New York Books

This play is an absolute joy to read, with characters who come into their own, If anyone loves the movie or enjoys theatre, this has quite alot for everyone, funny dialogue, romance, murder and of course Teddy... after reading this I was tempted to run up the stairs shouting "CHARGE!!!"
Shipping to the UK was brilliant too came on the expected delievery date.

This is an enduring classic comedy that has been staged with actors of all ages including those in high schools, community theaters and professional productions. The script contains jokes based on the status of "the theater" at the time (common discussions among critics at that time parallel the line in a Simon and Garfunkle song, "is the theater really dead?") The story line is built on a wonderful array of eccentric characters. A great deal of the comedy is based on dramatic irony, where the audience knows something that some or all of the actors on stage do not. Great to stage and fun to see.

I received the product very quickly and easily as is usual with Amazon.

It was hard to read this without thinking of the wonderful movie. In a nutshell it is a play about a family where mental illness (insanity) is rampant. One character thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt and is building the Panama canal in the cellar. Two characters think they are performing a charity by poisoning lonely elderly men which the Teddy Roosevelt character perceives to be victims of yellow fever and buries them in Panama canal locks. These characters are perceived by neighbors as kind and gentle souls. Another character is an escapee from a hospital for the criminally insane. It is understandable why the sane member of the family is afraid to get married. He finds out that he is not related by blood to this family. The play is wonderfully written. I found it disturbing that these kindly gentle elderly women were serial killers. It just goes to show things are not always what they appear. Also, torture was alluded to in the play. All in all a good read.

Although these words refer to Teddy Brewster in this hilarious play by Joseph Kesselring, they could have applied equally to most of the other members of the Brewster household. Teddy thinks he is Teddy Roosevelt, always "charging" upstairs when he is not in the basement digging "locks for the Panama Canal." His two elderly aunts, with whom he lives, also have their own bizarre secret, for which the hand-dug "locks" in the basement are employed to good effect.

Jonathan, Teddy's "disagreeable" brother, who disappeared many years ago, returns during the play with secrets of his own. With his face altered by plastic surgery, he is accompanied by Dr. Einstein, with whom he plans to set up an operating room in the house so the doctor can give new faces to criminals. The only normal person in the family is Mortimer, a drama critic who hates plays, engaged to marry Elaine, the innocent daughter of the minister next door. Mortimer is particularly upset by Jonathan's return--"the most detestable, vicious, venomous form of animal life I ever knew."

The frantic action, the ironies, the comic routines, and the dramatic surprises all center around two bodies, hidden at various times in the window seat of the living room, and the reactions to them by the various people within the household. The local police, friends of Aunt Abby and Aunt Martha, stop by to chat, have coffee, and protect these "sweet" old ladies, often at the worst possible moments, while Mortimer tries to decide what to do about his strange family and the bodies in the house.

Arsenic and Old Lace is such a strong play, with so many hilarious moments, that it is not surprising that this is a staple of local theaters and high school drama groups. Much of the play involves sight gags, contretemps, and weird characters behaving outrageously. Careful delivery of lines and subtlety of gesture are far less important here than the high- speed action, over-the-top characterizations, and split second timing of entrances and exits. One of the funniest and most often performed plays of American theater, Arsenic and Old Lace is as delightful in the twenty-first century as it was when it was first performed in 1941. Mary Whipple

Often I have said my gender cannot write. Louisa is an exception. I bought her book because the ancient black madonna interests me very much. The famous gothic cathedral of Chartres in France is dedicated to her. In this book you see the veneration for the black madonna come to life. The author keeps you in suspense as the story line unfolds, and I find her style of developing the characters and plots very charming. She presents wisdom of life and humor, that made me laugh out loud. The reason I read is to be entertained, and I was truly entertained from start to finish. I even learned a thing or two.

My mother grew up in the area where this book takes place. I bought her this book, and she was said it was wonderful and brought back many memories. The sites mentioned are all real, and some of the people remind her of those she grew up with. If anyone is nostalgiac for that area and era, this is a must-read.

What a terrific group of people to "meet" and easily get to know. This story takes place in the row houses in Little Itlay in NY. The author does a great job of making the reader feel like part of the "family" of neighbors and tight-knit family. Reading this book was like sitting on the front stoop with these characters catching up on the neighborhood gossip. There are the old world Italians that are actually from Italy and this particular group stick with old customs and beliefs and don't wander to far from Little Italy. Then there are the young, new Italians born in Little Italy but tend to wander out of the neighborhood and meet new friends not from Little Italy or even Italian. We get to meet the overbearing, Italian mother of a son who has a hard time being independent or even wanting to be independent. This story made me laugh at times. I wouldn't call this a comedy, I'd call this a look at a different ethnic culture but also being able to recognize someone familiar. This was an excellent book and story with a lot of people to enjoy. A fun education of "the old ways".

I loved this book. I read it during a 20-hour bus ride, keeping my above-the-seat light on well into the night. Not so much to see what would happen (although you really don't know that until the last pages); more because I just wasn't ready to say good-night to the characters. This is the best part: Unlike many books I read, the ending was just as good as the beginning. I'll read more of her books.

"The Black Madonna" is loaded with stereotypes -- the overbearing Italian mama, the rich Jewish family; however, this book is so hysterical that political correctness must, thank God, go by the wayside. Filled with scenes of life in tenement housing in "the old neighborhood," Louisa Ermelino has written great atmosphere with colorful, memorable characters. There is no deep plot, just a delightful splash of life, love, religion, friendship, and aging.

Just as I feel about their first book, do yourself a favor and treat yourself to this one too! Let's hope these true stories inspire others so be so kind. Enjoy.

Ginny's unique talents in locating sick and injured cats had rendered her numerous appearances in CNN, Animal Planet and major news. Her rescue stories were illustrated by two national best selling books: The Dog who Rescues Cats and the Blessing of the Animals. Ginny passed away on August 25th, 2005.



With the passing of Ginny, her unfinished mission of cat rescuing is continued by her caretaker Philip Gonzalez everyday. A non profit organization, The Ginny Fund, has been established to raise fund for cat rescuing in Long Beach New York.
For more information about Ginny, Pleas visit ginnyfanclub website.

Today's New York Daily News reported on the passing of Ginny, a/k/a the Mother Theresa of Cats, gone at the age of 17. She succumbed to old age yesterday afternoon on a blanket in Philip Gonzalez's care. As for Ginny's story, this is one of my favorite books. The stories are truly heartwarming and this book was a "gotta have it" purchase. Browsing the pet section in a local bookstore, I found this and it jogged my memory: Ginny's story was familiar to me due to a Reader's Digest article, but what happened next? This book captures all the tails...er, TALES, lol. I will definitely re-read this now. How could a dog love cats she doesn't live with? As a cat person, I've always been intrigued by this. How ironic that such incredible humanity could have come from one of god's furry creatures. Rest in peace, Ginny. Let us hope there are more of you in the world.

A continuation of a very sweet story. I have a few stray cats around my home and even though my inside cats aren't as willing to share as Ginny (LOL), I make sure to feed them and give them shelter. I highly recommend this book and also the one that came before it! (Not sure of the exact title).

I read this book in one afternoon and handed it off to my husband, who could not put it down. I relate to the author in one respect: after having animals all my life, I connected with one cat so profoundly that I have devoted my life and work to alleviating animal suffering and overcoming the devastating problem of pet overpopulation. It's bittersweet. I love animals with a depth that is so satisfying, and enjoy human and animal company more than I ever was able. But I am now so attuned to animal suffering (generally due to human neglect or abuse -- I'm not trying to fight the forces of nature) that it is difficult to focus on anything else. Just read this book. It feels so good!

I seldom reread a book; this book I have read twice and bought three copies to give away. I will read it again; the writing is so funny, so dazzling. The characters are so real, their stories so poignant. Jewish readers will especially love this book; we know these people though we have never met. I fell in love with Bummy Davis and when he died, I felt a loss. My gangster imagination loved reading about all the mob characters, though I am not a fan of violence or boxing for that matter. I read this book as my husband lay dying of cancer; it kept me uplifted during this difficult time. I loved that it was long and hated that it had to end. This is such a special book, and I haven't even mentioned the awesome research it must have taken to write it.

This book is a very satisfying trip down boxing's memory lane. Ron Ross resurrects here the color and drama of a very fascinating, tough NY prizefighter with a heart of gold--Bummy. Ross gives us in this welcomed work, devoted research, clearly a labor of love, and fine writing. Clearly, I see this book being optioned in Hollywood. Boxing translates to the screen in a big way and I see this book making a million bucks for some talented film maker.

The authur Ron Ross is at his best. I could not stop reading amd I recommended the book to all my sons.I lived in East New york during those days.Fascinating.
Harry Keller

Fantastic account of the life and career of Al 'Bummy' Davis, during the time of Mob rule in New York. Fascinating look into the ways and troubles of immigrant communities and their exploitation by gangsters.

Whether you are looking for a boxing or mafia book, this will do the job.

For anyone who loves a good story, written with wit, humor, and style, this book is for you. I couldn't put it down, and found something to chuckle about or a phrase to admire or an ironic comment I loved at least once on each page. I finished the book today (March 29, 2007)and did something I never did before (and I am 80 year's old). I noted from the book jacket that the author divides his time between Oceanside, LI and Boca Raton, Fl, and even though it is 4 years since the book was written and the author's name is a relatively common one, I called information for his Boca Raton number and took a chance that it was the right Ron Ross. I left a message that if this Ron Ross was an author, would he please call me, and I left my number. A few hours later I received a call from Mr. Ross and we had a delightful conversation for 10 minutes or so. For me to have taken the time to locate Mr. Ross and call him is an example that actions speak louder than words. Believe my action and go out and buy, read, enjoy, and love the book. It's cheap enough, and you'll thank me, and more so, will thank Ron Ross.

Ed Gold

Was not expecting to enjoy this book so much! I loved it!

This is not a bad book, but this book was not for me. I enjoy hip hop, but it's not a huge part of my life, so while reading this book I found I could not really relate to the characters or the subject matter.

Reading about G Double G made me think "Suge Knight." His character was probably a mix of different males in the Hip Hop industry. The way the women were objectified in this book, it's no wonder you still have women who want to be involved in hip hop in any shape or form. The use of the N word also disturbed me a great deal. I would cringe every time I saw the word printed. Despite disliking seeing the word, I understood why Black Aretmis used the word in the book. I don't approve of the word and never will. I don't care how much hip hop has tried to make the word "okay to use."

The book is about two friends who have a big love for hip hop. Leila wants to be the first Latina female to make it big in an industry dominated buy males. Cassie also wants to be a big name in hip hop, and the two initially form a female duo called Sabrina Steelo and Fatal Beauty. Cassie stabs Leila in the back and signs with Explicit content. Not only does she sign with Explicit content, she takes all the money out of their account, leaving Leila with nothing. Cassie tries to figure out what she will do next after Leila's deception. Cassie ends up signing with Explicit Content as a solo act, but the longer she is with the label the more she finds out some deceptive shady, underhanded things about being in the industry. Cassie figures out that Explicit Content is not only a record label, but the label is used for some shady business dealings as well. Leila is in trouble and Cassie is trying to figure out how to help her old friend without messing up her own career.

This book will really wake you up to some aspects of the Hip Hop industry, and you will realize it's not quite as glamorous as people make it seem. This industry can rob you of your soul if you let it. Hip hop is not just about the music, and the glitz or glamour. It's about drugs, violence, and the women who become victims of Hip Hops web. There was one line in the book that really grabbed me. When you are done reading this book, you will feel for Cassie and Lelia, and other characters will make your blood boil.

This was an interesting book.

As a person who doesn't take or use hip hop beyond the slam of my car door, the occasional rest on BET when channel surfing, and the occasional hook to reign in the attentions of the adolescence I come in contact with, Black Artemis has gained my attention with Explicit Content.

Leila and Cassie are best friends with a dream of making it big in hip hop. Leila , the wild child Latina, is approached by the super producer of Explicit Content G Double D, to go solo. She jumps at the chance leaving her friend Cassie, more grounded Black girl, high and dry. Cassie, feeling betrayed, decides to still pursue her thang, albeit a bit differently. After a hip hop contest she confronts G Double D asking why he didn't want her. After hearing what he had to say she decided to do it on her own. However a few days later the same producer steps up and offers a deal too good to turn down and manages to pull her into the Explicit Content family. Once she's in she realizes music ain't the only thing she has to be down for.

Following the story of Cassie and Leila had this sista up at 3:00 a.m. finishing the book and writing this review. As I read I kept telling myself, "I am going to pass this onto the teens in my make shift book club in my Sunday school class. ( Well at least the older ones!)"

Along with some interesting insight into hip hop culture its just a damn good story that moves well, that is smart, and sucks you in. Written with real hip hop vernacular and accented with actual rhyme, Explicit Content is everything one would imagine a good hip hop novel to be.


Kotanya
APOOO BookClub

Cassandra and Leila have been blowing up the club scene with their rhymes as Sabrina Steelo and Fatal Beauty. When it looks like they will finally get that big break they have been waiting for they find themselves torn apart.
Whe G Double D only signs Leila( Fatal Beauty) to the Explicit Content label Cassandra feels burned by Leila but not for long. When G Double D decides he wants Cassandra as well.
Once inside Explicit Content, Cassandra finds things are not at all as they seem and that Leila is in trouble.
Black Artemis puts some serious flavah in your ear with this Hip-Hop debut.
The book focuses on the girl's friendship and their differences. One being Black and one being Latina and the importance of family. She takes you inside the hip hop industry and into a Rap label full of false promises, shady deals and broken dreams.
This is Hip-Hop fiction to the fullest. You won't want to miss a beat of this stunning debut.
reviewed by:
Dawnny

Wow! Where do I begin? Being several generations removed from
the hip-hop scene, I've never afforded myself the opportunity
to appreciate or even understand the genre. With mild trepidation
I began reading EXPLICIT CONTENT, the story of two young ladies
from the Bronx with mad aspiration to become major hip-hoppers.

Cassandra Rivers and Leila Aponte fought their way into a
friendship and parlayed that friendship into a hip-hop duo known
as Sabrina Steelo and Fatal Beauty. But, when G-Double-D, the CEO
of the gangsta rap label, Explicit Content, seduces Leila with
promises of solo stardom, she falls for it hook, verse, and sample
and leaves Cassie hanging. Cassie swallows the hurt from Leila's
betrayal and goes solo herself; after all she is the one with
the skills. In a short time, Cassie's determination captures the
attention of Double-D and he offers her a recording deal. Cassie
has to decide how much she is willing to risk for stardom; Double-D
has secrets, big secrets, and Leila is in danger. In spite of the
tension between them, Cassie is worried about Leila, but she doesn't
want to jeopradize her own career or get caught in the middle of
Explicit Content's drama.

Black Artemis, a hip-hop activist, writer and speaker has penned
more than a story about rappers. She has written a bonafide,
unpretentious classic about the lives of a generation caught in
a musical upheaval. This is an intense story about friendship,
loyalty, and the too high price to `make it'. The writing is
frank, hip and genuine; Ms. Artemis does not gloss over any aspect
of the music, the genre, or the people. About half-way through the
book, I started to understand the use of a jargon and the need for
an attitude exclusive to the craft. I walked away from EXPLICIT
CONTENT with a different awareness and yes, even an appreciation
for the sub-culture and for the economic aspect surrounding the
phenomenon of HIP-HOP. This is a mad introduction for a first
published book. (RAWSISTAZ Rating: 4.5)

Reviewed by aNN
of The RAWSISTAZ™Reviewers

Kwan did his thing as he always does in his books! I could not put it down. the book was action packed from start to finish. Gutter was just as good as Gangsta. If u haven't read Gangsta then read it before you read the action packed sequel Gangster.

I thought I luv the first but this book was better. Not many authors can out do there first one. But this one did. This is a must have book for all urban fiction luvas.

Gutter is a street novel that almost redefines the term "street novel". The violence is high, the language is raw, and the hypocrisy is staggering. Meaning, the hypocrisy within the characters not with K'wan. These gangbangers have a conscience but they conveniently and regularly set them aside when it was time to kill an enemy. I'll admit that I did not read `Gansta' but I probably will now based solely on the strength of this book.

Gutter is a very, very good book and you'll definitely enjoy it. K'wan knows the hood game a little too well though! Kinda makes you wonder too. How does Stephen King know horror so well? How does Eric Jerome Dickey know erotica and sensuality so well? How does Colleen McCullough know Rome so well? How does K'wan know the streets so well? And yeah, I DO put him in the same category as the afore mentioned authors because he is that good in his genre. I've been impressed with K'wan ever since I read `Hoodlum' and this book only cements myself as a real fan of his!

`Gutter' is a street novel in every sense of the word. There is major bloodshed and the body count reminds me of the first Terminator movie. There are some seriously cold hearted folks up in this novel and they pull some cold hearted moves on EVERYONE! Major Blood lives up to his name and then some. Gutter is a walking, killing paradox. He "hates" all the killing yet does a lot of it himself. He doesn't want his future child to grow up without a father yet he lays down innocents as well as soldiers. It makes for an unusual and interesting internal twist to the story.

Now... all K'wan needs to do is bring his butt over here to the West Coast so we can show him some love as well!!

K'wan, K'wan, K'wan...wow...I'm speechless! This novel begins with a bittersweet introduction as Gutter and Lou Loc's offspring discuss the events that led to the demise of their gang banger father. Prepare for an exhilarating ride filled with excitement, suspense, and shockers galore!! Get your rest...because you are definitely going to need it!

Entering the initial scene is Gutter, hell bent on avenging his best friend Lou Loc's death by any means necessary. Seeking street justice, Gutter is ferociously raging as he plows down any Blood gang member or associate without a conscious. Despite Gutter's cold-hearted killer instinct, his fiancé Sharell is the only person that can bring forth the human side of this callous murderer. The love between the two is surprising and refreshing as well as the other mysteries that are constantly appearing in this gangster read.

Gutter's mentor-uncle, and father figure Gunn is left for dead. The family has summoned Gutter to the California home front because of this treacherous attack. Once his feet hit Cali soil, murder, mayhem, and tragedy are occurring in his wake; But in his absence from New York, an even more deadly plan is unfolding.

Gutter by K'wan is so powerfully emotional that it figuratively clinches the reader in a deadly chokehold from beginning to the surrealistic ending. I've been a long-time fan of K'wan. I love his literary swagger, and his stylistic storytelling skills have always been gangsta. But I've always had one complaint...the lack of emotions, indicative of a male author. Well, I take my hat off to the author. The execution was perfect; Gutter captures all feelings, eliciting various ranges of emotions like love, loyalty, egotism, revenge, sorrow, betrayal, redemption, and murder (did I mention love?) K'wan brought the pain! 5 out of 5 is not nearly enough to describe this fabulous read! Total kudos to you, K'wan! You mos def did the damn thang! Take your bow my brotha, take your bow!

Reviewed by Tazzyt2bossye
for Urban Reviews

Seems like today everybody wants to write a sequel, but few are worthy. K'wan's GUTTER definitely falls in the small group of those that clearly know what they are doing. K'wan packs his pages with details and drama. Then there's the character of Gutter, an interesting man. An intriguing tale, this book is well worth reading and also warns readers of the consequences of living life on the streets. Put GUTTER atop your must read list.

This book is informative and very well made. Hundertwasser is one of my favorite artists and I own several books about his life and work. This is one is (so far) the best. The Taschen book reproduces his work beautifully, showcasing the washes and color use that make his work truly sublime. It also contains some wonderful photographs of the buildings he designed, which make one wish all construction could be so imaginative. This book was more than I expected for a very fair price.

This book really shows off Hundertwasser and is a great addition to any art collection. This is another hit by Taschen.

REVIEW SUBTITLE: A Serendipitous Purchase

While I had come across references to "the art of Hundertwasser," because I knew only of him as an architect and consider architecture an art, I assumed that the colorful work adorning the cover of this book was one of the Gaudi-esque architect's occasionally fancified plans. As a number probably know, however, it is not. Rather it is but one of Hundertwasser's many paintings.

Though I'd expected a book on architecture, I was not disappointed to receive one focusing on H's development as a painter. In fact, I was elated, for splashed across approximately 2/3rds of the 197 pages of this book are what had originally attracted me to him: the "lush opulence" of what I now know are his watercolors and paintings.

This book, however, is not just a visual feast. In addition tracing his development as an artist, the text includes and discusses H's thoughts on topics such as those noted in the Table of Contents I've included in the commentary following this review. And while some may seem esoteric, the discussions are not. In fact, they're fascinating.

That most of the focus of Taschen's retrospective of H and his work is on water colors/painting is not surprising, for so few of his structures were ever realized. However, approximately 30 well-illustrated pages are devoted to H's theories about architecture, his architectural models, and the utopian structure he was commissioned by the city of Vienna to build.

I was certainly correct in one assumption I made when I ordered HUNDERTWASSER: With the words "Taschen 25th Anniversary" attached to its title, I could not go wrong. Nor will anyone who purchases it.

Note: Lest you give any weight to L. Egan's comment about the book's "downsides," please read my response to his review.

I am a quilter, and bought this book largely because of my love for batiks,(which are cotton fabrics hand dyed)and on recollection of a show I saw 32 years ago on Hundertwasser in Toronto's ROM.I like it,big time.Yep,there's no gold leaf in them thar hills and curves of Hundertwasser repros,if it bothers you enough,grab a gold leaf marker and add it yourself.Taschen offers value for your money,if you want gold leaf,you may have to add another 20.00 to the cost of the book.I have no problems about the quality of the repros.Anything that looks like pale brown,try and doublecheck,it is likely it is gold leaf. The artist may not have alot to say as other painters,but his designs,and color sense are really got me going into my studio.
I am glad I got it!

Any book about art or an artist that doesn't make me fall asleep gets five stars from me. The only downside (but it still gets five stars) as that you don't get the full representation of the pictures and need to look at the description to see the medium. For example the foil overlay. Still wonderful. (Feb 17, 2008)

I eventually found a small, beautiful, cloth-bound catalogue of his Australian and New Zealand exhibitions (the one I have was produced in 1973 by cicero, gmbh and titled 'Hundertwasser 1974 Australia') and there you get glimpse of the phosphoric metallic brilliance that I find missing in many of the books about Hundertwasser - although for the price of these books, no complaint. This book and the catalogue are a good combination. The catalogue I was able to find at a very reasonable price of $30, but it took a bit of searching. (April 16, 2008)

Very well written and captivating non-fiction story about the intrigues around the Sigmund Freud Archives. The character descriptions are interesting, and we are also given some insights into the history and concepts of psychoanalysis. This is done without the text becoming too theoretical. In the Freud Archives is not difficult to read. After reading the postscript I wondered a little about Janet Malcolms use of sources. She is not exactly kind towards Masson, and maybe she betrays him by putting into text words not intended to.I don't know, there was some controversy after the first publication. Anyway, the book is great.

Wow!

This concise primer on Freud's legacy details the evidence behind his theories, profiles three characters who fight over their origins and significance, and questions the wisdom of restricting access to the Freud archives. A brilliant work that fascinates, illuminates, and documents - and deserves to be read by all psychology students. Hint: Freud's conclusion that his female patients were fantasizing about sexual abuse seems more arrogant and less plausible than ever. Further, the decision to keep key source documents locked away in the Freud archives until 2102 emphasizes the lack of transparency and secretive, almost sect-like style of Freud in creating his new "scientific" discipline.

A very entertaining, intellectual, and rather disturbing read for a breezy summer day!

A great read and one that explicates the silence of the patriarchy yet again.

Though under 150 pages in length, In the Freud Archives is so complex that, to serve the potential purchaser of this book, I want to confine my comments to the writer's craft, that is, to how Janet Malcolm constructed her tale, and to notions such as subtext (what the author does not or cannot say on the surface), and to how her book and its topic of the Sigmund Freud legacy might have changed since the book was first published in 1984.

There is clearly a central "character," a protagonist, in this book: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson. The opening pages of In the Freud Archives recount Masson's personal charm and dazzling intellect as he begins to appear at psychoanalytic conferences (which lead to his meeting with the most important of the four or five other "characters," Kurt Eissler, the Secretary or head of the Freud Archives). Note that throughout the book, author Malcolm gives more pages to Masson than to anyone else, the final pages of the book are Masson's words, and he is the only person Malcolm shows in the intimacy of his home with his family. Masson seems to be the perfect "main character" because of his internal conflicts (which he makes visible, as Malcolm recounts them). Very quickly, we find out that Masson's words and actions are uncivil, bad-tempered, and generally destructive of friendships; though other people in the book are also similarly flawed, they seem not to have redeeming qualities.

As the narrative progresses, its as though Malcolm realizes that Masson's situation makes the most compelling narrative and she wanted to record moments which "save" him; in other words, it seems to me that there is little to redeem Eissler, Peter Swales, or Anna Freud, but Malcolm gives Masson some moments of truth. For example, at the end of the book, in Jeff Masson's home with Denise, there is a bit of dialogue which Malcolm records that shows Masson does let someone (an intimate friend) question him about his manners. And at two points in the book, Malcolm records Masson saying that the results of psychoanalysis (the conclusions drawn by the analyst about the patient) don't matter as much as how the patient feels about his or her life. Masson asks, "What do you do with something like Auschwitz?" Masson asks this in the context of psychoanalysts' debates on the patient's "reality" versus "fantasy."

A great deal of what In the Freud Archives is about has to do with the current value of psychoanalysis, i.e., its efficacy in assisting the patient to recover happiness in life. If Masson was disgusted with psychoanalysts and their work, and this disgust led him to disgust with Freud and his legacy (thus leading to his being fired from the Archives job), then I wish Malcolm had written more about that point of disgust (at which Masson began to turn away). (However, she meant her book to show the relationship of everyone involved as Freud and his legacy mutated in the 1970s.) Clearly, to me, a key turning point in the narrative occurs when Masson says, "The business of analysis is to . . . get to the [patient's] pain and the sorrow. But they [the analysts] were arguing that there is no such thing as reality--that there is no single Auschwitz. That is the worst thing that analysis has left the world: the notion that there is no reality, that there are only individual experiences of it" (56-57). Be that as it may, or for what it's worth, other people in the book don't have moments of truth like this; Masson doesn't look as "bad" in this book as he thought back in 1984. It's unfortunate that he did not see that. Of course, slowly, but surely, In the Freud Archives is becoming fiction; sooner or later all nonfiction does.

Simply put, this book is a must read if you, the reader, want to be a student of life and of the era in which we live. Along those lines, it seems that because of the value of "pop psychology" and "self-help" books, the legacy of Freud and his archives are no longer worth fighting over because people in general see little at stake in Freud's interpretations of life or of our interpretations of his private life. For one thing, sexuality and the meaning of it doesn't bother people the way it did in the first half of the twentieth century. Today, the average person doesn't spend much time "interpreting" past actions, phobias, fears. If anything, we come to our conclusions about life very quickly, and we move on. Also, we live in the era of Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra, Stephen Covey, and Landmark Education, Inc.,of San Francisco; people interested in moving forward in live spend less time "interpreting" the past and more in conscious actions which bring them fulfillment. However, a general idea people might agree on is that Freud and his work came into being (in Europe) because the rising middle-class people had a sense of their own misery in an era of rapid industrial development and technological change. Analysis, or psycho-therapy or therapeutic counseling, or "self-help"--whatever you call it--responds to the basic human desire to have positive change in life--and to be at peace.

Given that happiness should be easier to find, it is sad--indeed tragic--that the intelligent people Janet Malcolm writes about should find it not only impossible to get along, but also escalate and perpetrate bad feeling. Another unfortunate situation is the tendency of "experts" like Eissler and Swales and Masson to protect their viewpoint at any cost, to the point of declaring people "wrong," people who as writers and thinkers might have something valuable to say. Malcolm's book is a chronicle of intellectual history, a tale of that specific time in the 1970s and `80s when such fights could take place. The copyright on Malcolm's "Afterword" for the NYRB edition is 1997--now ten years ago.

This small well written book is really nothing but a bit of fluffy gossip. But gossip that will delight anyone who has found themselves caught up in the now-venerable controversy surrounding both Jeffrey Masson's book: "The Assault on Truth: Freud's Suppression of the Seduction Theory" and the furor among Freud followers that resulted from it's publication. Through personal interviews, Ms.Malcolm gives us the lowdown on the brilliant but (to say the least) quirky Mr. Masson as well as most of the other surviving characters (as of 1983) involved in Masson's brief yet productive romance with the keepers of Freud's well guarded letters and library.

Perhaps the surprise here...or lack of surprise, is that those such as Masson, who attempt to push the understanding of any intellectual field beyond it's comfortable boundries will, perhaps out of necessity, find themselves snooping around its often dangerous edges. And perhaps because of the hornet's nest they may stir up, are often a bit on the edgy side themselves.

Malcolm does a fine job of exposing us to Masson's truly obnoxious character, and yet raises a larger unasked question. Does eccentricity alone invalidate an individual's research and ideas, or when one dares to take on the giants, is that same eccentricity a necessity?

Whatever the answer, the almost 25 year tandem printing history of these two volumes speaks to the apparent importance of the contentions reguarding Freud that the voracious Masson dared to raise.

And perhaps simply through daring to raise them, Masson finds his victory.

Very beautiful unfoldable view of Manhattan from both the East and the West side. Specially good is the utilization of black and white which makes it much more elegant.

I bought this one. Love NY, love illustration, love books. The thing is: it's not really a book. You can't read it, because there are only illustrations. There are no pages, or a logical sequence. You can't even open it, unless you have 12 foot long pair of arms. You can't mount it on the wall, or you'll loose the other side. It feels really stupid to have this "book" on your hands. Because although you know you can't use it, you still got to have it.

I bought Manhattan Unfurled as a gift, and that is how I rate it.
Personally, I was disappointed. I was expecting a more detailed work done is a stronger, classic pen and ink style. The the casual cartoon style however is charming and really does not detract from the impact of the book.
Manhattan Unfurled is best appreciated when unfurled. Anyone who adores Manhattan will love this book, stretching out the pages and oohing and ahhing over the vista.

I bought this book so that my children could one day see the Manhattan skyline as I fell in love with it. It's fun to note the small details in the drawings--I think I notice something new each time I open it up.

Given the excellent presentation with the slipcase, etc., this book is an awesome gift for anyone who loves NYC. The artwork is solid, but not too formal, giving just the right feeling to the buildings. This book would also be a fun springboard for children to use to draw panoramic skylines of their own home towns.

This book is charming, the cover and slipcase make it look special, the reader feels the book has to be very good to be housed in such a well crafted good looking presentation. But once you have looked at the line drawing and followed it from one end to the other you feel a little foolish having spent your money on something so wispy. And yet the book is charming, so it takes all its value when offered as a gift so that its owner can enjoy it without the remorse of the money spent..

A guest at the hotel where I work part time left this book in their room. They called the front desk where I work to inquire if we found the book. We did and I told her we would send her book out to her the next day. In the meantime, since it was a slow night at the hotel, I thought I would skim through the book. Well, what I found was a priceless little gem of a book! I read the whole book in a little over an hour. Having had four chickens as pets in the past, I was interested in the subject matter. What a treat to read this book. William Grimes takes a mundane appearance of a lowly chicken in his backyard and creates a story of such interest that I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed reading about the different personalities of his cats and the interaction all of the critters had in his back yard. An unexpected but big plus was his brief history of the different varieties of chickens. As a former pet chicken owner, I know each chicken has its own personality. Mr. Grimes confirmed that fact in his book. This is just a pleasant little book about an interlude in Mr. Grimes's life. I'm buying several and passing them out to friends. I know they will enjoy this book as much as I did.

My Fine Feathered Friend
By William Grimes
North Point Press 2002
$15 USA, $24.95 Canada
85 pages, illustrations
ISBN: 0-86547-632-2

Reviewed by Karen Davis, PhD, President of United Poultry Concerns

"I looked at the Chicken endlessly, and I wondered. What lay behind the veil of animal secrecy?"

My Fine Feathered Friend is a bittersweet tale that leaves you aching after you put the book away. In part this is because the main character, a large handsome black hen who appears mysteriously one winter day in the writer's yard in Queens, disappears as mysteriously as she arrived. This is a true story. The author, William Grimes, a restaurant critic for The New York Times, is intrigued, fascinated, and finally haunted, by this hen. He perceives her as a kind of Earth Goddess, as solid as a tree trunk, rugged, compact, able and enduring, yet elusive, vulnerable, and, ultimately, as ephemeral as a fairy princess. She vanishes when he comes to love her. He calls the hen, simply and archetypally, the Chicken.

When I first started reading My Feathered Friend, I was put off by the tone. Grimes refers to the hen for a number of pages as "it," while referring to his and his wife's cats as "hes" and "shes." His style is pat with similes and cultivated assurance. I thought, okay, Grimes wants to make sure that no one, including himself, gets emotionally involved with this chicken. He's keeping the lines drawn. But I was wrong. The story reflects his growing tenderness for the Chicken, moving through levity and wonderment to love, sorrow and loss.

The Chicken has an aura of the "familiar" in folklore, an enigmatic being regarded as both a homely acquaintance and a supernatural spirit embodied in an animal that links that animal to a particular person while retaining an inviolable otherness. Grimes's Chicken is like a visitor from another planet (exotic and ineffable) who probably escaped from the local poultry market in Queens (squalid and local). She is a hero and a survivor -- "a brave little refugee"-- who flouts false stereotypes about chickens. "I'd look out back and see a cat chasing the Chicken across the yard," Grimes writes. "Ten minutes later I'd see the Chicken chasing a cat." She is at once endearingly personal and profoundly impersonal. She has her own projects. She is self-possessed. She projects an arch authority, like the author himself. She dominates Grimes's yard, his cats, and his consciousness. She is, he confesses protectively, "a hard read."

The Chicken tracks through the universe by way of a residential patch of earth -- a "pocket paradise" reclaimed from a "wasteland of weeds" in New York City. She captures the eye of a beholder who becomes a Witness driven to Inscribe Her Being. Grimes attempts to fit what he "knows" about chickens (he eats them and makes his living writing about them as food; otherwise he says "the humble chicken was foreign to me") with his deepening perception of, identification with, and ultimate yearning and mourning over this particular hen. She moves him. He is affected by her "air of mystery," her "appetite for play," her "brilliant evasive maneuvers," her "genuine courage," her "character," her "willful high-spirit," her evocation of what the poet William Wordsworth inestimably versed as "something ever more about to be."

Grimes reads up on chickens, passing on to us pieces of information (some accurate, some not) about Gallus domesticus in folklore, history, and poultry manuals, as a backdrop to, an explanation of, the Chicken, a creature so definite, and infinite, so solid and numinous, she eludes classification. He muses:

"Was it pure coincidence that she liked to sneak up on Yowzer, the cat most likely to develop a nervous twitch when caught unawares? Time after time I saw the Chicken trot up delicately when Yowzer had his back turned, squawk a couple of times, and then watch as the cat leaped a couple of vertical feet. The Chicken, after a successful ambush, would run off jauntily, with a cackle that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle."

At other times, "I'd see Bruiser and Crusher snoozing in the basket, Yowzer draped along a nearby wooden bench, and the dark, shapeless form of Midnight filling out the sagging seat of an old sea grass chair we had bought for a couple of dollars at a yard sale. And in the midst of the group, perfectly content, sat the Chicken. It was a heartwarming sight."

One night a police helicopter hovers over the yard, causing the pine tree in which the Chicken is roosting to sway violently under a wind of hurricane force. "Somewhere, deep in the branches," Grimes writes, "the Chicken was holding on for dear life. I couldn't begin to imagine what was going through her tiny mind. By now, I figured, she had either suffered a fatal heart attack or had been dashed to the ground. But no. The next morning, amid wreckage out of Apocalypse Now, the Chicken reappeared, brimful of vim and vigor."

But one spring day, the Chicken is gone. She does not return. Grimes and his wife Nancy look everywhere. They wrack their brains trying to remember if there were any behavioral signs they failed to notice. "The previous afternoon I had watched her resting comfortably in her nest beneath the pine tree," Grimes writes. "I searched for signs of violence but did not find any. The only trace of the Chicken was a single black feather near the back door. The Chicken was definitely, profoundly missing."

It is hard reading the final pages of this book. The depression Grimes describes is not roguish but real, though he tries to make light. "We had grown to love the Chicken," he says. We believe him: so had we. "She really was a big presence in the backyard," Nancy sighs. You go back to the book cover and study the jet black sweet bird face with its rosy comb and pert expression, framed in an oval mirror. If you know chickens, you know the look of that bright round eye, so attentive yet pensive.

My Feathered Friend is like an exquisite blade sliced across your bowels in the midst of a light-hearted romp that won't heal. The book ends with unappeased longing and unsettled questions (unhappy questions on many levels), not "closure," nor should it. Though Grimes says the story is "at an end, at least for us," still, he wonders and hopes, maybe the Chicken will come back. Maybe she's on a journey. He bought things for her. He and Nancy wait for her. They keep a light in the window. Maybe he'll wake up one morning, look out the window, and see "a large feathered form bustling around the patio, scattering cat food and clucking."

But for now, as Alice Walker said about a horse named Blue, in her excruciating essay, "Am I Blue,"* let us not let the animals whom we piercingly perceive become for us merely "images" of what they once so beautifully expressed and are. The Chicken is every chicken. One like no other. Take the next step.


*In Living By the Word: Selected Writings 1973-1987. This book of Walker's essays also includes "Why Did the Balinese Chicken Cross the Road?" ("[T]o try to get both of us to the other side.")
_________________________________________________________________
Karen Davis, PhD, is the founder and President of United Poultry Concerns, a nonprofit organization that promotes the compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl (www.upc-online.org). She is the author of Prisoned Chickens, Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry; A Home for Henny; Instead of Chicken, Instead of Turkey: A Poultryless "Poultry" Potpourri"; More Than a Meal: The Turkey in History, Myth, Ritual, and Reality (Lantern Books, 2001); and The Holocaust and the Henmaid's Tale: A Case for Comparing Atrocities (Lantern Books, 2005).

I ran across this book at the library looking for substantive books on chickens--the cute cover caught my eye. This is a very entertaining and enjoyable read!

I'd recommend this book as one you'll finish quickly, share with a friend or two, and want to read again yourself one day.

A poignantly told memoir of a season spent in the company of a somewhat bohemian chicken. I gave a copy of this book to my vet after we tried for several months to save the life of one of my pet chickens. She hadn't much experience with chickens, more so with the fanicier hookbills often found in one's the parlor, so I wanted her to know what it was like to know a chicken on a more personal level. The author accomplishes this very well, sharing valuable chicken lore with his affectionate and often respectful look at the life of a chicken and life from The Chicken's point of view.

In 85 charming pages William Grimes weaves an entertaining, soul-touching and witty chicken story. It all starts when Mr. Grimes found a little black chicken in his tiny backyard in the middle of Queens. He has no idea where "The Chicken" came from. The Chicken ends up hanging out and eating with the stray cats that Mr. Grimes feeds. The Chicken ends up being a very tough girl. She survives ice, snow, low flying police helicoptors and roosting in a pine tree.

It doesn't take long for the author to become a chicken fan. Mr. Grimes is soon on a mission to learn as much as he can about his new chicken. He fixes The Chicken a make shift roost and nest box where The Chicken rewards him with delicious fresh eggs. The Chicken also provides entertainment as she chases one of the cats daily for fun. Then as quickly as The chicken appears, he disappears.

This book has a charming cover and very cute illustrations throughout. Any one who loves birds, has chickens or is considering getting them would love this great book. Another thing I love is that this book doesn't have any cursing or foul language. It would be a good gift for a preteen up to an adult. "My Fine Feathered Friend" is one that I will keep in my library for years to come.