Maryland Books

A true classic for anyone who loves Baltimore Quilts and Applique'. I was really fortunate to get this one as its now out of print. Keep an eye out for it as its truely a beautiful book. One of the best available.

The patterns are great, but refer to other books for instructions. If you do not have the other books, you can still do the project, but on your own to some extent.

Highly recommend this pattern book. As with all of Elly's books, this is a great reference book.

I am new to Baltimore Album Blocks and was disappointed that there were no sample color blocks provided in the book at all. I would recommend this book only to those well versed in Baltimore Album blocks who don't need to see pictures of blocks for guidance on color selection.

Defenately NOT a book for beginner appliquers!Patterns are given in divisions of four, although a black and white picture of the complete block is given at the top corner.If you have made Baltimore Album quilts already,then this is a wonderful supplement to you library.If you are a beginner and courageous,then charge ahead and buy this book.

It's the sixteenth summer of Alice McKinley, and she's determined to make it memorable. Yet things keep conspiring against her.

The old gang's still meeting at Mark Stedmeister's pool, yet the feeling is different. Everyone's got summer jobs in different places, and new friends are being made. Among the old familiar faces, new activities are being pursued, such as smoking cigarettes and marijuana. Sometimes - like when she's uncomfortable in a car being driven too fast - Alice is put to the test. Will she speak up for what she believes is right, or keep quiet to avoid be thought a baby?

On the homefront, Alice's dad and Sylvia are adjusting to married life, and older brother Lester's dating Tracy, a fantastic girl who happens to be black. Since it's not a problem for the McKinleys, Alice - and Lester - are devastated when it turns out to be an issue for others - including Tracy herself.

In the meantime, Alice fans will be comforted in seeing more of the usual standbys of her stories, including embarrassing moments, memorable Aunt Sally interactions, and good times with longtime friends Elizabeth and Pamela.

"Alice in the Know" is a quick, fun read, guaranteed to please both longtime readers of the series and newbies.

I ttly love alice books & all books by phyllis reynolds naylor!! shes an awesome author!! i gaurantee ull stay up till 1:00am reading this book!!

I love the Alice books, but this one is not one of my favorites. It's still a wonderful read because Ms. Naylor is a wonderful writer, but I found parts of it a little tedious. As always, I love the characters, I love the way important social and relational issues are addressed, and I love the poignant ending. What felt "tedious" to me though was what came across as day-by-day journaling and I found myself wanting to get to the end of the book as quickly as possible. It's still a good read but just not my favorite in the series.

As a dedicated reader of the Alice series, I was extremely excited when I saw the newest book on the book store shelf! Of course I bought it.

This book was not my favorite in the series, but I am surprised at the horrible reviews it has gotten. By no means is it a 'bad' book. It is simply (in my opinion) not my favorite.

Alice is still the same girl, except maybe a little more mature, and Alice fans will be very much satisfied with this book.

Here is the plot:

Alice is in the middle of the summer before here Junior year of High School, and her life is defenitely taking a different turn. Her dad is encouraging her to take a break from her job at his store, the Melody Inn, and explore different jobs. Her brother's love life just might be getting a lot more serious, and the usual gang of friends that hang out at Mark's pool are changing, some for the better, some for the worse.

Alice is obviously getting more mature, and giving more thought to her future. And, as the more recent Alice books usually do, Topics such as sex come up during the story. I think this is good, because often Teens or tweens are uncomfortable with these subjects, and it is good that books they enjoy reading educate them about these topics in a way that is fun.

Although not the best in the series, this book is still a must read for Alice fans! ENJOY!

I've been an Alice fan for more years than I can remember. I had been a little unsure of how I felt about the high school Alice, but "Alice in the Know" reassured me.

Alice is definitely growing up. I found the ending of this novel to be poigniant, and I read this one twice in the two weeks I had it from the library. There were still plenty of silly, embarassing moments (just like real life) but with some hard issues mixed in.

This is definitely my favorite Alice that's been out in a while.

I am in agreement with the reviewer who stated that this was the first novel they'd read by Robson, and would also be the last. Too much historical detail, two-dimensional characters, and I'm no prude, but I found this novel at times to be both vulgar and disgusting. I'm ashamed to say I was born in the same town as this author. If you want a more accurate portrait of the fair state of Maryland, you'd be much better served by reading "Chesapeake" by James A. Michener, "Annapolis" by William Martin, or the "Wild Swan" trilogy by Celeste de Blasis. Don't waste your time with this trash.

I recently visited historic St. Mary's City and then decided to pull this book off my shelf and give it a second chance. ( I found it a slow read on my first attempt.) I really enjoyed the detail and the fact that the author remained accurate as to the setting, culture, language etc. Since I visited the city I could easily picture everything she talked about in the novel. Unfortuneately,the story moved too slow and the characters could have been developed better. I have enjoyed other books by this author but I might have left this one on the shelf if I had not toured the setting site. Still Slow!

"Mary's Land" is a colorful and detailed novel of a time at the beginning of Europeans' migration to the New World. Robson's novel puts the reader into the thick of the action from the long journey on a small ship to the taming of the frontier. The characters are people you care about. You cheer them on when they find success and cry for them when they don't. Wonderful to see it back in print.

This was the first work I read by Robson, and it was also the last. While I love the use of history and detail in order to bring a time period alive, Robson goes a little overboard in an attempt to paint even the minute details of 18th century colonial life into her work.

I was interested in the religious struggles undertaken by many of the early American colonials and Robson does a fairly good job of highlighting their plight and it's also interesting to meet many of the indentured servants who helped build early America.

But, after a journey on a crowded ship to America, the story seems to fall apart. I honestly stopped caring about what would happen to any of them. Yes, the poor, indentured Anicah is somewhat amusing in the beginning as she tries to keep herself and her lover, Martin, out of trouble (sort of) but everything moves so slowly that reading this work was literally like watching paint dry.

I like my historical novels to be akin to the History Channel--giving me good information, in an interesting way, but not enough to bog me down or bore me--but bore me is exactly what this book did.

Mary's Land brings the old pages of history to life and makes the people live and breathe - Another of Lucia St. Clair Robson's "can't put down books" - and as soon as I've finished I want more - her facts are always correct and she has a wonderful feel for putting them into words that create pictures in the soul.

Nader Saiedi's book Logos and Civilization. Spirit, History and Order in the Writings of Baha'u'llah came out in 2000. Up until a few weeks ago, I had avoided buying and reading it. But last year, someone recommended the chapter on the Kitab-i Badi and, on the strength of that, I bought the book.

When it arrived, I set out to read it carefully cover to cover and give it a fair reading. But I got through only the Introduction before my fears were realised. I was already disturbed by what I was reading and put the book away for a month. Then I brought it out to try again. Perhaps I was just in a bad state at the time, I thought. After that, I was able to read the first three chapters, which constitute Part I of the book, "The Dynamics of Spiritual Journey". There are three parts to the book: Part II is "The Critique of Spiritual and Historical Reason" and Part III is "The New World Order".

I'm telling you this because I want to be clear that I have not read all of the book, only Part I. By the time I got through Part I, I couldn't face any more. (Although I do still plan to read the chapter recommended to me.) I have looked through the rest of the book and believe it is fair to suggest that my concerns about Part I also apply to the other parts of the book. However, what I think are 'concerns' about the book won't be concerns for others.

I don't mean to say that Part I was wholly bad. Not at all. I learned important things from it and, for this reason, was pleased I'd persevered. Part I is about mysticism and spiritual journey, which is the subject that most interests me. Two things in particular stood out for me. The first is Saiedi's discussion on the Ontological Circle and the stages in the creating process - what he calls the "Arc of Descent" (see diagram on p. 54). It has always puzzled me how the creation process works and this explained it to me.

Apparently, the Bab says that there are seven stages in the process:

1. Will
2. Determination
3. Destiny
4. Decree
5. Permission
6. Term
7. Book.

I could never understand how creation was the fruit of God's will and yet there was no relationship between God and creation. Saiedi explains by paraphrasing the Bab: "In His Sahifiy-i-Adliyyih (Book of Justice), He [the Bab] explains that God created the Will from nothing through the causation of the Will itself without any external determination, and created all other beings by the causation of the Will through the seven stages of contigency." (p. 56) I found Saiedi's discussion on the seven stages informative and useful and plan to discuss it again in a separate blog entry. Given that we humans are created in the likeness of God, then the way we create must be similar to the way God creates.

But I was left with mixed feelings because, although I was pleased to have learned this from the book, I was sad that I had to rely on Saiedi to inform me about what the Bab had said. This isn't a complaint about the book or its author, it is a complaint about the lack of official translations. The mass of believers don't themselves have access to the writings through good English translations. They are forced to rely on people like Saiedi who can read the writings in the original languages and tell others what's in them. I'm confident that Saiedi and other scholars with his skills do an excellent job in sharing with others what the originals say, but the mass of believers need to be able to work out their own understanding of the writings.

The other stand-out feature of Part I was Saiedi's discussion on what he termed "the spatial metaphor", as found in The Four Valleys (p. 80). Again, Saiedi's understanding comes from his ability to read the work in Persian and see how Baha'u'llah has used the spatial metaphor in his introductions to each of the valleys. Saiedi says that the numbering of the valleys as one, two, three and four is NOT in the original; it has been added by the translators. Therefore, the four valleys are not about progressing from one stage to the next, as in The Seven Valleys, but are four different kinds of person and spiritual journey. Saiedi explains that Baha'u'llah uses the spatial metaphor to emphasise the difference between them. The person of valley one is a long way from the beloved and the journey is about travelling closer. The person of valley two has reached the beloved's antechamber and is in awe of the beloved; the person in valley three is in the beloved's home and is attracted to the beloved; and the person in valley four has united with the beloved and is her lover.

After reading this, I was exhilarated. I thought, "Gee, this is good stuff!". But then, as I read on and as Saiedi began to argue his interpretation of it, my heart began to sink. To me, that wonderful metaphor captured it all. I won't go into the details of Saiedi's interpretation. But I'll quote the penultimate paragraph of the chapter, in which Saiedi gives his summary of what spiritual knowledge is:

"Such knowledge is universal knowledge in the sense that, with the attainment of knowledge of the self, the wayfarer has also attained knowledge of the totality of reality. This is evident in the notion that the human being is the perfect mirror of the world. Knowledge of the self becomes knowledge of being in general. This self-knowledge is ultimately possible through knowledge of the Manifestation of God, who represents the Perfect Human Being in each particular age. Knowledge of the self through knowledge of the Manifestation of God becomes knowledge of one's own state of perfection or paradise. Finally, this knowledge, by its very nature, becomes a historically specific knowledge - a progressive knowledge in the context of progressive revelation. In Baha'u'llah's revelation, the center of that knowledge and the demonstration of its attainment is the principle of the oneness of humankind." (p. 109)

I'm lost in wonder at this. Only a few pages before this passage, Saiedi had taken us to the fourth valley. As a reader, I was all fired up, thinking about union as a lover with Baha'u'llah. Come in: the feeling you get when you imagine being in Baha'u'llh's presence. The thrill and the swoon. Nothing exists but ecstasy. Baha'u'llah is before you and you are a gonner. Be fair, now, are you at that very moment going to give the least thought to the principle of the oneness of humankind?! As a matter of common sense, how could that principle possibly be the center of spiritual knowledge? I accept that it is an aspect of it, but Saiedi privileges it way out of proportion. "Just lie back and think of the oneness of humankind", is what I hear Saiedi saying. And it's one reason I couldn't finish the book. It's ironic that Saiedi spends quite a bit of time in the book accusing Juan Cole of reductionism but then tells us that the center of spiritual knowledge and the demonstration of its attainment is the principle of the oneness of humankind. (I agree with Saiedi's critiques of Juan in chapter one, by the way, over the issue of when Baha'u'llah knew he was a manifestation.)

I am the first to defend Saiedi's right to interpret the revelation as he pleases. And I don't want to make heavy weather of our differences, for they don't matter in the big scheme of things. But another reason I couldn't finish the book was becuse of the way Saiedi presented his position. As the passage above shows, you feel like you are being talked at. There are quite a few "It is clear that" clauses - two on page 108, for instance. In some places, Saiedi does 'own' that what he says is just his view. But the language he slips into leaves you feeling that if you don't share his view, you're wrong, rather than just in a different place spiritually. My overall feeling is that Saiedi has put the revelation into boxes of mental constructs and neatly tied them up with a bow. The following passage illustrates what I mean, and it includes a chilling reminder for the reader who doesn't see it his way:

"The Bab explains that the real meaning of this is that one's faith is complete and will not be subject to alteration or negation if one believes in all four supports or pillars of the divine covenant [ie, Will, Determination, Destiny and Decree]. Decree, here, becomes the symbol of the fourth pillar of the covenant. One's faith is always incomplete and subject to alteration if one has accepted only three levels but has failed to recognise the fourth. In the Baha'i Faith these four levels of the covenant are God, Baha'u'llah, the authorised interpreters of the Faith..., and the Universal House of Justice. The affirmation of divine bada', in this sense, would signify the inseparable unity of all the elements of the divine covenant. Turning away from any part of that covenant constitutes breaking the covenant, which deprives one of faith." (p. 61)

Logos and Civilization is one of the most well-researched, comprehensive and insightful books on this subject and has become one of my essential reference books.

Well-written, well-researched, and intelligent.

A must-buy for anyone seriously interested in Baha'i or religious scholarship of any kind.

Poorly written and unsystematic, this work is an attempt to analyse the Baha'i writings in new ways. Although there are some interesting sections, these are lost amongst rambling excursions into flights of hyperbolic fancy. His mostly unsubstantiated criticism of fellow Baha'i scholars is unfortunate, and somewhat surprising as he shows little knowledge of this body of academic Baha'i studies.

Every Bahai should read this book. This book will open your mind...and clean out any problems it finds. In this brilliant and thorough treatise, Mr. Saiedi has burned down many of the veils that western and eastern religious thinkers have thrown at the Bahai Faith. The book is at once hard to read for those who are not familiar with a lot of philosophical words, but the author does manage at times to explain rather intricate and quite abstract ideas in one sentence. The amount of material covered is quite extensive and you will need a pad of paper to keep some notes, which you will most definately refer to throughout your thinking life. There are so many important ideas in the book, there is no way that anybody can read this book and not come away more intelligent. Interestingly chapter 6 deals with the Kitab-i-Badi, (not yet translated into English, 412 pages) and which the authors says is (refering to the Kitab-i-Badi) the "most comprehensive analysis and intrepretation of the Bab's writings." This book makes you think very hard about what is going on "behind the scenes", so to speak, in the writings of Baha'u'llah. It's absolutely brilliant. The most important idea discussed in the book is the explanations regarding the "historicization" of divine revelation, and how unavoidably true it is. A must read for everyone on this planet.

Lydia Bird's story of her Atlantic crossing solo on her 42' sailboat Sonnet and her trip from the Azores to Greece with crew is well written and intriguing. This is not just another "how to" book about boating, but rather a psychological tale that is almost embarrassingly personal. Indeed it was too personal for my taste although I admit to finding it all interesting and well written. I felt like a voyeur at times reading a secret diary I had found unlocked. Lydia (I call her "Lydia" because by the end of the book you feel like you know her so well) also says some very personal and painful things about her family, her friends and their mates. Was such honesty really necessary? Hmmm...I wonder.

As a boater I found especially interesting that Lydia writes in detail about engine problems and hassles docking and undocking her boat, which in fact is what many of us sailors struggle with most. I found it refreshing that someone has written about the angst involved in these seemingly trivial events. In fact there's nothing quite so hair-raising as maneuvering around windswept docks in a sailboat, trying to get the thing into the slip without smashing something, while the engine threatens to stall. Most sailors have been there, trust me, but no else describes it like Lydia does. Lydia manages to capture the pathos and bathos of these sorts of situations.

And in my opinion her poetry is pretty good.

This is one of the few books I could stand to read on this subject. Im so sick of reading storys about the "reluctant mate", and so happily read this book about a wife who wants to go more than her husband wants to go. ( I guess because I idnetify with it) It shows you to, that sialing away doesnt sail away from your problems - she has all the same issues out there on the water and with other crew mates as she would at home. The whole story was very entertaining...I hope I can do what shes done someday- either by myself, or dragging my husband aboard. It was soo soo good to read about a STRONG COMPETANT female sailor for a change! I hope she writes more!

As a woman who has crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Bird's book was a superb actualization of what I had experienced my self. In fact prior to my journey across the ocean I was seeking out a woman's voice which shared the interpersonal challenges of crossing an ocean. Bird's book depicts the clarity and raw emotions of such a journey. I resonated with her experience and truly appreciated the vulnerability with which she wrote and shared her story. I have found no other woman writer to provide this personal experience. Most write about provisioning, standing watches; the how tos of ocean crossings. Bird brings much more of the voyage to life. I highly recommend this book to people who want a personal account of sailing single-handed.

An anorexic woman whines her way across the Atlantic and Med. No sense of adventure or accomplishment to the feat - just an endless litany of angst and self-doubt laced with an empty, transparent pseudofeminism. Not really a book about a sailing adventure at all. In fact, if someone in your life is interested in sailing and you would like to discourage them - give them this book!

I didn't want to put this book down. I found the relationships aspect most compelling, although the details of sailing, the weather, the boat itself, and the experiences at various marinas are crucial to the story, since all that creates the backdrop against which the human interactions, and the growth of the narrator, take place. I had to keep reminding myself it wasn't a novel. Also, having studied, and taught, a little American women's history, I kept seeing all four women as representative of various cultural prescriptions (and proscriptions) which most of us struggle with.

I found Monica (Bird's first crew member), fascinating. I saw her as a frightened woman, dishonest with herself as well as with others, doing what people who feel powerless often do, that is, try to control their world through manipulation.

I identified more with Elaine, at least on one front, since I'm the type who demands a life jacket if I embark on a canoe trip in a three-foot-deep lily pond. At the same time, I saw her as buying into the very patriarchal, male-dominated military system. Probably a very strong woman but maybe a little rigid and quick to judgment.

I liked very much the relationship that developed between the author and Skyli. The occasional descents into self-doubt, the constant self-examination and analysis of others seemed pretty typical of a female world. At one point, Bird (like the professor in My Fair Lady) wishes women could be more like men. But our tendency to read between the lines and second guess others has probably been our greatest survival mechanism.

In short, I was impressed. By the voyage, the author's willingness to risk in so many ways (with the elements and with relationships), and by the book itself. And I mustn't forget to mention the pure poetry of much of the prose.

This was an ok book, but I have read better. It was worth reading to the end. If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

This was an ok book, but I have read better. It was worth reading to the end. If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever.

I enjoyed reading this book, and would suggest it to others looking for an entertaining novel . . .If you want to read a book that goes straight to your heart, read Stolen Moments by Barbara Jeanne Fisher. . .It is a beautiful story of unrequited love. . .for certain the love story of the nineties. I intended to give the book a quick read, but I got so caught up in the story that I couldn't put the book down. From the very beginning, I was fully caught up in the heart-wrenching account of Julie Hunter's battle with lupus and her growing love for Don Lipton. This love, in the face of Julie's impending death, makes for a story that covers the range of human emotions. The touches of humor are great, too, they add some nice contrast and lighten things a bit when emotions are running high. I've never read a book more deserving of being published. It has rare depth. Julie's story will remind your readers that life and love are precious and not to be taken for granted. It has had an impact on me, and for that I'm grateful. Stolen Moments is written with so much sensitivity that it made me want to cry. It is a spellbinder. What terrific writing. Barbara does have an exceptional gift! This book was edited by Lupus specialist Dr. Matt Morrow too, and has the latest information on that disease. ..A perfect gift for someone who started college late in life, fell in love too late in life, is living with any illness, or trying to understand a loved one who is. . .A gift to be cherished forever

I also have read all of Meagan's previous books and am a devoted fan but this was not her best work. If this is your first time reading her work, don't hold it against her. I had a difficult time finishing this book. It did not flow well and she did not develop the characters enough. I would highly recommend any of her earlier books but I do not recommend this one.

I've read every book by Meagan McKinney and I have to say that the last two haven't been as good as the earlier books. The Fortune Hunter was downright bad, but this one was okay but not great. I've noticed that with a lot of my favorite authors,their latest books haven't been up to snuff. Do they get under pressure and not devote enough time to creating their characters?

Alyn Blum-Jones is the only living relation to her aunt Jacqueline, whom she has never met because her mother was dis-inherited when she married Alyn's father. Now a year after Alyn's mothers death Jacqueline wants to meet Alyn. On the eve of her visit to her aunt's magnificent estate, her aunt is missing, presumed dead.

When Alyn arrives at her aunts' estate she meets Peter Youngblood, a private investigator for the insurance company who will pay out $20 million if Jacqueline is found dead. Of course they don't hit it off, the stableman and the butler (whatever they call him in the book, I can't remeember!) immediately file a motion to reverse her aunts' will and immediately Alyns' life is in danger. Of course Peter is the only man to protect her.

I felt that Ms. McKinney could have developed Alyn and Peters' relationship better. One minute they hate eachother and another minute they love eachother, no in between time to explore their feelings for eachother.

All in all, this is a good, quick read but wait for the paperback.

I think Ms. Coontz read way too much into the Chicken Little story. The sky isn't falling, it's just people throwing rocks at each other. She has certainly managed to tap into the "it isn't my fault" mentality so widespread on today's society. Why blame broken families on a lack of morals and poor personal choices, when we can simply say, "Society made me do it."

Who knows? There may just be enough lost souls seeking to avoid blame and responsibility to make this a best seller. I, for one, hope not.

Climbing back up a slippery slope is always a struggle, but that doesn't mean it can't be done or that we shouldn't try. Didn't your Mom & Dad always say, "If your friends jump off a cliff, does that mean you should?" Mom & Dad were right, you know. Ms. Coontz, on the other hand, would cheer you on as you to step into the abyss.

The Way We Really Are is recommended for parents as well as students of sociology and contemporary affairs: Stephanie Coontz provides an examination of America's changing families, from the different systems of cooperative and step-families to studies on changing traditional family methods and structures. An intriguing survey of family relationships is revealed.

I enjoyed Ms. Coontz's previous book but found this one a disappointmet. "The past wasn't what we think it was and anyway we can't go back", is a useful starting point for debate on any social topic. The question on everyone's mind then becomes, "So what should we do now?". And unfortunately the author never addresses the fundamental of what might make for a good family. Why do people look back at the 50s as a golden age? Forget every television image and false theory, concentrate instead on two variables: parental involvement as measured by time and continuity of environment.

If Ms. Coontz had confined herself to these I think she would found her answer to why many people think children today are being shortchanged. Forget the question of whether such families are led by gays, lesbians, single parents, people who have remarried, etc. The fact is parents spend much less time today with their children, by all measures, and there's much less continuity whatever the situation.

"This is how things are today, deal with it", is not a solution or even a very sophisticated description of the problem. If one can imagine a world of diverse families it still stands to reason that the basic needs of children are probably similar and the author might spend some time spelling out what they are. That book has yet to be written. There's no reason a progressive couldn't write such a book but he or she would need a lot of courage.

Initially, Ms. Coontz builds a pretty impressive case for her point of view, backing it up with studies and statistics. Alas, about two thirds of the way through she begins to fall down: there is much more opinion and much less evidence. In most controversies, there is a large middle-of-the-road (MTR)contingent that forms the "swing vote" and sympathizes to a certain degree with both the extremes. Coontz seems to lose any understanding that she may have had of these people and her arguments accordingly become less likely to sway them. At this point I felt that she wasted all the good that she might have done.

Most people that I know see a difference between, for example, a family needing help because they have lost a bread-winner and one created by parents who not in a position to support their children from the beginning. The first family is seen as having played by the rules and suffered a misfortune and worthy of assistance. The latter parents are sometimes seen as cheats who did not make a reasonable effort to be self-sufficient and suffer the consequences of their actions. The MTRs may accept that it is wiser in long run, particularly given that children are involved, to assist these latter families, but balk at being asked to conceal their disapproval. I think that Ms. Coontz, and many of her colleagues in the social sciences, need to read up on evolutionary psychology and game theory. Even if one doesn't accept that human psychology is largely genetically determined, it does help explain the social uses of a lot of behavior. I can recommend Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature), which I happened to be reading when this thought hit me, especially "Part IV, Know Thyself", but there are plenty of other books. She doesn't seem to think that people respond to incentives and disincentives.

Certainly, we could decide, if we wanted to, that the government would give anyone who has a child an allowance sufficient to raise it, or, perhaps better, deliver services directly to the child, like public school. But is this to be offered only to certain families or to all families? It has been argued that, all things being equal, financial assistance to college punishes frugality and savings by giving assistance to people who have no money because they lived lavishly.

Coontz's logic seems to assume that the difference between Have and Have-Not is entirely a matter of luck whereas there are a lot of very unhappy wage-slaves, including me, who are working solely so that we can live a middle-class lifestyle. If that lifestyle is to be conferred gratis upon all comers, then why should we work? Then who will pay taxes to finance the programs Coontz wants? Further, I have read that the largest amount of welfare cheating is done by polygamists, i.e. men who have multiple wives and families that they cannot support. (See "The Secret Story of Polygamy" by Kathleen Tracy.) The wives make the fictitious claim that their children were fathered by someone who has deserted them and collect welfare. Does Coontz's respect for alternate family lifestyles include supporting polygamy?

The other major flaw, and I nearly threw the book across the room at this, is Coontz's argument that Social Security for childless people is a form of dole. (Let me say here that I don't pay Social Security, except for Medicare, and I'm not eligible to collect it.) She argues this because "the average person" get more out of Social Security than he/she puts into it. Well, I should hope so, considering that the government has everyone's money for decades! But even this "average" is questionable. I've seen this quoted several times, but not with any explanation of how it's calculated. I am told by someone who worked for the Social Security Administration, that the average is corrected to exclude benefits paid out to persons who may never pay in (such as the earliest beneficiaries and the disabled), but that it is not corrected for inflation, which can make an enormous difference over three or four decades. I finished feeling very disgusted with Coontz, because having read the better parts of her book, I find it difficult to believe that this was an "innocent mistake."

This book describes factors playing for and against the well-being of families in the US today. The book seems to have 3 simultaneous goals: to describe and contrast the economic conditions of single- and two-parent heterosexual families, to provide self-help, support or guidance for two-parent families in crisis, and to suggest government policies to help American families thrive. Some of the topics covered in the book include: the idealization of the 1950s, working mothers, the future of marriage, divorce, traditions that should be abandoned, who's to blame for families in crisis, societal change and risk for kids, and the strengths and vulnerabilities for today's families.

The title of the book misled me a little. With a title like "The Way We Really Are", I expected the book to detail the kinds of families that exist in the US today. I was interested in learning how many families consist of adults with their own children, or with step children, or with no children, and how these numbers are changing. And how many families consist of homosexual couples with children, and is this number growing? How many families are nuclear families, and how many extended families do we find in the US today? Are there differences in these statistics according to race or ethnic background? What about family units that consist of divorced or widowed adults and in-laws, step-parents, or aunts or uncles? But that's not what this book is about. Most of the book deals exclusively with the economic well-being of single and two parent heterosexual nuclear families. Homosexual families are mentioned briefly in a few paragraphs towards the end of the book, and extended families receive no mention at all. Even when Coontz discusses two-parent families with a breadwinner and a homemaker, she always assumes that the breadwinner is a male, and doesn't consider or describe when it's the other way around, or provide statistics about female breadwinner families.

The main thesis of the book seems to be that many American families are in crisis today. The reasons for this are varied, from unrealistic idealization of the 1950s, to government policies that run counter to the needs of families. Coontz argues that right-wing groups that claim to be pro-family by stressing the need for children to be raised in families with 2 married parents may be unrealistic and actually work against the children's welfare.

While I found many of Coontz's arguments convincing, I think she could have gone further by giving a lot more thought to families and economic conditions in other parts of the world rather than confining her research and hypotheses strictly to the US. For instance, she suggests that during the industrial revolution in the US, there was a debate over "whether to protect women's interests by secluding them in the family, away from the rough-and-tumble competition of the capitalist market and political party system, or to grant women the same independent legal and political existence that white men had acquired, so they could claim their interests as a right." Coontz seems to be suggesting here that after the Civil War, women were being kept at home to protect them from market forces, and that that's why they weren't given property rights or allowed to open bank accounts on their own, etc. But given what we find in the rest of the world, I think it may have been the case that women were kept on the farm because of the common trend worldwide to try to keep women in seclusion, as can still be found today throughout the Muslim world, or parts of Asia. And property rights weren't restricted from women just because of industrialization- -I'm not sure, but I think there is a long history of such restrictions throughout European law, as well as in the rest of the world. On the other hand, she may have found support for her thesis that two parent families aren't a panacea in themselves if she had considered modern Japanese families, which very often consist of the two-parent, two child, male breadwinner ideal, and which are quite often completely dysfunctional when judged by American standards, in which we expect the parents to have healthy emotional ties to each other and the children. All in all, while Coontz has some interesting points, I would be more interested in seeing a book with a little less advice and a little more thought about all the various types of American families considered in a world-wide context.

Priscilla Bond's diary is a wealth of tedious tidbits about her daily routine, spattered with rare introspective statements about herself and her views on the Civil War. Bond's diary is not an enthralling read. In keeping with the social restraints at the time, her views are clipped by her desire to be a good woman and the fact that her diary, although personal, was intended to be read by family. It is, therefore, a fairly accurate portrayal of women in her era.

Bond's diary is solely meant to be a historical source. In reading it, it's difficult to kindle any sort of feeling or sympathy for her, despite her difficult situation. Uprooted from her home and separated from her husband, Bond has to learn to live a life she was altogether unprepared for, while dealing with her consumption. I found her entries to be somewhat vapid, dealing largely with surface issues. However uninteresting she may have seemed, there was a real and troubled woman penning these words. The unspoken is what needs to be pieced together and understood.

It would undoubtedly have been more reader-friendly had the diary been abridged, but that would have robbed the document of it's historical value. I cannot say that I enjoyed the book, but I can appreciate its worth. Her diary has the advantage of beginning in the antebellum years and continuing throughout the war, so that we can see the changes that occurred in her. It also gives us an idea about women who were not overly passionate about the Cause. Bond considers herself a southerner, but does not exhibit the kind of zeal towards the Confederacy that we can see in other diaries.

A Maryland Bride in the Deep South is a painstakingly researched work that serves as a wonderful addition to Civil War women's studies. If that is your forte, plunge ahead. Otherwise, you may want to bypass this one.

Priscilla Bond's civil war diary is an excellent historical resource. That said, it is not trying to be anything more, nor is it a book that will warrant a second read-through unless of course you are examining the text as a scholar.

The diary starts off quite slow. Many of Bond's entries early on consist of whether or not it rained and which cousins `took tea' that day. These entries were deliberately not omitted, not only because a historical document should not have parts excluded (no matter how boring), but because it gives the reader an idea of how the war impacts Bond's life. It is a neat experience for even the most laymen of readers to watch her reports change from social reports almost exclusively to war reports, updates on the `Yankees', etc.

This isn't to say that her non-war related entries are all completely boring. Quite a number of them are incredibly well written and poetic. An example:

"The first of autumn - the last rays if the declining sun gives us somber feelings and remind us of the coming of winter, when at zenith, he stares at us with his big pale face, and tells us he is going to withhold from the world a portion of his heat for a season."

Another element of the diary that will keep the average reader trekking onward is Bond's relationship with fiancé Howard. In the first entries, Bond makes Howard out to be her romantic knight-in-shining-armor, but as months go by of the two being separated, she begins to become impatient and even wonder if she still loves him. Trudging through the lists of who went to what sermon will be worth it, as her feelings toward him develop and tend to be ever bit as interesting as something out of fiction.

Kimberly Harrison, the book's editor, provides an extensive introduction that helps to connect the dots, especially for readers who use the book for historic and gender study. Harrison includes sections on principal friends and family and frequently mentioned places referenced in the text. There's about an average of three footnotes per page, providing Harrison's own research to shed light on Bond's life. While her notes may prove invaluable to a historian, the casual reader might find himself skipping more and more of the denotations as he presses onward in his reading. Still, it is nice to have the footnotes, and anyone can appreciate the extra hundred miles Harrison took in providing this information.

'A Maryland Bride in the Deep South' is intended for scholarly reading versus beach reading. If you are a casual reader and are interested in the role of women in the Civil War, you might want to instead get a copy of Mary Chestnut's Diary, or Kate Stone's. If you are a historian (or a Civil War fanatic), this book then proves to be essential. Priscilla Bond's voice and, sometimes, humor and wit are a great representation of women's role in that era.

A Maryland Bride in the Deep South by Kimberly Harrison is a historic account of a young woman's diary during Civil War America. While true in its accuracy and well-researched the book was exceedingly dull and long-winded. The day-to-day entries of the diary's author, Pricilla Bond, consist of nothing more than weather reports and a monotonous list of "who visited whom". After meeting Ms. Harrison I learned that she had not intended the book for the general public but wrote it for a smaller, more scholarly group. Nevertheless, A diary should be a glance into one's soul, an opening into one's deepest thoughts and beliefs; yet Mrs. Bond's writings made her seem the most mundane creature to every put ink to paper. There are faint glimmers of hope that she may be more than what her entries make her seem, a few secret meetings with her fiancé, a wrestle with faith and religion; but those were few and far between. It is true that Mrs. Bond was very ill and was therefore often unable to write but this only serves to add to my ponderings as to why she would then use what little strength she did posses to write about the rain or who attended church that day.

I accept the face that I am not a historian, I do not understand the life and customs of women in the 19Th century. However, if Mrs. Bond's life is a good representaion of most women in that time then I cannot thank God enough that I live in the era that I do. On that note, I am grateful to Pricilla for aiding me in putting my life in perspective. I have freedom and opportunity to marry whom I want, to go where I want, to not have to `dress for dinner', to receive medical care for the condition that so abruptly ended Mrs. Bonds life and her writings.
Overall, I would only recommend this book to those who are truly interested in that time and place, and are resilient enough to search through the sea of dull truth, to find a few pearls of wisdom from Pricilla Bond.

Elya Franciscus
#2248241
ENG 11 A.M.

A Maryland Bride

Priscilla Bond begins her diary in a light fashion, offering subtle, at times too ordinary details of her daily life inside her parent's Maiden Lane home outside of Baltimore where she often receives guests for tea. This is to be expected as Bond grew up in a very prominent family household with numerous friends and relatives and lived in the nineteenth century South where women's identities were defined by their families both immediate and extended. Nevertheless, these activities are far too mundane to be found enjoyable. Too frequently, bond mentions these houseguests who stop in for tea and are gone just as quickly. "Nothing has occurred worthy of note, no one was here but cousin Howard P--he took tea with us and then left for Mr. Dallam's in Bel Air..." (Harrison, 69) One wishes for such entries to be over quickly as they are a strain on both the reader's patience and bladder.
Furthermore, such entries are frustrating as women in Bond's time often used their diaries to find means of escape from their subservient societal roles. With such freedom at one's literal fingertips, one wonders just why someone would spend so many entries recounting the painstaking activities of daily life. Nevertheless, these entries do not begin until the temporary, but drawn-out departure of Bond's potential suitor, Howard and one soon realizes that Bond's entries are merely a way of coming to terms with her newfound life and establishing her identity in his absence.
Once Bond is able to put aside her sadness and bask in her freedom, her entries become more involved and thought-provoking, allowing her wit, endearing personality, and charming prose to shine through. One of her more light-hearted entries finds her gazing up at the clouds, imagining them taking on the likeness of fairies. "...methinks I can see little fairies as they were skipping and chasing each other in frolicksome glee till they are lost in the distance..." (Harrison, 69) Her observations take a more elaborate turn after she notices the change in the clouds after a rainstorm. "They first looked like an army arrayed for battle. Some were on horseback, some walking and the flags flying as if it were flying in the breeze." (Harrison, 75)
Bond is at her literary best, however, when she is exploring more profound subject matter such as mortality which she does after the death of her aunt. "Oh! May we be prepared when ever the messenger comes, and have our lamps trimmed & brightly burning." (Harrison, 74) She boldly ponders the day when she too must meet death's door, doing so in a light-hearted, yet wistful fashion and then proceeds to discuss something as simple as the weather. This, at first, seems like an odd turn, but it is Bond's intention to state that death, like the weather is commonplace and not to be fretted over. One simply disregards it and moves on with the day.
It is this approach to life along with Bond's faith that carry her through the diary's duration. After her marriage to Howard, a man whom she cares for deeply, but is never quite sure if she truly loves, her health begins to deteriorate. This only makes the feats that follow all the more admirable, however, as her husband joins the Civil War effort and she finds herself alone and ailing.
It is a pleasure to witness Bond's growing strength which not only masks her illness but establishes her as a force to be reckoned with. This is no longer the woman who wrote of tea time and fairy-like clouds. When soldiers invade her Abbeville home, looking for enemies who may be hidden within, she boldly ushers them around, insisting that they look wherever they wish. Once more, she finally stands up to her unpleasant mother-in-law with whom she has long been in rival. Howard's long awaited return is greeted with joy, but the event is bittersweet as one knows that she will not be around to enjoy it much longer. Although Bond may have not been able to find love, she was, in fact, able to find herself.

As expected this book was not intended for the general public, therefore it does not arouse any significant interest in the average reader. Even though I did not find the book particularly interesting, I cannot deny or ignore the meticulous analysis, and research done by Harrison. The introduction not only demonstrates extensive research, but also provides enough background information to fill in the gaps in Priscilla's diary so that it presents a coherent narrative of her life during the war. The introduction also incorporates certain aspects and themes of society and culture in the mid 19th century, making it easier for the reader to understand Priscilla's personality and behavior as a product of her environment. By providing an overview of principal friends and family as well as frequently mentioned places, Harrison allows for a quick point of reference to the many characters mentioned. Overall the book is an extraordinary piece of research and undoubtedly an invaluable tool for historians as it gives direct insight into the mind of a civilian woman during the civil war. I think Harrison does a marvelous job incorporating the diary in its entirety for it reflects the changes in Priscilla's mood and personality before, during, and after the war. The diary provided a source of comfort to Priscilla and played a role in the formation of her identity. Priscilla struggled as she attempted to conform to what she believed was her duty as a wife in the turmoil of war, but also as she faced the differences in culture as she moved from her home in Maryland to that of her husband's family in Louisiana. The diary, and Harrison's further analysis explain how Priscilla uses her diary not only as her confidant but also as a means of easing or suppressing the cultural shock she experiences when she moves to Louisiana, and the sense of loneliness and isolation generated by the absence of her husband.
As I previously mentioned, the book is an extraordinary piece of research and will undoubtedly serve as a valuable scholarly tool, as well as an important source of historical reference. Unfortunately I am not a historian, nor am I overly interested in the monotonous life of a bourgeois 19th century girl. Although Harrison attempts to make the book as accessible as possible while maintaining its caliber as a scholarly tool, it is not quite enough to incite enough interest in the average reader.

It is a great 60's book as the name implies. Typical run of the mill story of young men and women coming of age during the Vietnam debacle, caught up in their own life's whirl-wind. It is a story of friendship, innocence lost, romance, ambition and lack of it. The most intriguing character, Neil, an iconoclast, goes his own way by enlisting in the army whereas his friends get out of it by producing doctor's letter. But soon he returns to his town wearing a soldier's uniform, AWOL. He never acknowledges why he wanted to enlist or why he came back, a deserter. He is an enigma, an aloof character, a thorn in his friend's side, a train wreck bound to happen.

There is an eerie parallel to the current Iraq war and the one which blazed for a decade in South East Asia almost 40 years ago. Politicians start wars on vague notions, send young men/women to fight and then sit back and rationalize. Ben, who is always popping pills, wonders out loud "Why are we concerned about Communism spreading in South East Asia now when we didn't do anything to prevent Eastern Europe fall in Communist hands after WWII." Ben's comment can easily apply to any decade; just replace the word communism with dictatorship.

More than anything it is a book of friendship, camaraderie among men, the kinship which is hard to describe.

It must be an autobiography.

When he talked a bout the PaperMate grey and pick retractable pen, he got me! So much is familiar. Born and bred in NYC, all of this is migratable. I sat by the pool and had it read to me and well, I just laughed and giggled. With the world in its way, the Republican convention underway ... terror threats on NYC bridges and public transportation ... it's remarkable to say this novel was "fantasy". But, there you have it in today's world. When my teenaged son gets his head out of online poker and IMing, I will encourage him to read through this coming of age story ... it is so wonderfully innocent!

Maybe it's the Baltimore nostalgia, or maybe it's the message that there's something awaiting everyone beyond what we see when we're young, but I really got into this story. Bobby Shine and his male "diner" buddies bring back the ambivilance we felt between our friends the soldiers and our friends the hippies during the Vietnam War years. The novel awakens long lost memories of such things as coddies, peppermint sticks in lemons, the Flower Mart, Read's drug stores, dates at Mandel's, hanging out in a diner. Having close buddies and a welcoming place such as the diner to discuss personal problems and accomplishments is basic to this story. Friendship reigns supreme. Nothing quite matches the freedom and exhuberance of being young. Even with its painful times. This story captures it all. Read it.

This is a novel about a group of young men during events that happened to them around 1966. It is told through the eyes of Bobby Shine, and we hear other tidbits from his life as well, but they all have a tie in to events that occur during the timeframe of the book. We assume the author is looking back at his life from a distance of about 40 years, because he has the gaps of memory, of which incidents are important, etc. We see how the sexual revolution, drugs, and the war all affect the men, and women that we meet.

I love the work of Barry Levinson on screen. On paper though is another story. THe characters in this book are one dimensional. They have no soul. And I never got their voice. THough what each character does is unique, they all sound like the same person. I never got to know anyone. Their is simply not enough dialogue in this book-we are told but never shown anything. I wanted to hear each character speak more, not the second hand version that is presented. I know Mr. Levinson can do dialogue- it is the most brilliant thing about his movies. I can't imagine why he didn't incorporate it here.

When I discovered this book in the library I was very excited. After all, I love Levinson movies, and Baltimore was my second home. I visited my father in Baltimore from my mother's home in NYC once a month for about 18 years. Of course, I came of age about half-a-generation after these characters.

Unfortunately, the book reads not like a novel, but like a memoir. As Neil quotes Twain in the book (and I paraphrase) "the difference between truth and fiction is that fiction has to be logical". Well this fiction is too logical, too crafted, too contrived. I guess I don't believe that, in a true novel, these characters would have all these unspectacular and predictable misadventures.

Some of this reaction stems, I'm sure from knowing Levinson's background and having seen his movies.

I look for spontanaiety in a book. This book has no surprises.

I give it 2 stars for the Baltimore nostalgia, but overall it is a disappointing read.

New to the Baltimore area....had been struggling to find good day hikes...looked online, etc. -could find references to parks, etc. but couldn't find a good source to tell me which places had trails and if they had trails which ones were the good ones. This book clearly explains what is out there and gives clear descriptions & directions.

I think both reviews above are correct. The book has absolutely inspired me to explore my own region. It's really changed my outlook and my health. However, there are times when the author's instructions are hard to grasp (especially when they seem to conflict with trail maps and signs -- and I think the map for the hike I took yesterday was just plain wrong.) I have already recommended (or bought) this book for several friends and all have been excited to know about it.

While this book does outline quite a few hikes around and in Baltimore, it is hard to follow the author's instructions. Too much narrative mixed in with the directions and turns. Would be nice for an outline of turn by turn directions without all the descriptions and narratives. Not so user friendly when trying to find your way.

First, I love the book 60 Hikes within 60 Miles of Washington DC and would highly recommend it. Based on my experience with that book, written by a different author, I was looking forward to trying out the hikes in this one. After trying out a few of the hikes, I must say that I cannot be more disappointed. The writers instructions for the hikes left out many critical details. One of the hikes I picked at random, was #55 in Patapsco Valley State Park. This hike, like the others, left out critical details to complete the hike as described successfully. My friends and I ended up forging our own path because of the uselessness of what the author wrote. Furthermore, hike #55 has the hikers cross not just one, but two bridges which are unsafe for pedestrians to cross. The description of hike #55 even uses the, unfortunately, accurate phrase 'admittedly, it isn't very pleasant' to describe one part of the hike. It is my opinion that if one has to use a phrase like this, that one should rethink the hike entirely as hikes are supposed to be pleasant.

Please, save your money and avoid this book.

Whether you like to take scenic strolls with your toddler or hike with the true pioneer spirit of the rugged individualist, 60 Hikes within 60 Miles: Baltimore, by Evan Balkan, is your new must-have pocket guide. From his first-hand hiking experiences, Balkan's guide offers a comprehensive compilation of short essays that lead the hiker down paths of delightful discovery through the widly trampled trails and hidden treasures found in and adjacent to "Charm City."