Texas Books

Excellent book. Have read and will reread this book again. My library contains science fiction to romance. All books I love and reread.

I love this book! Wonderful, yet heart wrenching re-telling of the Cherokee way of life and the hardships they withstood from being forced off their lands and moved to Oklahoma. Yes it was good about Sam Houston, but my interest was caught of the telling of the Cherokee life and the Trail of Tears. I could not put this book down. I have read it more than once. I bought this book 12 yrs ago. Still a great book!

Tiana is the most incredible characters I've ever read about. Reading this books made me feel like I was stepping back in time to the days when the Cherokee were free and powerful. Luicia St. Clair Robinson does a remarkable job in researching the people and their culture. In this book you learn about Sam Houston, the development of the Cherokee Syllubus, Tecumseh, and the strengh of a Cherokee Woman.

As she did in her superb novel, "Ride the Wind", Ms. Robson once again gives us a fascinating novel of real people and the events as they might well have been. Although "fictional" the story is true. Sam Houston did indeed have a Cherokee wife and their love story, although a scandal in its day, was indeed a true romance. Get a snack, curl up on the couch, and enjoy.

This was an excellent book, I read years ago. One that changed my life. Who Tiana Rogers was and the way she is portrayed in the book, gave me a role model to follow, in a time when I really needed one. This is a book that touched my soul, and I highly recommend it to anyone who's attention it called. It's a beatiful story and one that you'll never forget.

This is a great book just for bird lovers in Texas. Wonderful pictures included.

This is a very fine book with photographs taken in the field. Another reviewer suggested this book "if you're only going to have one bird book." My wife and I prefer another book, but this one contains excellent information to supplement the other which is more of a field guide. This book also describes the evolution of the bird classification system, and how the names and designations of some birds have changed with DNA evidence. The author is clearly an expert in his field. Some sources list a hardcover version, but when we tried to get it, it was out of print.

This the book to get if you want answers to the questions "what bird is that in my yard/in the park/at the beach?", and "what makes that bird special?". Even the best field guides give no answer to the second question, and their answers to the first question are often frustratingly complicated to the casual or beginning birdwatcher. Most people who call themselves birdwatchers (92% of them according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) can't even identify 40 species. You can use this to identify the easiest and most common 150-200 or so of Texas birds, and then go out and get a field guide to take you through the more difficult identifications.

However, you'll never find a field guide that will show you what makes each bird unique, and where each bird fits into the landscape. The descriptions are engaging, personal, and informative regarding behavior and location, and the photographs catch much about the lives of birds that can only be seen otherwise in the field. Tveten's pictures, including mockingbirds attacking raptors, songbirds calling from brush, and the activities of feeding and nesting birds, catch the essence of why people go out and look at them over, over, and over again.

This book will make you enjoy finding and looking for birds.

The photography in this book is superlative and the main reason to purchase it is to admire the lush color photos of Texas's birds. However, I also enjoy the book because it allows me, as a novice birder, to learn to correctly identify various species. This book is much superior to an Audubon guide or a National Geographic Filed Guild to birds because each photo is huge and shows the birds to their best advantage. The photos of the various migrating birds aresimply outstanding!

I recommend this book for anyone who has an appreciation of birds in the Lone Star state and wants to vicariously see them through this medium. It will definitely prompt every armchair birder to take to the field and spy these wondrous creatures in their natural habitat. There are several birds I saw in this book which captured my fancy immediately. By seeing these photos, it prompted me to go out and beat the trails and shorelines to see each of these birds up close and "in person." A great book!

This book has beautiful photographs of Texas birds. It describes their songs, how they eat, mate, nest, care for offspring, and all in an interesting manner. The way the author describes birds, you know he has a great love for these winged creatures. Cedar Wax-wings are "courteous", Loggerhead Shrikes have "the inclinations of a hawk", Grackles are "bullies", Carolina Chickadees are "acrobatic", Horned Larks have a "rakish, devilish air", etc.. Believe it or not, these descriptions actually help me remember what the birds look like and what they are called. Highly recommended.

The Burning Plain is about fifteen emotional stories. The stories give the reader a lot to think about. Many of these stories are short interesting stories that give the reader what to think about, action, sad parts, and contains nasty events when people are killed. We recommend the book to the readers because it is a very interesting book because the way many short stories are put into one book. The book will make the reader feel grossed out because in the ways some people are killed. All of these stories take place in a rural place. For, example Talpa takes place in a village as well as Luvina. In the story Macario the setting is in a house.

One regrettable consequence of Garcia Marquez's fame is that Latin American literature has come to be identified exclusively with "magical realism". Everything has to be extraordinary, epic, full of tropical lust, palms, jaguars, people having sex in every corner, flying to the sky with a pineapple on their heads. But Latin America is a vast continent producing artist of universal stature, even if the rest of the world decides (to their disadvantage) to ignore all but the folkloric.

Well, Juan Rulfo is a master of the highest sort and this book is NOT magical realism, but pure, hard realism. He only wrote two books, this one and "Pedro Paramo", another masterpiece which I also don't count as magical realism, although some do, as well as a few lesser works. He didn't need to write much. His is a literature worked and reworked restlessly, until reaching perfection. Every single word fits perfectly with the rest. There are no digressions, no philosophy, no theories or grand landscapes. All his tales develop in Southern Jalisco, in a poor, dry, vast, sunburned and sad land. The prose is also dry, precise, economical and to the point. The characters are ignorant, miserable, but conscious and courageous. The titles say much: "It's because we are so poor" is one of them. However, you will not find self-pity or corny sad tales. Only bits of human misery perfectly narrated. By the way, this is the first review I write for Amazon in which I use the word "perfect". Probably it won't happen again, with one or two exceptions.

The Burning Plains is a compilation of short stories that Juan Rulfo published on diferent publications at different times. it's also at the moment, besides his masterpiece Pedro Paramo, the only material available.
The shorts stories are chilling, incledibly well written. It's superb, and the english translation more than acceptable.
To me the highlights of the book are "Talpa" and "they have given us the land" (the opener on the spanish version, but some reason is not on this english edition)but the whole book is amazing.
I bought this book for my girfriend as an exorsism from jennifer Wiener's "Good in Bed" I was worried about the translation but it didn't dissapoint me.
the ideal way to read The Burning Plain is in spanish, but since this book is not that surreal as pedro paramo is, this tranlation works just fine.
I hope this brief note helps you to choose a good book.

Rulfo's style, like his stories, is sparse, quiet, and often harsh. He offers disturbing tales of miserable people in barren places; yet there is also a strange beauty to be found in his work. I can think of few, if any, examples of such perfect prose. The characters--though they suffer--seem close at hand and perfectly real, and he gives the most incredible descriptions of landscapes that I have ever read in my life. It is easy to see his connection to "magical realism"--it is largely in the way he sets the tone of the stories, and in those unbelievably vivid descriptions--but his work does not fall into that category. There is no escaping the terribly blunt reality he creates.

Whether you are interested in Latin American literature or not, if you are at all interested in prose, you should read this book.

ANGST. This is the best word to describe the human landscape that Rulfo has portrayed in this collection of short stories. A lanscape of extreme sorrow that blossoms over the arid plain, where poverty, opression and ignorance intermingle with faith to shape the tragedy of the post-revolutionary rural Mexico. A tragedy that has lived over 70 years and that may help explaining the nature of the mexican people, their doings and fears. But moreover its social meanings, Juan Rulfo, has created a masterpiece of storytelling, not only at the Latin-american level, but rather as an universal gift. This is not magic realism alà Garcia Marquez or Isabel Allende. This is bare boned reality, told with the beauty and the ease that just a master can reach, in which the words mix perfectly for creating short bursts of narrative, perfectly solved stories, that will fill the mind, the mouth and the eyes of the reader with the burnt sand of the plains, with the ashes of the dead, with the tears of the desperate. If you're ready to follow Tanilo's bloody footsteps toward Talpa, to hunt toads with Macario, or to fall under the spell of Niño Anacleto's preaching, or under the spell of misterious rural Mexico, dive into the pages of this collection of short stories, and compare it with any other you have already read, and you will understand why Rulfo never writed any further. Because he almost reached perfection.

An Unusual Book, July 28, 2007
By Ray "A Reader" - See all my reviews

This book is a somewhat dated, but nevertheless gorgeous, panorama of product design Sony's way, and with their distinguished record of outstanding design work for some half a century, they are certainly in the position to tell us something about design. Never mind Sony's missteps and forays into the world of media and movies - this book tells us all about the Sony WE know, the company that developed the Trinitron television, the Walkman player, the MiniDisc recorder, and brought both cassettes and CD-ROM's into mainstream use (with its co-partner, Philips of the Netherlands). Digital Dreams tells us not so much about products, but how products are envisioned, designed, and ultimately walked through a lifecycle. It's a fun-filled story, filled with stunning graphic designs, gorgeous pictures and artwork, and even a little on how Sony viewed its business at the year 1999.

Though this book is not intended to do so, the book actually serves as a great case study for the field of Knowledge Management. For example, we learn a little bit about corporation logos, how they are best used to leverage their tacit value, and even thoughts on protecting them. We peek into the world of tacit knowledge and skills at Sony, and see how they are implemented in product design and even in marketing efforts. We learn about the creation of a CONCEPT that is materialized in a product (i.e., the MiniDisk recorder, the Memory Stick, the VAIO computer) which is as much about the psychology of human beings as it is the design of the product. As such, the text could easily serve as a supplemental text for a KM course, as well as it's obvious use in a graphic arts, products design, or business-oriented course.


Much of this information is now no longer of great interest to today's consumer due to it's release date of 1999, but it is remarkable to see the "timelessness "of the many designs in the book, and there is really not a dull moment to be found between the covers. In some ways, this was a great date to release such a book, because the VAIO computers were just beginning to hit the market, CyberShot digital cameras where just becoming available, and the Memory Stick was also just showing up, as well. If you can still get a copy of this book and you are interested in product design, graphic arts, consumer technology, and yes, even Sony itself, this book should be just what you're looking for.

Fascinating book that gives a very good insight into the create 'engine' of Sony. A must read for designers and business people alike.

Beautiful photographs and explanatory text help make this book a must buy.

But in no way does it sit on my coffee table - it's in my studio, in my home office - inspiring. The tight detail shots of real products to concept products make you wish all man-made objects had this attention to quality. This book is a must for designers because there are words that go with the pictures. They tell a wonderful story - whether you agree with the philosophy or not - it helps explain the design decisions, the strength of the Sony identity and their success. The timeline diagrams and text explaining the business trends of product entry to saturation really is a reflection of someone thinking and analyzing the system - something not really expected in pretty-picture books.

I can't believe the excellent price point too - most decent design books gouge you on cost. For those who appreciate beautiful form+function, get it.

This is a rare coffee table type book that you'll want to take the the bedroom or study, or wherever you do your serious reading.

You can easily enjoy the book simply for the wonderful images of the ingeniously designed products that Sony has and continues to develop. But what sets this book apart from most in its genre is that it provides the reader with a surprisingly rich context within which to view the design work, not only with regards to industrial design, but also the history of Sony the company.

Reading the text, one gains a deeper appreciation for the level of thought put into the design of each and every product throughout its entire lifecycle.

Finally, the book also provides a unique look into the future of consumer electronics, at least from the perspective of the leaders at Sony. It's a rare opportunity to see the future as defined by a company which has much to do with the shape of our present.

This is definitely a great buy or gift!

I am writing this as a sony evangelist, although the cover of the book is diffrent to the one which is shown here. the content of the book is amazing, The dazzling pictures and photography in the book is an eye opener, The book takes about the cluture and the art of the japanese sony designers. How they get their inspiration from stories and from the world around them. An extreammly good showcase of the arts and industrial developnment and design. The book is also rather new tackling subjects on memmory sticks and the newest Sony MD. However the most impressive part of the book was the chapters on the sony playstation and the sony viao subnote book computers. They explain such indept on how the designers used their inspiration and creativity to craft out wonders of high tech art. They also explained how sony tackled the many problems face when designing the playstation. Overall it is the best sony book i have bought. A wonderful inspirtational book filled with creativity which makes you "wow" at sony's design process and designs. "wow"

Ms. Pankowsky was a ten-year-old girl when German troops invaded her native Poland at the start of World War II. Her family immediately experienced the awful reality of being Jewish under the Nazi regime. They fled to the Soviet Union, where they had to hide their family's past from the repressive communist government. The book is a riveting first-person account of her experiences.

It's a very readable account. The majority of the book deals with her family's time in USSR where they endured great hardship due not only to wartime deprivation, but also because their family background had to be hidden. (Her father was a businessman who fled Russia at the time of the Revolution. Had this become known, they would have been considered 'enemies of the state'.)

The book also briefly covers life in Poland before the war; their escape from Russia; their short-lived return to their hometown in Poland, and how they eventually reached and settled in Mexico City.

I highly recommend this book.

What an absolutely brilliant narrative Hanna Pankowsky relates as she explains the years of hardship and perils she and her family experienced trying to escape the dangers of Nazi Germany. This is truly an "action thriller." The sad fact is the events actually happened and the fear, danger, pain and terror were lived by millions of men, women and children. Mrs. Pankowsky paints images in the reader's mind that are so vivid that the reader can place himself/herself in the action (even to the point of being out of breath trying to hop a train or run in the cold snowy forest!). This book is so well written and in a "first person" voice of history that this book should be in every school library as well as on the suggested reading list for history classes. Oprah needs to make this selection one of her book club favorites! Read it. You won't put it down!

I found the book to be well written. The historical details and personal strength of the writer and her family were a combination that made it hard to put the book down. I would recommend this book to family and friends.

In 1939, the idyllic world of 11-year-old Hanna Davidson, born to a family of artists, professionalsand achievers, was irretrievably shattered by the momentous events of the War. What followed was her journey in the hub and later just ahead of the crest of the Holocaust. It is a tale of courage, resourcefulness and frequent depravation. However, it is also an adventure, providing insight into life in Poland, the Soviet Union, and elsewhere,ending in the haven of the United States.

Hanna does an excellent job describing the horror and sacrifice her family endured as a refuge during WWII. Her prose is honest; her story remarkable.

Read this book!

SO many times you pick up a novel expecting to be entertained, but for that entertainment to last you also have to believe in the story and want to keep reading. Sherwood's work is not only entertaining, but not once did I skip ahead with a longing sigh for reality (a big achievement!) The plot is engaging, the characters sympathetic and real (no obviously trumped up stereotypes in this!) and the ending is very satisfying in a way that is both unexpected and relieving, as well as brutally realistic. (key words: realistic realistic realistic) His attention to character and environment is truly exceptional. I am impatiently awaiting his next literary endevor!

What an outstanding novel! It was thoroughly enjoyable. The western setting is authentic and you quickly feel like you are a part of the community. Similar to other reviewers - I was sorry when I finished it. I am looking forward to Steve's next novel!

I just finished Steve Sherwood's novel Hardwater and I'm very disappointed...that it's over! I couldn't put the book down. Mr. Sherwood has created such compelling characters that I feel like they are a part of my real life. I am a suspense and mystery novel buff, but Hardwater is the most emotionally involving novel I've read in a long time. Get this book, then get settled into your favorite chair, because you won't be getting up for a while! The setting, politics, relationships between characters is a joy to behold. When is Mr. Sherwood's next novel coming our way?

Hardwater is a hidden gem of a suspense novel set in the contemporary American West. The story opens on a gruesome crime scene, and a journalist intent on sniffing out the identity of a serial killer with a knack for verse.

Underneath this murder mystery is an issues novel about the contemporary American West, where native tribes and white farmers battle over water rights, and failed uranium mines sit abandoned in the landscape, to be approached with Geiger Counter in hand.

But more than the mystery or the provocative issues, what makes Hardwater such an enjoyable read is its fantastic setting. Hardwater is a world of granite monoliths, tribal customs, and wide open spaces. Fans of Tony Hillerman and John Nichols will eagerly devour this worthy winner of the 2003 George Garrett Prize.

If you're looking for a fine, fast suspense, Hardwater is a book you won't want to miss. Outstanding characters, fast paced plot, interesting setting--this novel has it all. Not to be missed.

I have been a fan of Debbie's for a few years now, because she makes her characters come alive and you want to know what they are doing all the time. I have read all her Cedar Cove books and the knitting series, but I never got to read the Texas series, so I went looking here at Amazon. I found the combined books called Heart of Texas, and got quite a good deal, for both of them, as used. The first 2 books are in this Heart of Texas#1 and now I have finished #2 also. I can't wait to get the third set. My favorite thing about Amazon is that you can type in anything and they will find it for you and at a great price. I really love shopping here.

Very good story but don't like how it's broken into 2 stories in one book

Great book, get book 2 and looking to read book 3. Just a long wait, very exciting, mystery, love and romance in a small town family. Read by all members in my household. My husband read it before I did. Then his mother read it. I finally got to read it. Everyone should read this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I love all of Debbie Macomber books. She makes you feel like you are really there.

Welcome back to Promise, Texas, a ranching community deep in the Hill Country. It's a good place to live and raise a family--and a good place to visit. Yes, there's a secret or two hidden beneath Promise's everyday exterior, but what town doesn't have its secrets?

Caroline's Child Who's the father of Caroline Daniel's child? Everyone in town wants to know, but no one's ever asked--or ever will. The people of Promise are protective of Caroline and five-year-old Maggie. They care. Especially rancher Grady Weston, who's beginning to realize he more than cares . . .

Dr. Texas They call her Dr. Texas. She's Jane Dickinson, a newly graduated physician from California who's working at the Promise clinic--but just for a couple of years. They call him Mr. Grouch. Cal Patterson was left at the altar by his out-of-state fiancée, and he's not over it yet. To bad Jane reminds him so much of the woman he's trying to forget. Also, if you missed reading Tino Georgiou's masterpiece--The Fates, go and read it.

Being a native Houstonian though no longer living there, I was so thrilled to finally see a good book cherishing my hometown!

The book shows Houston in all its funkiness, which is how it should be. Why should every city look the same? And it might inspire folks to get out and explore Houston like a native.

Must reading for anyone in the tourism. convention, or event planning business.

Plus a great gift from anyone from Houston to send to the uninitiated or to share with those who know and love Houston.

This book is a groundbreaking visual testimonial of a vibrant, dynamic and culturally engaging American metropolis - words that, until this book came along, have NEVER been associated with Houston. We may be the country's fourth largest city, but we're the first on the list of American Cities That Are Misrepresented and Misunderstood - sorry Detroit!

Finally - there is a way to show someone what Houston is really about, in a physical, tangible document. If a picture is worth a thousand words, this book has 258 photographs - and that's not including the quotes!

I'm getting this book for all my friends and family members that continue to ask me - "Why are you in Houston?" This book is my calm, confident response to a question I can look forward to hearing no more.

A loving portrait of Houston, Texas. If you live or have ever lived here, you will recognize the pictures. The photos are of the Houston that you rarely see in professional photography books: the people, the quirky stores and buildings, the events, and the little nooks and crannies of the city that are not exactly beautiful or awe-inspiring unless you are a Houstonian. The quotes about Houston are beautiful and strike home in the heart of its residents. This book gives Houston the love that it needs. Nobody else pays attention to our city, so it's up to the residents to pay respects, and this book is a great contribution to that end.

WOW! As I flipped through the pages of HIWI, that is the word that kept popping in my head with each turn. As a native Houstonian there were also many quotes and photos that I quickly related to - 'that is so true!' I have lived in my fair share of cities, including LA, Dallas, Hamburg and a few cities on the East coast, but there is something about Houston that is hard to explain. HIWI helps with that explanation. This book has managed to capture so much about the city and not in a pompus way. Sure, there are certain quotes and even photos that if you have not spent some time here only makes sense to those that have ("The way the Pierce Elevated makes your car go ka-thump, ka-thump" pg 120-121, I LOVE that about the Pierce Elevated!!). Houston is truly a magnificent and magic city and the gang at ttweak did a magnificent job of putting it all together - and all of the Houstonians that contributed their photos and quotes about the city they love!! A great book to be appreciated by both native and transplanted Houstonians, as well as those that have not had the opportunity to visit our fair city.

I HAVE BEEN AN ALAMO FAN ALL OF MY LIFE. I HAVE ALMOST EVERY BOOK AND ALAMO MOVIE EVER MADE IT SEEMS. THIS IS A TREMENDOUS BOOK. FOR A VIEW OF THE ALAMO COMPOUND YOU CANNOT DO BETTER THAN THIS BOOK. WELL DONE. IT'S ABOUT TIME. FOR THE ALAMO EXPERT, HISTORY FAN OR SOMEONE WHO WANTS A VIEW OF THE ALAMO AS IT ACTUALLY LOOKED AT THE TIME OF THE BATTLE THIS IS YOUR BOOK. OH FOR THE RECORD NOT ALL OF THE ALAMO DEFENDERS WERE SLAVE OWNERS THEY WERE MOSTLY MEN DEFENDING THEIR LIBERTY. IT WAS ALSO NOT A RACE WAR IT WAR A CIVIL WAR. REMEMBER THE ALAMO. AND I STILL THINK THAT DAVID CROCKETT WENT DOWN SWINGING.

If you are looking for a complete detailed description of the Alamo fortress - this is it ...Great

I seldom enter Amazon reviews but this book so far exceeded my expectations I had to put up a 5 star review. There is nothing I can add to the very good reviews already posted - if you have even a passing interest in the Alamo or Texas history you will be entranced by this book. A steal at the price.

Historians who have focused considerable attention on the 1836 siege and battle of the Alamo have, no doubt, often longed to learn exactly what the place looked like at that time. Numerous paintings, drawings, diagrams, dioramas and models have attempted a close representation of the makeshift fortress, but often have created as much confusion as clarity.

Mark Lemon set out to rescue the original mission-turned-fortress from years of destruction, decay and Hollywood distortion. This he achieved through a thorough examination of surviving records, drawings, diagrams, maps, plats, photographs and archeological discoveries at the Alamo from the time of the battle to the present. His book get's you inside the Alamo, and outside too - what it looked like, almost what it must have felt and smelled like, to both the besieged Texians and their Mexican besiegers. He was able to literally recreate the fortress in a 1/48 scale model, based on all surviving documentation about the Alamo. The enhanced photos of the model by Gary L. Foreman with artistic embellishment by William Hamilton, create a breathtaking panorama of what the Alamo looked like in 1836 when the Mexican army under General Santa Anna approached and laid siege to it. The size of the model enabled the artists to capture incredibly minute details of the fort's interior as well, down to the hand tools used by the Alamo defenders, stretched hides outside the fort's kitchen, and the long-gone iconic statues that once stood in the church's niches.

All of this is supplemented by countless drawings, sketches, diagrams and schematics that detail every corner of the compound, most of which disappeared long ago. Lemon's intricate knowledge of the fort enabled him to create drawings of interiors, including James Bowie's sick room, that were previously the purview of speculation alone.

The book goes beyond mere representation by suggesting how an understanding of the fort's structure enhances our knowledge of the siege and battle. Gun emplacements, for example, are recreated down the finest detail, as is the actual construction of the various buildings in the compound, including thathched-roofed adobe houses that were part of the outer walls.

The book is a gorgeous work of art and an invaluable, historical document that will remain the standard in Alamo representation for some time. The only closer view we'll get of the 1836 Alamo will have to be from a time machine.

Lemon's book should serve as a powerful motivation for the City of San Antonio to recover the Alamo grounds and recreate the fortress to the extent possible. The millions of visitors who walk the grounds each year should be given a far better idea of what the Alamo really was, rather than the tasteless assortment of junk shops that now stand where Travis, Bowie and Crockett fought and fell.

AW

For over forty years, I have been deeply interested in the Alamo and the historic/heroic battle that was fought there. And I have often wondered how the Alamo truly appeared in 1836 and what I might have seen had I been there. Would it resemble the accepted depictions I've seen in numerous books? Would some of the Alamo's unique features be there or would reality reveal something else? When viewing all the graphic evidence together, it becomes both a confusing and difficult task when trying to decide who is right and who is wrong. Am I looking at fact or fiction...artistic interpretation or a true rendering? Well, after carefully examining Mark Lemon's ground-breaking book - "The Illustrated Alamo 1836: A photographic Journey", I can say, "I know...I've been there."

Prior to the release of Mark Lemon's work, artist/historian George Nelson produced - "The Alamo: An Illustrated History" in 1998. A year later in 1999, historian Alan Huffines and historical illustrator Gary Zaboly presented - "The Blood of Noble Men." Both Nelson, and in paticular, Zaboly, began a process of peeling away the myths and fallacies that had become some much a part of the Alamo's architectural legend. Mark Lemon has, not just taken the next step, but has made a gigantic leap...and we, the readers, as well as the Alamo itself, are the beneficiaries. "The Illustrated Alamo 1836: A Photographic Journey" is without question a landmark book that beautifully documents one of this countries most treasured landmarks. Mark Lemon's hard work and dedication has delivered the goods...and believe me, there is much "good."

Clearly, Lemon's penchant for detail, no matter how small, is obvious in each picture and drawing. Every brick, every stone, every stick...every shovelful of earth, appears to have been calculated and accounted for. His devotion to the truth about the Alamo's true architectural history has produced a "must have" book that will be referred to for generations.

Enhancing Mark Lemon's amazing reproduction is the backround work of filmmaker and photographer Gary Forman and graphic designer William Hamilton. The team of Forman and Hamilton have successfully taken Lemon's Alamo and transported it from the worktable to the banks of the San Antonio river. The realistic addition of earth and sky contribute mightly to the effect that "you are there" and help the reader complete the "journey." This is a book I strongly recommend and I eagerly look forward to Mark Lemon's next pictorial endeavor.

If you were as shocked and horrified by what happened to Joyce Ann Brown as these other readers, please consider supporting the organization that reinvestigated her wrongful conviction and worked tirelessly to free her. Centurion Ministries, Inc. of 221 Witherspoon Street, Princeton, NJ 08542 has been working on behalf of the wrongfully convicted like Ms. Brown for over 20 years.

Imagine being in prison for something you know you didn't do, this is what happened to Joyce Brown. Joyce had witnesses, was at work the time the crime was committed, but was still found guilty for the murder of a store owner, who's wife pointed her out as being the guilty party. If this can happen to Joyce Brown it can happen to anyone. I think GOd for those gentlemen who came to her aid in the book. If you think there is now way that you could end up in prison, read this book, and you will see that you very well could even if you are innocent with lots of evidence.

Joyce Ann Brown has compelling reasons to be angry with the criminal justice system. After all, the State of Texas robbed her of her family, friends and freedom. In Justice Denied, however, Joyce takes her life sentence back from the judges and overseers who wrongly declared her a murderer!

Joyce Ann Brown writes powerful and empowering words that bleed honesty and passion, yet she never allows her righteous anger to become hateful. Instead, she channels her rage into positive action, serving as inspiration, appealing to the reader's sense of humanity. The author is a minister at the core of her being.

Justice Denied is a gritty, painful and ultimately triumphant journey with the potential to change public policy. This book should be required reading for judges, juries, attorneys, police officers, prison guard, prison ministers, politicians, educators, activists, and anybody who has ever felt like the circumstances of their lives threaten to undermine their sense of self-worth. Like an oasis in the desert, Justice Denied compels readers to move forward and quench their thirst for justice.

Imagine being in prison for something you know you didn't do, this is what happened to Joyce Brown. Joyce had witnesses, was at work the time the crime was committed, but was still found guilty for the murder of a store owner, who's wife pointed her out as being the guilty party. If this can happen to Joyce Brown it can happen to anyone. I think GOd for those gentlemen who came to her aid in the book. If you think there is now way that you could end up in prison, read this book, and you will see that you very well could even if you are innocent with lots of evidence.

I must give a rating of 10 stars!!~ This book was so well written. It placed you in Ms.Browns shoes before, during & after. This author may you feel as though You were a apart of her awful journey through this ill-fated justice system of ours. Reading her story, (if you have any compassion) at all........It will indeed make you so damn Angry at these men in Suits (lawyers)& Robes (judges), that we so often call "Justice Seekers" in America. Too many times we read about 'innocent' people, being thrown into prison, & finding out Years Later that a BIG Mistake had be made. How do OUR System compensate these individuals? With an out-landish simple Apology??? How can anyone 'accept' what has happened to them? It's time to wake up America! It's time for these Paid, & Court appointed Attorney's to represent each & every case with every piece of skill they possilbly can, to make Damn Sure about "WHO" they are really sending to the depths of Hell!

All the facts in Ms. Brown's case were right before their eyes, yet Justice did not prevail. I searched high & low for a copy of this book for my very own, after asking a co-worker if I could read hers. Locating a copy in good condition was a feat, because it was no longer in print. Finally I located one & it had Joyce's autograph, I treasure it today still as a Great Read.

I cried many tears, I walked every inch of this sentence with Ms. Brown. Through all of what she indured, she still remained Strong in the Lord, (this was her Only Hope), as for as I could see. I say now: If the judge who sentenced this young lady is still practicing law, holding his gavel, & wearing that black robe, he should be made to do the Years that Ms. Brown served!

Even it was so done, It still would Not serve Ms. Brown any satisfaction, nor her family members for ripping their lives apart. The Most heart breaking part of this book, that wrenched my soul was when her child was shot/hurt, later died, & Ms.Brown was not granted the opportunity to go attend the funeral services! I fell into pieces after reading it.

Becoming a grandmother & not being able to have that daily/weekly interactions with her grandkid, or to have any great memories of her grandchild's was also a traumatic issue for Ms. Brown. This book will indeed touch your soul~

I'd love to meet Ms. Brown & J.Gaines, so we can share notes on what the 'System' did to my family, on the (4th of July) "What an Independence Day that was"! Good Luck Joyce on your upcoming Movie, & May God Always Be On Your Side. I know of a star who will portray your role Very Well, & Capture Every Emotion, her name is: Kimberly Elise, her role was Tee-Tee, from 'Set it Off'..........she looks like you somewhat, & I do believe she will carry your story to THE TOP of the Movie Charts!

Thanks For Never Giving Up Hope Joyce. What You & Jay wrote in your book, it Speaks for a large number of Americans. I know that you & Jay are friends for life now, & rightfully so. Everyone deserves a friend like Jay, his love says it all, it's (unconditional)~ Again, Good Luck On Your Upcoming Movie, Let me hear from you soon Sista~ 2 Sista~