California Books

I read this book 20 years ago. The story and the people are still burned in my mind. This is true crime at its very best: smart, literate, and sympathetic. Nancy Wright wrote a classic and if she ever writes another I'll be pre-ordering it. Highly recommended.

I was happy to see the other 5-star reviews here, as I think this is one of the most readable true crime books I have read, and I have read hundreds (probably). In fact, I think I read this years ago when it was first published (1984), and when I started it last week I said to myself, Yes, I've read this........ But I kept on going because it was so compelling. It reads like a novel. I am sad to see that evidentally Nancy Wright has not written any other true crime books -- or has she? Does anyone know? It is also very interesting to see the note below from the real-life Mindy, now known as Sarah Wrigley, and I too am happy to see that she is apparently living a good and healthy life.

As far as Munchausen Syndromy by Proxy is concerned, it is interesting to note that since this was given a name, several children (usually girls) have come forward now that they are adults. Most have terrible memories of the medical aspect of their young lives, but most also love their mothers and try to understand the illness that drove the mothers to harm them as little children. Terribly sad.

I rarely ever feel compelled to write a review, although I am an avid reader. In the past 3 years I have read a lot of "true crime" and this book is on my top 5 list. Accolades to Nancy Wright for bringing to light "Munchausen by Proxy" and for allowing readers to form their own opinions about this case. I wish this book would be more available at mainstream bookstores because quality true crime authors are far and few between.

Dear Amazon: You have a review from Sarah Wrigley, who is one of the central characters of this book, written on February 9, 2004! Sarah is the little girl the Phillips named "Mindy" who was removed from the family's custody. Sarah, I have often wondered how you are and am delighted you wrote a review.

This book was based on a true story...
although Mrs. Phillip was tried and found guilty and did time in prison some people involved with the case said she was innocent. Not remembered it at time cause I was small child I think in my heart i would say she was innocent for a crime she never did ...
after a many years after the trial my family keep close contract with her we just recently in past few years lost contract with each other... Putting past behind us

A neighbor (in Long Beach, California) loaned her copy to us--my husband was born in Long Beach--and we went out and bought copies as Christmas presents for the native Californians in our extended family. It's a book of nostalgia and confirmation for them--"I remember that! Yes, it was just like that!"--and one of sociological interest for anyone who likes people and wants to be invited into the lives and homes of a broad spectrum of the ingredients in our state melting pot.

I'm not sure I'd call all the authors "great writers" but most of them were comfortable with words.

Jessica Shaver Renshaw,
Author, Compelling Interests,
Gianna: Aborted and Lived to Tell About It

Generally, I like to recycle, and while I'm reading a book, I'm thinking about who I will pass it on to. The same was true with this book--but I asked the person to whom I loaned it to return it to me, because I wanted to keep it forever. She didn't--so I bought a replacement copy, which I won't loan out again. I really do love this collection by talented writers. I'm a native Californian, and I enjoyed reading about places in my birth state. But the best part of this book is the quality of the writing. Really rich, wonderful stuff here.

I really liked this book! There are many essays written in it, each one about a different area of California. It's really upbeat and interesting, and the authors are top authors who write beautifully. It's fascinating to read about times and places in California that I didn't know about. All the stories are modern stories, in that they are about growing up in California within the last forty years or so.
This book flows very quickly, and before you know it, you've finished it and wish there were more!

This is the book selected by the City of Long Beach,CA for their 'One book read by all' 2006,or something like that.It's a GREAT choice!.

I loved this book too, as I see others have, and this prompted me to write a review. I have tried to give it as a gift whenever possible and will continue to do so, as I think it is a great idea to benefit CAC. I wish local bookstores would display it more prominently. I grew up in California but this book allowed me a personal look at histories from different corners of the state. Fascinating, well written and truly enjoyable.

Pocho is the perpetual story of becoming an American while retaining a Mexican ethnic identity. It's the struggle of defining what it means to be true to oneself. The cultural history combined with the elements of what constitutes the Mexican culture are true and authentic and at times a painful reminder of the reality of change. Truly an authentic snapshot of the Mexican-American experience.

"There are but three things that can say I have learned for myself. First, i know that one should never discuss matters of sex with one's parents. Second, one should not, on penalty of going to Hell, discuss religion with the priests. And, last, one should not ask questions on history of the teachers, or one will be kept in after school."

This is the world of "pochos," Americans whose parents came to the United States from Mexico. In the California depression era, the novel follows Richard's life--a young pocho--as he experiences the intense conflict between loyalty to the traditions of his family's past and the new world he has been transplanted to. Richard's struggle to achieve adulthood is as universal to every youth as those who have been influenced by two worlds: the uniqueness of the Mexican American traditions and how they interact with the struggles of every American--whatever their past.

Pocho is supposed to be one of the first novels to purposefully address the issue of Mexican-American identity as part of the Chicano movement. It's form is rough, unperfected. The point of view and style are inconsistent. It is, nevertheless, a good read. The characters are interesting and compelling. A reader cares about what happens to them. Readers come to care about the issues of race, class, and sexuality as they are addressed in the narrative. This is an important book about identity.

This book takes you back in time to the era of Pancho Villa and Pachucos. Its a great way for Mexican Americans to find about their history and the past. Its mainly about the struggle a boy goes through to fit in with the prejudice "Anglos"but he does not want to forget his Mexican roots . Also another major conflict his father's manhood and Machismo. It always got in the way of things and had a drastic affect on him.

This is a good book because many people can relate to the story in one way or another. The book shows the struggles that not just Mexican American people, but all other people who have been born in the U.S. by immigrant parents,have been through. Being Mexican American seems like it's always harder just as Richard witnessed as he was growing up. The reason I feel this is true is because if one is mixed with American they have to please the Americans as well as their family backrground. This is why Richard believed that he was American as he was growing up, but he wouldn't discriminate any other ethnic background. All this changed when he was older becasue he started noticing the discrimination against him and his people because now he was associating himself as Mexican.

The book is the account of the anarchist Alexander's Berkman's experiences in prison after his botched attempt to assassinate the industrialist Henry Clay Frick, the monster who "legally" slaughtered workers during the Homestead strike of 1892. Although Berkman never abandons his anarchist principles, he does soften his moral repugnance for criminals whose crimes were not motivated by political or humanitarian aims. If anything his friendships with prisoners deepen his anarchist insights about how exploitation and poverty are the principal causes of criminal behavior. Like his lover Emma Goldman, he spends his prison years advocating for the needs of his fellow inmates, often being punished for his advocacy. Berkman details the brutality, graft and corruption of the prison establishment.

Anticipating Victor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, Berkman shows that those who view their punishment as a part of a larger purpose are best equipped to survive the inhuman treatment and conditions of prison life. The book is not all seriousness, however. It often has lighter moments, as when Berkman describes the quixotic attempt by his friends to tunnel into the prison to free him. Berkman's sub rosa argument, made to Goldman, that Leon Czologosz's assassination of President McKinley lacked redeeming social value, unlike his (Berkman's) attempt to assassinate Frick, while though interesting fails to be convincing. Those interested in the relationship of these remarkable people (Goldman and Berkman) will especially want to read that section.

The book is worth reading not merely for its historical value but for its literary qualities as well. It is intelligently written and difficult to put down. Although it is 518 pages, I read it all in three days. It is just that riveting.

In 1892, Alexander Berkman burst into the office of Henry Frick, an overseer at Carnegie's steelworks, and attempted to gun him down to foment a revolutionary uprising. Frick survived. Berkman went to jail. Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist is Berkman's account, not only of the revolutionary ardor which drove him to assault Frick, but also of the horrors of incarceration and the transformation of his own thinking while behind bars.

We get plenty of revolutionary and anarchist theory from Berkman. He opens a door into the thoughts and feelings of people struggling for economic and social justice 100 years ago. More than that, he opens a door into the mindset of a fanatic, one which may help us understand the motivations of those who flew their planes into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on 9/11/2001:

"Could anything be nobler than to die for a grand, a sublime Cause? Why, the very life of a true revolutionist has no other purpose, no significance whatever, save to sacrifice it on the altar of the beloved People." (p. 12)

"My own individuality is entirely in the background; aye, I am not conscious of any personality in matters pertaining to the Cause. I am simply a revolutionist; a terrorist by conviction, an instrument for furthering the cause of humanity." (p. 13)

"True, the Cause often calls upon the revolutionist to commit an unpleasant act; but it is the test of a true revolutionist-nay, more, his pride-to sacrifice all merely human feeling at the call of the People's Cause." (p. 12)

Berkman, the purist, disdains his fellow prisoners. He sees himself as better than they are, a Servant of Humanity, not a petty criminal, a predator on the poor. But, life in prison, although it does not shake his revolutionary and anarchist convictions, does bring him down from his ivory tower. Berkman begins to see that:

"The individual, in certain cases, is of more direct and immediate consequence than humanity. What is the latter but the aggregate of individual existences-and shall these, the best of them, forever be sacrificed for the metaphysical collectivity?" (p. 403)

His revolutionary understanding also shifts. He begins to differentiate between the autocratic despotism of Europe and the despotism of republican institutions:

"The despotism of republican institutions is far deeper, more insidious, because it rests on the popular delusion of self-government and independence. That is the subtle source of democratic tyranny, and, as such, it cannot be reached with a bullet. In modern capitalism, exploitation rather than oppression is the real enemy of the people ... the battle is to be waged in the economic rather than the political field." (p. 424)

This is not, however, a political manifesto (for that, one can read Berkman's ABCs of Anarchism). Berkman reveals his inner processes during fourteen years of incarceration. We discover, not only the horrors and corruption of the prison system, but also wander intimately through Berkman's mind. We visit his childhood, soften at unexpected gentlenesses behind bars, and begin to appreciate something as simple as the sunrise.

Although Berkman did not write the memoir until after he left prison, it has a sense of surreal immediacy. He wrote in the present tense, but that alone does not account for the way his text grips, and drags the reader into the maelstrom of his experience. We run with him through childhood memories, daily brutality, fantasies of escape and suicide, and the ideals that keep him sane. His longing for Emma Goldman shines through the text. He enthrones her almost as the guardian of his sanity through the years. Little can compare with the poignancy of his fantasy of mailing himself to his beloved Emma, escaping prison and finding himself with her again. (p. 135-137)

Five stars. Absolutely brilliant work, as relevant today as it was nearly 100 years ago. In her autobiography, Living my Life, Emma Goldman recounted how Berkman saved his sanity and his life by writing this memoir. The deep introspection, the flights of fancy, the accounting of prison life-all deeply illumine the best and the worst of human nature. This book is required reading for anybody who wishes to understand the fanatical, terrorist mindset, for Berkman describes that aptly. Far more importantly, he shares the experience of survival and transformation. He, who entered prison a fanatic, left those iron gates more committed than ever to his cause, but no longer a fanatic. His story tells of graduating from terrorist to humanist, from monomaniacal fanatic to a deeply committed human being. If you read nothing else this year, read this book.

(If you'd like to dialogue with me about this book or review, please click the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

Everyone should read this book. It was written at the begining of the 19th century, but everything is still important today. I ordered this book for a friend in prison and he loved it, and passed it around to other prisoners. If you know anyone in jail or prison, please send them this book. It was my husband's favorite book before he was killed on a freight train. It's very well written and comes highly recommended.

This is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Berkman, as you probably know, tried to kill Henry Frick in an ill fated (and stupid) solidarity action with a group of strikers. He went to jail for it, and his immature poltics underwent an amazing transistion.

But instead of coming out of jail reformed, he came out with a more complex sense of who he was and what he had to do and returned immediately to his poltical work. Berkman's writing style changes as he changes as a person, starting out ultra doctrinare and ending up a more well rounded and likeable human being. Highly recommened, even if you aren't interested in the politics.

"Is there anything higher in life than to be a true revolutionist...?" - From Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist

This is an incredibly moving and detailed account of an activist's experiences in early industrial America. As an Anarchist, Alexander Berkman recounts his observations of the era's struggle for decent living standards and fair treatment from fat cat industrialists. In prison for attempted assasination of a steel magnate who was responsible for firing and killing striking steel workers, Berkman eloquently describes his reasons for acting on behalf of the working poor and exploited. His experiences in prison are gut wrenching and very human. Not much fluffy language - very straighforward observations, which are emotionally piercing in their social significance and human truth. An exceptional read for anyone interested in the American history that is usually left out of school text books. Berkman's experiences are painful but very motivating and inspiring as they illustrate human love, the will to survive and continue to work for an ideal under the most horrendous conditions. This book is an extraordinary powerful testament to human goodness and strength.

I LOVED this book and I went on line to order it for some friends. My book is in full color and the ones that I ordered on Amazon are black and white only and it take away some of the comic book effect that the book held special. I LOVE this book but I am very dissapointed that they do not specify when the books are in color or black and white when this book comes in either.

A succinct review of basic parenting skills. A little too optimistic when describing time out procedures, but otherwise a great "primer" for parents.

I was haveing big problems with my 4 year old adhd son and his consler showed me this book and you know alot of this book was me! I really did not realize it till I was showed that I was just giving my son control of ME and I was not really being the parent. I was letting me son run My life and this book made me see that. THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT WITH A BOOK TO SHOW US PARENTS THAT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A PURRFECT PARENT BUT WE ALL ARE STILL LEARNING! I am still learning to this day. My son seems happier that I am not putting so many adult decisions on him but that I am letting him be a child! once again thank you so much and I hope other parents find this book as helpful as I did. I do not own one yet but I'm trying to get one.Times are rough for me right now but as soon as I get back on me feet, And hopefully soon I will buy the used one. Hope everyone else gets what I did out of this book. Thank you so much Charity Castleberry

Everything you need to raise polite, nice, well-mannered kids (works for pets, too!) is in this book. It's not rocket science, but you DO need to be consistent, firm, and rational. It might be easy to dismiss the content based on the humorous presentation, but this book will solve (and prevent!) your child(ren)'s behavioral and discipline issues.

PLEASE REPUBLISH THIS TITLE! We loaned ours out and it is gone. We want to give this book to all our friends with kids, but can't and now we can't lend it.

This is a light hearted book about the very serious job of parenting. Sound simple advice that works! I am anxious for this book to be re-printed. I used it with my now 14 year son an would love an updated version to use with my 18 month old twins. I would definately give this book as a gift at baby showers or to those parents that are having difficult times with their children. So please, please, please give us more of PURRFECT PARENTING!!!

Anything and everything you need to know about these great reptiles! Status, morphology, the rattle, bodily functions, behavior, population and ecology, food, reproduction, venom apparatus, envenomation and its effects, treatment and prevention of envenomation, control an utilization, enemies of rattlesnakes, Indians and rattlesnakes, post-Columbian knowledge of rattlesnakes, myths, folklore and tall stories.

This is the Rattle Snake Bible. Klauber was not only the head of the San Diego Zoos reptile house for many years, he still is referenced in association with rattlesnakes as the formost expert years after his death and it is well deserved. His research was ground breaking (although now it seems elementary in some ways I.E. his heat pit research.) and interesting to read. Its no wonder they chose to name the banded rock rattle snake in his honor (crotalus viridis klauberii).

This book is still the best book on rattlesnakes, decades after it was published. That alone ought to stand as a testament to the value this book has. The author brought an incredibly analytical mind to this book, and it shows. Some of the medical information is out of date, as is some of the taxonomy, but much on the habitats, morphology, ecology, interaction with man, etc. still holds true.

His work on the rattlesnakes strike, on comparitive morphology of the two genera, etc. still stand. This book covers rattlesnakes in incredible depth, going over every detail of these serpents. It's a godsend for those of us interested in rattlers. This book leaves no stone unturned (herping joke, sorry). It covers it's subject matter completly and professionally, and is well worth having on the bookshelf as a reference. If you like rattlers, or for that matter find zoology interesting, this book is a worthwhile read. If only more herpetological text were near as thorough as this one...

rattelsnakes are dangerus and they well strick' and rattel wheen they are in a bad place were auther pray come by. you will allso want to watch were you are wakeing on the ground. thank you evere much for your time. chris j coombes.

I read this book in the mid 90's just for the heck of it, and found it to be wonderful. The style is neither dryly academic nor breathlessly tabloid, but just right. The text answers almost all possible questions about rattlesnake life, legends, myths, and taxonomy that one could think of. It is one of the few books I have read that could be used as either a reference or vacation book.

Each page is easy to read, and has all the information you need for each recreation site, including phone numbers, boating allowed and more. Book is set up well, with the areas of CA split up in Northern, Central and Southern. Great info on lakes in all of California - I wish I could visit them all! I do wish there was an index to explain some of the terms. I would buy this book again!

great book...very informative...had one like it back in the early nineties,glad to find one up to date...love to say more...but i'm going fishin' !

Informative and nicely detailed maps. The cartoons are funny and the layout is like a good resume, it shows you what you want to know.

For those of us who have this quest to visit every state in America or on a more local note, to travel Hwy 101 from border to border (and not starting in the middle somewhere) or stop at every State Park and Historical Monument in CA (and get your stamp in that State Park book), this book is for you. The layout of this spiral-bound book is so simple. For one, you can flip it over just like a notebook. There is no spine or glue to break down with pages falling out from bending the book backwards so much. Secondly, the lakes are diagrammed and labeled from top to bottom, North to South. The author just knew this book would be for those us who want to start at the Oregon border and work our way down, visting every lake in CA. Lake amenities such as availability of campsites and boat ramps are listed under each lake. For those us who live for camping and/or boating this is a must-have.

Clerly illustrates the necessary info about all lakes and places to enjoy boating. Easy to understand and use. We have purchased three editions over last ten years. Always in our boat. Suggestion, use a large zip-lock type bag to keep dry. Listen to the voice of experience. Also, it is not an effective storage method to leave on top of Jeep as you drive away from lake. Has a habit of not staying on top of car for 50 mile trip home.

This is a valuable reference and will save you disappointments in chosing the wrong lake. Call ahead to the individual facilities and ask questions. This is helpful in planning trips to the lake for your family. Enjoy.

Contrary to one of the other reviewer's comments, the importance of this book is in showing precicely that it is not the "endemic" culture of Silicon Valley, but rather the innovative institutions and networked relationships in Silicon Valley that explains the region's success. A great contribution to the literature on embeddedness and network forms of organization.

The book is written by a person who lived in the Route 128 area and in the Silicon Valley. Besides the great insights and fantastic scholarly work, the book reflects the experience of seeing the development of both regions, not only through the eyes of a scholar, but also through the experiences that can only be gained by "being there."

The best book I have ever read concerning High Tech culture. Everyone should read this book to better understand how to motivate info exchange and networking among our society and world.

saxenian argues that silicon valley's competitive advantage is the vast network of small firms that compose silicon valley and cross pollinate each other. she compares the valley to the route 128 area in boston which she classifies as detrimentally hierarchical, even puritanical.

Although she is a bit partial to the Silicon Valley area, the author presents the information in a very "down to earth", easy to read fashion - not too technical or too dry.

Remember that? This is a must read/item for those that have lived the history. If you've been part of the ride, then you know the story. But Jerry Reynolds has filled in the blanks with information that you could only get from... well, from Jerry Reynolds: The front office background on the Terry Tyler and Derek Smith trades; Bobby Hurley's potential and toughness; the head coach candidates; actual Bill Russell conversations (apparently he could talk... and laugh). What? We could have "stole" Detlef Schrempf!?!? The book even helped explain my "unique" encounter with Jawann Oldham on the day he was cut loose by the Kings.

Aside from all the great Kings gems that have been unearthed, there is some foreground on Jerry himself as well as documentation of his "rise" up the organization. Like everyone else, I would have liked for the book to be longer--182 pages for 20 years is just not enough. Oh well, Reynolds Remembers is a great and easy read, but to the Kings fan, it's truly great literature--the man did minor in English after all.

The details within "Reynolds Remembers" paint a vivid and entertaining picture of what life was like for a struggling and then reborn NBA franchise. It was filled with anecdotes and humorous observations of true events. I enjoyed it very much.

Although, I wish there had been more than a single page describing Jerry's "the Carly Simon period." Maybe we'll hear more in a sequel.

Jerry Reynolds and Don Drysdale's Reynolds Remembers: 25 Years With The Sacramento Kings is for any interested in the evolution of a shortstring operation which couldn't compete to a model NBA franchise. The Kings are celebrating their 20th season in Sacramento, California - and Jerry Reynolds was part of them before their rise to fame. His memoir celebrates their growth and provides a powerful leader's first-person experiences.

I have been a Kings fan my whole life and I truly enjoyed reliving the past 20 years with Reynolds. It is amazing on how fast we forget the early teams and players and how soon we get used to 50 win seasons. Reynolds uses the same humor and great one-liners in the book that he uses in his telecasts. I just wish the book contained more personal stories and memories and I can only hope that a sequel is in the works. Here's to another great 20 years of Reynolds and to another book.

A riveting read. I could not put this book down. A truly must read for all Sacramento Kings fans. A book any real NBA fan should enjoy. Being able to learn some of the inner thoughts of a real NBA insider is rare.

If only there had been more amusing stories and anecdotes Reynolds is so well known for. These reflecting the personalities of NBA players few of us fans ever see. Maybe this will be in Reynolds next book "Reynolds Remembers More" ?? We can only hope!!

I have found this book to be very informative, and completely reliable! It makes trip planning very easy, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is planning a trip to southern california. It is my only guidebook to this place!

Being a former San Diego City resident, I found this book very interesting. It was fun to see all the changes in this beautiful city in the past 25 years since we have moved...it will be very helpful on our next vacation. The book is both informative and entertaining.

San Diego & Tijuana: Great Destinations: A Complete Guide (Great Destinations)This is a particularly good choice for families planning a vacation in San Diego or for local families to have on hand for weekend adventures. Moving beyond the area's acknowledged world-famous attractions, Hardin offers information on kayaking and kite-flying classes, whale-watching trips, and roar & snore sleepovers. Her dining suggestions offer more detail than most guides and include such local favorites as MooTime, Miguel's Cocina, Point Loma Seafoods, Cafe Chloe, Tony's Jacal, and the Chicken Pie Shop. Hardin covers a welcome variety of options for accommodations, restaurants, and activities for all ages and in all price ranges. Excellent travel guide.

Though I have lived in San Diego over 15 years, I love to eat out and get ideas of places to see and do locally so I am always looking out for a new publication with some interesting ideas. This guide is the best I've seen for San Diego. It is written in an interesting style so that I even enjoy reading about the places that I have frequented for years. The comments on the various locations are insightful and personal so that I know the author has been there and been able to get a true feel for the location. I have also used the guide to provoke explorations of new places that I have missed and found that it has led me to a few new gems. It is the first guide I hand to the various visitors who drop by from out of town. Highly recommended!

Great!! Traveled to San Diego for the first time with my 2 children. This book was so helpful. Gave such useful info on so many places.