort of touch on the pulse of pop culture for one thing and you need some sort of touch on the pulse of what it's like to be a young teenage male. With those two tools you are ready for the greatest ride in all of literature.

The jokes actually rarely fall flat, which is amazing considering there are like 25 on every page. The book is hysterical from start to finish, the ending of the book is absolutly perfect. And leyner definalty succeeded in making it seem like I was the main charector. Forget Holden Caufield, I was Mark Leyner.

I laughed so hard I almost puked--many times. I don't know how else to describe his writing, because I've never encountered anything like it anywhere. It's the best anti-depressant I can think of.

I wish I had read this beautful book in 2000 when it first came out! I suppose it wasn't meant too be till now! I can't even explain the feelings you brought to the surface of all the 70's and 80 knowledge and the unsure steps we took. NEVER have I felt the pain and Love of each person in a book. You are amazing! Also read "The Odd Sea" Outstanding!
What I wouldn't give to meet you and just say THANK"S!!!!! Please fellow readers trust me on this .. you will Fall In Love all over again! I Hope you will write another book,,, I will be first on line!
Thank you..
Colleen

I grew up in New Jersey just a couple of years behind Reiken's character, who is the same age as my brother, and the detail that's gracefully snuck in between dialogue is dead-on. I read this book when visiting family in NJ. Every now and then I'd ask, Mom, is there a Conservative synagogue on Northlight? the answer would always be yes. Reiken really knows his territory well, and captures the packed-in, yet desolate, feeling the New Jersey suburbs can hold for teenagers. He even understands the appeal Springsteen's working-class lyrics held for middle-class Jewsih suburbanites. I also love the matter-of-fact way ethnicity is treated, which also rings very true to my experience.

This book flies by almost too fast to catch all the confusion, pain and hope in the life of the main character, whose parents' marriage has ended bitterly, and who has a tenuous relationship with the fast yet sensitive girl next door.

It's to Reiken's credit that the characters all maintain some of the mystery of real people-- his mother, for example, has always been mentally unstable-- without resorting to authorial tricks. Reiken follows the dictum "show, don't tell"-- so although the narrator is unusually perceptive, we don't have to read long passages of explanation. Instead, a detailed description of seeing his father with his best friend's mother, at a Bar Mitzvah party, sears itself into the brain as it does the main character's. Reiken doesn't take sides-- everyone in the book has dignity and interest. A stand-out episode was when the boy and friends get lost trying to get home from the Meadowlands. Somehow this episode, which combined bravado, innocence, vulnerability and gratitude, sums up the experience of being a teenager-- going through transitions-- in a transitional time.

THE LOST LEGENDS OF NEW JERSEY

The Rubin and Berkowitz families are neighbors who vacation together on the Jersey shore. The families are close, especially the boys, Jay and Anthony. Life is good until two of their parents get involved and have an affair. This changes everything and everybody in both families.

Our focus is Anthony Rubin. His mom, Jess, cannot deal with the infidelity and/or most of life, and takes off for Florida, leaving her daughter, Dani, Anthony, and his dad to fend for themselves. Anthony's dad is a doctor, so the kids pretty much are on their own for their teen-age years.

The members of the Rubin family are the main characters in this book. What great characters they are! Michael, the dad, is trying to hold a demanding job as a doctor. Dani is without her mom and doing the best she can going to school, trying to get into college. However, Dani is a strong woman and takes care of her dad and brother, Anthony. Anthony is very vulnerable. He plays hockey in high school and is trying hard to fit in. Enter Juliette, his next door neighbor. Anthony has admired her from afar for years; finally, they start to hang out together.

People in this small New Jersey town are very leary and afraid of Juliette's parents -- her dad is a small time hood, heavily in debt to loan sharks who repeatedly beat the crap out of him. Her mom is considered to be a bit odd and people avoid her. When tradgey strikes this family, Juliette is drawn to Anthony. One catch -- Juliette is going with Tommy, who is a total jerk, who gets his kicks beating up on anyone who looks at him sideways. So, Juliette starts to sneak seeing Anthony.

Anthony and Juliette become a "couple" -- sort of. They need each other, but Juliette is numb to emotion, yet manages to care for Anthony.

The book takes us through the years as Dani, Anthony,and Juliette go through school, college, young adult-hood. They go through the ups and downs of life, along with family members and those trials and tribulations.

There are some flashbacks into the lives of Anthony's parents. All of this ties nicely into a good book, one that I would recommend. You should also read THE ODD SEA. That was also a good book.

Happy reading!

Thank you -- Pam

This is one of my favorite novels. I went to school in New Jersey and Reiken does an excellent job of capturing the local flavor while telling layers of coming-of-age stories. A real treat!

Wonderful! Wonderful!! Wonderful!! I grew up in New Jersey and to see towns, places, streets and other things mentioned within the story brought the whole book and story alive!!! A great book and a wonderful story, Three days and I was done ready it! That says alot for me!! Hope to see many more works from this young man. There is so much to write about the people of this wonderful state. The family life is boundless. Each generation and each family has a story!!!

A painful narrator, a cardboard hero and a ridiculous set-up are the reasons to jump to the end. The ending is no surprise. But the characters are absurd. Don't waste your time.

Chris Grabenstein's series of mysteries set at the Jersey Shore is a great fun collection. The narrator's relaxed style creates a special insight into the hero (the narrator's police partner). I enjoyed this series so much, I bought it for my local library.

....to summers spent at the Jersey Shore. Or the Maryland or Delaware Shores. Maybe Sea Haven is a universal Shore town, but those are the areas I'm familiar with from long ago summers and the positioning of the mystery was half the fun for me. I expected some crime or military "experts" to be in here complaining about accuracy, which I know little about. It felt like it was inaccurate, but that doesn't bother me unless I'm trying to read a review that picks apart every detail. I listened to the downloadable audio version and the narrator, Jeff Woodman is really great, although I didn't think so at first. Danny is our narrating character, but the dialog covers many voices and Woodman uses a Sgt Joe Friday ("Just the facts, ma'am") voice for John Ceepak that was jarring at first but is absolutely perfect after you get used to it. Many of the characters were overdrawn small town stereotypes, but I don't mean that as a criticism. They belonged there. I wanted to kill the mayor, or at least lock him up for his constant "Have a sunny, funderful day!!!" and his "keep the tourists happy at all costs" attitude. He's perfect. I immediately got and listened to the next two books, and am wondering how I'll wait until Summer 2008 for the next installment.

Tilt A Whirl is Grabenstein's first book featuring police officer John Ceepak and his partner, part-time Summer cop Danny Boyle. The two of them work in the small New Jersey resort town of Sea Haven. While eating breakfast one morning, they see a girl standing in the street covered in blood. Her wealthy father has been fatally shot while sitting on the Tilt A Whirl at the amusement park. Ceepak, who has recently returned from the war in Iraq, has a soft spot for children in need and vows to protect the girl and find her father's killer.

I must confess that I read Gravenstein's second book (Whack A Mole) in this series first and came back to read this one. Tilt A Whirl shows how Ceepak came to Sea Haven and sets up the hero/sidekick relationship between Ceepak and Danny Boyle. The story is told from Boyle's point of view and he sees Ceepak as somewhat larger than life. Compared to Ceepak, Danny looks like a screw-up. Grabenstein does a great job of describing Danny as a young man who grew up at the beach and still hangs out there with his friends - a young man without ambition until he meets Ceepak. And when he believes that his hero has done something wrong, Grabenstein writes of his disappointment simply but powerfully.

I tend to dislike books in which children are victims. I think authors often use children gratuitously for extra shock value. But Grabenstein doesn't run rampant here. He has incorporated Ceepak's special need to help children into his character background and makes it believable. Ceepak is a character who has been through the emotional wringer and is doing the best he can to solve the problems put in front of him, in accordance with his personal code of conduct.

I have enjoyed both of Grabenstein's books and am looking forward to the next one, Mad Mouse. If you are interested in reading them, start with Tilt A Whirl. It is a little bit more serious than Whack A Mole (in which Grabenstein's history in comedy is a little more apparent) but give you good background information. There are also some events mentioned in Whack A Mole that happen in Tilt A Whirl and you will understand the references if you read the books in order.

Favorite character? Danny Boyle. Did I guess it? Yes. Will I read another? Definitely.

Danny Boyle, part-time cop for the Sea Haven, New Jersey police department, has been partnered for the summer with John Ceepak, former military policeman in Iraq. Danny is bemused by Ceepak, a man of integrity and principles, who lives by what Danny calls the Code, meaning he does not break the law or bend rules in any way. Reginald Hart, a billionaire businessman, is shot at point blank while talking to his daughter on the Turtle Tilt a Whirl in their small town's amusement park. Since Danny and Ceepak are first on the scene, their police chief designates Ceepak to head the investigation into Hart's murder. Hart's ex-wife is quickly ruled out and the investigators are looking in the direction of Latino gang members. But when a homeless drug addict called Squeegee kidnaps Hart's daughter and demands ransom, they're hot on his trail.

Tilt a Whirl is the first in a new series by Chris Grabenstein, and if this is any indication of future stories, the series is sure to be a hit. Written in a witty style, with characters that demand inclusion in future books, this twisting, turning mystery will keep the reader thoroughly entertained.

This is a very good inspirational book about an underdog inner city basketball team rising up to be the best, coached by Bob Hurley--best high school coach in small, broken down parochial school. Kids all had problems and he taught character and perseverance as well as basketball. It's tells how the coach motivated and taught his players. Parts moved a bit slow but it's definitely worth your time reading this one!

Coaching (and teaching) tips I got out of it included the following:

*Always keep the bar high and require respect.
*Never let anyone slide--keep on them all the time.
*Coach all the players, not just the best.
*Make kids earn your respect and ignore them until they do.
*Give everyone a role--even those on the bench.
*Use drastic measures (wrestling practice) to punish sloppy playing.
*Use the drastic measure practice for motivating in the future.
*Let the players experience the glory, keep low profile as coach.
*Help players make good decisions concerning their futures.

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

What a great, inspirational book. On top of that, it was only $5 when I purchased it, so you can't go wrong there. If you enjoy basketball, I strongly suggest you read this book!

I read this a few years back and I really enjoyed it. I have always found books about geniuses within their little realm fascinating. Bob Hurley's success is not attributed to a new revolutionary school of coaching thought, but rather basic hard work, discipline and commitment.

Despite its small enrollment, St. Anthony's teams have been pretty stacked over the years. That is why I always thought the St. Anthony's mystique (i.e. Poor little Catholic school in Jersey City) was overblown a bit. Give anyone an MacDonald all-american and a couple of All-NYC type players and you'll have success at the HS level. But this particular season, the players at St. Anthony's were something a bit less. Good players, certainly, but not the highly recruited types that usually populate the top HS Programs in the country. Hurley guiding this ragtag bunch of ballers to the heights of success says alot about the guys ability to coach and motivate. Its a great story that would have been something less if it chronicled one of the other St. Anthony's seasons.

Indeed, Hurley is a tough coach that borders on verbally absuive. But in this day and age of coddled athletes, he's refreshing. He's unambigious about what his expectations are and kids respond to his style. He's not a mean, cruel guy he just wants to get the most out of his players.

It would be a good read for coaches of youngsters through teenagers.

If you're a coach this is for you. If you're a sports fan this is for you. I loved it so much I bought a book for my entire coaching staff. And we are a hockey team! There are a lot lessons and values that Coach Hurley teaches. More importantly it's about life. He never let up on these kids and pushed them to success. Challenged them to succeed. At that age level they need guidance, they need someone to sponsor them. Then its up to them to follow the path Coach Hurley gives them. It's amazing how a time tested path still can't lead some kids. It's a struggle between the kids backgrounds and the future they can have
Wow what a great book. What I liked is that these kids are now in college so we can follow their careers.
The one player that sticks out to me is Sean McCready. Great talent, bad guidance (family). Now he is sitting out the 2008 season because he transferred. Coach Hurley was right!

I also loved the fact that he sweeps the floor. That's his time, and we all need our own time. But coach is dedicated to a school that is struggling. There is no way a school like this should be on the verge of bankruptcy. Coach could leave and make millions, but he doesn't. Because if he does the school will close.
BUY THE BOOK

Adrian Wojnarowski's "The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty" is one of the best sports and leadership books I have read this past year.

St. Anthony's is a private Catholic High School in Jersey City, NJ, with 230 students (120 boys). Students come from an area where 16% pass the HS proficiency test and where the local drug-infested, back-sliding culture has a hold on the kids. Despite its size and location, St. Anthony's basketball teams have gone undefeated four times, have won two USA Today national titles, and 24 New Jersey Parochial state championships. The basketball program has developed 200 college players, including 5 who went on to the National Basketball Association.

St. Anthony's is a special and safe place under Srs. Felicia and Alan and legendary Coach, Bob Hurley - the streets stop here. Their focus in athletics and academics has been to help kids get to the finish line. They share a collective value that there is no shortcut to success.

While Sister Felicia and Sister Alan play prominent roles in the success of St. Anthony's, "The Miracle of St. Anthony" is mostly about Bob Hurley and the class of 2004 - the most athletically and socially underachieving team in St. Anthony's history. Yet, under Hurley's coaching leadership, the team went undefeated, winning the NJ State Championship and was named by USA Today as the top high school team of the year.

Hurley struggles with the problems of the inner city and sees the potential in these kids that they do not see in themselves. He has always been a disciple of John Wooden... fundamentals, well-conditioned, team play, and defense...and he has always been a no-nonsense driver.

He creates an expectation of performance and accountability that the kids will not find anywhere else in their lives, and helps them out the door to life with values and a voice to become the best they can. And despite his daunting ways, the kids respect Hurley and when returning after graduation, they always come home to the warm embrace of family. The relationship changes from tough task master to a friend.

"St. Anthony's" covers the entire basketball year from pre-season preparations to the championship game. Wojnarowski provides the ups and downs of the season - injuries, players leaving the team, tough wins, and all the key relationships that makes St. Anthony's the special place it is.

This is a great read for anyone interested in coaching, leadership, and basketball.

I have used each edition of this book as my Breyer Bible. It keeps getting better with each edition and is very well formatted. Lots of great information on the molds / models as well as up to date values.
And the photos are incredible. I wouldn't be caught without it!

Describes everything I needed to find out about the Breyers. Sometimes it was a little difficult since I had the horses and had to search individual pages until found... no ID no. on horse, or some other method

There is a wealth of information on the various types of Breyers and great descriptions. However, many of the color photos are off, with a lot of orange tinting. You need to go by the written description rather than the actual photo. Also, I was extremely disappointed in the pricing. As an avid collector and owner of over 180 traditional Breyers, the prices are rather low. You could not use this book for insurance purposes or buying prices. I have seen many of the Breyers listed in the book go for much higher prices than what is quoted in this 5th edition. It is still a good reference book.

This goldmine of information is necessary for both the serious collector and for anyone with interest in the Breyer collectables. It's straightforward pictoral guide is easy to use and the fair market values are just that...fair. Don't shop for a Breyer without it!

Lots of great pictures, but values are off. I would not use this to determine the value of what I'm selling. The values are often less than what the going price is, and occasionally more than they're worth. Great pics and book to see what is out there nonetheless.

The writing is great and the build up to the end is great but there is no payoff. We have to buy the next book to figure out what is going to happen (I think). Frustrating and disappointing.

Based on the first third of this book, I would give this 4 stars. The characters were interesting, and I was enjoying myself. Then the story really slowed down, with lots of side stuff. Then I figured out I would need to get the next book Deadman's Bluff to finish the story. So minus 1 star for taking a single 1 book story and splitting into 2 books to extort money. And clearly, it would have been 2 short books so filler was added. Another minus star for boring side stories; the Rufus scammer character is interesting in moderation, but after the fly, horserace, golf, ping pong, cat, x-ray vision, etc. scams, it was tiring. They didn't add anything, other than the mildly entertaining "how he tricked the Greek" variety. But they were too long as side stories, and it was ludicrous that the main character and his tacked-on "love" interest kept saying "there's no way he can do this" over and over again. Look, Rufus is a grifter, he will win not by playing by the rules. No reader was saying "yeah, there is no way" rather it was, "ok, what dumb trick will he use." So the dialog seemed contrived to try to make these side stories more dramatic. Didn't work. And in the end, the way that the tournament cheating was done, you probably will have figured out, and it isn't very "wow" to justify buying and reading 2 books. Even though my review sounds negative, I was impressed with the beginning of this book, and I assume that the rest of this book and the 2nd one were boring because the author (editor/publisher) were trying to stretch this out to sell twice as many books. If you just read this book and not the 2nd you really will be unhappy (1 star happy). However, given the good beginning of this book, I'm going to try Mr. Lucky and give this author 1 more chance. I think he is better than whomever told him to stretch this thin story to two volumes. The author seems to have a great sense of gambling, Atlantic City, and grifters. If these 2 books were 1, and tightened up by dropping a ton of Rufus stuff, this would be 4 stars!

Another in the author's series of novels featuring Tony Valentine, who consults with casinos and law-enforcement about gambling scams and scammers.

In this tale, he and his son Gerry go to Las Vegas to discover how a blind poker player is scamming a poker tournament, which is being televised nationally by an ESPN-like cable sports network.

A few of the regular characters reappear, and there are two great new ones--a female reporter for the network, who Valentine develops a relationship with, and a 72-year-old grifter named Rufus, who among other "wagers" bets a mark that he can beat a horse and jockey in a 100-yard race.

There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor, with one chapter concluding with a plea to bring over a flamethrower. Wait for it.

Warning: at the end of the novel Valentine is halfway to the solution, but the sequel, "Deadman's Bluff," has been published. Some may object to this carving-up of a single tale, but really--the side stories are as interesting as the main plot, so I, for one, don't much mind.

I really like Swain. I really like Valentine. I even kinda like his kid. I'm not too sure about this novel. You see it's not finished. There's some strange, fatal method of winning at poker - maybe like what killed that Russian spy_ but after a lot of novel we do not yet know. Nor does Tony. I sure hope no one climbs up a rope and disappears in the follow up. You see, there is an old con man who makes and wins absurd bets with gamblers in Las Vegas. I suspect the chances of getting away with those bets would be about the same as not experiencing leg breaking ,cause they are on the order of "Betcha I can tell you where you got them shoes." So here we are anticipating a resolution to the surefire poker win and are only half the way there while being entertained with side shows. Maybe Swain needed some cash and had only half the novel done. After all, the carnie makes as much geeking as on the midway. I hope that's it cause now I am waiting for the follow up. Hooked I guess.Decide for yourself. Double or nothing. Watta bet!!!

The problem with some author's today is that they decide (or their publishers encourage them) to write a 2 part-er. Then, they do not let you knw this on the cover (probably so if you read the paperback, you can then buy the hardcover). The problem with these books is that the 2nd part usually spends a lot of time covering the same ground as the first book, and (as reviewers already state for book #2 - Deadman's bluff - you do not even need to read this one to appreciate that work!).

Otherwise this would get 4 stars. Swain's writing is much better, and his plot points no longer carry the huge unbelievable stretches of imagination (like actual mind reading monkeys) that his earlier works do. One good aspect of Swain's books is that the author allows us to enjoy Vegas while at the same time not hiding his personal distain for the gambling mecca.

I recommend this, as long as you know it is #1 of 2 and though side plot points will be solved, the main case will not until you read "bluff."

Funny Money is the 2nd of the Tony Valentine series. I read them out of order, but they were still very enjoyable. Tony is a loveable, complex character. Fast-paced excitement. This is a must read for anyone who knows gambling, likes gambling or doesn't know a thing about gambling.

Retired cop turned casino consultant Tony Valentine returns to his hometown of Atlantic City when his ex-partner is murdered. Doyle Flanagan had been investigating a group of casino cheats when a car bomb ended his life. Tony is hired almost immediately by the Bombay's owner to take over the investigation, but things aren't adding up. In addition, Tony's ne'er do well son Gerry is being chased by some mobsters who want their $50,000, but Tony isn't about to pay them. Things get really interesting when Tony takes up with a professional wrestler and winds up part of her act. Between crooked cops and casino employees trying to kill him, the Mollo brothers out to harm his son, and a band of Croatians who don't quite fit in the picture, Tony Valentine has a lot on his hands.

Tony is a likeable and flawed character, smart but often rubbing other people the wrong way. His relationship with Gerry is complex; loving his son while being disgusted with the choices he's made. Another fun character we meet mostly over the telephone is Mabel, Tony's retired neighbor from Florida who fields his phone calls and tries to keep him in line. Tony's the kind of guy who's only slept with one woman in his life, so it's quite amusing when he finds himself in the arms of a professional wrestler named Kat.

Though some of the information about cheating casinos is a bit confusing to a non-gambler, this book nonetheless showed an interesting, inside view of life in an Atlantic City casino, as well as delivering a mystery with many twists and turns. This casino mystery series is well worth reading.

I have read almost all of the Valentine books and (obviously) enjoy them. I read this one on a business trip where the books I brought were important because other diversions were few. This one is better than average for Swain. It delivers just what you want from such a book, an interesting story and at least two dimentional characters. I enjoyed the ride and you don't even have to be in Mauritania to feel the same. If you like Valentine or if you want to give this series a try this is your book.

James Swain is a great writer and an expert on sleight-of-hand and gambling. Both talents show in this tale of Tony Valentine, former cop and current consultant to casinos fighting cheats.

Tony is a genuinely nice guy who can be tough as nails.

Things begin this time with Valentine's old buddy and partner being blown to bits in a car explosion. Tony takes up the case of figuring out how a casino was taken for $ 6 million.

Swain's plots are always thick and this is no exception. All the characters are richly human and believable.

Swain doesn't need a lot of unlikely contrivances to move his plot forward. There are some, but they don't make your eyes bug out.

Just a plain fun read.

Jerry

I had a hard time rating FUNNY MONEY, the second in the series of mysteries by James Swain featuring freelance casino cheat-catcher Tony Valentine. FUNNY MONEY sees Tony back in his original stomping grounds, Atlantic City, NJ, where he was a cop for many years and first developed his "grift sense" that let him see when a casino was being ripped off, even if he couldn't figure out exactly how right away.

Tony returns because he is a witness (via cellphone) to the horrific death of his old friend and partner, who is blown to bits while investigating a possible scam in an A.C. casino. The convoluted plot in this novel is one of my favorites of the series, and the mystery of exactly who is stealing from the casino and exactly how they are doing it is suspenseful and well-developed.

I also was pleased by the setting, because I grew up very close to Atlantic City and lived in the area when the casinos first moved in and have seen the developments, good and bad, that gambling has wrought on the whole southern Jersey shore in the 25+ years since. But I was also a kid at the time, and to see an older character like Tony talking about the old days when the casinos first came in and Atlantic City was a "candy store" for hustlers was interesting, since to me the casinos just meant lots of Frank Sinatra billboards on all the seashore causeways. Living now for nearly 2 decades in the landlocked south, I relish any story that can make me smell the special salt-air tang of the Jersey shore where I grew up.

Where the story let me down and where it felt like the author tried to cram too much in was in the huge cast of characters. In addition to welcome returning secondary characters like Tony's son and his faithful neighbor (now employee) Mabel, who are further developed and fleshed out in this book, Swain adds old friends, acquaintances and enemies from Valentine's police career, including the family of his deceased partner, other cop buddies, his judo sensei and a potential love interest.

These last two were the most problematic. There's a great story waiting to be told about Yun, Tony's long time judo teacher and coach, but he's wasted here on a somewhat silly side storyline about a former judo student who has turned his tradition and honored family crest into props for a pro wrestling gig. The whole plot detracts from the main action and seems mainly designed to give Tony a possible girlfriend, but once the two are together (somewhat unbelievably), Swain doesn't seem to know where to go with it.

Don't get me wrong--I like both characters, and the love interest is an intriguing choice for Tony's first involvement since the death of his beloved wife. This subplot could have worked but not in the time allotted to it in a book already crammed with characters and plot. Instead it distracts and detracts from a book that would have been tighter and more compelling without it.

That said, I still read this book in less than two days and went right on to the next in the series, so it's still certainly worth reading and has plenty to recommend it. If I were giving it a letter grade it would be a B-.