Town Books

This is the most complete Book on this Subject, I have ever found. Mr. Harris did extensive research to compile such an informative and educational Book. I comand him, for his ideals, and even in a few areas, imagnation into reality.

Reliable and exact, are the only words I can use to refer to the excellance of the research that went into this work of Art. Every page has information described to perfection, the areas, locations, times, dates, descriptions of everything are so real, I felt I was there. I learned more, about Alabama than I will ever know, about my own Home State.

Thank YOU Mr. Harris; I spent hours re-reading your excellent work. Please, inform me of any future Publications by you. ( The Author )

Being an Alabama native, I found this book fascinating! I learned about towns, villages, and communities that I never knew existed. Some of them were very near my hometown. The book contained several types of dead town information. It told of former Indian villages, Spanish, French, British, and American settlements. The earliest date was an Indian village which began around 1200 and died about 1500. When the Spanish explorer and Conqueror, Desoto, came to Alabama, many of his findings were written down. Desoto found Alabama as it existed when the Indians were it's only residents. Harris gives many details of these early events. He also shares later stories of conflict between Indians and early settlers. When people think of Indian/American conflict, they usually think of the Wild West. There are great stories from Deep South too! He also shares stories and events from more modern towns that have failed to last. Some of them existed during the Civil War and some even existed into the twentieth century. Many of these are very interesting as well. If you do not live in Alabama, you might find the book boring. If you live here, you may find there is a Dead town very near you, waiting for you to explore.

While this is an excellent study of Alabama's lost towns of old, I recommend it only for the most die-hard Alabama student/historian. The listings are well-presented and there is much esoteric historical information contained within the covers, but the average seeker of Alabama history tidbits should look for a more general reference.

A decent general and relatively recent Alabama history book is "Alabama The History of a Deep South State" (currently available from Amazon & other sources). Although I don't completely agree with a few of the subjective opinions/views expressed in this publication, I certainly consider it the best history of Alabama to have been published in the last 50 years and do indeed recommend it!

This is the most complete Book on this Subject, I have ever found. Mr. Harris did extensive research to compile such an informative and educational Book. I comand him, for his ideals, and even in a few areas, imagnation into reality.

Reliable and exact, are the only words I can use to refer to the excellance of the research that went into this work of Art. Every page has information described to perfection, the areas, locations, times, dates, descriptions of everything are so real, I felt I was there. I learned more, about Alabama than I will ever know, about my own Home State.

Thank YOU Mr. Harris; I spent hours re-reading your excellent work. Please, inform me of any future Publications by you. ( The Author )

Medina takes you back to your childhood with his depiction of the life and times and dreams of Deshawn Days. This book take you right back to age ten and it'll resonate with you whether you live in the Projects or on Park Avenue. My Grandmother's Legs is one of my favorites because Medina's description of Deshawn's grandmother is practically identical to what my own would be. The death of his grandmother hits home with anyone who has ever lost a relative who was close to them. Only a true artist can capture that. Medina is superb!

James Smith

I enjoyed this book. It gave a look at a young boy not living in a conventional household. It doesn't give into stereotypes regarding children from split homes. I like the fact that the story focuses on the important aspects of DeShawn's life. He tends to notice the little things rather than on the big picture. I like the way it is something that many kids are able to relate to. It isn't just for one group, one gender, or one race. Certain aspects of the story are relatable to anyone who reads the book. DeShawn is also a very relatable character. The reader feel drawn into the story and cannot wait to turn to the next page to see what will happen. The illustrations are also so tied into the story that a reader need not read the story, they could figure out what was going on through the pictures.

Mr. Medina's "DeShawn Days" captures what life looks like from the view of a child growing up in an urban and distinctly ethnic area. DeShawn is an African-American child, but this is only by coincidence. He describes his world from a universal perspective-- he sees and experiences both love, friendship, play, and family bond like any other kid would, except these experiences are juxtaposed against what can sometimes be a harsh and unforgiving landscape. Mr. Medina somehow presents just the right balance between both the difficult realities as well as the, yes, believe it or not, joys, both of which actually do exist in what some folks like to call "the ghetto." It's reading that I think kids like DeShawn will relate to, and other kids will learn, understand, and yes, enjoy.

Tony Medina shares his inner city neighborhood with lively verse, a sense of humor and a tender heart. Reaching out to his young audience, Medina's story inspires joy and compassion without being the least bit didactic.

R. Gregory Christie's energetic paintings celebrate De Shawn's world with sensitivity and passion. Bravo, this book is a gem.

Kamehameha enjoyed surfing Hawaii's highest waves with his human pal Jeffrey. Such a sight to see, an Irish Terrier perched on the front of a surfboard with Jeffrey right behind him, riding the waves. Until the biggest Kahuna of a wave came out of nowhere and killed his best friend and surfing companion.

Kamehameha now had a new owner, Sharon, Jeffrey's daughter. Sharon wanted to be far away from the sea; and didn't give Kamehameha any choice but to go to California with her. On the plane ride Kamehameha meets Georgie a spider monkey always looking for mischief and adventure. Georgie became a great friend and literal lifesaver to Kamehameha.

With Georgie and Juliet's help, Kamehameha escaped the plane to California only to end up in the jungle where dangers lurked around every turn. Kamehameha encounters animals he had never seen before such as; twin jaguar kittens, a gigantic snake, vampires, and many more interesting carnivores. Each of which were always looking to make Kamehameha or his friends into a tasty snack.

Will Kamehameha survive in the jungle with all the beasties wanting to have him for dinner? Has he ridden his last and final wave; or is there still hope?

Billy Lambert has a very vivid imagination. Children will love to hear this story many times over. Exciting events popped up all through this book, it never ceased to amaze me at what Kamehameha and his friends could get themselves into. Mr. Lambert had me laughing aloud while reading; that along with his colorful characters, gladly earns 5 hearts from me.

This adventure goes from the warm surf of the Hawiian islands to the jungles of South America in a action-packed trail of chaos, adventure, fun and danger that kept my 8 year old begging for "a few more pages" when I read it to him each night. The antics of dog and monkey, coupled with the interaction of other animals they met along the way in their effort to find their way to freedom and home, is alternately amusing and educational, with the occasional dangerous moment to get the adreneline going. Just enough to peak a child's interest and keep him hanging on for more. It was a delight to read. I found myself wanting to read 'just a few more pages' with him!

La

I've read some definitely mundane, inane, downright silly books to my two kids. And that's okay. They liked them. Although I grimaced and simultaneously wished for something as enjoyable...hey, I had to read the darned things!...for me, as well as for them. Luckily, ever so often, a book comes along that can span all age groups, by way of enjoyability, and DOG ON A SURFBOARD (AND THE REST OF THE ADVENTURE) by Billy Lambert is one of those, rare, universally appealing pleasers. My kids liked it. I liked it. Heck, my 82-year-old mother liked it.

What's not to like about this book's hero, Irish Terrier, Kamehameha? Never a more endearing surfer, not even Bridget, came riding down the sheer face of a wave. But even this book's villains are a delight, despite their obvious attempts at mischief. Victor and Vera Vampire, and their fellow inept bloodsuckers, had me laughing aloud. As for Mother Jaguar and her twin cubs, Jack and Jock, out to make a meal of our hero?...what can I say? but that I loved them!

I loved Huge Hugh (the anaconda), Helen Harpy (the eagle), Kerry Caiman (the retile), Georgie and Juliet (the spider monkeys). What's more, I'll bet you'll find them equally as irresistible as my kids, my mother, and I did! If you pass on this one, you're passing on a book that has every potential for becoming as classic as it is classy.

This book was so hard to put down!! Dog on a Surfboard has appeal not only to children, but adults too. It follows the adventures of a strong-willed dog who gives a canine perspective to human emotions. We all wish that we could see the world through our pet's eyes, and this book does the best job I've seen so far. While Lambert has written the book in a way that is appropriate for children, it definitely has emotional and psychological undertones that adults can appreciate and analyze. Bottom line: Read and enjoy!!!!

Reviewers have noted that in Darby, Ernest Hebert has created New Hampshire's own version of Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County. Howard Elman, the main character in The Dogs of March, and a recurring character in the series is a working man, ignorant in many ways through his near illiteracy. He becomes unemployed, and without health insurance early in the story when the factory he's worked in all his life is sold and the jobs and machinery are moved south. He finds himself in a battle against change and in conflict with the new people moving into the area who have "college degrees and big bank accounts." Zoe Cutter is the newcomer who's bought the property adjacent to Howard Elman's forty acres. Zoe has come from the city with plenty of money and ideas about turning the property into an idyllic New England landscape, and running a country boutique. The junk cars and abandoned machinery that are eyesores to Zoe are as much a part of the landscape to Howard as the trees and the stone walls.

Hebert was probably the first (and may remain the only) author to masterfully, elegantly and genuinely create Granite State natives, working class people, as complete characters not just as caricatures of the stereotypical New England Yankee, used to backdrop bigger stories.

When I think about why The Dogs of March has endured for nearly 30 years, why it remains in print and why I find it as true and relevant now as I did when I first read it, I believe it's because beneath the well drawn characters, the intimate sense of place, and the taut, compelling plot, flowing throughout the story and elevating it to literature is a theme about insiders and outsiders. What has often been called regional fiction isn't regional at all. This is a universal story.

A lot of the authors I love are household names. Ernest Hebert is not as widely known, but he is one of my favorites and may turn out to be one of the best writers you've never heard of -- yet.

I read Hebert's novel many years ago and was surprised when it went out of print. It is a wonderful novel, much better and more profound I think than "The Beans of Egypt, Maine" in honestly protraying rural poverty in New England. Hebert's characters are beautifully rendered and unlike with Chute's, the author does not condescend to them nor does he make them larger or smaller than life, though he does portray them with empathy and with heart. His characters have their own pettiness and desires and dignity, and he allows them to follow their own paths without making them cartoon-like puppets or grotesques. They are poor but they are not made to argue for some political point of view (though of course one can hardly not be moved when the main character talks about "teeth"--when referring to the lack of dental care for the poor). As with all great art, this novel makes its politcal statement by fashioning characters we do identify with. This is a profoundly moving novel that deserves to be rediscovered and applauded as the gritty and realistic novel it is.

I was sorry I waited to read it. I am from New Hampshire, a strange place but home. I have been in Seattle for several years. This book gave me flashbacks of growing up. I didn't realize then some of the odd behavior of those around me as well as myself. If you are from the sticks of N.E. you will love this book. It is hilarious, smart, and tight. If you are not and you like to read non-industry writers, writers with imagination. Pick up this book. It is great. I was truly blown away. I grew up with a TV but we had no channels but for PBS (Durham NH) and cable was not yet in the hinterlands. I read many books in New Hampshire and about New Hampshire, this is the very best. Hebert nailed this story. Trust me if you like original, new, fresh, material read "The Dogs of March."

I was born and raised in New Hampshire and, to echo a previous reviewer from the Granite State, this is spot on.

I love Russo's books, but "Dogs of March" is far more gritty and, at a dirt level, far more realistic. The town I grew up in had trash men that were constantly building "additions" to their tin, aluminum foil and tar paper shack out by the railroad tracks. They were clones of the Ollie Jordan family in Hebert's novel.

Besides the characters, there is a powerful story of what drives men to do extraordinary and bizarre things.

This is among a handful of novels I've read twice.

The pace is quickened in Bobby Jaye Allen's second published work, "Early's Pride." Pride Park in the center of Early, Michigan, is the subject of a rezoning fight and before City Council votes on the matter, a councilwoman and the city planner are murdered in separate incidents. The councilwoman was against rezoning and the city planner wanted to rzone the park to retail to allow a megamall to take over the land in question. Brady Kincaid is enlisted to visit Early to help the local, inexperienced homicide detectives catch the killers. The Fellmeyers, Joyce and her veterinarian husband, from the author's first book are important in solving the murders as is a new character, Geraldine Pozy, ace reporter for the 'Early Eagle.' We meet the mayor, city manager, and the entire City Council, all of whom have their own ideas on the merit of rezoning Pride Park. Any citizen who's ever been faced with nearby inappropriate land rezoning, also known as NIMBY -- Not In My Back Yard -- will appreciate this story. A tender romance rounds out "Early's Pride" to make a very satisfying read. Five Stars.

Reading Bobby Jaye Allen's new book, Early's Pride is like running into old friends.
Once again we meet Joyce Fellmeyer and Brady Kincaid. Brady,a retired police detective, is chief of security at Lombardy Teachers College where Joyce's cousin Claudia Packer is Dean of Women. In Ms Allen's first book Every First Saturday these three solve a murder on campus.
When murder strikes in Joyce's city of Early, she calls on Brady to help solve the crime. Early is in the middle of a rezoning fight , with Rick Cameo heavily in favor of rezoning. When he is found murdered it throws the whole city in an uproar.
Working with Brady Kincaid is the heroine of the story. Geraldine Pozy works as a reporter for the Early Eagle newspaper and is described as a hefty young woman given to wearing flannel shirts and no make-up. But when romance enters her life in the form of a giant of a man, Lincoln Henderson , who is in the process of developing the Hotel Erin into luxury condos, Geraldine manages to lose fifteen pounds by the end of the book.
Ms Allen makes good use of Geraldine's interview with the murderer in the epilogue, to tie up a few loose ends. It did leave me wondering if the villian would get off by pleading insanity.
I was amused by the names of some of the characters ,which I had never before heard of. Mayor Korndoktor, councilman Longdorfer and officer Bebout for example. My apologies for smiling to anyone with those names. Several of her expressions were unique. Gee-zus Kee-zus, Drinkey-Winkey and Oh,Piddle-dee-dee certainly added flavor to the mix.
Having read Ms Allen's first book , I can feel the improvement in her writing style with Early's Pride. I look forward to reading her next book where I expect to meet up with Brady Kincaid once again.

Rezoning land use is always a big issue whether it is in small town America or the big city. It is sure to be contentious and fact that it revolves around Pride Park in this cozy mystery is a guarantee of trouble for all concerned. As the novel opens, it is just after Christmas in the small town of Early, Michigan. Rick Cameo is director of services for the small town and in so doing has gained operational control over a number of diverse departments. At the same time, his job duties and his marriage does not stop him from making the time to have a varied and active social life with a number of the women in town. He has also managed to find the time to develop a new use for Pride Park, the small town's gem. He wants to end the current zoning concerning Pride Park and turn it over to developers who will build a mixed-use retail development on the site. Theoretically, the retail development will bring badly need jobs as well as boosting the tax base. The fact that allowing this to happen would obliterate a beautiful park as well as costing jobs in the local shops forced to close is irrelevant to Rick Cameo. Plenty of folks are against the idea, but Rick knows the dirt on a number of folks as well as knowing who needs to be paid off, in addition to himself, to make sure the deal goes through.

But, before he can get the ball rolling downhill too fast to stop, Rick is found dead in his hotel room. Other than the fact that he is fully dressed as well as wet, there are few clues for the local Police to work with. While they mean well, they are clearly overmatched in this case, which is just the latest in a string off odd events and death for the local citizenry. Councilwoman Joyce Fellmeyer realizes that they need help and her old friend retired Homicide Detective Brady Kincaid would be just the man to help.

She convinces a local star reporter, Geraldine Pozy, that Brady could come in to town on a press pass and act as a consultant to the local paper while he works on the case. Geraldine is always on the lookout for a good story and sees her point. To do so would allow him to unofficially help the Police, clear the case, and provide source material for Geraldine.

Geraldine agrees as does a very bored Brady and soon the two are working the case from their perspective angels of expertise. It becomes clear that the Police effort, well meaning but woefully lacking, extends beyond this case. The death of Rick is definitely linked to other deaths as well as various odd happenings about town.

As in most cozy type mysteries, the action in this novel is very limited as compared to the traditional mystery. The novel relies primarily on character development and sleuthing through question and comparing suspects, to move the story slowly forward. The list of suspects is very long and the trail often confusing as so many of the citizens are far different than what they appear to be everyday. Despite the lack of action, the story is very entertaining and the novel is a fine example of what can be done with a cozy type of mystery.

In Early, Michigan, the town counsel and the mayor argue over the merits of maintaining Pride Park as the centerpiece of the city or rezone it for commercial use. The Director of Services Rick Cameo leads the assault on changing the park to a commercial venture. However, someone must not have liked Rick's position or perhaps one of his women came unglued as he is killed in a nearby motel.

The local police assigned to the case, Newkirk and Bebout care, but homicide is out of their league. Councilwoman Geraldine Perry arranges for retired Cleveland homicide detective Brady Kincaid to work as a consultant for the Earl Eagle newspaper and its crack reporter Geraldine Pozy. The local officers are elated to have a person with Kincaid's experience to guide them on the case especially when he believes there is a link to the double murders of Gerald and Marian Sevrall, the latter a member of the council. However, even with Geraldine's help, the clues fail to add up, but Brady keeps digging because that is his nature.

Bobby Jaye Allen should feel proud of this delightful investigative tale that brings to life home in a small Michigan town during the Christmas week. The story line will hook the audience as one cannot help but like the patient sensitive Brady and the in your face yet reticent Geraldine. Though some may disagree, adding to the fun is that this pair does not walk out into the sunset together. The who-done-it fans will provide plenty of accolades to the author for a wonderful tale.

Harriet Klausner

This book is a throwback to gentler times. My son thinks that the boy is him and the father is his own. It even looks like the two of them, and they have, indeed, gone to a diner together on occasion. Just a sweet story of a son anticipating the time he has with Daddy.

I checked this book out of the local library and my 3 year old daughter absolutely loves it. The story follows a weekly ritual between a father and his young son - they go to a neighborhood diner every Friday for breakfast, just the two of them [mommy and baby stay home] and along the way they pass by people in the neighborhood and observe the various activities that go on around them.

The illustrations are charming, and to me, nostalgic, as it brought me back to my own childhood when my mother used to take me to the weekly fresh market. The sights, sounds and smells of those weekly visits have remained with me to this day.

In its own sweet, simple way, this book reminds us of the importance of making time for our child/children in this constantly humming, busy world. Highly recommended!

Our 20 month loves this book. He asks for "Friday" every night. He likes to name the things happening on each page.

My husband reads this book to our 4 1/2 yr old every night. He absolutely LOVES it! He really likes it because he and my husband also have there own special day (Sunday morning) where they go to get donuts. I would highly recommend this book to any parent with a young son who shares a close bond with Daddy!!

A true-crime account involving the brutal murders of a wife, her parents, and a by-stander, this book could also fall into the cold case category as unsolved. The convicted, William Thomas Zeigler, is presently on death row, appeals exhausted, but still hoping for justice. Through the years he has had a large number of supporters, legal, forensic, and others interested in his appalling situation who believe he should be exonerated. The reader will be shocked at the magnitude of the crime, the investigation(s), and the astonishing conclusions.

That Southern justice can be an oxymoron is no surprise. But this book lays out in stunning detail how the system can close ranks to create an impenetrable thicket of corruption. It methodically deconstructs the state's case to reveal a disturbing array of official misinformation, mistakes and misconduct. The case is no less pertinent today, almost 30 years later, for the defendant still resides on death row. Perhaps the most stunning aspect is that the case has never been successfully appealed as it wended its way North through Federal courts. One suspects that the trial of a wealthy white businessman who killed his wife and three bystanders for insurance hardly makes even the most strident card-carrying ACLU member's heart race. Indeed, a drug dealer who murdered a policeman has more success in the courtroom - overturning a case on nearly identical grounds under which the defendant's is not. How did he find himself in the Kafkaesque struggle? He broke perhaps the highest law of the deep South one year earlier by coming to the defense of a black man. The guilt in this frightening indictment of our legal process does not end with the defendant: It does not even begin there. Unfortunately, however, neither does it end with the original perpetrators of the crime. If you liked "The Thin Blue Lie", you will love this book.

Have you ever stopped to think that cases such as Tommy's, whose innocence I believe in, the person or persons that committed a murder are still free to kill again?

After being involved in a case of someone I care about and having the police, prosecutors, and the judge betray that person, I started reading stories of other real life people who had also been betrayed by the police, prosecutors, judges, well... the whole "justice" system. One of the first books I read was "Fatal Flaw". After reading this book, with my heart breaking for Tommy and his mother, I contacted Tommy. He became a very dear friend of mine, as did his precious mother. Tommy has lost both his father and his mother while being in prison. I cannot think of a more hurtful thing in the world than to be in prison, an innocent person, and to lose someone you love. Not to mention Tommy's wife having been murdered, and not by him.

This book is the most wonderful book about the way the lack of justice is allowed in our country. It is easy to read, easy to follow and understand. Phillip Finch is a wonderful author who did not go into the telling of this story because he believed in Tommy's innocence. Because of his ability to do research and his honesty, he had to come to the conclusion that Tommy is innocent. If you read this story, you will see why he and others thought Tommy could be guilty. You will think... wait! I thought he is suppose to be innocent. Keep reading.

You might also think on this while reading. Other facts have come to light since the book was written to prove even further that Tommy is not just "not guilty" but totally innocent. Where are those who committed these murders? Not in prison! Does that worry you? Does it make anyone safer because "someone" is in prison for the murders? Sadly that does satisfy too many people.

Does it bother you that this can happen to anyone? Maybe you or someone you love? You might think that it never would, but if you are in the wrong place at the right time for the police, you could have evidence put together to make you or someone you love look guilty. Think about that! Read this story. You can read this book online at no cost. Do a search for Tommy Zeigler.

One thing that I would like to tell you about this book that was most shocking to me is concerning the jury. Did you know that other than physical abuse, a jury can do or say just about anything to get other jurors to change their mind. Nothing is suppose to leave the jury room about what is said or done during the trial. Nothing is recorded. In this book you will learn how a juror was allowed to hold a gun to another juror's head and pull the trigger. This woman was a hold out for "not guilty". The juror wanted her to change her mind. The woman tried to tell the judge, but he would not allow the woman to talk. He did not want a mistrial. Finally the woman managed to get a message to the judge. He had a doctor write her a prescription for Valium and she was told to take the medication. She finally could hold out no longer, and caved in from the pressure, never believing Tommy was guilty.

Tommy is innocent. The system is flawed. Real killers are going free. Is that okay with you? What if you are the next person that gets murdered because of a case like this, convicting an innocent person, especially when the state knows the person on trial is innocent. How sad and scary! How unfair for the innocent and it brings no justice for the victims that are killed.

In 1975, Winter Garden, Florida was a small, one-horse migrant labor and truck stop town bypassed by the supposed prosperity brought to Central Florida by the Disney Company. Spared the rapicious raping of the Kissimmee-St Cloud area, with its swamp draining killing of animals, Winter Garden remained as it had been--a lower class white working community dependent on trucking and citrus for its existence.

Enter William Thomas Zeigler who, by the author's own description drove oldsmobiles and detested rock and roll music. Unknown to many residents, the Zeigler family wealth stood at just over one million dollars--a princely sum in the 1970s. The quiet, modest veneer of the Zeigler family was broken by the existence of sexual problems between Tommy and Eunice Zeigler. Two weeks before the murder of Eunice, the couple stopped having intercourse with Eunice threatening to go to a fertility specialist in Orlando. Rumors abounded that Tommy was homosexual and a member of a sex ring of important local men. The author points out that Zeigler commited two unforgiveable crimes. One, he helped a black man retain a liquor license in the face of local and state opposition. Two, he helped break up a loan sharking ring manned by members of the Orange County (Orlando) Sherrif's Department. Later that year, the Sherrif, Dave Starr, resigned under pressure and his chief deputy, Leigh MacEachern, wne to jail convicted of charges of official corruption.

Finch outlines in great detail the malfeasance of police and prosecutors. First, sherrif's deputies trampled evidence at the crime scene. Later, judges and FBI authorities joined in to complete a fait accompli ensuring the swift journey of Mr. Zeigler to Florida's death row, where he remains to this day. Despite having two of the finest criminal defense lawyers in orlando--Ed Kirkland and Terry Hadley, Zeigler stood no chance of even getting a routine continuance or investigator access to the crime scene. Additionally, Finch outlines how key witnesses were not interviewed nor called to trial leaving the reader no doubt that the fix was in. Finch leaves the reader wondering an age-old question--how can a nation that calls itslef a democracy allow such malfeasance in its criminal justice system?

I have a special interest in this book having lived in Orlando at the time of the crime and having visited the crime scene as recently as last year. Finch has written an important, readable indictment of southern justice.

This book is a cruel masterpiece of cynical and nasty slapstick humor. The protagonists, the Bullards and the Beelers, are both families of barely sentient wit who behave in ways that are competely understandable, completely human, and completely stupid. Berger's writing and plotting, though, are first-rate-- I laughed out loud throughout this thing, and I've read it three times over the last 25 years (time to read it again). You've met people like this before in the works of Flannery O'Connor, Faulkner, Charles Portis, and Erskine Caldwell, but Berger's light touch makes "The Feud" a real find.

Memorable characters, a fun story, and insidiously amusing throughout. I can't believe someone hasn't made a movie of this great book.

I picked this book up in the bargain rack at a mall bookstore in South Carolina while on a road trip in college. It is still one of my favorite books of all time. I read everything else Berger ever wrote because of this novel. It will make you laugh out loud. The characters are great and the plot is hilarious. As for the previous reviewer- it was made into a movie- a low buget comedy filmed in North Carolina in the late 80's. It went straight to video. Berger is a wicked writer.

A great book. Hilarious. Offensive. Subversive. It is like "Mayberry on Acid". Coincedences and misunderstandings abound in Berger's best.

This is the best fight book if anyone is interested in boxing in Vegas. A must have for any fight fan!!

Great book. We needed posters from old fights. Good representation.

If you like boxing at all, you're going to love this book. I bought it at the author's website after reading a review on a boxing website, and it was even better than I imagined. This is a big book, 228 pages in a coffee table size, and filled with great photos that really are images in time. There's Sugar Ray Robinson with two little kids on the Las Vegas Strip in 1952, and Muhammad Ali fighting in Las Vegas for the first time in 1961. The book opens with a photo I've never seen before of Ali taunting Sonny Liston after Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson to win the heavyweight title in Las Vegas in 1963. This photo alone is almost worth the price of the book. There's great photos from the 50s to fights in 2004, from Liston and Ali to Mike Tyson and Oscar De La Hoya. These aren't your standard fight pictures, either. They are taken before fights, in casual settings, during fights, you name it. Did I mention it had words too? Dahlberg has been around fights in Vegas for a long time and it shows. He tells inside stories, such as how Marvin Hagler was so tight with his money he made sure the phones in the hotel rooms of his entourage were turned off and how Bob Arum nearly landed the first Ali-Frazier fight in Las Vegas. He tells how Caesars Palace built an outdoor arena for the big fights, and how great the hotel's pavillion was for fighters and how Sugar Ray Leonard came up with the game plan to beat Hagler. It's the kind of book you'll put out on your coffee table just to pick up and read a bit and look at the pictures again and again. I got mine at the fighttownvegas.com website, so I could get it personally signed by the author. My friends are all jealous.

Fantastic photos. Fine background text. Knowledgable author. But the one thing that got me was instead of this being a historical look at the boxing game in Las Vegas, it really turned into Dahlberg's view of Boxing in Vegas.

If a book is to be based on your opinion, I'm fine with that. But doen't disguise it as a historical perspective of the topic and then force YOUR PERSONAL opinions in as if they WERE fact.

A blatant example of this was Dahlberg's OPINION that Tommy Hearns was exhausted and spent in the 13th round of his epic bout with Leonard. If Tim wants to quote Manny Steward's opinion on Hearns' weight and physical condition in the bout, that's fine. But don't pass off your personal opinion as fact. In MY Opinion, what stopped Hearns in the 13th round was Leonard's fists. Hearns certainly gave no noticable appearence of being Spent or exhausted. He slowed down when Ray NOTICABLY hurt Tommy.

I also did not care for the top 10 Vegas fights either. If you are basing it on historical significance or hype and build up, than how does Leonard Hagler not make the list? ANd if it is based on ferocity and sustained action, how does Barrera Morales not make the list? Were Tyson Berbick (Why? so we have a fight for Tyson in Vegas that Mike acutally won?)Holyfield Bowe I & II and Foreman Moorer more deserving than the two fights I mentioned, each for different reasons?

The bias and inconsistancies prevent 5 stars form me. I previewed it before I purchased it, so I feel it was worth the buy. But It ranks only as very good and not exceptional in my book

Jeff Hawkins

I tend to choose my books from the library mainly based on the strength of the illustrations and only casually flip through the text, checking that the message of the book isn't one I find offensive. I save the really juicy task of reading the books cover to cover for when I get home. This book, both during the flip-through and the first reading alone, didn't really appeal -- but I found when I went to share it with my daughter that in reading aloud this story comes alive! There are only a few words on each page but, since the text is the thoughts inside Fledgling's head as she ventures out into the city on her own, flying for the first time, you really feel that you are taking the flight alongside her. The urban scenery is detailed and realistic although my daughter, never having been on the subway, missed most of the action when the inhabitants of the subway car frantically try to shoo away the confused and frightened bird. The story also has a reassuring message; when Fledgling realizes she doesn't know where home is, she hears the sound of her family calling her and returns safely. This is a fantastic book for any nature lover, or to teach your child about some of the wildlife that has made our cities their home.

Fledgling witnesses a falcon's first flight from its rooftop home in Brooklyn. Not only must the fledgling overcome its fear of flying but once airborne it is chased by a hawk. In escaping the hawk the fledgling takes the reader on a bird's-eye tour of the city from the subway to the rooftops. We enjoy an exhilarating ride and vicarious pride in the fledgling's courage and skill. The realistic watercolors bring Brooklyn to life and give immediacy to the dangers of urban life for wild creatures.
For children from three to six.

Fledging is a beautifully illustrated book with the main character being a kestrel, a small falcon. This is fledging's first day of flight. He has an exciting flight through the canyons of Manhattan, to a Coney Island roller coaster to a being in a subway car. This delightful book is ideal for the pre-school and kindergarten set. Robert Blake's books are exciting because he never illustrates his books just in one style or medium. He paints with earth tones water colors in this book and soft watercolors in The Perfect Spot and wintry oils in Akiak.

When you hear the word, "watercolors", you may immediately think of soft dreamy landscapes and lovely vistas. "Watercolors", the word, does not conjure up vibrant images and exciting chase sequences. And yet that is exactly what you will find in Robert Blake's visually astounding, "Fledgling". A simple tale about the day in the life of a young bird, the illustrations in this book are topsy-turvy twistings of perspective and distance. It can single-handedly change how you feel about the art of watercolors.

Even before you reach the book's title page you see a single page displaying three tentative birdies. Says the text, "Today is the day we are all going to fly". And there you have it. A single kestral (a member of the falcon family that may live in metropolitan areas) is about to learn how to fly. At first the bird is tentative and resorts merely to gliding. Subsequently, however, it's figured out the logistics of good flying. And not a minute too soon. Appearing out of the upper left corner dive a pair of sharp speedy claws. The rest of the book consists of the kestral trying frantically to escape from a hungry hawk. Through the roller coasters of Coney Island! Into the subway car of the D train! Up and up and away they fly, until the kestral is free but lost. Fortunately a friendly cry from its family leads our hero home. Happy and safe.

This is one of those cases where the story is fine but you've undoubtedly seen it one hundred times before. It's the pictures that let it stand out. In his note at the back of the book, Blake explains how he was inspired to create this story. He describes the pains he took to draw falcons, "in every conceivable position". The result is a book that clearly reflects his efforts. Our hero spreads his beautifully spotted wings amid the streets of modern day Brooklyn. Every stripe and feather is in place on this magnificently rendered animal. Blake, having mastered the bird itself, then shifts the viewer's perspective. One minute you're looking up at the kestral from below as it flies by an intricately designed ferris wheel. The next minute you're looking down on it as it searches the city streets for its family. The twisting images and skewed scenes are mesmerizing. Best of all, Blake includes some fabulous details with his story. Be sure to notice the dogs that break away from their walkers to follows the two birds into the subway's depths.

I could go on all day about these pictures. I could mention how well Blake uses light and shadow, or how perfectly the buildings bend within the pages. I could point out the advantage of a blue headed hero (especially when he's poised against a metropolitan background) or the fine-lined illustrations that make every picture interesting. Heck, the book's even occasionally broken up into three or four separate columns, according to the needs of the text. I'm disheartened by the fact that "Fledgling" did not garner its own Caldecott Honor, let alone Award. It's also a little sad to see the Twin Towers standing proud and tall on the cover, though Blake is hardly to blame for that. And there are some slight inconsistencies in the kestral's colors from picture to picture. There ends all my complaints of this book. As it stands, I feel "Fledgling" is one of the strongest picture books out there. Children everywhere will identify with the bird's sense of loss and powerlessness, and will enjoy the ending just a bit more as a result. If you need at least one beautiful picture book in your collection, choose this one. It withstands repeated gazings.