United States Books

This book was great. It is nice to know that there is someone out there as crazy as me and enjoys every minute of it! I'm going out to start a finger puppet collection today!

one of the funniest books i've ever read. very witty. laugh out loud funny.

I found this book clever, touching, and witty. It is a wonderful story of growing up in NYC, but it really could take place almost anywhere stateside. A great read!

Norma Davidoff

Wow. What a total and utter surprise.

After reading the rave reviews on Amazon I figured I would get the book and it would be a letdown. Good, but not 5-star good. Well, I was wrong -- and the reviews were right. Do yourself a favor and get this book.

You probably won't learn any life lessons that you can teach your children, but you'll close the book with an understanding of life in another person's shoes. There were lots of things I was shocked about (people live like that?!) and just as many things I identified with (oh my gosh, me too!!). As soon as I finished this book I forced my roomate to read it -- every 5 minutes there was a roar of laughter from the next room for the next few nights.

Its honest. Its funny. You'll want to read it all, and you'll be sad when it is over. I recommend it.

I do not read much non-fiction. I live real life. I read to escape it. But the bright neon yellow cover of this book was eye-catching. So, against my will, my feet walked up to it, my hand picked it up, and my eyes began reading. Before I knew it, hours had gone by and I had read the whole thing.

In this book, Wendy "Wendaay" Spero tells readers true stories about her life in a way that only she can do. From her childhood, to her awkward years, and on up to the present day. Being raised by a mother like Wendy's makes for some interesting memories. (I will think of Wendy and her mother every time I go to a fair from now on.)

***** Engrossing, packed with humor, and just all around fun, this is one book you will never forget. Very highly recommended! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

Excellent, quick read...wide range of quotes both poetry and proes...pics are breathtaking...these two young men have infected me with their philosophy of life.

What a treasure to find that On The Loose is still around. This book is full of wonder and joy on every page. On The Loose found me in 1967 when I was an undergraduate student. It is still with me. I was wandering and On The Loose spoke to me of the wilderness as something full of awe. This is truly a beautiful book. It continues to remind me over and over that, as I can see I will keep looking and as long as I can walk, I will keep moving. I am so happy that with the reprinting of On The Loose it will now find its way into my grown children's hands as they continue to make their way and look beyond the light and dark.

There are so many wonderful and amazing photographs and quotes in this book. This book is truly an invitation towards insights gained by looking outward and beyond. Let yourself go beyond where you can barely see. Buy this book. Always ride for the high points! This is the book to take with you.

D. Budd
Edmonton, AB Canada

If I had to choose 10 books that I would bring with me to a desert island, this would be one of them.

This book is a treasure...golden and important. It is a primer of sorts for living a good and authentic and adventurous life...the bible with a small b for so many of my friends who discovered at some point how big the world is...and how much we can experience if we widen our perspective. "Take shelter under the cloud...while others flee to carts and sheds" I probably am misquoting from memory but there are so many great quotes in this small but vital book. One of my favorites for so many reasons...to be shared with friends and family.

This is an enjoyable little book full of photos taken by two brothers in the 1960s. The photos are all from the brothers' road trips across the U.S., but the stories of these trips aren't really here. Instead, the brothers pair each photos with a quote, in the classic Sierra Club style. Many of the quotes are from famous works, many are from the brothers themselves. Some don't make sense at all, such as a quote from a deer that's somehow multiple millennia old. Hmmm.
The book does have a GREAT photo of a girl looking sadly at a rising Lake Powell/flooding Glen Canyon, and a good section on Glen Canyon in general. However, I wish the book had more on the brothers' actual story, as the photos of them look intriguing, and the book's afterward mentions that one of the brothers died shortly before the book's initial publication.
I recommend this for Glen Canyon scholars, those interested in the Sierra Club and this century's environmenal movement and grainy sixties imagery, but I don't see how it's the life changing book that some people say it is. It didn't strike me that way.

For the past several years, there has been a lonely libertarian writing a column for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, and now his columns have been collected and sorted by subject. He and I don't agree about absolutely _everything,_ but then, we do agree about the important things, like doing something about the inexorable growth of the Nanny State into an all-devouring shoggoth. If the news media weren't so single-mindedly leftist, his columns would reach the wider audience they deserve.

While writing from a Libertarian and non-religious perspective, Vin takes us across the gamut of current attitudes and the hopes and aspirations of self-sufficient, liberty minded, and responsible persons everywhere. Vin really nails it as to the virus and bacteria infection that holds this land in an ever tightening grip as it chokes our very lives. What kind of virus is this?

1. The Public School. 1.6 Billion dollars later a Kansas City School still cant stop truancy and raise test scores. Vin finally says what many have screamed from years, that you cant fix the public school system because its ALREADY WORKING. Vin give you history of development of public schools, statistics, and then contrasts a public school with home schoolers who are doing tremendously better, at a fraction of the cost, and in fact raises test scores and perfromance across all class, and racial lines!

2. Gun control. I dont even need to describe this canard.

3. Unaccountable Federal Agencies. Whether its the DEA, the INS or even the Farm bureau, the activities of various 'protectors of independance', who used to leave us sorely disappointed, but who know take family farms and get people killed.

4. Restriction of Jury Trials and the rights of jurors to be fully informed of their 1200 year old right to judge not only the facts of the case, but also the law!

5. A lapdog press that does whatever a corporate or government interest dictates. This is why more and more Americans read European newspapers or otherwise use the internet to get the real news. Vin documents the attitude of the press and gives personal experiences with getting his own column published. You need to read Vin's article on the press to fully appreciate the fog let off with the current Iraq situation.

Now all of the above problems are such that they can be solved with the ballot box, and appropriate education. That is why this book is important. When the public propaganda school system is dismantled by default, when the jurisdictions of various government agencies are curtailed by consisten not guilty verdicts by fully informed juries excercising their rights to nullify the law, this apocolyptic revolution that every right wing crackpot spouts as being inevitable will never occur, thank God. ...

I was originally turned off by the title of the book. However, it had been recomended to me by a friend. I have to say that it turned out to be the most thoughtful, well reasoned, documented accounting of just how far out of control the Federal Government has gotten over the years that I have ever read. The point is driven home over and over again in this book that every Constitutional protection you thought you had can be abused, with no consequences, by the Federal Government. Think the money you worked hard for all you life is yours? Think again. Federal police, with local police support can seize it and any other property they covet with impunity. And the cop that takes it gets to profit in the transaction. Think you have a right to a trial by a jury of your peers? Wrong again. Jury picking has become an art, designed to eliminate anyone who may be sympathetic to your views. Think the Constitutional guarantee in the 2nd amendment means what it says? Well, you are probably breaking one of the 20,000 gun laws already in affect, directed against honest Americans like you and I, and don't even know it. And if you are caught by one of these "Special Militia" ( ATF, DEA, FBI that we were warned against over and over by the founding fathers) you will spend more time in jail than a bank robber. Think you cannot be murdered by the Federal Police without justice being done to the ones who murdered you or your family members? You are living in a dream world. This book should be required reading by every 9th grade civics class in America. But of course, as is pointed out in this book, these "Government Schools" will do everything in its power to ensure that your children will NOT understand the true meaning of our Constitution.
This is a Must Read.

Finally someone speaks out against the libtard Clinton dolts who were trying to ruin our lives. It is good, no it is stupendous literature that should be read by every American who does not want to be a zombie slave under a socialistic movement that the Dems are trying to pull about as we speak. Long live our freedom and individual responsibility, so that the lazy turds who want the government to think for them can move to Canada or wherever they want to be relocated to.

Author and journalist Vin Suprynowicz has something to say about the political climate in the United States. He doesn't like the government's excesses of control, the lying, the manipulation, and the almost complete disregard for the constitution. A strong proponent of individual liberty and personal responsibility, Vin covers many topics in this book that relate to government run amok, all with an inspired fervor and a very Libertarian angle.

Starting with the first chapter, Vin talks about where Americans have gone wrong since the founding fathers established the constitutional framework that suited the nation well for so many years. Juries are now "stacked" in an attempt to control the outcome of a trial; guns are confiscated in direct violation of the second amendment; people are sent to prison just because they choose to smoke a plant; and school children are indoctrinated to ensure that they are all slaves to the supreme command of the state, from now and into the future.

After commenting directly on the miserable failure of these various government policies, Vin describes countless examples of how government power has been used to manipulate individuals and destroy their lives. You can read all about hard working Americans who had their rights trampled on by government, like a man who saw his farm business wrecked by government officials who declared areas of his farm a wetland, and refused to allow him to farm on it, then refused to allow it to be used for other purposes either, making it worthless. Another true story covers a woman who was harassed by government because she refused to lie (yes, you heard me correctly) and disclose inaccurate ingredient listings on her company's pet foods.

Vin also talks about the government debacle at Waco and he gives sound reasons for why, he believes, the government is solely responsible for the deaths of the Branch Davidian members. He talks about the failed war on drugs, pointing out how government has used this disastrious policy to erode individual liberty.

Suprynowicz is a very outspoken person, and his in- your- face style might make some people uncomfortable. He frequently resorts to sarcasm and he provides countless examples of how government has ruined people's lives through its ruthlessness and its total failure to follow the constitution.

"Send in the Waco Killers" is well- written and easy to understand. Vin is a skilled wirter who knows exactly how to take an ordinarily complex situation and state it in a way that will make sense to most anyone. This book is one of the best I have read, and it was even recognized by freemarket.net as the "Freedom Book of the Year" in 1999. It's a book that everyone should read, just to see how far government has pushed its will on the people and how we, as a nation, are slowly marching toward a police state as each day passes.

Take This Bread: A Radical ConversionThis book is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the community of food! Sara Miles is a writer and was an athiest who came to understand the role of sharing a meal in building community. After a varied career of cooking in restaurant kitchens and serving as an activist in poverty stricken and war torn countries, she comes home to a radical conversion resulting from the simple words: "Take this bread" said to her at a service of Holy Communion. Her conversion leads to growth in understaning the community that God intends for all humankind. Along the way, she is drawn into the community with afforded by a food pantry program she starts at her newly found church community.

Its all about the human hunger for belonging and for the meaning that comes from sharing food!

A wonderful book and a quick read!

Sara Miles' book "Take This Bread" is a perfect read for our times. Her realization that feeding others is an ultimate act of goodness came during a worship service. But the real story is what she did next. She went out from that church and created a feeding program when others said it couldn't be done. Then she helped others create feeding programs. I have recommended the book to people of different faiths and political views. They all love it. And even more, they have been inspired to get involved in helping the hungry. The new paperback version contains a Readers' Guide - perfect for book groups.

take this bread is one of the best left-of-center spiritual memoirs i've read, ever.

sara miles is a self-described liberal, an intellectual journalist who spent much of her life covering wars from the side of the oppressed (often in stark contrast to u.s. policy). she grew up in a staunchly athiest home (though both of her parents were children of missionaries, which ends up playing into her story in surprising and deeply satisfying ways), and was, as she says, the last person her friends would have expected to start talking about jesus.

sara walked into a san francisco church one day -- called, one might way; compelled, she wasn't sure why -- and took the eucharist. and something clicked, in that moment. she had an encounter with jesus that she was never able to dismiss or shake off. eventually, her connection with jesus became a compelling call to feed others, as she was fed. sara started a food pantry, literally ON the alter of her extremely nervous church. the book walks through her multiple conversions, and those of the people around her, many of them already professed christians.

the comparisons to anne lamott are easy (especially to anne's first spiritual memoir, traveling mercies). both are brilliant with words; both are liberals from san francisco, who grew up in book-loving, athiest, intellectual homes; both are liberal in every sense of the word; and both are deeply in love with jesus and passionate about following his lead. this -- i think -- is what seperates both anne and sara from classical liberals, who spent a good deal of their time distancing themselves from jesus.

but sara miles and anne lammott are not the same. sara doesn't have annie's wit, which, while i absolutely adore annie's wit, makes this book somewhat more compelling, and a bit less like a collection of witty, liberal, jesus-y essays. if annie's "theme" is her self-loathing and insecurity, sara's strong-willed theme is: food. food weaves its way through every chapter of the book: from her childhood, to her experiences as a chef in new york, to her connections with people in the third world, to her intitial and ongoing experience with jesus, to her establishment of one, then many, food pantries. it's hard not to read this book and not simultaneously hanker for a chunk of some cheese you can't pronounce, and want to give that cheese to someone who wouldn't otherwise experience their next meal.

wonderful, wonderful reading. challenging at points. highly edible. deeply nourishing.

From the moment I began reading to the last page I was hooked. I think this is a book that every church should own and require all outreach workers to read. In my view, Ms. Miles grasps and conveys in a succinct and direct manner just what it means to act out one's faith, a faith that has nothing to do with politics or what is expedient, or what will please people the most. There is a need, one responds, and that's all there is to it. Ms. Miles does not romanticize working with the homeless, feeding the hungry. She presents the challenges and difficulties clearly and realistically. This is not "fun" work. It's not meant to be fun. Yet,as I read this, I was struck by her understanding and acceptance as well as the clear conviction that this is what she was meant to do. Again, a very worthwhile read,immensely helpful and hopeful.

'Take this Bread' is a wonderful book, funny and profance and touching. I loved every page. I liked the commentary on the clergy and learned so much about how to love the other. Miles brought me to face my fears. Her take on Christianity as a complex, disturbing, scary way to live is so real. With fine writing she takes us into what it means to incarnate our religion, and it's painful to face that. Luckily, her humilty, mistakes and humor keep us on her side and thinking about how we might go forth too.

What a gorgeous and searingly honest book. I love how he does not make himself out to be guiltless in all of this, or a victim--- even though clearly, he could have. It's such a rich book, not only about abuse but about childhood, Catholicism, sex, guilt, desire, love, attachment, forgiveness, family. It's so full of life. I saw the play in NYC and that was amazing, too.

How does he do it, show the light in darkness? A story of a boy as he says falling from trespass into grace. A boy exploited, given too soon to the knowledge of the body--betrayed, as he felt, by his own body. And this man, the one who showed him his strength and wonder, then used his beauty like a Kleenex for his disposable desires.

Grace, then. No, first, despair, the attempts at suicide, the empty hours in the echoing school hallways full of crosses, holiness, and distance. Even in those places, an occasional light and this is what he shows gorgeously--the old nun telling him, at the kitchen table, that everything he does is already blessed. No disclosure, no healing stories, but this Light poured upon him.

More despair, more thoughts of killing himself. Then the tryouts for the school musical. A voice is found, a wonder arises in his soul--what is this miracle? I am seen and loved. The lights pick me out, the people laugh and clap. Maybe I should put off my suicide until after the fall production. The voice teacher witnesses his singing in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, she urges him to take lessons. She has to repeat her urging at the next musical in the next season before he takes it seriously, then goes trembling to her house.

Voice lessons, lessons in projection of spirit. She says, this is you in the universe, this is your soul coming out of your mouth. You have a gift to give to the world, Marty. You have a beauty of soul.

How does he do it, this Martin Moran? The light and love pouring through a living room with grand piano in Colorado are made manifest in the lines she says, the wonder he feels. Not uncomplicating anything, he holds the lust, the love, the exploitation, the forgiveness, the unfolding all in his hands.

Writing! Is there any more powerful act in the world? Well, there is acting. The first I knew of Martin Moran was his one-man show of The Tricky Part--painfully, beautifully open.

Thank you Martin Moran. Thank you for living into a full life as an actor, singer and writer. Thank you for showing us how you made it by the grace of what we might call God except that invokes the catholic Big Guy in the beard, the one whose church and sense of sin helped to make this story into a near-tragedy. But can we wish it had happened otherwise? No, that's the Tricky Part of the title of the book. We can't exactly wish it had happened differently.

As many here have stated this book was captivating. I work with sexual abuse survivors and found many of them in this book. Mr. Moran really knows how to put his finger on the pulse of the issue as he did here throughout the book many different times. I also like how the perpetrator, Bob, is not portrayed as all evil because as we know so many perpetrators are charming, smart and suave. Hence, their success. I also thought it realistic that it was pointed out that Bob provided something for Mr. Moran. I have clients who are "messed up" because of their experiences but they are able to discern the positive they were reaching for, or as in the case here, what kept him going back. This is at a price, of course, but generally kids don't realize then the depths they have already been to, and the effects it will have on them as adults.

I just finished the book a few moments ago. I realize I'm feeling kind of sad. This book is very good, and it's real, but it's not a light summer read. So, I chose to read it over Christmas. Go figure!

PS - Another book I read in a similar vein was The Abomination. I have a review on Amazon about it. It also involves a similar situation but shows more about what the "relationship" is doing for the kid in the beginning. Then later it all changes. My book club of 2 straight women, 2 lesbians, and 2 gay guys gave it a unanimous thumbs up.

Frank and moving account of the abuse the writer suffered as a child, and how he was subsequently affected and managed to cope. When he was twelve years old Martin Moran was seduced and abused at the hands of a camp counsellor named Bob, and so entered a relationship that lasted not unwillingly for three years. But the effects were lasting; such that Martin eventually took steps to confront the issues head on.
Martin's memoir is Insightful and enlightening, not always easy to come to terms with, for while what he suffered as a child was clearly an abuse, he was not an unwilling participant, and it maybe opened the way for Martin to accept more readily his life as a gay man. His account tells in detail of his early days, of the seduction and the continue relationship and its effects; of how he came to terms with the abuse, and of a successful career that eventually took him to Broadway.
Martin Moran's open well written account, at times funny, at others moving, is well worth reading

The above quote from Shakespeare expresses a kind of numinous awe; a feeling of inadequacy at having to express the character of this book. I was moved to order it by the unstinting praise given by previous reviewers here. Mr. Moran has managed to transcend the terrible pain he endured through the medium of his art; to me it seems miraculous.

The confusion and suffering that took Mr. Moran the better part of thirty years to work out was not least because he was--and is--gay. This overlays the story with yet another dimension of complexity. The author notes the sexual and emotional longings on his part that were not only picked up on by his abuser, but that kept him returning to this man for three years despite his guilt and confusion. That guilt and confusion would continue to hobble Mr. Moran's sense of intimacy for many years to come.

In my own circle, I know two gay men who suffered abuse when they were scarcely more than boys--one of them from a member of his extended family. The abuse did not make either of them gay; rather, it seems that in each case (as with Mr. Moran) the abusers sensed both the sexual orientation and the vulnerability of their targets.

Despite immense changes in society over the past twenty years, too many boys sense a secret within themselves that they cannot tell anyone--frequently not even themselves. The derision and stigmatization of gays by ignorant religion and ignorant people alike do nothing to prevent anyone from becoming gay--only serving to set up gay kids to be taken advantage of by their abusers. Those who have been abused will find this book a fount of insight, courage and (hopefully) healing. Anyone imagining that using a vulnerable young person sexually does them no harm will have much to consider after reading the book. All readers will discover the wisdom and pathos of a man who could have ended up as an abuser or a misanthrope, but through (dare one say?) some mysterious grace did not. This book deserves every bit of the praise that reviewers here gave it.

The book is a large collection of very short cop recollections. Most of them are sentimental and warm and fuzzy. Like one tale about rescuing GI. Joe from a storm drain. Awwwwwww!

I dont recommend the book for boredom relief.

A COP'S LIFE, by Sutton, is what you want.

I believe that this book really captures a lot of what being a cop is about. People who aren't cops that read this book will be shocked at some of the things we see and do, but it's true. I think it should help them appreciate us more. As a cop, I found the book to be entertaining and motivational.

This really reminds me of when there is a lull in calls and we are able to sit around, drink some coffee, and tell some "You remember when..." stories.

So... This is an amazing book that allows you to reach down deep into the minds and souls of the police officers. Just like Sutton's "A Cops Life" I found this book to be amazing. It also has a section dedicated to the officers of 9/11. Sure we have all heard about 9/11 but have you heard true behind the scenes, in the hearts and minds of a police officer who responded that horrible day and survives?

Randy Sutton has done a superlative job of putting together the best collection of police stories I have ever seen. He touches the soul of the law enforcement officer from the mundane to the terrifying and heart rending, with each story standing alone as a classic--and a tribute to all who have worn the badge. Some of the shortest are the most touching, and behind the solid image that all cops are asked to maintain, one gets to hear the emotions they keep to themselves because no one wants to hear them. This is not a collection for those greedy for blazing gun battles and wild chases, though there are a few, as there should be, and they are painful to read--the horror of survival is not like television, brushing off the dust and "back to work."

These are stories by men and women who work a world of darkness and strive to find, in it all, a little humor, a little humanity, a little something to hang on to. My hat is off to all who contributed to this book--I know it wasn't easy.

This is the book I suggest cops hold onto and leave for those after them to read. They'll understand.

Andy O'Hara, Badge of Life

Though Disney hasn't released the DVD yet, it has been released through affiliates who have links to disney.com. Search "Song of the South" on your web browser and you should come up with it. I think Disney is afraid to release it under their name, but are doing so undercover. I got one. The live scenes are a bit fuzzy, but not bad. The cartoon characters are clear and apparently were digitized. I doubt it will be on amazon for awhile as the sellers are few and want to maintain a higher price.

I am so glad I found this. Does anyone else think it's ironic that they changed the tar baby to a tar bunny?

What a treasure! Please release this wonderful film on DVD. It makes many important social comments & is very entertaining. This is one of Walt Disney's hidden treasures.

Please release Song of the South for all of us who remember seeing this movie as a child. I would love to share this movie with my child. It will always be one of my favorite movies. My mother, my sisters and myself going to see this movie is one childhood memory that I will always cherish. Please consider making this excellent movie available to us. Thank you!!

Song of the South is one of the most influential movies that I saw as a child. It shows us how to be happy in a lot of different situations. To have a positive attitude. The minority group should be very proud of this movie because the stories Uncle Remus told were positive reflections of life.
This day and age we need more old stories of being happy in tough times. Please release this movie. It is a part of history that should not be hidden.

Although this novel was published almost 50 years ago, it is amazingly contemporary. The political infighting--both honorable and petty--definitely mirrors the politics of 2007. If anyone thinks today's politics are nasty, this book shows that even in the late '50s, there must have been plenty of vituperation, pettiness, and, fortunately, integrity. Remove the dated technology--special-delivery mail and wire updates--and substitute email and the Internet, and the story could take place right now. Some tighter editing would have made this book even better (some of the accounts of nonpolitical, i.e., domestic, action drag), but the political action is fantastic. Is this 1959 or 2007?

This is a classic novel that deals with the nomination by the President of a highly controversial person for the office of Secretary of State. A group of Senators is dead set against the nominee, and others are equivocal and unsure. The nominee has a dark past and this begins to come to light, the question is asked as to whether he has overcome this past and can now serve as a sturdy and reliable public servant.

The novel portrays Washington DC as a snake pit of intrigue and maneuvering, where anything goes in an endless struggle for power and position. It also shows America's capitol as a city which still has a place for idealism and principles. No, these two things are not contradictory, as this novel also shows.

The story moves along at a brisk pace, although it slows down in places. This novel was written in the early 1960s, and thus the story contains certain anachronisms, such as the Soviet Union reaching the Moon before the United States does. The novel also has an intolerant and non-contemporary view of homosexuality, which is unfortunate, but which ultimately does not detract from the story. (The movie is far worse in this respect, incidentally.) No matter. This novel is as relevant today as it was when it was written, at the height of the good old Cold War.

One of the oddities of this novel is that almost all of the conflict occurs within the majority party (although unnamed, it is the Democrats.) The minority party (Republicans) play almost no role whatever, and the novel barely acknowledges that they exist. This is the Democrats of the 1960s, when that party was much more conservative than it is today.

This is an excellent novel that should be required reading for all high school and college students.

At the age of 18 in 1963 while my husband and I were stationed in Chambley France (USAF) I discovered this wonderful political novel, almost by accident. Later, and with great anticipation, I read the follow ups all the way to The Promise of Joy. Later in life, I managed to obtain all 6 of this series (hardback of course, because I knew that they would be used over and over) for my personal library and as of today have re-read them several times (each time, enjoying them even more). Back in '63 I never thought that America could really become what Mr Duruy was writing about, cause after all we all love our country Right?? Well, as the years have passed, I do see exacally what he meant. There really are a great many Americans that would do harm to her. Although these may be novels, I do believe that there is a lot to lean about the workings of our govenment. Although I have read several reviews of the series, I disagree with most and advise you to read them ALL!! Each one deals with different area of the government and are well worth the read.. As I travel to Washington D.C. for the first time next month, I have a burning desire to see our National history and it great part it stems from reading and enjoying to the fullest these great works of a brilliant mind.

I just reread "Advise and Consent" hard upon the recent Senate brouhaha, and even went so far as to purchase the recently-released DVD, which does not do entire justice to the source, although Walter Pidgeon is a better Bob Munson than even Allen Drury wrote. "A and C" is an admirable novel of a literary quality likely far above the other contenders on the NYT Bestseller List in 1959, if likely inferior to contemporary political novelists like Ward Just. Other reviewers have pointed out that Drury later started chewing the scenery at the distant right edges of the set, but "Advise and Consent" remains a splendid portrait of its time. Highly recommended.

This is easily the best novel ever written about American politics. Drury, who began as a Senate reporter, really has the feel of the Senate down pat as he tells the story of the nomination of Robert Leffingwell, a one-time communist sympathizer, to be the Secretary of State at the height of the Cold War.

While Drury's later writing became somewhat stilted and out-of-touch, this book is dead on and creates real and believable characters.

A fun game, for those really in the know, is to try and guess which fictional Senator corresponds to which real-life Senator from the era.

(A freebie- Brigham Anderson of Utah is reportedly based on John F. Kennedy, a surprising development given the... revelations... about Anderson in the book).

I am a descendant of James Butler. For the record, that family is not Scotch-Irish, they were English and had been for hundreds of years. They went to Virginia from England in the 1600's not because they were poor or down trodden but because they were wealthy and well connected with the intentions of making more money.

Shoddy research just makes me cringe.

On a cold wintry day in March 1978, Willie Bosket, a 15-year-old boy with an extensive juvenile record, shot and killed a middle-aged hospital worker in a New York City subway robbery. Eight days later, Willie robbed and killed another man under similar circumstances. Shortly thereafter, he was arrested, confessed, and was found guilty of these two homicides. He was given the maximum sentence for a juvenile of five years for the two murders. He felt not a whit of remorse for his actions, and was quoted as such in the papers.

A few days later, New York Governor Hugh Carey, reading about the trial in the New York newspapers, became so incensed that he immediately called a special session of the state legislature in Albany. He proposed and was successful in passing a new law in record time, the Juvenile Offender Act of 1978. This law allowed kids as young as 13 to be tried in adult criminal courts for murder and receive the same penalties as adults. This law was a sharp reversal of 150 years of American tradition. New York became the first of many states to make this watershed change in juvenile justice policy. Willie Bosket had made history.

If All God's Children were merely a harrowing recitation of the criminal life of Willie Bosket, it would be a fascinating chronicle of the "most dangerous prisoner in the history of the state of New York." But it is much more than that. It is also a multi-generational tale of the Bosket family dating back to 1834 in South Carolina. It in particular traces the interweaving stories of Willie Bosket and that of his father, Butch Bosket, with all that they held in common-genius-level IQs, a history of explosive anger, psychopathic tendencies and a conviction for two homicide.

In telling this saga of the Bosket family, Butterfield has successfully woven together a sociological treatise on violence in America, a cautionary tale of the pernicious effects of slavery, and a genealogical study of a truly tragic family.

Armchair Interviews says: A stunning read.

This book was indeed an eye-opener. I encourage all who are concerned about our society as a whole to study this book, and especially those who are in social services. Mr. Butterfield should be applauded for this work.

At first glance I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book. The story was non-fiction, which ultimately means that my mind immediately began thinking of Stephen Ambrose and his agonizing dry facts and boring narrative. While I could have easily set this book down and found a new book that looked more promising the title, "All God's Children," got my attention and caused me to pick it up. Upon reading this book half of my initial intuition was correct. The book was extremely boring but it was also incredibly fascinating.
If I could give a review based solely on the information represented in this book I would give it a new perfect score but it is a book so it also needs to hold the readers' attention. I had a horrible time trying to push my way through the book due to some incredibly slow chapters. For example, the first chapter, "Bloody Edgefield" gathers semi-useful information and then takes forever to explain the meaning behind it. Beginning in the first chapter it is necessary to involve the reader in the story and "All God's Children nearly put me to sleep."
Although I found this book to be boring the information and descriptions were excellent. The book traces the family tree of an incarcerated young man named Willie Bosket who has been named the most dangerous criminal alive. I found the story to be fascinating and through this book I could make conjectures as to whether Willie's nature was preconceived or if it was his environment.
Also, though the book was boring the writing was superb. Every description was vivid portraying Fox Butterfield's massive vocabulary. The writing made the reader feel as if he or she were interacting with the story instead of looking back on it two hundred years later. Due to the fact that it was boring I gave the book three stars but it is still a worthwhile read to those interested in the story of Willie Bosket.

I'm not A reader of books. I was refered this one and I can't stop referencing it in everyday conversations. This book is not only a great history lesson of Racial tensions but also a great look into the history of violence in our Black Youth....

Professor Emeritus Harry Gottesfeld has done a lot for mental health in the USA and in Europe. His programs have literally helped hundreds of thousands of people. This book is a classic reference and everyone in the field should have a copy.

Sometimes a book is written that is insightful and helpful. Harry Gottesfeld, the eminent scholar, professor, and Director of Mental Health is at his best in this tome. No one else comes close to presenting this information so well.

Dr. Gottesfeld's book is the classic work on this subject and well worth buying if you are lucky enough to find a copy. It always seems to be out of stock due to great demand. I really like the way this famous professor, clinicial pyschologist, and former Director of NYC's 28 Mental Hospitals presented this material so anyone can read it and "get it" right away!

This book is used in Universities, Social Agencies, Government agencies and Courts. It should also be used by every American family who faces this problem! The book is written by one of the most fruitful and wise clinical psychologist's of our time.

The best book I have ever read on this important subject. This book is written by one of the most brilliant psychologists of this era, the humanist and clinicial psychologist, Dr. Harry Gottesfeld.