Used Books

When I began reading the book is was skeptical to try Dr. Burn's methods but I was also desperate. I have been dealing with anxiety and depression for a year and nothing was working. I started using the triple column technique every day, recording my distorted thoughts, identifying the cognitive distortions, and giving a rational response. After just a few weeks, I began to notice a reduction in my anxiety and I wasn't as depressed. Even though I have a long way to go, I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. I truly believe in the techniques presented in this book. I did begin to lose interest in the last few chapters as they go into detail about medications and I stopped reading them. However, the book is still excellent and I know there's a great resource on medications whenever I need it.

Excellent read!! It doesn't matter how young or old you are this book can help you see yourself and life differently. It has helped me reflect on my beliefs and my life. What a true gift it has given me. It helps form a new way of thinking about negative thoughts and gives valuable strategies on how to use positive thoughts to really feel better about yourself. I highly recommend this book. If you are ready to view yourself honestly and are open to real life changes, than this book is for you.

You do not have to suffer from full-blown depression to appreciate Dr. Burns insight into cognitive thoughts and how they affect your mood.
This book addresses every aspect of feelings that drive negative thoughts about ourselves, guilt, anger, sadness, perfectionism. I had spent years reinforcing negative thoughts based on situations out of my control. This book lifted me to a level of awareness of this spiraling behavior and gave me the tools I needed to change it. This will be a book that you need to read, and apply. Remember, it took years to condition yourself to think negatively, give this book a chance to reverse that process! I have bought several copies and given them to friends who have benefited from it's read as a result of facing sad or negative situations.

Este comentario va en castellano porque su máxima utilidad es para lectores no usamericanos.

El libro es bueno, muy bueno diria, pero el lector no usamericano debe hacer un trabajo constante para "desusamericanizarlo" pues el libro tiene muchas cosas que solo son razonables para alguien que tenga membresía en ese marco cultural.

En resumen: en medio de bastante ruido cultural hay buena información de caracter bastante "universal".

I think absolutely anyone could benefit from reading this book. It makes clear the link between our thoughts and our moods and gives concrete methods for conciously changing the thought patterns that lead to self-destructive feelings and actions. And unlike many self-help books, it isn't dry or preachy; it's easy to read and well worth the time. If you're depressed, PLEASE buy this book - it WILL help! If you're not depressed, buy this book - it WILL improve your life!

You have got to read this book!!!

I don't usually write reviews, but this story impressed me so much that I felt compelled to give it a five star rating here.
This is one of the few books I have ever read that I had trouble putting down before finishing.
This tale turns out to be more Science Fiction Horror based on the possibility that it could actually occur, than on his usual Spirit Realm type horror having the possibility of it ever occuring being totally zilch.

This has got to be one of the best and most imaginative books he has ever written.
























































































This could actually happen.
This is more Science Fiction than Horror.
This is the only book that I have read this year that I had trouble putting down.
Mr. Koontz's subjects usually dealve pretty heavily into the spirit realm and we read them with the knowledge that the chance of anything actually ever occuring as described in the book are pretty much zero.

I had high hopes from the description in the book's jacket, but after a riveting beginning the reveal of the "villain" left me astonished and quite disappointed. The rest of the book was cheesy, bordering on humorous and just not up to Koontz standard. Find a different one.

This is the 4th Koontz book I've read, and I think it is the best Koontz book I've read yet. The monster was very far-fetched, but I liked the characters and much of the story.

I love Dean Koontz and always have, and while this is a great book the narration is TERRIBLE. I'm not sure why they'd choose a narrator that has a lisp, but they did. So now I can't concentrate on the story, because I'm too busy listening to the narrator lisp. I'd recommend reading this book as opposed to listening to it!

I call it perfect because this story is nerve-wrackingly believable. Koontz is a great story-teller inherently and given such a tale as this spins a mind-boggling yarn. Just imagining myself in such a town made my mouth go dry instantly.

The "Ancient Enemy" is truly a dangerous adversary.

i really liked this story- i still think about it a lot and long for a similarly interesting egyptian read- (haven't been able to find one yet unfortunately- if anyone knows of any, let me know please in the comments section- thanks)- anyhow, i miss the characters and the setting- great descriptions- i could have done with a little less sexuality and the homosexualtity parts didn't quite make sense i thought- still i really liked this book, thought it was very well-written and can't seem to forget the characters and setting she so vividly described-

Rice takes a break from the bloodsuckers and heads for bandages. Of course, being a romance type writer, not a lot of rotting smelly staggering corpse mummies to be found here, just a charismatic, charming, dangerous version, instead.

Other than that, the usual setting, noble Egyptian awakened, hangs out with a woman who can't resist him, and has a horrible secret. These mummy guys crave sun, sex and all that sort of thing.

A secret potion gives the mummy his immortality and superhuman powers, and he seeks out Cleopatra, intending to revive her, but ends up creating a monster instead.

This is the second time I have read this book, as the last time was years ago. The story is different then any mummy tale I have seen to date. It deals more so with immortality then raising the dead, and the emotional turmoil that accompanies being immortal.

The Story moves quickly and the characters are very likeable. The reason I only gave the book four stars is because three quarters of the way through the book, I found the characters where not behaving quite like themselves and also because I find I'm left hanging at the end of the book. I feel robbed of the knowledge of what happens to certain characters like Alex? Elliot?

I feel the book has been left open for a sequel but so far there has been non forthcoming. With Anne Rice I guess you just can't ever tell what she will do next. Crossing my fingers, but not holding my breath.

A novel of love, not horror. A novel of supernatural marvel, not of fantastic gore. Anne Rice is best in her literature when she tells a love story. Here she is able to have a three or four layer love story. Deep in the past the love story is that of Ramses and Cleopatra as opposed to Antony and Cleopatra. The former should be a love story of eternal wisdom true in all times and that no one can evade, the latter a love story of mortal passion that leads to death and dies. The former becomes a passion of hatred, hateful (full of hate) love, of hate-oriented love. The latter becomes a love affair of undying passion because mortal, of undying passion because doomed. The next layers are the successive love affairs in the main two families, the Rutherfords and the Stratfords, two families that know how to cross difficulties, the rivers of life, as their names indicate. Elliott and Lawrence a long time ago. Elliott and Henry twenty years later. Alex and Julie in the present time. The genius of that is to resuscitate both Ramses and Cleopatra in those families in the 20th century. They invade this world with their old hatreds and love-affairs and invest a new layer of love affairs in this modern world. Cleopatra is the archetype of the victim of society and of history, but also of her capricious childish being that chooses to love the only man she mustn't choose, the one who is only going to be defeated by society and she will then suffer the insufferable dilemma between love and life, love and death, death and life. Ramses brings into this picture the possibility to be eternal, the detention of a power that is greater than all that mankind can imagine, the power to survive one's own mistakes and to survive in spite of one's own shortcomings, hence the necessity to become perfect in spite of the impossibility to even dream of that concept. Project such love and such power into human frail society and even frailer individuals and you have a cocktail that can only lead to a catastrophe, and it does. Then Anne Rice becomes the genius we expect her to be and she turns that human catastrophe, that human tragedy into a violent confrontation of simple material forces like a car versus a train, or the addiction to gambling and the hunger for winning in order to lose in order to re-experience the pleasure of winning leading to the exquisite pain of losing again. This absolutely masochistic dimension of human nature goes beyond human understanding and Anne Rice is the best author to express this lack of intelligibility in the intelligence of human beings. It is then a beautiful novel that deserves our attention and that should make us aware of the absolute folly of trying to go beyond our limits. Altogether Anne Rice produces a deep feeling of satisfaction with our own fate, our own lot in life. The end is surprising though because she unevenly distributes the honor of being regenerated and then we wonder why one person is left out and why the chosen two are taken out of the tragedy they deserved entirely to suffer and experience. Isn't that pure cruelty from Anne Rice, pure cruelty and undeserved advantage. Or is there another deeper pattern? Out of the three men who had had some homosexual contacts, two are killed and one is chosen. The only man in that group of four English men who had had no homosexual contact nor desire is left alive but un-chosen. It sure closes the novel on a feeling of unfairness.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University Paris Dauphine, University Paris 1 Pantheon Sorbonne & University Versailles Saint Quentin en Yvelines

I can't think of a more perfect book. the only flaw is that it might be nice to get a sequel, but I think it's too late now. The Mummy is a fantastic adventure story, with some romance thrown in for good measure. Ramses is found and he's not actually dead. He finds himself in early 1900's Cario, and what happens next is awesome. Even if you've never read any Anne Rice, you will not be lost, this is a stand alone novel. My husband read this book and also thought it was great, so don't be put off if you are male. Read it - you'll like it!

Nita and later Kit become wizards after stumbling across wizarding manuals, and swear oaths of loyalty to uphold the sacred task of being a wizard. Now all they have to do is prove their worthiness on an ordeal. Along their way the meet wonderful characters like Tom& Carl who are senior wizards, Fred the white hole of energy, and the lone power.

These books offer a wonderful yet serious take on magic. It's not a "here's a wand, wave it" magic, but one that actually makes sense in it's world. There are risks to using it, prices to be paid, but a reward for doing the right unlike any other. That anchors the plot more then books of the similar like ever have. The use of cosmic forces and the book's wizards, also gave it a wonderful spin.

The plot slides toward predictability sometimes, but it's originality with concepts and scenes redeemed it then.

Diane Duane has created a lovely book to start off a series that explore the cost of using magic, and the wonderful journey that magic will take you on.

If you're target is reads at a middle school leave they'll love it, other wise it will drag on and on. Something not so pleasant for such a short book. The little dance around religion was nice, but they kept undoing their own work. You can't be just misunderstood and utterly evil at the same time. Otherwise a fair read that escapes the Harry Potter genre.

So You Want to Be a Wizard is a book about a girl named Nita, who finds a book, coincidentally called "So You Want to Be a Wizard", which is a manual for becoming a wizard. A bully steals her favorite pen, and shortly thereafter she meets Kit, another wizard in training. They band together to try to get the pen back with a spell from their books, but the spell goes wrong, and they go to a dark, miserable version of the world. When they make it out, they find that they brought back a friend from another universe, a white hole in the form of a floating spark, who they call "Fred". Together, the three go on an adventure together, using magic along the way.

One part of the book reminds me of the old story about the lion and the thorn. A man comes across a lion in the desert. He gets scared, thinking the lion will eat him, but instead the lion groans and lifts up his paw, showing a thorn. The man pulls it out, and later the lion helps him out of trouble to repay the favor. In this book, when Nita, Kit, and Fred are in the evil version of Manhattan where machines are alive, they find a Lotus with a piece of metal stuck in it. Kit pulls it out, and later the Lotus saves them from feral taxi cabs.

The book is well written, but several times it goes on and on about things which aren't very interesting or important to the story. Other than that though, I liked the book. The story was very creative, and unique (aside from the cliché, evil, lord of doom type character found in many fantasy stories). The creatures they encountered were original. All of the characters were quite believable, even the ones like Fred, who aren't even people. It is a very fast paced story (aside from the occasional long, droning descriptions) with lots of action. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes fantasy.

This is a magical book, in a magical universe with magical characters and real tears. This is a classic, the sort that I always have a copy of, the sort that I give to my kids.

Nita is a thirteen-year-old who just wants the local bully to leave her alone. She is tired of being chased and of being beaten up, and she is especially tired of having to explain to her family why she doesn't fight back. When she stumbles acros a book called "So You Want to be a Wizard" in her public library, Nita is intrigued. She doesn't quite believe in wizardry, but she checks out the book and decides to give it a try. She will do anything to keep the bully from hurting her again, even cast a spell.

Surprisingly enough, the book seems real. Soon after she discovers it, Nita meets Kit, a boy about her age with some of the same problems. He's had a book on wizardry for awhile and she teams up with him to cast a spell to get their tormenters to leave them alone. But in the midst of the spell, something happens and a new creature appears in Kit and Nita's world.

Now Kit and Nita are trapped in a situation that seems to be way over their heads. They must stick together and work with each other to set things right again. Will they, two novice wizards, be able to fight against a dark power?

I liked Kit and Nita and the way they used their intelligence to get themselves out of bad situations. I also liked Nita's family, and I liked the way the world of magic was developed in this story. However, some parts of this book were pretty draggy; there was a lot of description I wasn't very interested in reading and that weighed the book down.

this book is awesome. read it in like 2 hours. i loved the movie and the book surpassed my expectations!

'Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe' is the charming story of two women in 1986, one of whom, old and oracular, soothes the angst of the other, middle-aged and depressed, by telling her wonderful stories of her youth in a railway podunk. I'm sure you know all that already. I heartily recommend this novel: it's witty yet meaningful, the characters are sympathetic and easy to get attached to, and the writing is spot-on. There are quite a few typos and errors in my text; perhaps they've been rectified in further editions. Let these not distract, however, from the fact that FGTATWSC is perfect for a swift and entertaining, yet meaningful read. Fannie Flagg, I salute you!

I read this book maybe 10 years ago and saw the movie version again (not as good as the book) this evening on HBO. So I picked up the book again and remembered how I love this book and considered it as one of my favorite. I love the 4 main characters (esp. Ruth & Idgie) as well as the secondary characters, Big George & Sipsey. You could really feel the love, devotion and depth of their friendship. This is a must read. A classic!

Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg was not only insightful for me, but inspired me to live my life to the fullest. I do believe that this could very well be the most inspiring book I have ever read. This novel has multiple stories going on at one time, giving the reader different points of views. It starts in a nursing home, with a daughter in law that is not so exited to see her mother in law every weekend. She stumbles upon an old woman by the name of Mrs. Threadgoode, who is eager to have someone to talk to, and starts to reveal the story of her younger life in Whistle Stop, Alabama. Intrigued with Mrs. Threadgoode's tales, Evelyn, the daughter in law comes to visit the Rose Terrace Nursing home on a regular basis. Throughout all the visits, Mrs. Threadgoode helps Evelyn through many of life's challenges, including menopause.
One theme that I established from this fantastic novel was "There is a gem in every rock.". Mrs. Threadgoode is a major example of this, the nursing home being the rock, and Mrs. Threadgoode being the gem. Through listening to Mrs. Threadgoode's stories, Evelyn is able to conquer challenges in life such as sugary eating habits, and is able to set a foundation for a bright future. Another theme I captured from this novel was to "treat everyone as an equal". Idgie and Ruth, two of the main characters in this book, are in a homosexual relationship, though everyone in Whistle Stop treats them equally. In today's world, I think this value is somewhat overlooked. An additional example of this is when Idgie let's the homeless man work for her in the café, even though he doesn't appear to be the most charming and well kept human being.
Fannie Flagg characterized Idgie as a spunky, fun-loving woman who changed over time. Towards the beginning of the story, Idgie is somewhat impulsive, wild and a little immature as shown when she runs off and proclaims love at the age of fifteen. As Idgie grows, not only physically but emotionally, she becomes more understanding and blossoms into the sort of person that people come to for there problems, or look to, to brighten their day. Another well developed character is Evelyn. In the beginning, Evelyn is anxious, stressed and somewhat disturbed. Mrs. Threadgoode teaches Evelyn to deal with her stress, making Evelyn more patient, and eager to take on life's challenges.
The point of view this novel was written from was third person omniscient. This made the novel even more interesting because I was able to see the thoughts of all of the characters in every different story, clueing me in to the little hints leading to the main plot. I believe Fannie Flagg uses this to give the reader the extra insight.
Over all, I enjoyed this book. It offered an insight into the past which as a teen, I don't see much anymore. This book was hard, and sometimes impossible to put down, and inspired me to re-think my morals and how I judge people. I would highly suggest this book to women and girls high school aged and up for a page-turning, good time.

This book is a refreshing cool mist in this southern summer heat that I am currently living in
It's a whooping 99 degrees here is Savannah Georgia but that's beside the point
Fried Green Tomatoes... is such a heart warming book, based upon friendship ,courage and the strength to just keep on living. I enjoyed the movie and watch it when it's on the t.v. but the book holds the prize the blue ribbon so to speak the best hog in the fair the best pecan pie and so on down the list of southern talk. I recommend this book 100 percent

Connelly is dazzling in his style.

First, he expresses himself in a very good English, lively, cultural, social. The reader is soon permeated the atmosphere of the American cities of Hollywood, Los Angeles, and the state of California.

Next, the psychological profiles are far from simplistic caricatures which are often shown in films for example.

Finally, the plot gripps you firmly the guts. Harry Bosch, a former veteran of the Vietnam War where he fought as a "tunnel rat" is very endearing. Tenacious cop, non-careerist and yet so proud of its mission, it weird for its spirit of freedom from the constraints of a system that nourishes.

I found that Harry Bosch is very American. He is endearing. Parallel with the character Clint Eastwood. "Echo Park" = one of the best thrillers of Connelly.

Be careful : you are in geat danger of insomnia.

This book was a gift to my son. Instead of English, he was sent a Spanish version. That didn't do him any good.

All the Harry Bosch books are top notch. Start at the beginning as life changes this character (like a blacksmith hammering iron).

Harry Bosch never worked on solving a crime that he didn't want to successfully close. In Echo Park, Michael Connelly takes us into Harry's past to explore the disappearance of Marie Gesto who was on her way to work at a stable in exchange for rides. Thirteen years have passed. Harry has a suspect, but there's nothing to pin him down. In fact, Harry has been subject to a restraining order keeping him away from the suspect when the suspect's lawyer isn't present.

Suddenly, Harry gets a call that a serial killer has offered to lead the police to Gesto's body in exchange for a life sentence. In exchange for getting access to the file, Harry is invited into the interview and eventually into the body search. To help him figure out how to assess this proffer, Harry asks Rachel Walling to secretly help him. Their personal relationship resumes as well.

It's a sick-at-heart Harry, though, because the murder book on Gesto shows that Harry's former partner had missed an opportunity to get the serial killer 13 years earlier. Can he live with this guilt? How could he have missed this lead?

The story goes on from there to unveil a murder mystery of tantalizing difficulty. The red herrings are outstanding, and you'll have a hard time unraveling this one. The story is also filled with lots of action which makes the book more appealing than the typical police procedural. The story also delves deeply into Bosch's past to reveal important aspects of his character in clearer ways than in past stories.

I was captivated by Len Cariou's reading of the book. He made the emotions of the characters seem very real. I was deeply engaged in this book as I listened and couldn't wait to get to the end.

Bosch in on the edge in this book; he has been working the Maria Gesto case on his own time ever since her disappearance in 1993. She was never found - dead OR alive - so the file sits and mocks Bosch. When a man accused of two murders offers to come clean about several other open murders in order to avoid being put to death, he includes Marie Gesto in the bunch. Bosch is called in to listen to the testimony and do some work to ensure the department is not being scammed. When Bosch discovers a clue that was overlooked that might have helped him solve the Gesto case - and prevented all the murders by this same guy in the meantime - he starts to lose it.

This is a dark book in the series, yet one that gives us a lot of insight into Bosch and his world. Don't miss it!

Accidentally picking this up at the library in the audio book section, I gave the first CD a listen and was hooked throughout all 18 CD's in this large, vast and powerful read.

All The King's Men was originally pulped in 1946 by Robert Penn Warren, and it is a tale about the corruption of a powerful man

I have to get really geeky here and talk about some pop TV for a second. The character Benjamin Linus on ABC's Lost is played by Michael Emerson is one of my favorite TV characters of all time.

I was pleased to find out that All The King's Men, the audio book version is read by none other than the Michael Emerson. And since the story is told in first person, Emerson becomes the central charaacter of the story, Jack Burden. There was a movie made recently based on this book, and Burden was played by Jude Law, I believe, and the movie tanked.

I'll tell you why it tanked, because Emerson didn't play Jack Burden. His voice and inflection are perfect and it would be hard to imagine no other as the character because Emerson embodies Burden so well, simply by audio. Imagine what he could do on the big screen.

That being said, let me tell you how awesome this book was. Coming at it from a point where I knew nothing of the story, it was a great trip into mind of Burden. Burden is a news reporter who, as a young man, gets hooked up with Willie Stark, a politician on the rise who begins his career as a straight shooter, someone even Lincoln would be proud of.

But as the story goes on, flashing back and forth from the past to the present, making the book feel timeless and move quickly despite its length, we find Stark turning into the thing we feared he would become most, a politician. Stark's rise and downfall are chronicled by Burden, who tells how his past and present life mix in and blend together with Starks, touching at all points.

Burden's thoughts and comments about life and the goings on in the story are often pessimistic and hopeless, and that's perhaps what this book does so well, in that it eventually saves Jack Burden but allows Stark to fall off the deep end, and not a page too late for either.

Warren can write southern dialect with the best of them: McCarthy, Faulkner, and the conversations in the book feel real and genuine. Nothing reads so good as some southern fried dialog.

This book is deep and touches on many aspects of life: parenthood, death, pride, love, loss of love, philosophy, history, and politics. The characters are singular, and I don't think we'll see another Jack Burden in literature for a long time--someone so callused on the outside but vulnerable as well, with quick wit, a lack of regard for any authority, and one who eventually admits he was wrong about everything.

I loved this book, and will read it again in the future. If you are a fan of audio books, you must do this one in your ears. I never experienced a better experience with a narrator than I did with Emerson's Burden. Pick it up, and enjoy.

I read the 1963 edition by Time Inc. This 600 page book is an incredible read, an extremely well written page turner, very visual writing with colorful chanracters that are so real and alive. The book is filled with intriguing events but so skillfully layered and woven with seamless transitions into monologues by the narrator about his reflections on life, history, good and evil, and many more. This is the best book I have read this year so far.

Knowing only that "Robert Penn Warren" was a famous author of some kind, I blindly plucked this book from the shelf of a local library. As I read - - which was sometimes feverish, and sometimes with some amount of irritation - - I did not pursue any reviews or advance information regarding the plot, the characters, or the author's language. That said, I formed my opinion based entirely on my own feelings, as a person living in the 21st century who is exposed to today's barrage of media, television, literature, and current events.

For me, the story of Willie Stark is quite secondary to that of Jack Burden. In ways, I barely noticed the "political" aspects to it, or even the supposed evolution of Willie Stark from a man of ideals to a dirty political operative (he was probably the very same person from start to finish). Jack, the storyteller, is a man in his mid-thirties who is generally disillusioned with the world. On rare occasion, he is excited and happy about something, but he - - as the primary character of the book - - is mostly sour, sarcastic, and patronizing. I was never sure whether to wish the best for him. I really wanted to feel positively about someone, and he was the obvious pick, but ultimately I decided that he could fall down an elevator shaft and make a life in the basement of the building, and I would be alright with the direction.

Over the course of a month, I picked up the book and put it down several times. If I were taken with the story, of course I would have cleared my calendar and given it the attention I felt it required - - which I share only to suggest that I do get carried away by novels. But this book just wasn't that book at all. Along with this, as I put down and picked up the book, I did encounter a special danger: I would have to retrace my steps a bit to remember where I was if I left it just two days ago, requiring that I thumb backwards 15 pages and re-read. A modern-day novel would let you do this more easily because they tend to thread events, character dialogue, and internal musings together more succinctly and coherently. In 10 pages, the modern-day novel might give the main character four minor challenges and connect that character multiple times in exchanges to other characters, while this 1946 novel in 10 pages will have only shared the musings of the main character about some unanticipated, and sometimes very uninteresting, thoughts about how a barn sticks up out of the mist, and how cows in the field see cars blazing down a highway.

Criticism aside, what this book does give a person today is an outlook of the world through the mind of someone (the author) who lived a thoughtful life over 50 years ago. And even the wordiness - - though dizzying, tiring, and frustrating at times - - is a refreshing change for the reader who mostly reads novels written in the past several years, ones that focus less on description and more on keeping a frenetic pace and sequence of activity. I still maintain that in no way is this the "the best book," or even comes close to such a categorization, but Warren's All The King's Men is an interesting read from the standpoint of its own acclaim, history, and position in the literary world. I guess it's what you'd call a "classic." If you have a goal of reading a classic novel, and can afford the time to read well over 600 pages (and sometimes reread some of those pages), All The King's Men is a respectable choice.

Emerson said of Plato's Republic, it is more than a book it is a world. This is also true of Penn Warren's classic political novel. But the political story of the rise and fall of the demagouge Willie Stark is just a veneer for the real story. The real story is the struggle of Jack Burden, the cynical and emotionally reclusive narrator, to understand himself and his role in the chaotic world that surrounds him. This book is a probing reflection into the soul on par with Miller's "Death of a Salesman." The movie starring Jude Law and Sean Penn did not do it any kind of justice. A must read.

I put off reading this novel for almost twenty years from when it was first recommended to me for the simple reason that I dismissed as a "political" novel and, ergo, not of the first water. - How wrong can a prospective reader be?!? - To begin, this is not a "political" novel, per se, and the character of Willie Stark, as compared with the odyssey of Jack Burden, not very gripping. As another reviewer has mentioned, it is only political in the way that Oedipus Rex is political. What All The King's Men is, then, is a beautiful, hauntingly poetic, dark reflection on man's state in the world. It is an authentic American, modernist tragedy. And, like all great works of literature, it resonates in one's mind and heart long after the last page is read and the covers closed.

The other reviewers have covered the plots and subplots, so that there doesn't seem much to add save, that, for me, the most engrossing sections were Jack's accounts of his two journeys into the past, one to find "truth", the other to find "the facts" and his deeply poetic rendering of the development of his adolescent love for Anne Stanton, which comes as close to Proustian as anything else in literature.

I suppose I would go on to add a caveat here too. As I say, despite the book's somewhat pacific ending, the work is a tragedy, with the accompanying dark Weltanschauung inherent in an authentic tragedy. There are so many passages I could quote to exemplify this perspective to let the reader know what s/he is getting into here, but the best comes at the end of the fourth chapter, after Jack's first dive into the past:

"Cass Mastern lived for a few years and in that time learned that the world is all of one piece. He learned that the world is like an enormous spider web and if you touch it, however lightly, at any point, the vibration ripples to the remotest perimeter and the drowsy spider feels the tingle and is drowsy no more but springs out to fling the gossamer coils about you who have touched the web and then inject the black, numbing poison under your hide. It does not matter whether or not you meant to brush the web of things. Your happy foot or your gay wing may have brushed it ever so lightly, but what happens always happens and there is the spider, bearded black and with his great faceted eyes glittering like mirrors in the sun, or like God's eye, and the fangs dripping."

In other words, beware of trying to trip the light fantastic through this powerful novel.

Then you'll bite your lip.
You'll cry.
You'll scream with rage.
Finally, and before he ever says it, you'll know they can never get even...

I recently bought this book again. When I read it years ago, I passed it on because it was just too good not to share. I plan on re-reading it. Gives you a (60's) look into life in Hells Kitchen as well as life in a corrupt juvenile detention center. I could not put this book down and look forward to re-reading it. This book is a definite must read!

I read this when it first came out, and I remember being disappointed in the basic style and technique of the book. It's just not very well written, and the prose is clumsy. As an "Autobiography" however, I was willing to cut the author some slack, considering the undeniable power imbued into the events described. Ultimately, the book deals with the age old theme of immigrants struggling against a system that exploits them unfairly, only this time coupled with a thoroughly satisfying revenge and suspense plot in the third act. So while the writing isn't the best, the plot is so larger than life, it makes for a enough drama that this was ultimately turned into a relatively successful movie --
assuming one is willing to practice a healthy amount of suspension of disbelief.

While Carcaterra has continued to argue that he changed things to protect both the innocent and the guilty, what he can't do is undo the mistake he made in insisting that he is the protagonist of his own story, because that ties him to his own school records, and to the students he attended with.

Given this information, any good Detective would be able to match the descriptions with the alums of the school, most notably the lawyer, and yet investigators have been unable to find anyone who fits the profile, linked to any case having to do with a Hell's kitchen or Westies related murder.

Not to mention the fact that Carcaterra only missed 19 days of school in his eight years at Sacred Heart, and couldn't possibly have been sent to a year of reform school in upper state NY! Caught red handed, Carcaterra goes on to claim that the records were falsified, and yet, investigators who reviewed them found no basis in the claim.

I could go on, but this was all refuted extremely well back in 1996 when the book was first published. I'm sure the author is at a juncture where admitting the truth is simply not an option, however, the summary in this article does the job much better than I could, and is clearly much better researched than "Sleepers" : http://www.catholic.net/RCC/Periodicals/OSV/osv0114.html

At the time, a group of established true-crime authors -- Jack Olsen, Harry N. MacLean, Ken Englade, Dennis McDougal, Lowell Cauffiel, Gera-Lind Kolarik and Joseph Bosco issued a press release calling for the book to be re-classified as fiction. In their press release they wrote:

"If the names, dates, places and people have been changed, as well as the what, where and when, and if all the details are fictitious, what is the basis for publishing this work as a true story? What is true about it? For centuries, authors have written imaginative books based on life experiences. They are called novels."

This one is hard to put down, and when you finally do, it's time to run out and get the movie. Carcaterra would have made Dickens proud with the charachters, and the story, although extremely disturbing, is intriguing and compelling. Much has been made of the authenticity of the novel, but regardless, it's a very interesting read and I recommend it to anybody.

This book was exceptional! I am not sure which I like better.... Book or the movie?!
Powerful. A must read!

this is a really great read and the copy was imaculate. thanks amazon and those who supplied the book!

I found this book to be a great starter book as I begin the travel of my own towards personal growth. It's full of psychotherapy, and although I'm not an expert in that field, I found it to be very satisfying and thought provoking. I would, and have, recommend it to others.

Parts of this book are simply incredible. Peck's thoughts on the role of problems, the content of genuine love, the nature of miracles and grace are truly phenonemnal. Peck is certainly a brilliant man who brings remarkable insight to the table. While this is true, parts of this book lack cogency. For example, his thoughts on the problem of evil, original sin and the religion of science are neither convincing nor compelling. Part of the problem is that he deals with these subjects in a cursory way, not giving them the attention they demand. It is as if he quickly offers his thoughts to these age-old issues as panaceas that save the day, allowing the human race to exhale a sigh of relief. I doubt that this is how Peck intended to be read, but this is my perception of these sections. Overall, this book is worth reading for the sections when Peck shines. However, be warned that there are also parts that will fail to satisfy.

I'm not one of those people who stalk the aisles of the self help section at all. But when someone lent me this book seven years ago, it was a turning point in my life. I've since bought my own copy of all three books in the series and have found it necessary to go back and read them from time to time (especially the first and third books).

When I first started reading this book I couldn't fathom that the brand of spirituality that Peck offers was even possible. I had discarded all spirituality since childhood because I had learned early on about the hoorors of religion. More than anything, this book spurred me to start along the path to discovering my own sense of spirituality and my own life philosophy. It also helped me to think in more complex terms and beocme more comfortable with ambiguity and contradiction...reality essentially.

This book should make you uncomfortable when you read it for the first time. You have to be uncomfortable to evolve. I am grateful for having come across it at a relatively young age because my life has been better for having read it.

excellent self help book. a must read for everyone. You will be happy and successful in life if you follow the principles of this book.

This book was just as enchanting as the first. Mia's story just gets better and better with each passing entry.

This is a slice of a completely unrealistic teenager's life. However, there is enough empathy for real coming-of-age issues, such as the power of words, that young readers can benefit from examining, how the lessons relate to their own universes. The characters are well written and you care that the princess makes the right choices. I recommend this for the imaginative young reader.

I am a sixth grader. I read the book Princess in the Spotlight the second Princess Diaries. This book is by Meg Cabot. In this book, Mia, gets a big surprise. But when her mom tells her the surprise, Mia isn't too happy. But this surprise leads to another. You see, Mia's mother is still dating Mia's algebra teacher, Mr. Gianini. So now Mr.G will be moving in with Mia and her mom plus Mia's mom is marring Mr.G!! Mia is so shocked when she hears this news. She is still shocked to hear the first surprise her mother told her. So now Mia is thinking that it is not going to be fun having her algebra teacher living with her. But after a few weeks of thinking about it and finding out that Mr.G has a fooze ball table and a pin ball machine she decides that living with Mr.G won't be too bad. But when her grandmother plans a big interview with a big interviewer, Mia is very nervous. When she finally has the review, she feels as if nothing will ever go right again.
Mia's father is there, and well Mia's mom has not exactly told Mia's dad that she is getting married. So when Mia tells the entire world about her mom marring Mr.G, not only is Mia's dad in shock, but so is her grandmother. For the next few chapters, things don't go so well for Mia. Later on in the book, Mia's grandmother decides to plan her mom and Mr.G's wedding. Her grandma even hires a professional planer. Mia knows that her mom will not like the fact that her daughter's father's mother is planning her wedding. But after Mia's mother's parents, who have never in their entire life left Africa, come to help Mia's grandmother plan the wedding that Mia's mom doesn't even want, Mia and her mom thinks things have gotten out of hand. But they both know that they can do nothing. So they call Mia's father to take care of his mother. Well I don't want to give any more away but I do recommend this book for anyone who is a girl and liked the first Princess Diaries book.
K.M.

Princess in the Spotlight is a GREAT book!! i Loved reading this book i couldent put it down. I finshed this book in about 3 days. This is a book that I think every teenage girl should read. Mia is a very wonderful person i love her chacther in this book she shows so much courage and is the type of person that dosent care about what other people think of how she dresses or acts she is her own person.

Just what my granddaughter wanted. That's one on the plus side for grandpa...