New York Books

6 Sick Hipsters is a wild ride into the underworld of hip that takes more daring, shocking, bloody turns than Pulp Fiction. Rayo Casablanca pulls no punches. Oh, but you'll take 'em... and love every jolt.
---Kemble Scott, author of the bestselling novel SOMA.

What a fun book. Great and wild ride for a weekend. I wish I was a hipster with a tamed Baboon.

They stalk on spiderlike legs wearing jeans tighter than an old woman's wrinkled shoes. As they are the scourge of Starbucks baristas, so also Hipsters are the bones of this novel, but don't for a minute assume they're the flesh of it. Rayo Casablanca's debut is as dark as it is hilarious, as encapsulating as it is clever. He leads us by the hand so charmingly through places so noir their bars sell bourbon on tap and we're left smiling deftly with two toddler steps after each of his morbid strides. From Paleontological pornography to a gangster called "Tank the Niggatron", 6 Sick Hipsters leaves no stone unturned and when you're not laughing out loud you're silently nodding with a half-shameful envy.

Aside from the vinyl and drainpipes the novel stipulates pop-culture trivia like monastic creed and at a swollen and malformed range accepted only by the vicious trend setters themselves. From Thomas Pynchon to The Sisters of Mercy, 6 Sick Hipsters swells with allusions, but ultimately the novel's charm comes from the juxtaposition of iniquitous comedy, sly satire and a subculture fetish, and by his good graces does he do it well. All in all a funny, dark and clever debut.

(this review originally appeared at Dogmatika [dot] com)

Someone is killing the Williamsburg, Brooklyn hipster elite, leaving clues only the most sub-culturally attuned can find and decipher. The police don't seem interested in these seemingly random killings, so it is up to the Whole Sick Crew to find the killer before they become one of his next victims. Set amid the mainstream-eschewing world of hipsters, 6 Sick Hipsters is a conspiracy novel more rounded than most, delivering beautiful pacing and a well-defined ensemble cast told in an often self-depreciating style that perfectly compliments the uber-cool mentality of its characters.

This, Rayo Casablanca's first novel, is filled with obscure and pop references alike along with intelligent slacker character forms reminiscent of Douglas Coupland's Generation X, though Casablanca's characters are grounded by plot rather than the social criticism. Though Casablanca does dip into witty satire and deep social commentary, he displays more prominently the gun power and buckets of blood consistent with the conspiracy thriller genre. The novel is more apt to develop a beautifully grotesque description of a head being shot:

"Cooper's head had been there, all bright teeth and receding hair, and then a nanosecond later--just a jump cut--it was a million bits of corpus colossum and eyeball juice. It was like is smile got so wide and bright that it evaporated the face around it. Poof!" [pg. 168]

than to expound upon the contagion of cultural memes:

"You have to understand this battle [...] You're not up against a monolithic entity, a bear running at you from the forest. You're fighting for survival against a wave of fads..." [pg. 237]

though both do exist, and deliver beautifully.

The novel culminates to a revelation of a "trend-war" fought on the battle grounds of consumerism, a topic that could easily suffer the ramblings of nihilist angst and anti-capitalism critiques. These moments do appear, but the reader is never bogged down by tales of cultural woe. Instead we are allowed fresh insight into the buyer/seller mentality. I refer specifically to an especially engaging exchange between the novel's villain and hero toward the end of the story. I won't give it away, but not surprisingly the passage comes during another one of the conspiracy-thriller genre's defining aspects: there's always time for a speech before dying/pulling a trigger.

6 Sick Hipsters carries the rogue camaraderie of Joey Goebel's The Anomalies--punk attitude and hipster lifestyles included--along with a less passive social critique found in Coupland's Generation X. Fans of slick conspiracies and vinyl records rejoice.

This book starts with a JOLT and ends just like you thought it would EXCEPT totally different. Chocked full of action, 6 Sick Hipsters uses analytical dialogue to keep you guessing while radically misguided but ultra hip intellects search for the answers, sort of like your favorite Scooby Doo episode on acid. This book will make you LOL, ponder the power of pop culture, and could possibly give you nightmares. Super fun read.

I thought this book was terrific. I love Georgia O'Keefe and I've traveled to Lake George a couple of times, and it proved fascinating for me personally. But it's also a great read for anyone looking for a smart mystery. The main character has lots of wit. I can't wait for the next one.

Spectacular fall foliage and the beauty of the Queen of American lakes (Lake George) serve as the back-drop for an entertaining murder mystery involving the theft of previously unknown paintings by Georgia O'Keefe. O'Keefe fans in particular will enjoy the historical background that leads to the "discovery" of lost art. A great beach book.

Anne White has spent her life as a writer, editor and librarian. She has had short stories published in several magazines, including McCall's, Career World, Lake George Arts Project Literary Review, and Glen Falls Post Star. She holds degrees in English and Library and Information Studies. Affinity for Murder is her first novel. She lives in Glen Falls, NY.

Ellen Davies is occupying her uncle's old house in Lake George. Georgia O'Keeffe is one of Lake George's most notable figures, during the summers she spent in Lake George with her husband. Ellen is set to interview an art expert acquaintance of her new friend Diane's who is staying at her and her estranged husband's bungalow when they discover smoke, a fire in the bungalow...and a dead body:

"The partially burned body of a man lay on his side facing away from me. The handle of a long, thin knife or letter opener protruded from his back. Blood had puddled up around the wound and formed a grotesque strawberry mark on the man's tweed sport coat. The smell coming from the body and from the singed hair was sickening enough but it was the face, when I leaned sideways to look at it, that really started my stomach churning."

Anne White has written a thorough entertaining tale with punch lines galore, masterful description, and a plot intricate enough to pull the reader along until the final exciting denouement. Using Georgia O'Keeffe as a backdrop, her story has a "what if" and "it could happen" air about it that is compelling. Ms. White knows her O'Keeffe, and the stories and descriptions of her painting and life alone are enough to make this a great mystery. But, not content to rest on her laurels, Ms. White proceeds to write just about the perfect mystery.

An Affinity for Murder has it all...great characterization, action, eloquent writing, a heroine who is fun to follow, and a crackerjack plot line. She hides the culprit until the very end, and adds a witty twist just for fun. Excellently done, Ms. White! We would all love to keep following Ellen Davies! She is devilishly independent, intelligent, and savvy.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

This mystery put all five of my senses right back in the beautiful Adirondacks where I was born and raised and lived untill I was 19. I could smell the wet leaves on the tall trees alongside Bolton Road and see their beautiful array of colors cluster after cluster. I could hear the wakes of the lake smashing against the docks at times and feel the smack of the cold Lake George air on my exposed face on a late October night. I could taste that freezing rain on my tongue during one of the most thrilling nights of the story. I am still thinking about all the characters, weeks after finishing the book,and hoping that Ellen and her friends return in a sequel. And yes, I have this feeling that if Georgia O'Keeffe and Anne White had had the opportunity to meet one another, they would have been best of friends.

Anne White's cozy small town mystery AN AFFINITY FOR MURDER delights by continuing her Lake George mystery series with a different sleuth, a journalist pursuing a story. Georgia O'Keefe's painting take center stage in this mystery.

Ellen Davies plans a feature story on the artist Georgia O'Keefe who spent her summers at Lake George. When she goes to visit an art critic Edward Maranville for background material, she discovers a fire and a body burned beyond recognition and a knife stuck in his back. As Ellen pursues the story, a group of paintings hidden in a locked closet vanish. Only the painting of the black iris remains behind but even that painting might become a dangerous possession. As Ellen researches her Georgia O'Keefe story, danger lurks in unexpected places as a murderer follows her path.

Anne White's AN AFFINITY FOR MURDER is a wonderful mystery read with a small town atmosphere. The reader sees another dimension to Lake George itself with her historical research as Anne White turns her focus on new characters as they explore part of the town's history and small town rumors. With the exploration of Georgia O'Keefe's work and her history in Lake George, Anne White adds a richness to this mystery through her sensuous descriptions of Georgia O'Keefe's flower paintings as well as discussions of the artist's technique, her relationship with the famous photographer Alfred Steiglitz and other corners of the art world. AN AFFINITY FOR MURDER is unforgettable --- a delight for mystery and art fans! As Anne White turns her vision to the art history of the Lake George town, the series grows organically, giving both newness and familiarity as the reader re-enters the wonderful community of Lake George.

There are some books that are just so informative that no library should be without them. There are some books that are written so well that it is a positive joy to read the text. There are some people who have such a way of looking at the world that you feel comfort hearing them speak. There are people who have seen so much that their opinion is something you seek.

All of these traits are combined in this volume that only Foote's Civil War trilogy can compare with. The small stories that are routinely missed (such as the origin of "the real McCoy) and the relevence of these ordinary people making extrodinary things happen are coupled with the tales of the extraordinary people who had their ordinary vices. (Franklin's advice to take an older mistress because they are both more discreet and more grateful) Both named and unnamed he tells their tale as it fits in the piece of this puzzle of America

Unlike much of history which seems to have an agenda, Cooke's masterpiece is classical, telling a story of grandur without fawning and of warts without lambasting. It is a grand overview rather than a list of presidents, wars and laws. He captures the essense of what is importnat. It is as if he wished to give a consice guide to his compatriots in England of what facinates him about this land that he eventually settled as did many in his story.

It captures what America and Americans are very well and would be an excellent guide to any person who wants to understand us. With so many Americans ignorant of their own history it would be an even better guide to todays college or high school students to make them understand this land of their birth and how it came to be what it is.

This book is 30 years old as I write this (July 4th 2003) at the time he wrote this Cooke was in his 27th year of his Letter from America Broadcast for the BBC. When you finish this book you will find yourself wanting more. Have no fear Mr Cooke is now in his 57th year of his broadcasts telling the story of America 15 minutes at a time continues. Lets hope he dictates a sequel filling in these 30 years.

Besides being a beautifully written, poetic portrait of America's history, the author's British background provides for a totally different perspective. This viewpoint provides a different insight on people and events that an American writer might not have grasped and that I found very interesting and refreshing.

No stiff upper lip Brit here, not at all. As a transplanted British journalist Alistair Cooke who studied in America's Ivy League universities and then returned to America as a BBC correspondent seems to have been deeply affected and impressed by what he saw here. He stayed here and became a citizen. If the little man and his small cracker-barrel anecdotes represented the collective spirit of the country Alistair Cooke's fascination of the common man's philosophy captured that spirit simply and eloquently in his writings. This simple eloquent approach addressed and exposed the heart and feeling of the people that drove the great country for higher aspirations of the human experience. This is what he wrote about. His observations and examination of the Civil War capture the fervent feelings that Americans held be they morally right or wrong. Yet at the end of this struggle the common purpose of the people did not deter them to find their destiny in this land. The spirit never died and that is what Cooke seems to capture, explore and explain in such eloquent words.

Alistair Cooke, who died very recently, was a Briton who first came to America during the dark days of the Great Depression as a very young BBC correspondent. The venerated justice Oliver Wendell Holmes was one of the very first people whom he met - and he writes eloquently of that encounter in the Civil War chapter of this book. Finding our spirit and our optimism contagious, Cooke spent much, if not most of his life here for the next seven decades, getting the know the best and the brightest, the celebrity and the common man on the street, learned about our history with an appreciation that very few - even many Americans - have for this country.

The result is "Alistair Cooke's America" first published as a loving tribute to this country at its Bicentennial in 1976, with a revised forward in 2002, though with no mention of the tumultous events of September 11, 2001. Cooke writes movingly of our history and of the spirit of the American people, the fight for Liberty during the American Revolution, the move westward, that "firebell in the night" (to quote Thomas Jefferson) as the country tore itself apart over the question of Slavery. He writes of the Civil War, interestingly considering Antietam to be a much more significant battle than Gettysburg. His views on Abraham Lincoln are also surprising, in his view that President Lincoln was venerated in great part due to his death, and being the leader of the winning side.

Cooke also spends much more writing space on Woodrow Wilson, whom he clearly admires for his domestic and foreign policies, but either ignores or just wasn't aware of Wilson's Racist policies. By contrast, Theodore Roosevelt, whose Presidency bridged the gap between the Civil War years and America becoming a major power, gets barely two pages.

Cooke's chapter on the "Arsenal of Democracy" is a revelatory look at how America's policy of "Lend Lease" and our subsequent entry into World War II did save the world from Hitlerism, especially when France had fallen and Britain was on the ropes.

Despite some of his views, or perhaps because of them - This well-written and profusely illustrated book deserves the five-star review because Alistair Cooke wrote a history that belongs on every thoughtful American's bookshelf alongside Stephen Ambrose's "To America". The things we take for granted about how great this country is were never missed by this great British writer.

His prose depicting the American people throughout our nation's historical record are eloquent and shear poetry to read. His endearing objectivity and love of this land through his insightful words are stirring and heartwarming. You do not come across this type of writing with genuine devotion, respect and love for what comprised the greatness of the American spirit.

I read this as a child and gave mine to my daughter to read when she was 8. Now my granddaughter is loving all of the books in this series - alas we lost mine along the way with moving but was able to find them in reprint thanks to Amazon.

This is a book I remember from my childhood. I loved it then--love it now. The book is in great condition, and the service was quick and easy.

This series, which follows the adventures of five young Jewish sisters in early 20th century New York, focuses here upon the girls' younger years, as well as the babyhood of little brother Charlie. Despite poverty and potentially dismal city living, the family's warmth, love and religious faith make every day an adventure.

With the exception of certain extending themes, such as the girls' new friend Guido, most chapters in this book may stand alone as vignettes told from various sisters' perspectives. Readers may tackle the book straight through, or select certain stories; this also makes the book an excellent choice for teachers and others reading aloud.

Chapters include:

1 - "Charlotte Catches the Stove" - On her morning to dress by the stove, Charlotte is intrigued by the glowing coals, deciding to pull a few out onto her dress with disatrous results.
2 - "One Stop After Another" - Stopping by Papa's junk shop, the sisters meet a mysterious Italian boy.
3 - "Christmas Stockings" - Seeing the beautiful doll her friend got for Christmas from a local charity, Henny schemes to get the same for her younger sisters.
4 - "Street Scene" - The girls encounter the mysterious Italian boy, Guido, as he's being accused of stealing from a street vendor.
5 - "Purim Jester" - Eldest sister Ella wants to play the queen in the annual Hebrew School pageant, but winds up the jester instead.
6 - "Business of the Bath" - All five sisters vie for the priviledge of bathing their baby brother; but true chaos ensues when Henny invites five of her girlfriends to "help" as well.
7 - "Ella Lends a Helping Hand" - Ella runs into Guido on the street and offers to help him on an errand. Their return trip to his home shows Ella just how sick his mother really is.
8 - "The Wrong Side of the Bed" - Henny has such a bad day, she decides to run away from home.
9 - "Hijinks at the Settlement" - The sisters visit Guido at the settlement house, where he is staying with a nurse, and do their best to cheer him up.
10 - "Guests for Supper" - Guido and nurse Miss Carey visit the family for supper, learning about Miss Carey's tragic past.
11 - "Sarah is Sewed Up" - Sarah is excited to get pierced ears for her tenth birthday...until she's determined to use the money toward a worthier cause.
12 - "Simchas Torah" - The family prepares for the weeklong Succos celebration.
13 - "A Thanksgiving to Remember" - The family celebrates a joyous holiday, and learn of Miss Carey's and Guido's future plans.

Although certain aspects of the girls' early 20th century life may be foreign to today's young readers, the overall plots and themes certainly won't be overlooked. Whether today or a hundred years ago, children are guaranteed to enjoy reading about the sisters' adventures, their warm and loving home, and the things they dream about and strive toward.

Although this is the 4th book of the series, it actually takes place between All-of-a-Kind Family and More All-of-a-Kind Family. This story is part of the continuing tale of a Jewish family living in New York's lower East Side in the early 1900's. Although they are poor, they are rich in their love of each other and their friends. Now there is a new baby in the house and talented Ella, mischevious Henny, studious Sarah, dreamy Charlotte, and little Gertie help Mama with the baby and find friends along the way. In this book, we meet Guido, a poor Italian boy who is trying to care for his sick mother and Miss Carey, a nurse who works at the Settlement House. Through the eyes of these characters, we understand what it must have been like growing up in the lower East Side before World War I. We learn about their sorrows and their joy over the little things in life. A highly recommended book.

I have read All-of-a-Kind Family. It's about five little girls. Their names are Ella, Henny, Sara, Charlotte, and Gertie. This book has so much detail it feels real. One time Sara lost her library bok . She was so upset when she had to tell the library lady about it. The library lady was so nice that she said she could take out more books, but she still had to pay for the book she lost. I thought I was Sara. At the end of the book, their mother has a baby. Its name is Charley. Everyone was expecting a girl, but it was a boy. Gertie used to be the baby and did not want to be a big sister. When she sees the baby she bounces up and down because of him. Everyone was happy, Now that's an all-of-a-kind family! I Like this book a lot. It has lots of adventures. Read one page and you can't stop.

First published over twenty-five years ago and recently reissued by The Feminist Press of the City Univesity of New York, Edith Konecky's "Allegra Maud Goldman" soars with life, tingles with humanity and snaps with feminist tang. Its theme of self-discovery, a staple of coming-of-age novels, however has a distinct slant; "Allegra" insists that its protagonist, a precocious girl growing up in late Depression Brooklyn, hurl herself against familial and societal restraints imposed on her due to the simple reason of her sex. Konecky has created a masterwork; her novel is neither strident or didactic. Instead, her protagonist, Allegra Maud Goldman tells her own story -- directly, ironically and courageously. It is this unadorned, unaffected point of view and voice which enriches the novel and elevates it to mythical proportions.

Cursed with a memory which forbids her forgetting any sexist reduction of her self, Allegra's childhood unfolds as an unending conspiracy to eviscerate her unbridled enthusiasm for life and undermine her incredible intellectual talents. Unsaddled from the urban poverty afflicting most Americans during the 1930s, Allegra lacks little material comfort but suffers, at an early age, from existential oblivion. Her distant and chronically-absent mother, a social butterfly who has made peace with her marriage to a quietly tyrannical dress manufacturer, provides little to copy as a role model. Allegra must set out to develop, define and fortify her own sense of self in a world seemingly set to reduce her to docile femininity.

In a revealing conversation with her mother, Allegra expresses discontent that her family focuses attention on her older brother David, who suffers from his own lack of confidence. When she asks, "How come nobody around here is at all interested in whether I am finding myself?", her mother dismisses her by telling her that she will "grow up and marry some nice man and have children." Against this biology is destiny environment, Allegra launches her battle. As her childhood evolves, Allegra challenges the different ways boys and girls are indoctrinated to handle their emotions, does battle with a public school system that diligently attempts to socialize girls into subordinate domestic. Her sardonic friend Melanie has one of the best lines of the novel: "If they're prepring us to be housewives...why don't they teach us something useful like sexual intercourse?"

By the time Allegra has come to grips with her evolving body, she has developed a passion for writing and a talent for poetry. Her epiphany is hard-earned and promises a life of rebellion. After having one of her poems purchased for publication in a daily newspaper, her father chooses to take her letter of acceptance instead of her creation to work as a means of validation. Stunned and bewildered by how her family "managed, with nothing but good intentions, to make me feel so dismal," Allegra repeats her own mantra of self-validation, her own declaration of independence: "You're a person. You're a person."

We tend to forget how hard girls have had to work to obtain what boys perceive is their birthright: the need for self-definition, praise for ambition and affirmation for struggle. Strong women come from strong girls. Strong girls come from the crucible of their own experiences and the will to face the hurricane. Edith Konecky's "Allegra Maud Goldman" will be a treasured companion for girls and women who savor the creation of an independent, autonomus self and will be valued by the boys and men who cherish girls and women who are strong, vibrant and proud.

This is a wonderful coming-of-age novel. Allegra Maud Goldman sees past the limitations of her conventional family, her teachers and peers. Her father is only interested in his fashion business, her mother mostly too busy meeting friends. She notices, and usually points out, what they can't see, especially when they treat her differently from her brother because she's a girl. For the most part she remains bright and clever, and her frustration rarely turns inwards or outwards - she rises above everyone and everything with the help of a friend.

It's very funny, very easy to read and stands up to being re-read.

I read this book when I was 10 and had just had dental work done. My treat following enduring that was to pick out a book. It was my good fortune to pick this one. Allegra spoke so strongly to me as a 10-year-old Jewish and precocious girl that I still think about it 20 years later. The family dynamics, the self-esteem campaign launched for her brother and the conflicts bewteen the old and new social mores were way ahead of its time. I can't wait until my children are old enough to read it, too.

I loved this book with all my heart- it told the story of how Allegra travels from childhood to young adulthood, dealing with ideas we all must cope ith- death, sex, love, and friendship. And, as a plus, her name is Allegra, a rarely seen name in the modern world, considering most people think its a drug. This book is one I recomend to all, even the most cynical of people.

This book taught me the meaning of empowerment before the term was coined. I read the book as a child and never forgot Allegra. I recently purchased the book again and wish I hadn't waited so long! The story weakens toward the end but that is meaningless when taken as a whole. The character is a gem - a strong female and Jewish protaganist who never avoids being honest. Quite the role model!

I can't wait to read this book. Amazon makes ordering new and used items so easy. I am a customer for life.

Former Yankee Jerry Coleman recalls his playing days: second baseman played his entire nine-year career in New York and appeared in six World Series.(Turn ... An article from: Baseball Digest


Great Read! Jerry is true example of what real heros are made of. How many players would unselfishly leave the game not once, but two times to serve their country in combat? This is the stuff Pat Tillman was made of. Jerry is a great guy! You never hear him speak of any of this unless asked. He is a San Diego treasure.

I bought this book for my father as he has been an avid Padre fan since 1969. He just loves it. Jerry Coleman is the San Diego Padres.

Scott
El CAJON, CA

I don't know how many "with." books I have read not 100 but more than fifty. Even wrote two of them. YOGI IT AIN'T OVER WITH YOGI and THE OCTOBER TWELVE with PHIL RIZZUTO.Jerry Coleman's "WITH" RICHARD GOLDSTEIN did an outstanding job. I envy him but not for writing the book. Writing is hard work. Spending time in the company of Jerry Coleman is a joy. A tonic for the soul.

Jerry Coleman has honorably served America both as a military man, as a baseball player during the 1950's for the New York Yankees, and as an announcer for the Yankees, CBS, and as an announcer/manager for the San Diego Padres. He considers his greatest achievement in life to be the five years he spent as a marine during both World War II and the Korean War. He grew up in a home with a physically abusive father, and a very devoted mother. His best friends with the Yankees were Allie Reynolds, Vic Raschi, Ed Lopat, Bobby Brown, and Charlie Silvera. Coleman believes Mickey Mantle's alcohol problems became full blown after he retired from the game and the cheering stopped. Coleman vividly recalls the incident in May of 1957 when Yankees' infielder Gil McDougald lined Cleveland Indians' pitcher Herb Score in the eye. This had a great emotional effect on McDougald who considered quitting the game. Coleman's one year at the helm of the Padres did not go well. His players viewed him as the team's announcer, and a relic from the past. Coleman gives his views on various things regarding the game such as the size of players compared to when he played, and the effect large contracts can have on some players. He blames the players' union for fighting against a strong drug program which has ultimately harmed players who play by the rules. Coleman considers Aaron to be the all-time home run leader with Maris to be the home run leader for a single season. This book is light easy reading, and I enjoyed reading about one of the bubble gum cards of my youth.

Wonderfully enjoyable, charming and funny. Holds up to multiple consecutive readings like no other. We need more books from you Laurie Rosenwald.

this book is great for parents and kids alike. it's a great color-teaching tool, and a fabulous coffee table book!!!

I am a graphic designer and children's book addict, even before I had a kid. I bought this book spontaneously because it just caught my eye. What a great surprise when I got home and read it! It is a lovingly constructed and beautifully designed book full of silly and inspired verse, fun illustrations, great typography and of course COLOR. It's crammed with goofy surprises and fantastic rollicking word play ("purple is a funny word, rhymes with nothing, sounds absurd"... BRILLIANT!) My daughter is too young to get everything out of it just yet, but I get a giant kick out of reading it to her every night and know that she will continue to learn and enjoy as she grasps the many educational and humor levels from this book. This one is on my must have list.

Laurie Rosenwald's newest book for kids (big kids like me, too) is the most FABULOUS book in the universe! Its bound to become a classic ....like "Green Eggs and Ham"...or "Harold and the purple crayon". Brilliant and titilating illustrations accompany clever and accessible poetry, witty witicisms and punny prose. What more could you ask for in a children's book? Its a book that plays to the genius in EVERYONE...grownups included!

This book is so much FUN! My 2.5-year-old requests this book nightly, without fail. The collage-style illustrations have so much POP and the rhyming is silly and smart. I have bought this book over and over as a gift and will continue to do so.

Weidlich's study of how and why Lord Bertrand Russell was denied a teaching job at New York's City College is definitive.

It is difficult to see how anyone else could have written a clearer explanation of the embarrassing decisions made by the college's and the city's officials in denying Russell the right to express any views whatsoever on a college campus.

Appointment Denied: the Inquisition of Bertrand Russell. By Thom Weidlich. Prometheus Books, Amherst, NY 2000.

Weidlich, a journalist and former reporter for the National Law Journal, has described in lucid detail how famed philosopher Sir Bertrand Russell was denied a position on the faculty of City College (CCNY) of the City of New York. The 1940 incident has been compared to the "monkey trial" of John Scopes. I have read widely from Russell's work as well as about Russell and find Weidlich's book is definitive about Episcopal Bishop Manning's successful efforts to gain support from Catholics and politicians to keep Russell from teaching. Also, Weidlich explains Russell's views in layman's language that is understandable and on the mark. If the Vatican can apologize for Galileo, one wonders when will the Episcopalians apologize for their egregiously narrow-minded bishop?

This book is a story of how our society treats people who think they are smarter than everyone else. Most of the action takes place in New York City, where John Lennon also discovered that he was not entirely welcome, possibly for some of the same reasons that Bertrand Russell was a problem. While there is some concern in this book for free speech, the opposition to Russell was mainly a problem for people who might be held responsible politically for the taxpayer dollars that Russell was so concerned about getting. The British earl (3-times-married, twice divorced) needed enough income to provide for his child of two, at a time when "probably the world's most renowned living philosopher" (p. 10) was only two years short of the mandatory retirement age. This book was written before the events of September 11, 2001, and seems totally unaware of the possibility that anyone who disagrees with the financial control exercised by New York City over global economics could hijack airplanes and use them to reduce large buildings to rubble. America is fortunate that a plane on September 11, 2001 also struck the Pentagon, so the federal government had a direct military attack which it could respond to in a like manner (air superiority being a prime consideration in superpower planning for geopolitical dominance). The military use of aircraft has become an American obsession as critical to American geopolitical machinations as intellect is a distinguishing feature in the ideology which thinks it rules in New York City and in the mind of Ralph Nader.

The index has a lot of distinguished names, including Augustine, Bruce Barton, Bismarck, Giordano Bruno, Neville Chamberlain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Euclid, Sigmund Freud, Galileo Galilei, Hegel, Werner Heisenberg, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Thomas Jefferson, James Joyce, Lenin, Martin Luther, Karl Marx, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Plato, St. Joan of Arc Holy Name Society, Socrates, Baruch de Spinoza, Stalin, Trotsky, Voltaire, Woodrow Wilson, and Ludwig Wittgenstein. There is only a single entry for the Communist Party, none for the Democratic Party, and only a few pages are cited for Young Communist League and Young People's Socialist League. I am not related in any way to the Bruce Barton whose views on religion are so well known that the president of Hunter College, George N. Shuster, a lay Catholic, could describe other Catholics as "`like a blend of' the Daughters of the American Revolution, advertising man Bruce Barton, `and a random devotee of Torquemada,' the evil medieval inquisitor. Of their moralizing, he said that Catholics could see `nothing in the universe but middle-class primness--an order to avoid shocking some imaginary schoolgirl' (these were prescient words concerning Russell's predicament)." (p. 86).

My own interest in the role of the Democratic party in this book is a result of the situation for the appointment of federal judges, now that the Democrats no longer have control of the U.S. Senate, which has the power to approve such appointments and have tried to make this seem like an important role for protecting the rights of people who think that there is more to life than just getting married and having children. Prior to the appointment of George Shuster, the president of Hunter College was Eugene Colligan, "a political hack, installed when Tammany Hall, the notorious Manhattan Democratic machine, was still running the city (though not for much longer). . . . At the college's 1935 commencement exercises, the rowdy audience held placards charging `Colligan Lives Up to Mussolini's "Order of Merit"' (the fascist leader had bestowed upon him the Italian Medal of Merit for `distinguished educational accomplishment')." (p. 11). Throughout this book, the leadership of Protestant Episcopal Bishop William T. Manning of the Diocese of New York combines with the kind of politics that Democrats have spent years using, appealing to popular animus to try to avert the kind of confusion which the future is bound to run into sooner or later.

Those who learned the most about political advantages were students who had the opportunity to promote their own interests. At the time, the student body was pretty bright. ". . . and because of the Ivy League's limits on how many Jews it would take--during this period that Russell was to teach, `the City College student body represented perhaps the purest intellectual elite in the country.' Of the eight Nobel Prize winners the college has produced (more than any other public institution), three came from the class of 1937." (p. 54). Those who were there just a few years later might have resigned themselves to the belief that being born with a brain wasn't really all that great, if this book is any indication of how the world will treat you.

In the case of the Young Communist League, who "viewed it as a case of academic freedom . . . but we don't really give a hoot about Russell and this case," (p. 55) others "begged the YCL representative on the student council to keep the Communists out of the Russell controversy so they could win it. `Everything the Communists touched was the kiss of death. . . . the Hearst papers depicted the Communists fighting to get Russell in. This contributed to an extent in keeping Russell out. The irony was that the next fall, the YCL used their fighting for Russell to recruit new members among the incoming class.'" (p. 56) Now that the U.S. Supreme Court can be anyone who the President picks, we shall see how soon the people who placed obstacles in the way of those who wanted to count ballots for his opponent can be replaced by incoming justices, using the term loosely, of course, in the time-honored manner.

weidlich provides a stimulating and briskly-paced account of a seemingly minor historical event, which nonetheless serves as the springboard into a wide-ranging and meticulous consideration of deep, difficult issues: how much intellectual freedom in academia is too much? do individual taxpayers, as the ultimate funders of public academic institutions, get to answer this question? or is it their elected representatives? or neither? and can our society allow the answer to find its fundament in one particular religion's belief system? or in a morality that transcends particular religions? does such a morality exist?

the historical coverage of the russell controversy itself is thorough, carefully documented and generally unimpeachable. weidlich is conscious of the story's amusing, sometimes ridiculous components, which adds to the enjoyment. the book is worth the price for that analysis alone. the treatment of the bigger themes is gravy.

Weidlich's cogent historical narrative crisply sets up a seminal event in New York politics, and how the members of the power structure, for various reasons, conspired to better or preserve their political positions by opposing Russell's nomination to teach philosphy at City College in the 1940s. But in a larger context, Weidlich's book provides a prescient analysis of an event that was a harbinger of things to come - of the familiar debate over unpopular uses for taxpayer funds, and how educational priorities often fall victim as a result. While the book does not aspire to be anything more than a clear picture of a 1940s New York controversy, it would seem that this clear vision has made the more timeless aspects of the debate rise to the surface. Appointment Denied is a must for anyone with an interest in the political dynamic that ran New York's system of higher education, and the theological dynamic that still seems to govern the politics of the city - and the nation.

I love this book. The origin of X-23 is a much better story than I was expecting - better than Target X. There were several plot twists that I didn't see coming, and the death of Sue, X-23's "mother" at the end is one of the more poignant moments in comics. As for NYX, I'm not sure what I was expecting, but as a teenage mutants on the loose in Alphabet City discovering their powers, I found the Runaways-esque feel of the book to be right up my alley. The main character is a great blend of street smarts and just plain cuteness. Some very adult themes in both stories. I loved every page and will definitely read it again.

...Would be soo good. I mean, Wow! that was a pretty stupid idea to make a Wolverine's daughter. But ut actually came out great! don't believe it? Just try it out!

A must for every X-Men fan.

To me, this is an X-Men-ized & far darker version of `GunslingerGirl.' (which is already quite dark) of the age-old question, `Who is really the monster?' & the reverse of an age-old question, `At what point does a man become a machine?'

I've never been one for super heroes; nothing against them, they simply aren't my genre of interest. However the X-Men have always been an exception for me, with their captivating villains, back stories, & genuinely complex social explorations. & with its thick science-fiction atmosphere & heavy, suffocating subtext, I can sincerely claim that X-23: Innocence Lost is a must read for all X-Men fans, maybe even for all comic book fans in general.

Dr Sarah Kinney has been called to a science institute to assist with the assembly of a new `weapon X', a clone of the escapee human-engineered super mutant `Wolverine'. But Sarah's been numb for a long time now, emotionally detached from humanity, & doesn't realize it until too late--she is creating a child, not a weapon.
The story's backbone is of parental love & loss of freedom; with perhaps the most monstrous villain I have ever seen for the fact that we watch him grow from an envious & arrogant doctor into something not human who doesn't even realize how truly evil he has become, & even more chilling is that he is not an over-the-top villain but someone who you could actually & unfortunately meet; & is aided by a grimly black climax & surprisingly upsetting ending.
There is a potent emotional & disturbing power behind this work & it haunts you long after closing its covers.
Despite some flaws in the art, the bizarre yet vivid color palate somehow intensifies the cold, lonely feeling of isolation, & the characters are given soul-filled eyes that pierce.

So what is the answer to this question...?

4.5 stars rounded up.

I would also recommend the rare-to-find series 'NYX: Wannabe', the first 2 exhilarating volumes of `New X-Men: childhood's end', as well as 'X-23: Target X' by the same authors, though all pale in comparison to this inspired gem.

What a story. Ugly & brutal and yet heart-wrenching. This is truly an extraordinary graphic novel. If I had one complaint, it would be that the artwork definitely follows the anime tradition, and I personally prefer more a realistic style.

First of all, I am new to the X-Men, so I can't very well judge what the seasoned fanatics will think of this. After all, the X-Men themselves don't even appear- except for a flashback showing Wolverine.

But make no mistake- this story is brilliant.

Here's what you should note:

1.) The drama is very real here. It is a highly emotional plot that works so well that it would probably make a darn good movie.

2.) There is plenty of action, all of which is wonderfully illustrated- and note that there is more than a little bloodshed.

I hope this is enough to help you make a judgement. But please, even if you don't read it now, read it SOON. The story is absolutely engrossing and I believe that the character X-23/Laura has the potential to become exceptionally popular among fans.

i knew mike and his mom for a few years and this is a beautiful book, real and touching....i know what its like to loose a parent and i wish i could write something as beautiful as this....

I knew Mike, (MDR) or M. Dylan Raskin in college. I always knew he loved his mother, Fran, and what a way to to bring her memory to life.I read this book in a couple of hours and did not have a dry eye as i read it . The love that Mike had and has for Fran is inmeasurable.

I lost touch with Mike over the years and how truly sorry I am for that . Mike is a special writer and was and will always be a great friend to me.
If you are reading this Mike, I would love to hear from you..
Michelle Schnepf
softballlover27@verizon.net

I read this book in an hour and a half - couldn't put it down and had tears streaming down my face towards the end. Highly recommended.

I read the book in just a few short hours. More people should write books the way he does.
What an amazing way to pay tribute to someone you love more than anything in the world. By far, one of my favorite books.

I just finished Michael's book last night. Wow! Was that powerful. If at some point you get a chance to speak with him, please let him know how much I was moved by his book. Not only did he give me a chance to see into a part of his life that is also so personal to me, but it was so well-written. He truly has a fine mind. I was so amazed by his candidness and how in touch with his feelings he is. He must have been a great support to Fran during her illness. His love for her leaped off every page. Fran was always so special to me. I always looked up to her. She was so beautiful, witty and bright. What a great love story. Please thank him for me. Love, R [Fran's cousin]