New York Books

What a wonderful tapestry of relationship stories set against the backdrop of New York City in the mid-1800's. The vivid details and realistic characterizations make the reader feel as if these stories must surely have taken place. Each of the characters faces a challenge in his or her relationship to another person or persons, and the resolution of each dilemma is both satisfying and delightful.

I was once again drawn into the lives of each intricate character. I didn't want to put it down, but had to at times. (You have to eat and sleep at least a little, right?)

Susanna, haunted with fears of failure, refuses to play for Michael's orchestra when he asks her to.

Dr. Andrew Carmichael tries to find a way to tell Dr. Bethany Cole his feelings for her-and his secret past.

The MacGovern family finds that America (so it seems) is not so glorious as they had thought it would be. Will Mr. MacGovern ever find a job to keep his family afloat?

There are also other intriguing and entertaining characters such as police officer Frank Donovan, young Renny MacGee, and Paul Santi, Michael's gentle cousin.

The ending was so glorious and beautiful that I was actually weeping with joy, hearing the music Mrs. Hoff spoke of.

It was ALL wonderful-I loved it so much and want to read it again (many times, perhaps) in the future! I would recommend reading the equally good Book 1 first, of course, but this book stands on its own, too. Masterfully written! Bravo!

Love LOVE LOVE these characters!! Just as in Prelude, I jumped in this book with both feet and didn't emerge until the last page was turned. If possible, this book was even stronger than Prelude...the characters more defined and even more rich and colorful. The ending left me breathless...I almost stood up and cheered along with the audience in the scene! I cannot wait until the next one... hurry!!

"Fiction can illuminate Truth beautifully. There are few adornments more lovely and compelling than good fiction artfully woven around the neck of Truth to bring out the eternal beauty of the face of Truth."--Christian author Jeri Massi

Nowhere is that quote more aptly illustrated than in the fiction writing of B. J. Hoff, and her latest book, Cadence, is no exception.

In this second book in Hoff's American Anthem series, we become further acquainted with the appealing cast of characters we met in Cadence. There's the handsome and brooding composer, Michael Emmanuel, and Susanna, the sister of his deceased wife, who acts as a governess for his young daughter. In Cadence, Michael and Susanna deal with the growing awareness of their feelings for each other...and Susanna must face her fear of failure in regard to her own musical talent.

We get to know more about the altruistic Scottish doctor, Andrew Carmichael, and his medical partner, Dr. Bethany Cole, and discover that there is something significant in the good doctor's past. Meantime, Andrew and Bethany are another couple that realize their dawning love for one another.

The Irish immigrant, Conn MacGovern, continues to be one of the most engaging characters in the series. Proud and strongwilled, he embodies the strong immigrant spirit, and you can't help but like him and his equally strong wife, Vangie.

I suspect --and hope--we'll be learning more about a few of the characters in the next book, including the intriguing Irish police officer, Frank Donovan, as well as Renny McGee, the former busker girl taken under the wing of the MacGovern family.

I really enjoyed this book's predecessor, Prelude, but I do believe I liked Cadence even more! Maybe it's because the characters now feel like old friends, and I'm even more involved in their individual stories. As always, I relished B.J. Hoff's lovely and evocative writing and the smooth flow connecting the characters' scenes.

Most of all, this book touched me on a spiritual level, causing me to look inward and challenging me to face my own fears with the help of God's Word. An entertaining, absorbing read that points you to spiritual truth...can you ask for more?

Just one problem, though. Now I can't wait until the next book in the series!

In her true story-telling fashion, B.J. Hoff brings us the next mesmerizing instalment in her American Anthem series. Revisit the characters first introduced in PRELUDE, and be swept away in the saga that unfolds, where love grows amidst heartbreak and misconception, and hope is restored despite grievous loss. The colourful setting of late 1800's New York is punctuated with the music of the era, presenting trials and triumphs that will resonate with the reader. Old and new fans of B.J.'s historical fiction will love this story. ~~Ellie Schroder, owner of The Christian Fiction Site

There are numerous attempts at producing illustrated versions of the classic tales from around the world.

The series called "Classics Illustrated" is the definitive attempt at bringing all the great classics to the easy reach of us with beautiful illustrations, in the grand form of sequential art also known as Comics.

It invovled some of the finest artists, and produced a huge collection of stories. These were the results of the dream of Albert Kanter, materialising during the 40s,50s and the 60s, thrilling and educating and entertaining a generation with vivid, simple and beautiful versions of the well known classical tales such as the Three Musketeers, Ivanhoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, Arabian Nights, Robinson Crusoe to name a few.

I remember as a kid, I got hold of a used copy of 'The Salt Mountain' this was part of the Classics Illustrated Junior series, there was something absolutely stunning about it, the story, the pictures, the adventure. it captured the imagination.There was something special about it, which I could not find in any other story book, or series. I wasn't aware what series this was part of, who the publisher was, who the artist was. I was a kid, I simply enjoyed it. not a collector or a history buff. But several years later, when I tried to figure out more about that book, I simply couldn't, until recently the omnipotent WWW helped me learn about this amazing series. I was hooked. I am sure many of us can relate to this, and have a similar tale.

Now to the book.

This is a fantastic chronicle, of the happenings of the Classics Illustrated series, beginning with the beginning, Alber Kanter's dream, it takes us through the publications history of the various stories, and the involvment and influences of the numerous artists invovled in the effort. The evolution of the style and presentation of the books, such as the evolution from comics style to the painted covers etc. are all full of interesting information.

There were several editions, and series... Classics Illustrated, Classics Illustrated Junior, Classics Illustrated Specials, etc and several republishing attemts up until the turn of the century. All of this is detailed in the book with interesting facts.

This book lists all the stories that were published with details about the author, illustrator etc. as much as is available, also the listings from several publishers, and variations.

The book also contains pages and covers from several Classics Illustrated, mostly in black and white. There is a section of about 8 pages in color in special paper.

For the Classics Illustrated collector this sure will be a delight, as it would be to anyone interested in the grandeur of sequential art.

When I was just a boy (many years ago), for a treat to myself, I bought the Classics Illustrated comics. The art work and plot were so engaging that I still carry some of those images around in my mind. Jules Verne's "Mysterious Island" and Dana's "Two Years Before the Mast" and many others were indelibly imprinted on my brain so that they could never be forgotten. Little did I realize that these illustrated novels were real literature, that they would lead many years later to actually reading those works. When I spied the life-sized book "Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History with Illustrations," I could not resist buying this book. When it arrived, I began reading a serious history of the Classics Illustrated publications, their awkward beginning and about the lives of their illustrators, and how the U.S. Postal Service effectively drove Classics Illustrated out of business. (It seems that the post office considered this comic a book and not a periodical.) Colorful images taken from the book abound throughout this edition. It's ironic that this very volume of literature is in danger of becoming a classic itself.

CLASSSICS ILLUSTRATED comprised such a crucial, influential, and above all, entertaining part of my youth that they have never entirely left me, and in fact I still have my entire childhood collection, and then some. The author of this book, William B. Jones, notes that his approach to the subject is meant to be objective in nature; but of course anyone raised on CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED can never be completely objective about them, and time and again Jones' understandable passion for these books seeps through. Nor is it simply nostalgia: when I go back to reread old issues it is mainly for the inherent richness of the storytelling and artwork they contain. Where in all comic book history is there a work so profound and moving as the Norman Nodel-illustrated LES MISERABLES, or as sad and tragic as the Angelo Torres-illustrated TOILERS OF THE SEA? Where is the comic book art that can excel, for its sense of historical time and place and fine drawing, John Severin's treatment of the Alamo and the Mexican War in BLAZING THE TRAILS WEST? Has there ever been a swashbuckling comic book so superbly ALIVE as George Evans' treatment of THE THREE MUSKETEERS? As for THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, I wholly agree with the author that it was never adapted so effectively, in any medium, as it was in CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED. I could go on. This is not to say that there weren't issues that were pretty bad, especially in the early days, and Mr. Jones freely admits this. But for those who are already familiar with this series, and especially for those who aren't, I cheerfully recommend this book as a kind of bible to CI and its several related series. I learned so much that was new to me about the issues, the artists, the editors, and the evolution and ultimate decline of the publishing house, Gilberton Company. The packaging and layout and paper quality of the book is a delight. Bravo, Mr. Jones! And bravo, CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED!

Ever said that line? Then you'll love this beautifully written and lovingly researched book about the history of Classics Illustrated.

Jones manages to evoke the characters of the men and women who contributed to this fascinating niche of Americana: illustrators, editors, publishers, and even its detractors. Interviews were obviously thorough, chapters are meticulously footnoted, and yet it reads like ...well, like an engrossing classic tale of adventure! Pick a chapter at random or read from cover-to-cover... it's consistently a winner.

While occasionally too ready with a disavowal of nostalgia, Jones does not hesitate to reveal his personal lifelong love of the comic book series. Truly, the best works of fandom itself can be so endearing, so contagious with admiration and awe. This book is no exception. Like myself, Jones loved the comics when he was a kid. Just as publisher Albert Kanter intended, as an adult I've managed to read every word of the real Count of Montecristo and War of the Worlds and The Moonstone, but I first learned these vivid and amazing tales by reading the Classics versions. Jones augments my personal appreciation and gratitude in this excellent book.

His work was in-depth and, while certainly using a critic's eye, relatively even-handed when it comes to the series' contributors. Now, reading the book, Jones has even made me appreciate the work of Classics artists whose pages I'd previously disliked.

Excellent illustrations, particularly of rare pages and covers, fill the book. Nice personal photos of the artists and editors are a great touch, seeing as this is a book of both down-to-earth and scholarly sensibilities.

Only fault I can find is that the text sometimes refers to a page or panel or other artwork which is not actually reprinted in the book. It can be maddening, at times, because we want to see exactly what he's talking about. My family's incomplete collection lies in another continent, otherwise it would be nice to have it at hand for referencing these things. Keep yours at hand. The book, I suppose, would be gargantuan if Jones did include these bits. So, by rights, it is an excellent book, and I did enjoy reading it.

From 1941-71 Classics Illustrated comics introduced millions to abridged, comics-style version of literary masterpieces. Classics Illustrated tells of the birth of this popular medium, founded by Russian Jewish immigrant Kanter whose operations saw both the heyday and decline of the golden age of comics. The focuses on artists' creations is particularly involving.

A theatre writer, Riccardo Molteni, cannot write anymore because his wife, Emilia, does not love him anymore. Moreover, she despises him, all of a sudden.

The search for the reasons which led to this sudden change of feelings, makes Moravia rewrite a modern versin of Ulyse's myth. In a few words, Penelope did not love Ulyse anymore, though she remained faithful to him even before he left for Troja. Why did she not love him? Because the king's behaviour was not masculine enough towards her admirers at the court.
Therefore, Ulyse wins his wife's contempt and consequently leaves for Troja to free himself in a way. After the war, he postpones sine die his return to Ithaca, obessed by the same thing: Penelope's contempt.

When he finally decides to go back home, he knows he has no other solution but to violently kill all Penelope's admirers, in order to get her admiration and love.

And this is how Homer can be well combined with Freud. The moravian style, vivid and direct, manifests itself in this novel, keeping alive the pleasure of your reading.

I think Alberto Moravia is one of the greatest Italian writers of all times. All his novels deal with important issues our society has to face, problems we all have. Many of us will recognize ourselves in his characters.

It will be a very challenging reading that will make you ask a lot of questions about yourself and your life. Enjoy it!

After a second reading of Contempt, I feel compelled to call the short, tautly written novel a masterpiece. Told from the perspective of a neurotic egotist, the narrator accounts how he "sacrificed" his literary writing career to debase himself in the tawdry task of writing screenplays so that he can afford to lavish his wife with a bigger more opulent living quarters. The narrator convinces himself that not only does his wife not appreciate his "sacrifice," but that she no longer loves him. It's horrifying to read this narcissist's account of his marital disintegration because you begin to realize that he is projecting his own lack of love toward his wife (a pefectly fine, loving woman) and you realize that he is so emotionally arrested that he is incapable of loving anyone. Further, a close reading reveals that the narrator never sacrificed his writing career for his wife's opulent tastes, but rather is debasng his writing talents for his own greedy materialistic acquistion.

Many see Moravia's novel as the quintessential example of "modernism," the movement that emphasizes the human limitation for self-understanding and the understanding of others. Also, the novel explores Freudian themes of projection, paranoia, and the powers of the unconscious.

The novel is fast-paced save for a few chapters where the writer and director indulge in long-winded discussions about the mythical exposition of their film but overall the novel is a real page-turner full of suspense and psychological realism.

If you enjoy this suspensful novel told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, I recommend Asylum by Patrick McGrath, Despair by Vladimir Nabokov, and The Horned Man by James Lasdun.

somehow there is a new found celebration for contempt and everything associated with it. a year and a half ago, godard's contempt was finally re-released; a couple of months ago, two new books about casa malaparte allowed us to view the importance of the film's setting, most notably capri and it's culture, but now this new publication of moravia's contempt will allow everyone to view the masterpiece it truly represents.

Finally, someone had the common decency to reprint Moravia in translation. And they also picked the best titles. Il Disprezzo (The Contempt) is the best, most honest, unflinching look at the disintegration of a relationship that I have ever read. Last released in the States in the 1950's under the title A Ghost at Noon, this is the same excellent translation by Angus Davidson, who translated almost all of the authors works up until his death in 1990. If you've ever experienced the conclusion of a long-term relationship and for some masochistic reason want to remember what it was like, this is the book for you. I guess that's not a ringing endorsement. But trust me, Moravia's penchant for psychological details is so devastatingly on-point, you'll find yourself nodding nauseatingly at the pathetic delusions and convoluted rationalizations taking place between the couple. It should be noted that this isn't the book's only focus. Quite uncharacteristically, Moravia tackles popular culture and the highbrow-lowbrow dichotomy in a darkly humorous fashion. I haven't seen Godard's film adaptation but I understand that it is an incredible achievement in itself.

Moravia's writing which I would not have encountered were it not for these elegant new paperback versions of his work is open to the bone. His honest revelations through his all too human characters are poignant, pointed, and penetrating. To any one interested in looking deep inside themeselves and their relationships: I recommend Contempt. Prepare to squirm.

A Cross Estate was a book that I decided to read against my better judgement. I suspected that it would not be my cup of tea. But there was something about the idea that appealed to me-- something honest and fresh. I really appreciate that Mr. Kinsella gave me an opportunity to read the book. I rarely accept reading copies these days, since my work commitments make it difficult for me to promise to respond in a timely fashion.

A Cross Estate is, indeed, not my cup of tea. It is a kind of fable about human nature told against the backdrop of 9-11. I actually give him quite a few points for attempting the subject at all. It is such a hard topic that just about the only writer who hasn't given me hives when he/she tried to approach it is Paul Auster in The Brooklyn Follies: A Novel. It is really difficult to do the material justice. The book struggles against the weight of that image, and I am not sure that it ever really recovers from that fight. The base story (a young man torn between several sets of goals) is one that could have been written without the twin towers falling behind the characters.

This said, there are a lot of really nice moments in this book-- writing where the image flashes, and stands out from the rest of the pages around it. There are times when I found that he told too much-- using the narrative voice, conversations, etc. I wish that he had let his images do more speaking-- trust them a little bit more. To some degree this is the nature of a fable. And then we are back to my original problem. I do not really like fables.

I guess that it says something about the strength of the book and the writer that in the end, I almost liked this. The characters of Jack and his parents are naggingly human, and I found myself thinking about the issues raised after I closed the pages of the book.

This was Kinsella's first novel, and there is (for me) enough here to hope that he continues to write more work. Like I said, I would hope to see a whole lot more showing and a whole lot less telling-- but, again, that may just be a matter of personal taste.

Three stars with an extra star for several kinds of bravery.

I found the book, " A Cross Estate" a very poignant, moving novel. Much of the story is centered around the tragedy of September 11, 2001, and the resulting emotional aftermath, the families of lost ones faced. I found myself "feeling" those same feelings of sadness, anger, sorrow, and loss that touched so many Americans on that tragic day.
The novel tells the story of "Jack", who, upon graduating from a prestigious college, must make a choice of either following his own dreams, or his parents wishes and heading to Wall Street to follow in his fathers footsteps. He chooses his parents wishes, leaving them, his girlfriend Veronica, and his dreams behind. His new job moves their offices to one of the twin towers. From there the story tells of how each of his loved ones dealt with his death.It is a story of heartbreaking loss, the healing that eventually comes, hope for the future,and love that never dies.

In A Cross Estate, William Thomas Kinsella weaves together a cast of characters whose internal and external struggles are complex and quite sad in its rendering. It is a world that straddles two eras in the lives of a young college graduate Jack Conroy, his girlfriend Veronica and his parents, Catherine and Alexander.

Book I revolves around Jack's quandary concerning his career choices. Should he follow in his father's footsteps and join a financial company on Wall Street or accept an offer from a nursery as a landscape designer? In the first few pages we learn that during Jack's college summer vacations he had worked at the Durham Nursery and prepared a few landscape design sketches-something he had enjoyed immensely.

Kinsella portrays Jack as a kind, competitive and energetic young twenty-two year old, graduating Magna cum Laude in the Class of 2001 from Duke University, majoring in finance with a minor in landscape design. He was captain of his university's swim team and above all, he deeply respected his parents as well as their choices pertaining to his future, particularly his father's desire that he emulate him and find his fortune on Wall Street.

However, matters become a little dicey when Jack tears up a letter he received from a Wall Street investment firm extending an invitation to him to be interviewed. He now finds himself torn between staying in Durham, North Carolina near his girlfriend Veronica or pursuing a career on Wall Street following the hopes and aspirations of his parents. What complicates matters is that Jack omitted to tell Veronica or his parents about the interview invitation he received.

Weighing his options, Jack feels that Wall Street is more attractive, as he feels it presents more opportunity to make a difference in the world and as he mentions to his uncle Browne, "I am my father's son," to which his uncle retorts, "Indeed. And from the time you were young, you've been made into his image."As for Veronica, she only wants what will make Jack happy, although deep down she would be terribly sad if he left for Wall Street.

Jack's dilemma begins to unravel when he and Veronica spend a week-end with his parents. It is here where Jack learns that his parents had received a copy of the interview invitation and they are quite perturbed as to why he has not followed up and arranged for his meeting. Moreover, they blame Veronica for his actions.

Jack defends his girlfriend, although she in turn is confused and angered by Jack's mother Catherine; she also feels betrayed in that Jack had excluded her from his confidence.

Book II picks up where Jack decides to accept the Wall Street offer; however, unfortunately within a very short space of time he becomes one of the tragic casualties of 9/11. The ramifications are far reaching as Kinsella depicts the extreme sorrow and fragility of Veronica and Jack's parents as they try to come to terms with Jack's death. Ultimately, some important event in the lives of Jack and Veronica is revealed and the souring relationship that existed between Veronica and Jack's parents is resolved.

There are hints in the novel that Kinsella would like to see his readers examine broader connotations to such concerns as parental guidance pertaining to counseling children as to their career choices. When dishing out career advice to our children, at what stage do we fall into the trap of becoming overbearing? There is also the issue of guilt and the blame we sometimes attribute to ourselves if our children's lives don't pan out as a result of our influence in their choice of careers. Most parents try to do what is best for their children however at what point must we stand aside and permit them to decide for themselves.

How often have we encountered individuals who are in the wrong job or profession and are miserable, often leading to health and family problems, all due to the wrong occupational choices. In the case of A Cross Estate, the result was tragic, as it resulted in Jack's death, for he happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. As so often happens, the "what if" syndrome looms in the back of our minds even when the ramifications may not be as shocking as the one depicted in this novel.

While A Cross Estate is inarguably a thought-provoking novel of issues, the entire novel doesn't completely hang together. For one, it would have been much better if the players had been more vividly and richly constructed, as I failed to become emotionally attached to them-something that generally is expected from a story of this nature. I also felt that there was not enough of a psychological charge illustrating how Jack was struggling against contradictory visions and indecision. And in the case of Veronica, in Book I she seems to be peripheral at best and only towards the end of the second book do we have some idea as to what she is all about. There was also an overwriting of chapters considerably slowing down the pace of the story particularly when Kinsella describes the property Jack's parents purchase after his death. I also found it odd that a prologue was included that serves little purpose.

In the end, however, A Cross Estate is a good yarn worthy of reading as it is a poignant and touching story depicting the experience of the human condition in moments of bleakest sadness to future hope.

Norm Goldman, Publisher & Editor Bookpleasures

Jack Conroy is living life on his terms. Being the only child of Alexander and Catherine is a challenge at times, but the mutual love is always there. Jack is competitive in everything he tries and he loves to succeed. His Wall Street job after graduating from Duke University has him conflicted.

Jack is torn between following in his father's footsteps and his own passion for landscape design. Moving away from Veronica is difficult, but the couple agrees their relationship can work while Veronica finishes college and Jack pursues Wall Street knowing that once he succeeds there, he can pursue the life he truly wants. After all, they have all the time in the world.

William Kinsella uses his personal experience of losing some of his fellow commuters on 9/11 to create an intense story of true love, compassion, and the struggle to go on after the loss of a loved one. He brings the reader into the hearts of people directly effected by the tragedy. Compelled to write this novel for "everyone who never made it home," Kinsella has produced an emotional and historical work of fiction filled with hope.

Kinsella, a husband and father of two, commuted daily into the city to his offices in Lower Manhattan. He was there when the towers fell. He hopes 'A Cross Estate' keeps the spirits of those who died, alive. He lives in Basking Ridge, NJ and is currently working on a personal memoir.

William Thomas Kinsella has written an amazing first novel. The strength of each character's voice keeps the reader turning the pages. It is a thoughtful and powerful highly recommended read. Reviewer: Lisa Haselton, Allbooks Reviews.

This is not another 9/11 account, but rather an story of a family's journey through pain and grief, using the event as the catalyst. The characters are richly drawn and wholly believable, and almost everyone will find someone here to whom they can relate. Kinsella is a beautiful writer. There are many passages of pure poetry as he tells of feelings, places and moments of simple observation. The depiction of Catherine's emotional ride through her grief are particularly moving and dead-on. In the end, this is not a book of sadness, but one that is uplifting and affirming of the resilient nature of the human spirit.

dada: zurich, berlin, hanover, cologne, new yorkk, paris

This book is wonderfully informative, plus it has so many full-color reproductions--the type of terrific catalog that inspires one to stroke its pages with a sense of seduction (works in my mind!).

Coupled with Hans Richter's: "Dada, Art and Antiart" and movement's philosophy and works are clearly understood. Graphics are truly great and commentary enlighten. It might be noted this book is German published as the Max Ernst book "Life and Work". Both with numerous colored plates of the highest quality. The Dada book though excels in text.

I have always had a weakness for Dada, and within this quixotic movement a special liking for Schwitters. So I visited the Dada-exposition in the Paris Centre Pompidou last year, and there bought both the Dickerman catalogue of the American exposition, and the (French language) catalogue of the Centre Pompidou itself, which differ in many ways. The exposition was wonderful by the way, and one of the best I' ve seen in many years. Thinking that a morning would be enough to see what I wanted to see, I changed my mind, decided to take dinner in the Pompidou, and stayed for the rest of the day. The immense amount of material was stunning. And the same thing really goes for both impressive catalogues. The American (Dickerman) version (520 pages) follows Dada by way of the cities where Dada developed, and does so in a more or less chronological fashion. Essays are excellent, photomaterial looks great. It is the sort of catalogue you would expect from an exposition like this. The European catalogue, more than thousand pages, printed on very thin paper, treats subjects, artists, and everything else connected with Dada according to alfabet. It seems to me that the catalogue has just about everything that could be seen at the exposition, with exception of the films of course. Although I felt a bit silly after buying both catalogues (spending some 100 euros), I was in the end very glad that I did. Everybody who buys catalogues now and then, know how disappointing these sometimes are. Well, these aren't. They are both superb, knowledgeable. And the people who made them have done a terrific job. In the end you wind up thinking: Hey, these guys (and girls) must have loved Dada as much as I do.

IF YOU LIKE ART THIS IS THE PERFECT MEAL.
BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNER AND SNACKS
I WISH I HAD ONE OF THESE BOOKS IN EVERY ONE OF MY ROOMS
OR ANYWHERE I VISIT WHERE THERE MIGHT BE FREE TIME TO LEAF THRU IT!

Like a lot of Maurice Sendak's books - you love it as a kid, and you love it as an adult for very different reasons.

I guess I need Dear Mili afterall to remind me of other things than life's mandane, and to help me see our seemingly unsatisfying life in a different light.

Maurice Sendak's drawings enhanced the classical beauty of the Grimm's fairytale. You can almost see the elegant images listlessly brings the words to life as the best storytellers do.

This story is sad, but told beautifully. It is also inspiring and comforting.

A little girl is sent into the woods alone by her fearful mother when war comes to the village. She manages to find peace and loving care in the home of St. Joseph. When it is time for her to return to the village so much has changed.

This tale by Grimm is beautiful. In my opinion it is translated well as the words are rich and descriptive and there is a satisfying pace to the story throughout. The introduction itself is nearly as moving as the tale that follows. Sendak's illustrations magically combine reality with imagination and the double page spreads grow out from the page and allow you to fall into them.
The setting and scene changes are enough to tug your emotions. This story's scene sequence is as follows: a quiet country village, a village in panic at the threat of invasion, a child wandering alone in the woods, a child in the comforting care of St. Joseph, back to the village which has now changed.

The subject matter is not light in this tale about love and two hearts coming together. A tale like this could not be as well told if one were to attempt to tell it lightly.

This book scared the crap out of me as a child. The images, the story are dark and nightmarish. The pictures are incredibly striking - I haven't picked up the book in years but I still remember many elements - fire licking from the sky, greyish tangling trees and flowers, the ghostly quality of the little girl. I wouldn't recommend this book for children. I don't think I've encountered anything in children's *or* adult literature since that has so disturbed me.

Dear Mili was a surprise in many ways. While Maurice Sendak has never failed to amaze, this tender rendering a newly discovered fairy tale set as a metaphor of children hidden in the holocaust is one of the most beautiful experiences a reader can have. This is my favorite children's book of all time: the artwork is I believe the peak of Sendak's career. A small girl living alone with her mother is sent for safety in the forest when a terrible foreboding threatens. In the forest she meets St. Joseph, and another small one, who keep her safe. Returning after a pleasant journey, she finds her mother aged and alone.
Their is joy and reunion: this is a poignant story on many levels. Looking deeply at the artwork one will see shoah themes:
Sendak in premiere Jewish sensitivity has done a remarkable thing: taken ancient Grimm Catholic legend and woven it into a metaphor for all of us, for all time. If this book does not tender the heart of the older who read to the younger, they have no heart. Absolutely 5-stars: Should be a classic and not out of print.

Another wonderfully written account of the atrocitites that Jewish Poles faced during WWII. A must read for ANYONE or ANY color, ANY religion, ANY ethnic background!

Mr. Ungars' nephew, his wife and daughter - happen to be my neighbors and close friends. So when reading this, it becomes a much more personal story to me and my family when reading this.

William Ungar's memoir of survival is the single most moving account of the Holocaust that I have read. With vivd and heart-renching portrayls of his young wife, infant son, other raltives and friends who perished during the Holocaust, Destined to Live brilliantly depicts the devestating emotional toll the Holocaust wrought on those that survived. Without a trace of bitterness, Mr. Ungar describes how he managed to survive the Nazi's occupation of Poland, and went on to create a powerful life that postively impacted the lives of countless others. Destined to Live is not a memoir about survival for survival's sake. It is a gripping tale of how humans, even in the most dire and unjust of circumstances, can use the powers of love and perseverence to create true beauty and greatness. If I were to recommend one book to someone who wanted to learn about the impact of the Holocaust on those that survived, I would recommend Destined to Live.

I have read this book and have learned so much more about my husband's employer. We always knew Mr. Unger had a heart of gold. He has helped our family so much through hard times, when the economy was so low. Never once has he laid his employees off. My husband, Joe Iervolino began working for Mr. Unger when he was 19. He is now 65 and ready to retire and still working for Mr. Unger. Throughout all of the hardship this man endured, he has always shown compassion and loyalty to those he employs. There must be thousands throughout the United States. He came here almost penniless, yet he has made thousands enjoy the best of what being a middle class American has to offer.
His sponsorship of the Holocaust Museums in NY and DC has educated millions of people. His company, National Envelope has given thousands of people well meaningful employment. The next time you throw out an envelope that contains junk mail, a letter from a loved one or a bill, you are probably handling a product made by a National Envelope Employee, such as my Joe.
Read the book. It will touch you in such a way as he has touched our lives and made us thankful that this immigrant made it to our shores.
Destined to Live is one of the best Holocaust survivor books I have ever read. It will open your eyes to how inhumane some men can become. After becoming a victom of such men, William Unger not only survived but, became a great human being. He shows only compassion to others and hates no one. He is the ultimate survivor and an example to all of us who suffered through any sort of inhumanity. I feel this book is a "Must Read" for everyone, young and old, alike.

When the Germans invaded and conquered Poland, a young Polish soldier was in more peril than most. Wilo Ungar was Jewish and badly wounded. Because he wore the Polish uniform he was given the last rites by a priest who thought Ungar was Catholic. For the months after his recovery that he was held prisoner by the Germans he was saved by his captors ignorance of his ethnicity. Finally released he made his way back through war-ravaged Poland on crutches. He was given refuge by Polish families and eventually smuggled himself across the German-Soviet border, was captured by the NKVD and imprisoned as a spy. Ultimately he made his way back to the city of Lvov and reunion with his girl. They married and when Germany turned on Russia, they and their baby Michael managed for a while to evade Nazi roundups but in 1942 they were caught and separated in a time when the Nazi holocaust was being carried out in earnest. Highly recommended for students of the Holocaust, Destined To Live is the riveting story of Wilo's search for his family in a world of love and death, organized violence and the indomitable human spirit.

My review focuses on matters undeveloped by the other reviews.

Ungar's childhood in Krasne (near the Zbrucz River) repudiates the notion of anti-Semitism (and Christian-clergy hostility) being the constant companion of Polish Jews: "Both Father Hankiewicz and Father Leszczynski mainly preached the loving kindness of God. Because of the priests' behavior, the peasants didn't bear a grudge against Jews...The result was that I had the unbelievable good luck of growing up without either hatred or fear. My playmates were Polish and Ukrainian children and no one ever insulted me or tried to beat me up...Of course, they knew I was Jewish...But they considered me one of theirs." (pp. 66-67).

At least some of the sporadic anti-Semitism which Ungar later did experience was clearly related to the entrenchment of Jewish economic hegemony, which worked against Poles. One Pole said: "I don't know about Lvov, but around here they [the Jews] own all the big buildings, they own the stores, they own the banks. They take our money, and you can bet that they make sure Poles can't get into business themselves." (p. 86)

Ungar provides a seldom-heard Jewish viewpoint of service in the Polish Army just prior and during the German invasion of Poland in 1939. He discusses training, tactics, mobilization, and his wounding during a Luftwaffe air raid.

Polish nationalists commonly suppose that even totally assimilated Jews (like Ungar) seldom become Poles at heart. Along these lines, Ungar candidly admitted that: "I would never have called myself a patriotic Pole..." (p. 31).

After Poland's defeat, Ungar made it back to Lviv, in the Soviet-occupied zone. He touched on Jewish-Soviet collaboration: "It also seemed to Wusia [Ungar's first wife] that they [the Soviets] trusted Jews more than Poles or Ukrainians." (p. 120). "Besides that, you began to see Jews in high positions, which would have been unthinkable before. There were Jewish army officers, Jewish party members, and Jewish city officials." (pp. 136-137)

Up to the time of Operation Barbarossa, most local Jews thought of the Germans as a cultured people who wouldn't do especial harm to the Jews (p. 154). After the Lviv Ghetto was formed, some of the Jewish ghetto police acted reasonably towards their fellow Jews. "But many acted more like devoted servants in the hope of ingratiating themselves with the Gestapo. Others were just callous, brutal people, untouched by any of the nobler sentiments when it came to hunting down their fellows. That was how the Germans turned Jew against Jew." (pp. 171-172). "Neither of us knew any [Jewish] policemen, besides which, many of them were cruel and unscrupulous." (p. 277).

While at Janowska Labor Camp, Ungar was denounced to the Gestapo by oberjude (the German-appointed chief of the Jewish workers) Tenenbaum (p. 253, 276).

Contrary to some reports, Ungar never claims to have been at Belzec. He saw some bodies along the railroad tracks, inferring them to have originated from a failed escape from a Belzec-bound train (p. 298, 321).

Unfortunately, Ungar cheapens his work through a sudden outburst of primitive Polonophobic innuendo late in the book. He denigrates the AK after accusing it, without a shred of supporting evidence, of being behind the killing of Rabbi Barfield. (p. 313, 316). Following Yitzhak Shamir, Ungar blanket-slurs the Poles for imbibing anti-Semitism with their mothers' milk. (p. 316)

If you are an Elvis fan, this is really one of those must have books. The pictures are to die for and it is just wonderful.

the photographs are spectacular, but where is the non-limited edition that i've seen retail in the bookstore for $65?

i Love this Book it has very good quality photos of the king in his prime!

This book is beautiful. The pictures are excellent and it is nice to have as a collectors item for any Elvis fan or give as a gift to any Elvis fan.

If you only have one Elvis book in your library, or one photography book, let it be "Elvis at 21"...you will never buy a more sumptuous volume. The printing of the images is phenomenal, with wonderful use of gatefolds. It is one of the very few art books I've bought that I didn't balk at the retail price.

Wertheimer's photographs are collectively an artifact of our cultural history. It's amazing to see so many of them gathered together and in sequence. A much smaller selection of this body of work was published about 20 years ago as "Elvis '56"--this was my one-book-in-the-library, even back when I only had a photocopied edition. With this expansion, a whole new king is crowned.

2007 is of course the 30th anniversary of the King's passing. The world should expect a vast onslaught of new and revised offerings on the man. "Elvis at 21" throws down an early gauntlet so firmly, the other publishers might just as well crawl back into their niches.

Buy it, and wear a bib so you don't ruin the pages with your drool.

Anything where Mr. Collins is involved it number one with me. End of discussion.

When attaching ones self to a celebrities persona, (i.e. actor) one tends to critique only the physical contributions. Stephen Collins is not just an actor. He is an intellectual literary artist capturing your interest from beginning to end in this book. The character, "Nicolette Stallings" embraces your fantasies and simultaneously engages you in a plethera of empathy. Her erotic behavior is stimulating, believable, and before long, desirable to any red blooded American woman. Stephen Collins? A Minister?
(Eric Camden) not in this book.............he's too delicious for words.

I actually read `Eye Contact' a few years ago. It was the first erotic thriller that I'd ever read and it still stands out in my mind as on of the best.

This is the story of actress Nicolette Stallings who only feels powerful when seducing someone of the opposite sex. However, her sexual game of cat and mouse soon turns deadly when she propositions a man she meets in a restaurant who she playfully dubs as "Wally Wall Street". After their one night encounter at a high class hotel Nick finds it hard to get rid of "Wally" who now blames her for the break up of his marriage. After an unsuccessful attempt on his own life "Wally" otherwise known as Jeffery White, finally does succeed in killing himself but not before he manages to frame Nick for his murder! As Nick becomes the center of the medias attention and hunted by the police she tries to find a way to prove her innocence not without having a few sexual encounters along the way.

`Eye Contact" is an excellent erotic thriller not for the timid and will keep you at the edge of your seat trying to figure out how everything will play out in the end. Who would have though that the minister for 7th Heaven could write like this?

This novel really does stand the test of time. I read this book many years ago and it still sets well in my memory to this day. It has just about everything in it that one can imagine. Reading this novel is quick and doesn't drag on and on like some novels that I've completed. The long of the short of it, "If this book stands out in my mind today, even though it has been many years since I've read it, then it has to be good reading."

If you don't believe me - buy it and read it yourself.

I actually read 'Eye Contact' a few years ago. It was the first erotic thriller that I'd ever read and it still stands out in my mind as one of the best.

This is the story of actress Nicolette Stallings who only feels powerful when seducing someone of the opposite sex. The sexual game of cat and mouse soon turns deadly when she propositions a man she meets in a restaurant who she playfully dubs as "Wally Wall Street". After their one night encounter at a high class hotel Nick finds it hard to get rid of "Wally" who now blames her for the break up of his marriage. After an unsuccessful attempt on his own life "Wally" otherwise known as Jeffery White, finally does succeed in killing himself but not before he manages to frame Nick for his murder! As Nick becomes the center of the medias attention and hunted by the police she tries to find a way to prove her innocence not without having a few sexual encounters along the way.

'Eye Contact" is an excellent erotic thriller not for the timid and will keep you at the edge of your seat trying to figure out how everything will play out in the end. Who would have though that the minister from 7th Heaven could write like this?

Expecting another boring science book on whales, I was surprised at the way Dick Russell made the whales seem what they should be: interesting. Russell covers almost all aspects of the gray whales in his book Eye of the Whale. As he follows the migratory path of the whales along the coast, the reader gets a good sense of the science, history, and issues surrounding gray whales. He writes about the story of Charles Scammon, the legendary whaler whose research on gray whales is still used by scientists today. He writes about conservation issues and the politics behind the plan to build a saltworks in the protected lagoons. He writes about the individuals involved in gray whale research along the coast. What I really liked about this book though was that instead of just telling the reader about these things, he shows them. He makes the book read more like a story than just a research paper about conservation by using personal accounts and treating the people in his book not just as researchers but as characters. I didn't like when he would go into long, and confusing background explanations that were hard not to skip over. Other than that though it was a well written and up to date account of the interaction between humans and the gray whales. I would reccomend this book to anyone interested in whales at all. You don't need to be a scientist to understand it and it is interesting and informational at the same time.

The critics are right to rave about "Eye of the Whale" by Dick Russell. In it's plainest form, the book entails a synopsis of the legendary gray whale and it's journeys through Oregon, Washington, the shores of Monterey, Vancouver Island, the Bearing Sea, the Bering Strait (Alaska), and Sakhalin Island, a hot topic in recent news. One of the best explanations of the book I can find is when someone describes encountering a gray whale. "Especially when you looked at its eyes, you just knew it probably thought it was a boatload of those [people] who like to pet them" In this passage we see a lot of what the book is about: People encountering the majestic grays and suddenly have a new opinion of them.
The book has many passage from Charles Melville Scammon, a nineteenth century whaler who brought gray whales to popularity, by nearly killing them all. He then turned naturalist, and studied the gray whale extensively, following them around the globe. Russell tells the story of retracing Scammon's steps and gaining a new perspective.

What is so strong about the book is the writing. When I opened it I didn't think I was going have a thrill a minute, and I didn't. But, I was surprised of it's intricately weaved passages, interesting readers, telling a simple story, and making a strong point without yelling it at you. In this way, Russell has helped the grays greatly by encouraging whale conservation, and showing the many sides of being an endangered species.

The books weaknesses were few and far between, in my opinion. I will say, sometimes the passages, though well worked out were a bit lengthy and could have been more concise. The largeness of the book is intimidating to some, but hopefully this review will help in the case that it isn't a hard read, and also it good to read in just sections, and good to have for reference.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in saving a great thing and encouraging conservation of nature in your friends, neighbors, children, and yourself. It's not worded at a hard reading level, and offers great views into the world of the deep.

Staring into THE EYE OF THE WHALE certainly seems to be a mystical experience. Unfortunately on the whale watching trips I've been on you get no closer to the whales than the deck of the ship. Not close up and personal (sometimes even rubbing and patting the "friendly whales")as is the case in Baja, California, with watching the Gray whales from small Zodiac boats. Perhaps you are like me then and (unlike the author) know nothing about the metaphysical powers of whales and their ability to bring about meditative and contemplative states in mankind while imparting transcendental wisdom. This book is therefore equal parts a journey of self discovery by the author and a natural history and scientific discourse on the Pacific Gray whale. For my liking there are just a few too many experiences here such as this one by a marine biologist: "It was a calf and I could see its eye looking into my eyes...I knew we were talking..." Mr Spock mind-melds with Gracie the Humpback a la STAR TREK: THE VOYAGE HOME.

Although the author and others see "whales smile by my fingertips" and get all "misty eyed" and believe that the whales are "trying to save us from our human side" these sentimental and lyrical asides are simply a matter of writing style. Overall they do not spoil the book. There is sufficient science and history here to satisfy those looking for something other than a "save the whales / save the world" soft-sell. The defeat of Mitsubishi's proposed salt-works at one of the whale breeding lagoons and the story of Charles Melville Scammon are themes that run throughout the book. Mitsubishi represents the modern day commercial threat to the whales while Scammon was an old-time whale-butchering sea captain. Scammons' conversion from hunter to benefactor (he ended up writing the definitive book on gray whales) is a tale well told. Perhaps, like the author, he too looked into the EYE OF THE WHALE.

"Nature and books belong to the eyes that see them" (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

Dick Russell has produced an amazing chronicle of the life of the California Gray whale. This is a book that is not only important today but will hold a place of value and respect hundreds of years into the future. Sadly this book may most likely survive the species itself.
I have spent over two decades studying and working to protect the Gray whale and I've lead four major conservation expeditons to protect the species. The first was in 1981 to Siberia, the 2nd and 3rd to Neah Bay in 98 and 99 to oppose the Makah whale hunt and the 4th to San Ignacio in 2000 to oppose the development of an industrial salt processing scheme that would have damaged the breeding and calving homes of the Grays.
Dick Russell got all the facts right in the areas that I have intimate involvement with so I can safely assume that his facts in all other areas are equally investigated and thus correct.
This is a wonderful story and it is a great work of historical documentation both natural,social and cultural.
My life was changed by looking into the eye of a whale in 1975. I believe that Dick also caught a glimpse of the mystery, the majesty, the magic and the marvel of the mind of the whale reflected from the eye of one of these great and gentle giants.
For only a person who has seen into the eye of a whale could have written such an insightful book.
I intend to buy a dozen of Dick Russell's books for Christmas presents this year.

_Eye of the Whale: Epic Passage from Baja to Siberia_ (Simon and
Schuster) by Dick Russell is a brilliant and comprehensive account not
so much about the gray whale, but about how the humans and whales have
interacted over the centuries, and especially in the past few
decades. It is hard to imagine that there is any aspect of this
subject that Russell has not covered. The truly amazing part of the
gray whaleýs story is that it had a terrible reputation in the
whalerýs day. It was called a devilfish, and was viewed as a
dangerous quarry, especially when it was protecting its young. It had
to be approached with fear (and this was realized in the Japanese
fisheries as well). It is a devilfish no longer. No one knows why, but
sometime in the 1970s the behavior of the whales changed. Into the
lagoons of Baja, the whales go in the winter to mate and to deliver
calves. The whales started becoming interested in the humans that had
put out in their boats to see them. They presented themselves at the
surface, turning on their sides to point an eye up to look at the
humans that used to kill them for oil and meat, and for baleen to
stiffen their corsets. They seemed to enjoy being scratched and
touched. Individual whales, returning year after year, seemed to
spread the behavior, which has become the norm. They even nudge the
calves toward the boats to introduce the new arrivals into the
activity.

All the eastern Pacific gray whales come to Baja in an
annual migration from the Siberian-Alaskan waters where they feed. It
is a 13,000 mile round trip, the longest annual migration of any
mammal, and Russell has traveled the length of that migration, and
more, to interview almost everyone who has researched the gray whale
or campaigned on its behalf. The result is a multifaceted,
wide-ranging tale that takes in important stories about the
interaction of humans and grays. The Makah tribe in Washington resumed
whaling with a controversial kill in 1999, possibly of a whale that
thought they were friendly. They get support from the Japanese, who
want to bring whaling back in general. The area of lagoons where the
whales calve was in danger of becoming a giant salt production
facility; Russell covers the anguish and triumphs of the
environmentalists pitted against huge commercial and governmental
foes. The grays have made a comeback, but seem to be less healthy; we
donýt know if we can blame warming of the waters or other causes, as
research on the whales is only in the beginning stages.

Best of all,
though, is that the book is full of attempts to describe just what
happens between two species as they regard each other. "Once you get
a chance to see these whales," says one observer, I think it is a
natural reaction to fall in love with them. And to want to do the
utmost so this continues to be a place where they can come and feel
safe and secure." Another: "The mother was just lying there as if
she was watching the young one, and sometimes she came up and rocked
the front of the boat. I must say it was sometimes a little bit
frightening. But then when she came and looked at us, you were not
scared at all, just happy. I can't explain it." A crusty marine
scientist reaches out to touch a whale for the first time, and
although no one has ever seen him do it before, he starts weeping. It
is an overwhelming experience that no one who has had it ever
forgets. The whales seem to have many mysteries to tell us. They can
be thankful that their ambassador, Dick Russell, and his imposing,
full, and readable book, are bringing to us their story.