California Books

Where the Money Is, is a collection of true stories featuring some of the most unusual and thought provoking crimes in what is described by the author as The Bank Robbery Capital of the World - Los Angelinos, the City of Angels.

Charting the rise of street gangs, hardcore villains, down and out debutantes, sheer opportunists, muscle-bound psychopaths, and brilliantly sophisticated tunnelers, Where The Money Is, is a breathtaking rocket trip of the world of bank robbery as seen through the eyes of the former head of the FBI Bank Robbery division, William Rehder.

A hugely entertaining, dynamite whirlwind speed ride, Where The Money is, is a fascinating insight into a world that, for the majority of us, is simply the subject of movies and TV. Written in a wonderfully accessible style with the vigour, sensitivity, and passion of a man whose life's mission has been to make the world a better place, Where the Money Is is totally and utterly enthralling right down to the mind blowing final chapter.

Non judgemental in his assessment of the motives for bank robbery, Rehder's masterpiece is a comprehensive and refreshingly objective take on a world of crime and for the first time I was disappointed that the author didn't go into more detail about himself (most of these types of books seem to be screaming "ME ME MEEEE, look how great I am and how I had to struggle!!! Not the case with Where The Money Is) but of course that's because he has the humility to recognise that the these stories are about a bigger picture than just one person. I would love to meet this man. Praise too, to Gordon Dillow.

It's clear that there's respect there for some of these people - perhaps the ones who ended up in the criminal world through unfortunate circumstances beyond their own control, but there's also a sense of duty that is from the heart of a true hero.

My one and only criticism was that once I'd read it I wanted more. If this book was 50 times as big, it still wouldn't be enough. William Rehder's Where The Money Is is amazing. I can't praise it enough, because I was blown away by it.

Outstanding. Truly one of the best true crime books I have ever read. I felt like I was sitting having a beer with the authors and they were talking to me as a friend and sharing an inside view on bank robbery in LA. Funny, with "cop talk" and a tremendous amount of insight into the characters involved - cops and criminals. Definitely tells you about the who,how, and why, and it is FASCINATING. I was riveted after just the first few pages and looked forward to every minute I could grab to read it. And just to make sure I didn't miss a thing, I'm going to open it back to the first page and start all over again. I really can't convey what a good book this is.... I highly recommend it.

A very entertaining read on several different bank robberies in the L.A. metro area. Rehder and Dillow have a very humorous and witty tone to their writing and it makes for a fast read.

A fascinating look into the minds of the robbers as well as the F.B.I. Agents and LAPD Officers who pursue and catch them. It is trite to say, but neither I nor my wife could put this down. Having lived in LA at the time of some of these cases, I found that this book was a great look behind the scenes and headlines of some of the most riveting true crime tales in that ever seedy and sorted town. Buy this book !

in our media-saturated audio-visual age when most shows are crime dramas or reality shows (there should be a law prohibiting some of those shows), it comes as a welcome relief to read this live-action real-life tale about one very good guy (natch, the FBI co-author), and many bad guys who rob banks. You can learn more from this anecdotal-laced memoir than a years's worth of law & order episodes. I felt that I got good education about how banks operate and foil thiefs. I got an equally good education on how the FBI tracks down their sticky finger prey. All the action takes place in L.A. which is the bank robbery capital of the world. You can take that to the bank...

Teri's book, Wisdom Chronicles may seem like it is everywoman's awakening, but it is for any spirit on a journey homeward! The words of the spiritual teacher, Michael you can feel in your heart resonate with the truth. They are words that if we could remember just once a day, would guide us more swiftly to our highest selves. It is a fun and uplifting read!

I have been researching metaphysics, philosophy and religion for the last eight years and have not read a more concise, accurate and all encompassing book regarding Conscious Creation. EVER! I have read over 40 books and while each has been great with wonderful explanations, Teri's book puts it all together in an incredibly concise and workable format. Her teachings offer an easily understandable format in which change and Conscious Creation not only is possible but it actually occurs. You do not have to reinvent the wheel and come up with your own theories. You do not have to read massive amounts of information like I have done in order to come up with an interpretation of Conscious Creation that works. From this book, you will be able to create your life just as YOU want it to be. You must, however, have faith and want to change your thinking. The process requires effort but it is possible and I am seeing the benefits in my own life because of it. BUY THIS BOOK you won't regret it.

The Wisdom Chronical came into my life at a time that I was doing alot of healing. It was amazing how the exercises in the book helped me to push through the blocks and emotions that needed to go, so my healing could be complete. I thank Terri Harris Saa for her dedication and time that she spent to bring this wonderful information to the world. I hope you will enjoy this book and the exercises as much as I did.

This is definately a book the I will read again and again. I'm sure that each time through will be a new and amazing journey.

I am also EveryWoman. However after reading these reviews, I have to say up front that I am not your typical commenter. I am not overworked; I have a wonderful life, am childless by choice, am not harried in the least, am married to my dream partner; have an amazingly challenging, highly visible and satisfying job; have the perfect balance of all that I want in my life: Elegance, along with simplicity; financial abundance, along with unflagging generosity; excitement, tempered with a quiet knowing, calmness and trust; high expectations and big dreams, yet a gentle comfort and faith that it will all happen when it's supposed to. The reason I am EveryWoman is because Teri Harris Saa helped me to achieve this life design, over the course of the past 7 years -- and her wisdom is not just for the typical mom who needs to take better care of herself. I want readers to know that regardless of their success or lack thereof in creating the life they want, this teacher can take you beyond any limits you could imagine. If you want to glow and truly manifest all the wonderment you are capable of, I urge you to start with this book. Bring Teri into your life and your heart. Regardless of where you are on your path, Teri's gentle reminders will empower you to become more than you ever dreamed possible.

This is a modern fable that reflects most of our lives: chaotic, always behind schedule, always having 50 things that need to be done TODAY. I know about it, I've lived this life. The sense of being overwhelmed, stress-out and unfulfilled permeates most of my days. What could I possibly do about? How can the quality of my life improve in a profound and meaningful manner? Written in a truly accessible format, a novel, this book is a gift, a meaningful way to get the lives we all know we want. Teri Saa answers these and many other existential questions that many of us ponder and don't have the time or energy to search for an answer. When I was ready to reclaim my passion for living and needed a guide as to what steps to take, this book miraculously appeared and became the guiding path. Highly recommended for anyone who is ready to get the vitality of truly being alive.

So, I asked a sort of pen pal of mine who lives in Scotland what people there think of my country and she recommended I check out Xenophobe's. There happened to be one more specific based on geography though so I bought this one instead. Now my friend told me that, more or less, the US is far below her and her cohorts favorite country ... big surprise. That should have set the mood for what to expect when I got to finally read this book, however, I was expecting something a bit detailed and factual, perhaps even a few hundred pages thicker. My expectations set the stage for the disappointment I got after I read Xenophobe's.

Yes, it is written by a native californian who has traveled more extensively within this state than I have. No, he does not speak very highly of my/our homeland. Yes, it is what I should have expected to read after getting the recommendation from a girl who thinks along the same lines as the author of Xenophobe's - that is to say that Californians are, in fact, the stereotype that everybody thinks we are. In that respect the book succeeds.

Perhaps it is just me but throughout this book the author seemed to be either focusing entirely on Los Angeles or succumbing to the average stereo-typical perception of what Californians are like. Almost during the entire course of reading it felt like he was writing about a land completely foreign to the one I know. To make it worst, there were constant contradictions and even worse he used words like all, most, and entirely far to frequently, and, without giving near enough reasons for the readers to want to believe him.

A good book if you want to read what outsiders think of California.

A moderately okay book if you would like to read about the dramatized and overly publicized California.

A terrible book if you would like to read about what California is like for those Californians who aren't drug induced idiots, gang bangers, movie moguls and their disciples, or who just don't live in Los Angeles.

If this is what all of the Xenophobe books are like then I don't see much benefit in reading them. Good day sir!

This 60+ page guide to the Californians is a delight! A unique combination of witty, tongue-in-cheek comments and factual information about California culture, history and geography makes for a very enjoyable read. I highly recommend it to natives and foreigners alike!

I began reading this book on my lunch break at work -- laughing out loud from the start! After work, I read it while walking to my car and while stopped at traffic lights on the drive home. Now, if that isn't a ringing endorsement! I've been to the Golden State a few times and I can vouch that the author describes Californians to a "T". This is a witty and insightful book that will be enjoyed even if you have no plans to visit. It's a lot of fun, give it a read!

I am a Californian, and I loved this little book that is filled with fact and wit that had me laughing out loud. The character differences between the Northern and Southern Californians were hilarious. All of the stereotypes of the golden state were well illustrated. This is a great gift for every Californian, those who visit California, or anyone who would just like a few laughs.

Wow!! California has been analyzed and humorized in this delightful book that will keep you laughing from beginning to end. Mr. Marais doesn't miss a beat as he rattles off one quip after another about this culture of characters that even Hollywood couldn't dream up! From pampered pooches to personal growth weekends, from smog alerts to freeway traffic jams, California has set itself up for this author's hilarious take on the "sunshine state". Enjoy!!

This is a great source for Yosemite Big Walls. It provides valuable information including strategies, ratings with relative comparisons to other big wall routes, approaches, precise topos, optimum belays and bivy locations, pitch-linking possibilities, weather/seasonal factors, and descent routes. For those interested in Yosemite Big Wall history, there is a section devoted to the pioneers of Yosemite Big Wall climbing that is quite interesting. All in all, a great book for Yosemite's Big Walls. Thumbs up!!

Yosemite's best in painstaking detail -- a truly outstnading resource !

These topos are the best on the planet!

They are so detailed they allowed me to relive most of the hard or akward sections on the wall, occasionally even describing a single move. With the supertopos you can be ultimately prepared, as they include to what extent "clean routes" depend on fixed gear and what to bring if some of it rips out.

Real wall-rats/purists might feel that it removes some of the adventure, but then again you don't have to read everything and there is still plenty adventure left. Also the stories of the first ascents and histories of the climbs make it the ultimate guide, and even a good read.

Reading it got me so psyched up that I can hardly wait for my next "Big Wall" trip.

I can only hope that the other supertopos (e.g. free climbs) will be just as good.

This is hands down the best climbing guide I have ever purchased. Not only does McNamara replace the ambiguous beta from past books with straight-up ratings and tips, he also provides entertaining history and profiles to get you psyched. I also recommend "The Road to The Nose" book that Chris sells on his site ...

This book sets new standards for climbing guides. The production values are superb, and the information contained detailed and informative. If you're even thinking of climbing a big wall in Yosemite, buy this book. If you're a guidebook author, or thinking of becoming one, buy this and imitate it.

This is a great book for the serious sewer. It has the best explanation of how to make a lined vest or lined sleeveless camisole that I have ever seen. And if you are interested in tailoring, you will really want to have this book. I always check books out of the library first. Then you know if it's a book you need to own. This one was a book I had to have in my library, and I've found it very useful.

The feature that makes this book stand out is her chapter on designing western shirts. I have never seen this information anywhere else. She only spends a few pages on western shirts, but the focus is on the features that are unique to western wear: how to add piping to the yoke and cuffs and how to make it. Her chapters on shirts and jackets also include information and steps to follow for making riding and western wear. She does not cover riding pants or chaps, though. In the chapter on pants construction, the information about changing crotch depth is clear and easy to understand, and she shows in pictures how to fit crotch depth while seated. The section on correctly fusing a tailored jacket is fantastic! She covers fitted vests and lined camisoles. Her section on welt pockets, in the jacket chapter, has really, really good pictures. While the sections on fitting are good, she does not cover fitting alterations for atypical figures (such as a sway back.)

Step by step instructions and large color photos make this an easy guide to follow. The principles she teaches you could help you fit many patterns to yourself if you are an experienced sewer. However, all you really learn to fit are dress slacks, dress shirt, and a camisole/vest. No instructions are provided for dresses, skirts, or jackets. You do learn a neat techniques for making a pattern out of your favorite pair of pants.

If a book on tailoring garments you already have is what you're looking for, a more comprehensive guide would serve better.

This book is great, as long as you are an experienced seamstress [sorry for the possible sexist misunderstanding]. Really great tips and hints for someone who has significant experience with sewing and/or tailoring

This book really helped me with fit issues. I haven't sewn for years and the main reason I wanted to sew again was the horrible fit of "off the rack" clothing. Pants especially are difficult to fit from standard sewing patterns. This book contained a little more information than I may need, but the basics of altering the patterns were clear and easy to understand. Now that I know the principles, it's easy to make adjustments on things that aren't even mentioned in the book.

Fun romp featuring repo men (and women) of DKA as heroes versus gypsy clans. The king of American gypsies has died, and the clans from around the US are vying to have their leader be selected as the new king. To this end, they are stealing Cadillacs left and right in order to show up in the proper style at the big gathering where the new king will be selected. Lots of fun to be had as Gores skillfully describes scam after scam after scam, both by the gypsies and the repo men. Both groups are sympathetically portrayed for the most part, and the background detail about modern gypsy life is interesting in its own right.

This book is full of heroes on all sides as DKA agents and gypsies strive to outwit each other throughout a very funny story. 32 CADILLACS is the best entry in the entertaining DKA series.

This book explores the world of gypsies, scamps and thieves and the offbeat group of Private Investigators who pursue them.

Always planning the next con, theft or bunko, a band of gypsies in San Francisco pull off a perfect crime. Using four branches of the same bank, slick tactics and phone banks, a group of gypsies manages to steal 32 cadillacs, all in the same day.
Facing a million dollar loss, the bank hires DKA, a local PI firm, to recover the stolen cars. Tipped off that a gang of gypsies was responsible, the DKA operatives, or repomen, start a chase that follows the cars across the US. Using very unconventional methods this quirky band of PIs, who are rejects and misfits, must use their wiles to "outcon the cons."

What makes this story really outstanding is the background tale of the gypsy life, description of how the cons are done and the plotting of the PIs to get the cars back. There is lots of action too including breakneck chases and escapes, including one where a DKA agent must leap into a car while his rear is filled with buckshot.

My favorite character is Ken Warren, a repoman with such a severe speech impediment that he barely communicates. But with extraordinary skills in hunting down and absconding with cars that no one else can get, he earns the respect of his fellow DKA agents.

A fun ride which I highly recommend.

... I found it to be a nice treat.

It was an interestinglook at the workings of the repoman and an enlightning look at the gypsy lifestyle.

The members of the DKA agency were wonderfully drawn characters...very Runyon-esque. The gypsy characters could not have been more colorful. The plots and sidebars were neatly tied together.

There is a lot of humor mixed in with the crime, trackdowns, deceptions, double dealings and repo procedural. This would make a great movie. The action never stops and Mr. Gores does a great job of putting the reader inside the mind of the players.

"32 Cadillacs" was very entertaining and my initial Joe Gores book. I feel like I have discovered a new writer and look forward to more fun reads by Joe Gores.

Why Joe Gores isn't a better known author is a complete mystery to me. Ok, Ok, he's won 3 Edgar Awards and all, but still you don't hear his name mentioned too often when asking for recommendations. His DKA Files series are full of action, humour, cons and scams and in short are pure entertainment. Well, no matter, I've discovered him now and I'm here to tell you that the series, and 32 Cadillacs in particular, is one that's not to be missed.

For the first time, the DKA Agency is pitted in a head-to-head battle with San Francisco's Gypsy community following a Gypsy scam that had netted a grand total of 31 Cadillacs. This is a once-in-a-lifetime job, recover the 31 Caddys for a nicely negotiated fat fee. But the Gypsies are crafty specialists of the long con and are exceedingly difficult to track down, so the recovery process will require the DKA team to use every resource available as well as every underhanded trick in the book.

To give you a head start, I'll introduce you to the central DKA characters. They are, Dan Kearny, Giselle Marc, Patrick O'Bannon, Larry Ballard and Bart Heslip. And two new characters are added to the staff, Trin Morales, a sleazy Latino who failed on his own as a PI, and Ken Warren, the genius carhawk with a killer speech impediment. Both bring tremendous dimension and entertainment to the DKA team.

But the real stars of the book are the Gypsies, colourful in character as well as in their various ingenious scams. Although they're such big thieves that they'd make a kleptomaniac look like a saint, you can't help but like them and hope that every now and then they'll catch a break.

Joe Gores is an author who has walked the walk, having been an agent in the real life DKA Agency. His first-hand knowledge and experience is apparent as his agents work through their cases. Rumour has it that the Larry Ballard could very well be modelled on Gores himself.

As a final word, if there are any Donald Westlake fans out there who have read and enjoyed his Dortmunder book Drowned Hopes, I would urge you to read this one too with a brilliant crossover of storylines. This book was an absolute pleasure to read and, I know it's a much-overused catch phrase but I would term it a "must read book".

Capt. James Cook was sailing north to seek a Northwest Passage between Europe and Asia when he ran across Niihau and Kauai in January 1778. He then pushed into the Chukchi Sea and became the first explorer to enter the western end of the passage, though he did not know it.
Retreating from the following winter, he ended up getting killed in Hawaii.
Considering the activity of Europeans in the Pacific in the late 18th century, somebody was bound to reach Hawaii. But that it should have happened just then, and with just those people, must have affected the development of Hawaiian relations with the outside world.
It may be that the reconnection of Hawaii to the rest of the world was the most portentous result of the three centuries of deadly, cruel searching for the Northwest Passage.
As far back as 1632, Capt. Thomas James, hired by Bristol merchants to seek a passage, announced, "There are certainly no commercial benefits to be obtained in any of the places I visited during this voyage." He had proved that a passage, if any existed, would lie above 80 degrees N., choked with ice and unusable.
Stubborn adventurers, mostly English, kept trying anyway, and James Delgado tells their stories in "Across the Top of the World" with up-to-date archaeological discoveries and a fairly recent respect for Inuit testimony.
Delgado is head of the Vancouver Maritime Museum, where St. Roch, the first ship to make the passage in both directions, resides.
That happened during World War II, when Canada was concerned to establish its claims to the islands of the Arctic Archipelago, through which there are several "Northwest Passages," all difficult.
Arctic archaeology has boomed in the past two decades, and although explorers started carefully recording Inuit accounts as far back as the 1860s, only in the past few years have these received independent corroboration from the archaeology.
Inuit oral accounts go back, with considerable but not perfect accuracy, at least to Martin Frobisher's attempt in the 1570s.
Almost all the attempts except Cook's started in eastern Canada.
The biggest, most disastrous was Sir John Franklin's. Like many another, it ended in starvation and cannibalism. Every one of his 129 men died.
Franklin, who died in 1847, led the biggest, best supplied and most modern exploration up to that time. While scurvy and starvation were the main killers of premodern explorers (with battles with natives a distant second), Franklin had ships full of canned provisions.
Archaeologists, testing frozen bones and hair, suspect that the lead in the solder on the cans slowly deranged the Franklin group, making them incapable of making sensible decisions. Nevertheless, some of them made heroic efforts to carry large boats across miles and miles of tundra to reach open water.
Searching for Franklin became an international mania, and the last links of the passage were discovered by these adventurers.
Roald Amundsen eventually sailed through the passage, but the first commercial attempt came only in 1969, when the tanker Manhattan was sent through to see if Alaskan North Slope crude oil could be shipped out. Even though the alternative (the Alyeska pipeline) cost $10 billion, that was a better deal than using the fabled Northwest Passage.
The irony is that today cruise ships carry tourists far into the Northwest Passage, in comfort and safety.
Delgado tells these stirring tales in matter-of-fact fashion.
Most accounts of Arctic explorations tell of the mysterious fascination that keeps drawing men back even though they nearly died the first, second or third time. Nothing of this grandeur and mysticism finds its way into "Across the Top of the World."
What it does have is hundreds of excellent illustrations, both engravings from old accounts and color photographs of old maps and all sorts of archaeological discoveries.

I found this book a very interesting read. The photos were wonderful. It covers the varied expeditions on the quest for the Northwest Passage. Lots of people lost their lives and ultimately it was not, of course, a really usable shipping route.

The Franklin expedition and the various search parties is well covered. The one existing daguerotype of Franklin, which I had not seen, is included, as are the recent discoveries and theories about what happened.

At a bargain price, this is a nice gift book. Mine came without the tell tale black "bargain stripe" on the spine.

Wondrously illustrated with photographs, artwork, and maps, James Delgado's Across the Top Of The World: The Quest For The Northwest Passage tells of the courageous yet ultimately doomed search for a Northwest Passage across the North American continent. From the Frobisher party in 1547 to the first successful navigation in 1903-6, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police schooner that set the stage for modern exploration using icebreakers, this historical volume portrays the pain, the toll, the struggle, and the quest of man vs. nature in absolute detail. The narrative text is exhaustively researched and so detailed as to metaphorically transport the reader along with the famous journeys. Across The Top Of The World is enthusiastically recommended public library American history collections and for anyone with a keen interest in this fascinating part of American history.

The Norsemen may have been the first to attempt this passage but they were certainly not the last. Over 300 years of trials and bitter, freezing failures were to come and go before Norwegian Roald Amundsen finally conquered the passage in the early 20th century. It is not a coincidence that the only other undiscovered lands and the last of the remaining great adventures was also in a snowy, bitter climate - Shackleton's voyage to the Antarctic on the 'Endurance' was taking place at about the same time.

Disimilar to other 'popular history' books, this one does not have the same easy, flowing, narrative style but what it does differently and better than other pop histories is give details. Here you learn all that you could possibly want to know about every unfortunate mission that unsuccessfully sought the Nortwest passage. Crammed with maps, photos and illustrations it's all here. The little sidebar descriptions - mini biographies- of many of the explorers is a nice feature.

This book has the capacity to touch you intellectually and emotionally. It is a well written book on explorers and exploration. This book brings to life those searching for the Northwest Passage. Their struggles and hardships are well documented.

I loaned this book to a friend, who is somewhat of a stoic, and inquired how he liked it. He responded the book brought tears to his eyes. He was able to clearly envision the hardships these people endured. Amazingly, they willingly faced those hardships again to assist others.

This book takes you to a time when extrodinary hardships were dealt with as a fact of life.

One reason I bought this book is because my Greatgrandmother was Alex's Aunt. I visited Alex as a child with my Parents and Grandmother. Alex was always sending my Grandmother items , such as walking canes. He made my mother a rolling pin, which she still has. Most of all the book gave me many names of my relatives that ive been searhing for.

This was of special interest to me since I live near the location of this book. I simply could not put it down until I read it cover to cover.

A fascinating look at our early pioneer families, the hardships they endured, and the genius of their innovations.

A great read.

This is an amazing book about Alex Stewart, an Appalachian survivor. It is told from an interview style where Alex explains how he learned to make different utilitarian items that his family and community needed to survive. He also tells stories of how he learned what plants healed people from illnesses, learned the skills to survive the harsh locations of the Appalachian mountains and loved life with every ounce of his body.
My Appalachian born grandparents read it cover to cover over and over and then had to travel to the Museum of Appalachia in Norris, Tenn to see the common items they remembered with Alex throughout the book. John Rice Irwin, the founder of the Museum of Appalachia is a gifted historian and this shines through in any of his books, written to remember the people of Appalachia. He also seeks to capture this throughout his living Appalachian village, the Museum of Appalachia. A MUST visit and A MUST read for any Appalachian native.

i recently read the book about alex stewart and i have to say that it was so good. i loved it. alex was so talented and as the book stated "he was a national treasure." i would liked to have met him. any craft the author asked him about, he responded that he could make it. what a unique human being. he was warm, endearing, and a very kind and gentle man. he told completely the life of the pioneer to john brice irwin and the book is so well written. it was a joy to read and told in detail of the hardships the people of that era had to indure. i felt by the end of the book the sadness of alex stewart's death and that i had gotten to know him well.

I bought this book at the Museum of Appalachia (also founded by the author) on my first visit to Tennessee. The book is almost entirely a transcript of a dialogue/interview between the author and Alex Stewart. At first, I thought this would be a strange format, but as I read on, I discovered that this would be the only way to authentically capture the mind and spirit of Alex on paper.

If you're not from the South, you might find Alex's dialect charminging unusual. A few times I had to read a passage over and over again to fully understand what words Alex was saying. Here is an example where it took me a while to realize that Alex meant "Lord" when kept saying "Law":

"They didn't have no men folks, but they had several children. Making liquor was the only way they had of making a living. Law, they had it hard."

The author cleverly asks questions to get Alex to reveal his pioneer wisdom. More than that, though, the author's selections and chapter arrangements helped to organize the sprawling encyclopedia of Alex's mind.

By the time I reached the end, I was sad to have the "conversation" over. I felt I had known Alex a bit personally, and I mourned at his passing. It was joyous reading while it lasted and my heart ached to know more of Alex.

This is a fabulous book I can't recommend enough. 10 STARS.

If you love Lt.Ellen Ripley and actress Sigourney Weaver? - you must read this book!

In the span of the twenty-five years since the release of the first Alien film in 1979, much has changes in the American culture and society and the film industry. It would be easy to write a relatively standard work analyzing the four films in the series that include Lt. Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Other than those interested scholars and, perhaps, fans engrossed with those films, such a book would be rather dull. But Gallardo C. and Smith have produced a far different, far more unexpected and powerful work. This is done through an elegant and insightful organization of the work. Each of the four major chapters deals with one of the four films (Alien, Aliens, Alien3, Alien: Resurrection). Nicely written personal forward, introduction and a conclusion surround these, but it is these four chapters that are the meat of the text.
At first glance a potential reader may imagine that these four chapters have little to do with each other, as each deals with a different film. What is so wonderful about this organization is that Gallardo C. and Smith are able to actually accomplish two things with their text. The first is a surprisingly well researched and detailed close-reading of each of the films. But the second, which would likely not be possible in any other format, is a tracing of those cultural shifts of the last twenty-five years. When the first film was released in 1979 the United States was on a cusp both culturally and politically. Second Wave feminism was reaching a crest of cultural importance, the rise of the Republican Right was beginning to be noticed, and one small decision to change a protagonist from male to female was surprising in many ways. This was a female hero that did not scream and run to her protecting male. Gallardo C. and Smith do not pull punches, though, and while they praise Alan Ladd Jr. (then the head of 20th Century Fox) for casually suggesting the change, they also point out that he gathered together secretaries from the Fox offices to view Sigourney Weaver's screen test because in the late 1970s there simply were not female executives in the film industry.
With the emergence of the Reagan-era, the defeat of the E.R.A. (Equal Rights Amendment) film in the United States changed as well. The new heroes of film in the 1980s became muscled "hard men" and Gallardo C. and Smith spend much time discussing the changes made to the character of Ripley by James Cameron as a reaction to this change. The two most general critical replies made about these first two Alien films has been that the first suggested a new type of female hero, while the second was one of two things (or perhaps a bit of both): Either it is a film about reifying the nuclear unit (in the form of Ripley as mother, Newt, a young girl as daughter, and Hicks, a marine, as father), or it is a metaphorical Vietnam film.
Gallardo C. and Smith have it both ways, emphasizing the polyphony of the texts, and the fact that multiple readings are not necessarily false readings. They become more critical of the final two films featuring Lt. Riply, but in a carefully respectful way. Blamed for the lackluster reception of the third film are mostly studio problems that led the film to essentially be the "merged" versions of two competing scripts within the studio - and that with far too little "development" time. Of the fourth they note that the film undermines much of what came before it because of the underlying ironic and postmodern nature of Alien: Resurrection.
Gallardo C. and Smith claim early that they do not intend to write a "theory book" for such a book is beyond the scope of what they intend. Any while they have not, in another way they have written a "theory book" of a certain time. The organization of their volume is such that the intellectual history (the changes in theoretical perspectives from 1979 and after) can quite easily be fished from their text. The transition from Second Wave to post-feminism (or Third Wave, or whatever term you prefer) is there. The transition of the Modernist heroes of the 1970s to the muscle-bound Sylvester and Arnold-like character of the Reagan-era (which were ironic, but few seemed to notice) to the postmodern pastiche and irony are all just under the surface, waiting to be considered.
That "just beneath the surface" level allows Alien Woman to work very nicely as both a film studies work on its topic, and as, literally, an intellectual history of one of the more profound times for change in the academy in some time. The character of Ripley has always been on that embodied a certain amount of "sex trouble," but by placing the films in their own times, Gallardo C. and Smith manage to analyze with being over critical. This isn't the type of criticism too often found in the academy, the kind I like to call "claiming Napoleon was a bad general because he never called for air support." This is the kind of critical examination that allows theoretical perspectives to exist, but doesn't think an analysis of Ulysses should spend fifty pages discussing Foucault and five with the actual text. So, when the authors make their claim that this is not a "theory book" what they seem to really mean is, "we are theoretically informed, but are dealing with our texts, not polysyllabic jargon. And it is all the better for it (this from someone who likes theory, too!).
Gallardo C. and Smith have produced a work that is developed, complex, insightful, and still maintains a readability that was so accomplished I almost felt jealous. It is a suitable for collections at colleges and universities with film programs, film studies programs, English programs that emphasize cultural studies, American studies programs, and popular culture programs. I would recommend it for upper level undergraduates, scholars of culture, feminism or speculative fiction in all its form.
I just published my first book (do not worry, I wont name drop it here!) and upon publication I approached the large dry eraser board in my office and wrote down all the possible "next book" projects I could think of and, among these was a book on the Alien films. It turns out that Ximena Gallardo C. and C. Jason Smith have already written it, and I'm scholar enough to know the did a better job than I would have. Alien Woman has my highest recommendation.

About a two weeks ago, my husband bought this book, and we have been notified that it will be on its way soon. I'm saying this because for some reason Amazon delayed the delivery, and if it happens to you, it's worth the wait. I know it's worth it because I borrowed a colleague's copy.

But to the review: Having watched the first three movies only once when they were released in theaters, I found that ALIEN WOMAN helped me remember many, many scenes I had forgotten. I believe that this is one of the book's strengths: the authors deal with the movies in their entirety, as opposed to dealing just with selected scenes that "prove" their points and ignoring the rest.

Another strength is how easy and fun this book is to read! No cumbersome quotes, no "academese" to muddle through-a book as entertaining as the movies, and even more exciting sometimes. Where else will you find an academic text that describes Ripley's spacing of the Alien Queen as "bitch-slapping the Alien into space"?

ALIEN WOMAN does have an agenda. It centers on Ripley more than the monster, and it does reveal how hard it is for actresses to find a role different from "babe," "mom," and "old lady" (and I'm old enough to remember what few roles women had before ALIEN was released). It is the book's contention that Ripley manages to escape this mold, and so, that she's a somewhat unique female hero in sci-fi cinema-and more than just a dragon slayer.

All in all, ALIEN WOMAN was good enough to make me want a copy of my own, and to make me rent ALIEN RESURRECTION, which appeared to be too violent and silly in the ads for me to care about watching it before I read this book.

Alien Woman is one of those books that works to find the proper context for an aesthetic product. Gallardo and Smith read the Alien films in the context of gender theory and feminism (and the way gender theory and feminism fit into the very different cultural moments of the films: 1979, 1986, 1992, 1998). For them, the films unevenly chart such themes as the primacy of the body, the breakdown of the rationalist-humanist white male subject, the fear of woman and the feminine, the identification of the monstrous and horrific with the feminine and with sexuality, and the emergence of philosophical post-humanism as an alternative to Renaissance humanism. Though they do not put it in these terms they essentially track the consequences of a Hegelian-style equation: the split "Man vs. Alien" is merely the reflection of a split within category "Man (human)" itself, "Man vs. Woman." In other words, the fight between Man and Alien is really the gender trouble within humanity itself.

The authors have an admirable sense of focus: outside of an introduction and an afterword, the book devotes one chapter to each film analysis: no novel or comic book spin-offs, no video games, no parodies, no fan-fiction. Gallardo and Smith know these films backwards, forwards and sideways. Heavy theory is relegated to the footnotes (making the whole thing easy to read), but their knowledge of Freud, Jung, Foucault, and Butler shows in the pages. And for several years Gallardo and Smith have chaired the science fiction section of one of the largest academic popular culture conferences in the world: Alien Woman is particularly strengthened by their almost encyclopedic knowledge of science fiction movies good and bad; the reader benefits from their sitting through these often awful films (Ice Pirates, anyone?), and connecting them to the Alien series. The book also hits every substantial piece of Alien criticism: future scholars will start reading about the films here, and then follow the bibliography.

Gallardo & Smith have written a work that *will be* one of *the* most important books ever for scholars AND fans of the Aliens series of films. This serious and thought-provoking, clearly-written work is immanently readable at the same time as it is insightful and rigorously scholarly. It will promote greater academic understanding of science-fiction and feminism (together and as discrete studies) and those who read it will want to own it, reference it, and read it for sheer pleasure again and again.

The study examines the entire story arc of four movies that made us gasp and wonder, and made us re-examine science fiction not only as more than just "bug eyed monsters against the good GUYS" but also as reflections of the historical era from which each film arose. This seriously well-researched and well documented work traces the history of the movie's compelling images, (for example, giving us "ah ha" moments about the inspiration for the films' artwork, facts that I know I never knew about the reason for the Aliens' form). It gives us intricate close-readings of each film, examining scene after scene with insight and depth, and helps us understand the metaphors of Corporate space and humanity in a post-human era.

One of my favorite parts is the close-reading of Ripley's suicidal leap in Aliens 3, and I had to gloat as Gallardo & Smith reveal the background meanings and imagery of her strongly compelling act of grasping the newborn alien bursting from her chest. I was delighted when I realized that my own feelings watching the film for the first time were right (I knew it!) and had that comfortable feeling you get when having a great conversation with people who share your passion for interesting works of cultural significance.

Never a "publish or perish," jargon-laden ivory-tower read, this work is compelling and fun, at the same time that it contributes important scholarship to a pivotal science fiction franchise and science fiction studies in general. If you are a fan of the series, but not an academic, you will still love this book, and learn something new and worthwhile about your favorite sci-fi. If you are an academic looking for rigorous critical interpretation, you will also find what you are looking for.

A must read for fans, scholars, and anyone interested in the "post-human" subject and Ripley's compelling character. Plus, a heck of a lot of fun and hard to put down.

This is a great detailed book featuring many of the beloved American Character dolls! It has helped me tremendously with my doll collection.

Very nice book & lots of information i have been looking for these past few years.

A most comprehensive and well-researched book! Having contributed to the Tressy section of the book (look for pics from my collection!), I must say that this guide is a must have for Tressy collectors as well as for those who collect other American character dolls.

You can order an autographed copy directly from Judith by going to: www.americancharacterdolls.com

You cannot buy an autographed copy through Amazon.

Judith Izen has written another wonderful book! For collectors of American Character dolls, it's a book that needs to be on your bookshelf. It's well written and researched with great photographs. We can only hope that Ms. Izen will continue to share her love and knowledge of dolls with more books.