Michigan Books

This is not a book for just WWII buffs. I guarantee that anyone who appreciates fascinating and well-written non-fiction with an original angle will love They Can't Take That Away From Me. What sold me was the unique and artistic style employed in this POW memoir; it brought a fresh perspective to Ralph Rentz's struggle, triumph and the invincibility of his nightmare.

They Can't Take That Away From Me truly is an odyssey of one, rather atypical, American POW. However, it is more than just a "Sentimental Journey". This memoir is unlike any other WWII story, in that it reaches beyond the prosaic collage of nostalgic gore and glory and invites the reader to hear the song inside the bruised head of a musician who finds himself without his band, his saxophone and clarinet, without his freedom and even his own sanity, but never without his music. It is a tough tale, but it is softened with a lyrical literary style that makes it flow like the Pacific. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys reading about music, adventure and inimitable tragedy.

I am a Grand Rapids native and a lifelong student of history. Gordon Olson is a well-respected city historian and I thought he and his co-editors have done a marvelous job assembling a thorough and well-balanced perspective of growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

It's sometimes awkward for a native to read less than glowing reviews from the perspective of certain groups or individuals. Clearly the fairly homogenous ethnic make up of the city (in fact much of the West Michigan area) makes it easier to overlook the challenges that minorities have felt through the years, and I certainly appreciated the pain expressed by a few of the contributors.

Still, Grand Rapids is a terrific place to grow up. It's large enough to offer plenty of opportunity, and yet small enough to feel like home. It's thought-provoking to get a sense for some of GR's unique character and cultural fabric already being reflected in its citizens more than 150 years ago.

The hard-working, thrifty, community-oriented stock best represented by the city's favorite son, former President Gerald R. Ford, comes through loud and clear. Thanks are owed to the research team that vetted the work that went into this must read for anyone who wants to truly understand what makes Grand Rapids what it is today.

I live in the Grand Rapids area, plus I am a high school English teacher, so my natural interest spurred the purchase of this book. At first, when I started reading, I chose stories by authors whose names I recognized. Then I realized that the stories were presented in chronological order, so I started from the beginning. No matter what order is chosen, every story is wonderful. They are all very different in style and feeling, but a sense of place shines through, as well as a sophistication that belies Grand Rapids' humble demeanor. These stories are universal, engaging and fun. I have read hundreds of short stories, and this collection truly stands out.

White is an perceptive reader of poetry and theological reflections who has his own idiosyncratic but highly accesible style; all at the service of making George Herbert's poetry shine more brightly for others...not at all to stand in the spotlight himself. The "self-consuming artifacts" that Herbert constructs to effectively communicate religious truth and human uncertainty are well represented by White's own writing style, a steady candleflame that slowly and inobtrusively fades into the brighter dawn of Herbert's meditations rising into the reader's consciousness. I would recommend this book equally strongly for someone who has never heard of Herbert, or for a long-time lover of his poems and essays. (2007 note - but you'll have to look around for a used copy now, sad to say!)

White is an perceptive reader of poetry and theological reflections who has his own idiosyncratic but highly accesible style; all at the service of making George Herbert's poetry shine more brightly for others...not at all to stand in the spotlight himself. The "self-consuming artifacts" that Herbert constructs to effectively communicate religious truth and human uncertainty are well represented by White's own writing style, a steady candleflame that slowly and inobtrusively fades into the brighter dawn of Herbert's meditations rising into the reader's consciousness. I would recommend this book equally strongly for someone who has never heard of Herbert, or for a long-time lover of his poems and essays.

Rybicki is a god. There is nothing else to say. His poems are modern, so be prepared - he does things with language that are beautiful and spectacualar and terrifying and enthralling. If you have been taught by this man, they you know that there are no words. Except, perhaps, that the two-headed monster has a lot to teach you. Rybicki is one head. For the other head, go find Pete Markus' books. Buy these together, read, add tears, stir.

There is no real way to review this book without sounding like a fanatic, or to tell you to buy it without making you feel ashamed at not having done so yet. It cuts my breath short to think of ever living without having read this book, so great is the energy I pull from the words. I carry this book with me on long trips, from fear that I might die without having Rybicki's words nearby.

This book is totally amazing i got it to study up on some of the more popular historical temperaments before i started to tune them and expirement with them on some pieces i am playing and it astounded me on several occasions. His explanations are clear and easy to understand and the history he provides is very pertinent and valuable. If any of you out there have this book and are looking to sell I'd like another copy so send me an email at Ira_parrot@yahoo.com

I saw this book few times, I like the flowing on each character of ear training. But this is a old book, so it was not easy to fund.

Today, local television consists of syndicated shows and news coverage, but this wasn't always the case. Local stations used to have to devise their own programming, and the Detroit area was blessed with an army of talented folks who entertained, educated, and enlightened their viewers. This terrific book contains so many in-depth details of my formative TV-watching years that a slew of happy, incredible memories came rushing back while I was reading it. This wave of nostalgia was balanced by my gratitude that this era has been documented so thoroughly.

I should note that this is not a "dry" historical study. It's every bit as lively and entertaining as the programs (and people) it covers. I don't know if this book will mean much to those of you who don't fall within its target audience, but for someone like myself, who watched and loved Lawson Deming (Sir Ghastly Graves), Soupy Sales, Ron Sweed (The Ghoul), Bill Kennedy, Bob McNea (Bozo, Oopsy), and all the rest, this is a must-have addition to your library. This is a wonderful tribute to what was truly a golden age in local television.

Reading this book was a joy while reflecting on shows of the past. Brought back memories of Detroit icons that I had long forgotten about.....Once I started reading the book, I could not put it down...Excellent!

I was really pleased when a colleague suggested this book to me. In the past I'd been fortunate enough to work with only one or two cultural groups at a time, but this year I have students from all over the world. I had questions, but not enough time to do the necessary research to find out even basic information for such a wide variety of nationalities. This book did the work for me. The info. is concise and easily accessible, even offering brief paragraphs on how education differs in the native lands of my students. It helped arm me for what my students might be expecting, as well as what I might expect. I'm hoping a future edition will include a section on the Hmong. Otherwise, perfect!

This book is simply necessary for anyone who is in contact with internationals. I read this book and the information I have found has helped me understand so many things about international students and in general people from other countries and backgrounds.

this is an impressive map that has different zooms of the Ann Arbor area. I took it with me when apartment hunting and it was very helpful. in the interest of full disclosure, there are free downtown maps available here and there (i saw some in the Maynerd parking entrance), but people who saw my map said it was much better.

I don't often rave about maps (in fact, I never rave about maps), but this is one I've grown to love. It's a perfect size and scale and was incredibly easy to read, even as I drove along new streets in my new city. Particularly useful was that large grocery and retail stores are marked on the map. This made it easy to figure out the closest Target, Best Buy, or grocery store from my new apartment, and the stores ended up serving as landmarks as well as new places to shop. Also, when you're on the phone, trying to locate a smaller store, they can say, "We're located across the street from the Whole Foods Market," or "We're at the north end of the such-and-such mall," and you know just how to find them. The map even shows you what block you're on -- helpful when searching for a specific address. I'm one of those people who gets lost going around the block, but this map got me where I had to go every time.

Also included is a very detailed and clear map of campus.

I bought two maps of Ann Arbor but never used the second one. This map did it all. Highly recommended.

A hero with a troubled past. A modern day damsel in distress. Villains with competing agendas who are themselves interesting but keep you guessing. What's not to love? This is Elmore Leonard at his best, epitomizing the genre. Several mysteries come into play as the story unfolds. Perhaps the biggest mystery of all, though, is why this book never got the recognition it deserved or caught the right attention to merit transformation into a great movie. Whether or not this happens one day, the book remains a great read.

My first approach to Elmore Leonard had been "Get Shorty".Nothing especial. But this crime story is really involving and impressing.Absolutely to read.

You're not the only one that wonders whether the government that is supposed to guarantee your private property rights seems more interested in making sure your vinyl siding runs the same way as your neighbor's. This is the way of things in America today, where municipal governments segregate business from housing, then wonder why everyone thinks he has to own a car.

Enter the Voluntary City, a cogent and realistic analysis of how we got here, and whether we have actually improved things in doing it. There used to be sufficient housing (try to find the word "homeless" before the Carter presidency), and police that actually had to catch the bad guys (read about one police force that had a catch rate of over 90%), and the reasonable expectation that if you wanted to alter your property you could do so without groveling to the city fathers. We gave these things up in the hope that what we would get back would be better. But is it? Really?

You aren't the only one that wonders. This excellent book provides some answers to the question, and the impetus to take those answers out into the political world. We're doing it where I am.

Back in the mid to late 90's I had the pleasure of reading a new version of a book written by David Friedman called "The Machinery of Freedom" which was originally published in the 1970's. Friedman's book introduced me to anarcho-capitalist ideas and now, years later, thanks to David T. Beito and the Independent Institute "The Voluntary City" is published that confirms many of the thoughts and ideas Friedman wrote about in his treatsie. This book is a collection of policy pieces done by different authors that detail specific, real-life examples of free market alternatives to things like court systems and litigation, education, police, housing and welfare. Most of whom were provided by insurance plans people paid for on their own via insurance companies or by private, charitable organizations people belonged to while governments, by and large, stayed out of the way. One aspect of the book that was not pointed out was private fire departments. Prior to being run by governments, many fire departments were also privately run in which their funding came from insurance plans they particpated in that provided fire protection for their customers. It wasn't until after the civil war that municipalities started acquiring and operating them. Even today, governments are beginning to privatize or not provide many essentials since they are too costly to run. For example, in Arizona, Rural Metro Corporation has contracts to provide fire and ambulatory service for cities (like mine) and even counties that do not or cannot afford to provide it. Despite this one subject left out, I felt this book was very well done and I heartily recommend it to people who have doubts about anarcho-capitalist ideas or people who are looking for new, radical ideas to replace the monopolies governments have on services they presently provide.