Allen Books

gary didnt write this one either,whats with you people

Ghost tower was desgined for a tournament, so the puzzles are really fun. And there are a lot of puzzles. The monsters have been chosen well (of course). What can I say? Mr Gygax is a god.

After a long sabbatical from gaming, I'd decided to run an AD&D module. My brother was a veteran of gaming, but my wife and daughter were newbies.

Making a terrible mistake, I started with "The Ruins of Andril," an old Dragon magazine centerfold module. It was too high-level, and pretty dull, actually. We never finished it.

Vowing to not repeat that mistake, I went through my classic AD&D module collection. As soon as I set my eyes on C2 - "The Ghost Tower of Inverness," I knew it to be a perfect introductory module. I eventually want to start them on a campaign, but this tournament module was a great warm-up.

First of all, the pre-rolled characters are nicely done: All humans, one of each of the major character classes. The adventure starts out as a standard dungeon crawl, but with just as many tricks as monsters. Players, even novices, will always surprise you. Their solution to the giant rolling ball was novel. The chess room really had them stumped; because of the multi-colored tiles, they never figured out the proper moves. My brother was thinking it was some mathematical formula...nobody could understand why the rules were different for each character.

As they entered the upper (transdimensional) levels, the dangers increased. The Fire Giant was perhaps their greatest foe. Being an intelligent monster, he targeted the magic-user, with devastating effect.

In fact, though, their only death happened at the very end, in recovering the Soul Gem.

Outstanding module! Fun to play and ref. It took the players three sessions to finish, and now they want more.

...

The designer of this old module was Allen Hammack, who tends to do the best thinking modules. He also helped with the old A3 slavers module. The other guy who is good is Lawrence Schick who did A4 Slavers (the best module I ever ran that was fun) and the original White Plume Mountain.

Although short in comparison to later editions, it's packed with 3 to 6 original thinking challenges for players. Monsters are set up to fight intelligently rather than sit around like fools in most of the modules.

Highly recommend.

The second best and most ingenious puzzle-solving adventure of all time (IMHO, I'd place White Plume Mountain first, and Tomb of Horrors third). In the realm of Greyhawk, Lord Justinian, Duke of Urnst, has finally located the legendary Soul Gem, the devourer... it once was held in the indomitable Tower of Inverness, a lost ruin on the Woolly Bay. Centuries ago, the terrified masses pulled it into rubble, but its accursed apparition can still be seen haunting the skies! And now, in the name of honor and filthy lucre, your VERY challenged PCs will find: upside down dungeons, horrors of air, earth, fire, and water, a cruelly fatal "chess trap" chamber, a petrifyingly beautiful maiden, reverse gravity, and an intelligent gem that literally sucks the life out of anyone who cannot solve its conundrum. (Don't worry - you'll get your soul back if it doesn't kill all your friends :) Hardcore adventure!

If you are a golfer who has some physical problems -either with your back or legs,this book we help you improve your golf swing and your body preperation to play better golf.

This is just what a 50 year old golfer with a lower back pain needs. Quite brilliant and a must have for all golfers to avoid the pain they may get in the future!

Taking care of your body will ensure many more years of good golf. This book is a great start, with a simple 15 minute program to keep you (and your game) in good shape!

Unlike many such books, this one is excellent and serious. Follow Dr. Vad's strictures and you may yet live to shoot your age!

I wish I'd read this book 45 years ago, when I started playing golf. If you're a serious golfer -- one who wants to play your best, and works toward that goal -- you have a choice: get into a good flexibility and strengthening program, or be prepared to spend some really painful time in bed, not playing golf in beautiful weather.
This book provides what you need to lower the likelihood of encountering the pain and misery of golf-related back problems. There are no guarantees in life, but it has transformed golf for this 67-year old.

Great book. Get the whole series and read them often to those young people whom you love.

Its a good book with cute illustrations, but I think some of the concepts could have been expanded upon just a bit more. But, at least its a start and will bring about questions and conversations between you and your child.

Joey Allen has done a great service for parents. These books present basic Christian teachings in a format that is educationally appropriate and child focused. My oldest son (5) and daughter (3) have both enjoyed these books. As a parent I have learned to better communicate my faith for little thinkers.

You will be hard pressed to find any books that correctly state these essential doctrines in a way that is simple and clear for children to understand. The storyline is great and the pictures are captivating!
B. Buie

These books are great! The illustrations are amazing and the characters will capture your heart while teaching children the truths about God. They make a perfect gift for any child or a unique baby shower gift for those who are expecting. Joey has not only presented the truth of God in easy to understand books, but his illustrations really come to life. I love them all!

Be sure to read the Forward and Afterward to Parents in this book. It is a great message to adults as well!

This book is a sketch of what would become, a couple of years later, the author's masterpiece: Das Kapital. It was written in an intense effort during revolutionary agitations in Europe, such hard work had as goal to show the inherent contradictions of capitalism and the way it would soon collapse. Well, capitalism did not collapse then and did not so far, but this book remains a classic in the critique of classical political economy. It is indded shorter than Das Kapital, and in parts not as mature as, but it has the advantage of providing discussion on themes not discussed elsewhere in marxian works. Thus, the most famous part of Grundrisse are its Introduction and the part on "Pre-capitalistic modes of production". A must for anyone who wish to get acquainted with marxian thought.

Unlike many other works, the Grundrisse exposes in more obvious ways Marx's dialectical thought. The Introduction should really be read as a great antidote to the 1859 Preface to a Critique of Political Economy, which gave us the base-superstructure analogy. The weakest link in Marx's though may very well be found there. The Grundrisse Introduction starts from the point of view of class struggle, whereas there is no place for the class struggle as the driving force in the base-superstructure schema.

Also, Grundrisse starts in a different place from Capital. There is a reason for this, and a good discussion of this can be found in the writing of Raya Dunayevskaya and a counter discussion can be found in Roman Rosdolsky. The choice to eventually shelve the organization of the Grundrisse for the organization of Capital flows in part from the changes in the intervening years, most notably the U.S. Civil War.

Real life constantly shaped Marx's thinking, hardly fitting the representation we commonly get of him from ideologues and capital's priests (economists). As a result, Grundrisse also has serious limitations in its understanding of the logic of capital. Basing the entire understanding of Marxism and capital on Grundrisse leads to the kind of mistakes made by Italian Autononmist Marxism, esp. Antonio Negri, who find themselves engaged in a very subjectivist understanding of capitalism. A useful, but sympathetic, antidote can be found in Werner Bonefeld and John Holloway's writings.

This economic political classic sets the stage for Marx' masterpiece ,'Das Kapital'.It presents the Marxist view of economic labor theory and other radical issues concerning the public socialization of capitalistic economies.After reading this interesting monetary classic,I felt as if socialism can only compliment capitalism and never completely replace it.There needs to be a constant flux of balance between the two systems.During the days of the Industrial Revolution,the shift and focus was on absolute capitalism,unrestrained by indifferent royalists.After the the Russian Revoltion,the emphasis was on a centrical labor socialist oligarchy,with no blue-blood royalist tax restrictions.Under the reforms of Boris Yeltsin ,Russia moved to a more capitalist system ,in which some business gamblers lost everything.Putin has moved Russia back to a more centralised economy and perhaps refining the previous economic blunders of the Soviet Era.This book will help nuture a budding economics thinker by offering more philosophical avenues of free-thought and political choice.

The Grundrisse is perhaps one of the most important additions to Marxian scholarship in the last fifty years and stands as a true Rosetta Stone for deciphering Marx(ist, ian, oid) thought. Foundations of the Critique of Political Economy stands as a bridge between the early humanist writing such as the Manifesto and the later scientific Marx as seen in the three volumes of Capital. In this text we see the very beginnings of the scientific critique as well as a brilliant display of Marx as the dialectician that forces the astute and serious reader to rethink the engagement between Marx and Hegelian thought. This work has seriously challenged what I thought I knew about Marx and has sent me into a deep reflection on Hegel. This work is a must read for those serious about engaging critically the works of a Karl Marx.

A collection of seven notebooks on capital and money, drafted during the winter of 1857-8, exploring the themes and theses that dominate his later writings, including Marx's own version of Hegel's dialectics, and thoughts on alientation. While not as sophisticatedp--or lengthy--as Das Kapital, it remains a "must read" for anyone interested developing a sophisticated understanding of Marxist philosophy.

Excellent! Well defined, well written, and precise in the accounts of A. M. Keeler during the American Civil War, pre, during and post the war. The Allen's put heart and soul into this book, and is simply a must read for any and all Civil War historians. We all read, we all study, and we all try to remember, but without a good story-line we forget, this book makes the imprint, and the feel for what took place at the time. The book compliments the historical regiment known as the Michigan 22nd. Douglas M. Casamer, Author "The Michigan 22nd Infantry and the Men Who Served".

I have never been a student of American history and have regretted that fact many times. Reading this greatly researched and well written book was just wonderful for someone like me. I have loved reading every detail of Keeler's confinement.There were a lot of facts that surprised me such as his family and friends sending him money, food and other items. It must have been extremely difficult for them to accomplish that in those times.
I graduated from Armada Agricultural High School and was so surprised to find out that he taught there after his service. It was exciting to read names and places that are familiar to me having grown up in Macomb County.
Write another book,Bob and Cheryl!!

An easy read, this day by day account of the life of Captain Alonzo M. Keeler, a "Guest" of the Confederacy, paints a vivid picture of a Michigan soldier's experiences in a Confederate prison camp.
William & Muriel Beltz, Israel B. Richardson Civil War Roundtable

Any serious study of a battle or regiment is enhanced when the conditions the troops fought under can be included. Because so much time was spent in camp as compared to actual time spent in battle, to understand how the weather, terrain and health of the soldiers contributed to the outcome, adds depth and texture to the strategies of military maneuvers. Bob and Cherie Allen have brought together Captain Alonzo Keeler's diary, letters and speeches to the GAR to provide us with just such a look into the daily life of a 22nd Michigan Union Officer. Captain Keeler's own words illustrated the highs and lows of his confinement in Libby prison and, after the war, his return to civilian life. His depth of feeling and dedication to his regiment never wavered. This book is a great companion piece to anyone studying battles involving the 22nd Michigan.
-Bill Grandstaff, Facilitator, Israel B. Richardson Civil War Roundtable

Very well written. The investigation and detail show the author's extensive knowledge of the Civil War. The many original diary entries show this book's authenticity and helps you to empathize with the emotions of Keeler as well as the many trials that the soldiers faced on a daily basis.

Great for the history buff who wants factual details about the Civil War.

This is the best biography about Annie Sullivan and Helen Keller that I have read. Since I was a child I have been fascinated by them and have read everything that I could get my hands on. Lash goes beyond their heroism and describes Annie and Helen as real people with "feet of clay."

He relies heavily on voluminous correspondence to show the many facets of Helen and those in her life. Many of these details are not explained in other biographies. For example, Helen's father tried to shore up his finances with loans (often defaulted) from Helen's patrons. The "Frost King" incident caused many people to doubt Annie's veracity and credibility as a teacher for the rest of her life. Mr.Sandborn and Mr. Anagnos used the controversy to divert attention from Annie's role as Teacher to Helen and to re-focus attention on the role that the Perkins Institute played in her education. Lash also shows that John Macy had a complex relationship (for the good and the bad) with both Annie and with Helen. Helen was a radical Socialist and often risked her popularity and, therefore, their income by speaking out in support of Socialist leaders and causes. In the end the reader sees that Helen and many of those around her did great things, but they were not perfect. Insecurity, jealousy, money and a desire for love and fame caused all of them to act ugly sometimes.

The other point that was never clear to me before, is that Helen and Annie spent their lives marketing themselves in order to generate an income. Helen's father faced a serious financial downturn that prevented him from supporting them from Helen's young womanhood on. Therefore, to continue Helen's formal education and to maintain a home away from Alabama, they had to cultivate sponsors, write publishable material, and earn money speaking at a myriad of functions. In many ways, this was an uncertain life that dictated that they remain in good standing with public opinion at all times.

The other connection that Lash made for me concerns the complexity, the depth and the breadth of Annie and Helen's relationship. Because Annie suffered through a harrowing childhood, she desperately needed to create a loving family. Helen presented the perfect opportunity for Annie to be needed and to love and be loved unconditionally. While some people construed their relationship to be unhealthy or manipulative, it seems that it was a natural outgrowth of their particular situation. Once again, it was not perfect, but it served a huge need for them both.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to see a more realistic view of the lives of Helen Keller and Annie Sullivan.

There is no need to read anything else on Helen Keller or Annie Sullivan Macy, because it is all included in this incredible biography. This in-depth look at these two remarkable women was both readable and throughly informative. Of all my research on Annie Sullivan, I have found nothing that is not mentioned in Mr. Lash's work; he has truly captured her spirit, along with her triumphant pupil.

The lives of Helen Keller and her teacher, Ann Sullivan Macy are eternally intertwined. Helen Keller, blind and deaf since infancy depended on Annie since the age of 6 when the latter was hired to teach her.

This comprehensive, fascinating and completely riviting biography does an excellent job of separating the two women's lives and analyzing each woman in her own right. Helen takes giant steps beyond the water pump where Annie first impressed upon her the concept of language. It is to this author's credit that the reader does not languish at that water pump, but follows these women throughout their lives.

The true symbiosis is fully described when other teachers as well as Helen's own mother Kate, try to separate her from Annie. Feeling that her maternal authority had been usurped, Kate understandably wanted to wean Helen from Annie. Each attempt by any person to effect such a change resulted in disaster. Even Annie's marriage to a gifted editor named John Macy ended in an acrimonious split because he felt Helen took up too large a portion of their lives together. From all accounts, Macy seemed to feel that Annie used the same domineering methods she had used on the child Helen with him. He also described Annie as "manipulative and controlling," which certainly seem like apt descriptions of her approach. Resentful of Helen's constant presence and feeling like an odd member of an equally odd triadic relationship, John retreats further from the marriage.

When Annie dies, Helen is disconsolate; she feels she can't survive without her "Teacher," although she, by that point had been at Annie's side for nearly half a century. A bright, progressive woman named Polly assumes the role of "Teacher," and Helen flourishes under her gentle tutlage and interpretation. Polly is clearly accepting of Helen's challenges and appears to make a sincere effort to see that Helen is fully included in all conversations and activities which she [Polly] is part of. One does not get the sense that Polly is a martyr. One gets the impression that Polly is loyal and determined with no agenda of her own.

Helen's relationship with Polly does appear to be much healthier than her relationship with Annie. This book fully explores Helen's character, her life experiences and the types of relationships she forged in the post-Teacher years with intelligence and sensitivity.

AFB Press is the publishing arm of the American Foundation For The Blind. Helen And Teacher, written by biographer Joseph P. Lash and published by AFB Press, is a magnificent, 811-page opus that is the most comprehensive work ever done on the unique and moving story of a little blind, deaf and dumb girl, and the dedicated woman who brought her into contact with the world, and with people. The basic story is well known to the general public, the subject of stage plays and movies. But in Helen And Teacher, we are treated in exhaustive, definitive detail to this landmark biographical story of the human spirit. Also highly recommended from AFB Press is their wonderful little gift book, To Love This Life: Quotations By Helen Keller which is also available in an audiobook format.

Informative! It does get a bit long & wordy at times, but it's a fair representation of Helen & Annie's lives. The more I read about Annie Sullivan, the more I like her. I think it was a real shame that Arthur & Kate Keller felt threatened by the close bond Annie had with Helen. I think Arthur & Kate just wanted Helen to be "trained," but not really the free independent spirit she was meant to be. I'm so glad Annie stood by her & helped her become a free person & became a lifelong friend to Helen as well. Annie was very open about whatever failings she'd had & was a warm, loving supportive guide in Helen's life. I get the feeling Helen & Annie had almost a mother-daugher-like bond, which of course practically killed Arthur & Kate. The stupid thing was, the Keller parents wanted to just shift over the responibility to Annie of educating her & getting her to fit into society, yet wanted total control over Helen's life. If anyone was manipulative & controlling, it was Arthur & Kate. Esp. Arthur, I think was really patronizing & downright domineering toward Annie. Kate didn't help matters either & when I read about her attempts to break Helen & Pete up later on & her consent to try to split Helen & Annie up, I really lost respect for Kate. I know I'm slamming Kate & Arthur here, but I see Annie as more of a loving parent figure in Helen's life. I really commend Annie for standing strong against Helen's domineering, manipulative parents. Oh, boy, was that John Macy a real creep! I was sooo glad Annie got away from him; he accused Annie of being "manipulative & controlling" when he was controlling himself! He KNEW Annie & Helen had a tight bond, yet after he married Annie, he started giving poor Annie a hard time about it! What was really contemptable was that John wrote to Kate & others badmouthing Annie behind her back & it's good that the book exposed that clearly. That made me lose respect for John too; sorry, but I have no sympathy for John Macy. I think Annie tried really hard to be a good wife, yet John just criticized her for being too close to Helen. Poor Annie, it was sad reading about her heartbreak. It was touching & kind of reassuring to read that it was Helen who came to Annie's support when Annie couldn't stop crying for several days over John. It was Helen who fired a letter off to John blasting him for badmouthing Annie. I cheered when Helen was the one who helped Annie get back on her feet, esp. since I hear that John cleaned out the Macys' joint account & closed it without Annie's consent & Annie had to struggle to get her career going again. Boy, was it inspiring to read about Annie's heart healing & her getting her writing going again as well as back on her feet financially! I love how Helen & Annie stood by each other all the way & once Polly joined them, stood by them too. Annie's shaky pride suffered a lot of blows in her life, but always she managed to get back on her feet. I always knew Helen was forever grateful to Annie for freeing her from her early wordless prison & helping her get started to an independent free life & Helen showed this gratitude by being the one to take care of Annie when Annie grew old & frail & went permanently blind. It was a touching mother-daugher bond almost...when Helen was young, Annie looked out for her, then the roles reversed; when Annie got older & weaker, Helen was the one to look out for her & it was great that Helen was able to be by her bedside when her mentor & friend died. What was wonderful also was that Annie was a really sweet, accepting person; she had so many problems in her life, yet never sank into self-pity; she even made wry jokes about her blindness & even wrote a self-effacing column "Foolish Remarks From a Foolish Woman." That part cracked me up! Annie was a quick-tempered little thing, but was quick to forgive & had a big heart & I'm glad this book acknowledged that. Even Helen said that Annie was generous "to a fault." But the last best gift Annie gave Helen was the capacity to be completely independent, even from her, so once Annie died, with only a little help from Polly, Helen was able to live a free life, even long after Annie was gone. I say kudos to both Helen Keller & Anne Sullivan!!!!

It doesn't take many pages of "Hog Farm Chronicles" to know that
Allen Powell knows kids -- and himself. What unfolds in this short and delightful book is the chronicle of an adult learning from a group of kids about the mutuality of respect. Allen learns to respect them for their heroic struggles to be themselves in a system that doesn't fit. His respect of them results in their respect, and when you have theirs, they'll die for you. {Adult respect is in precious short supply in some lives.)

The book is an important one, although it may not appear so at first. I believe that it is an important one for those teaching and administering kids in schools because it clearly shows that the normal mold of schools will not work with some kids. They need alternatives -- alternatives that respect the skills they do have and wish to exercise. Indeed, their aberrant behaviors towards "the enemy" display brilliant tactics artfully employed to "get even."

For anyone who has shared a classroom with a motley bunch of early adolescents and grown to love them over time, I invite you to enjoy this book. For anyone who has shared a classroom with a motley bunch of early adolescents and has grown to hate them, you must read this book. It contains truth -- something rare in the halls of education. It also helps each of us come to a better understanding of our limits as teachers in "making" kids do our bidding.

With candid wit and humor, Mr. Allen Powell dares to bring to print his wild and touching stories as a teacher. Refreshing and real, I laughed as he told one story after another with such awesome expression of boys struggling with life on life's terms.

I hope teachers,educators and parents will give themselves the gift of Mr. Powell's short stories. We are not alone with our trials, struggles as well as heartfelt moments.

Thank you, Mr. Powell, for sharing your unique and uplifting perspective.

This funny, sad, irreverent, hopeful, painfully honest, personal recounting of a brand new teacher's experiences with students with different problems, attitudes, and needs who are enrolled in a non traditional program of vocational agriculture in high school should be required reading for all beginning teachers, irrespective of the subject or level that they teach. Once you start reading, you won't put it down until you finish because it holds your attention. Powell illustrates vividly that students are people with feelings and needs, that they deserve the very best from the teacher, that they will respond to opportunities, that they will take initiative, that they are not losers, and that both teacher and students will be successful if the teacher accepts and allows nonconformity and uses ingenuity. While the author writes unnecessarily in a coarse and crude manner in a couple of passages, this does not distract from the human story being recounted with all the attendant implications for achieving success in teaching/learning. Principals, also, should read this short book and then ask themselves how they support teachers with nonconforming ideas.

Educators will enjoy this insightful and realist revisit to the first years of their teaching experience and smile and laugh out loud at the author's recounting of those trepidacious and sometimes daunting times. Parents will see their precious piglets through the eyes of what is surely a caring and special educator. Everyone will have a pleasant and thought provoking respite while reading, as they are entertained and reminded that this business of successfully educating all of the children of all of the people is only possible when the teacher is a unique blend of gentleman farmer, philosopher, humanitarian and CEO.

We are all rewarded when someone takes the time to write a intelligent and philanthropic message from the heart and this is what Allen Powell has done.

Myra C. Reynolds, Educator

Allen Powell's "The Hog Farm Chronicles" is without a doubt the most humorous and entertaining book I've read in many, many years. It is a "must read" for anyone ever involved in working with young people, particularly in education. BE WARNED: You'll laugh until you cry . . . I did and ruined a new pair of contacts.

Really good biography, hard to put down, would highly recommend. A couple of thoughts on finishing (first I would like to mention almost didn't get this book because of the Amazon description, it gave me an idea of a book of charts, it is not. The chapters are headed up by years - 1966, 1967 etc. and is a normal biography) is that condensing the book to a few chapters after 1970 would have avoided a lot of repetition. In his later years it's mostly about traveling and giving readings and Peter's crazy antics and boys. (After reading yet another lament by Allen about growing old by himself I couldn't help thinking a problem could be that he only seemed to be attracted to heterosexual male teenagers that inevitable left him for girlfriends.)

Two other biography's I recently finished was the very good Literary Outlaw about Burroughs the work of art Memory Babe about Kerouac, and while I am hooked on their books and think that they are our most important and influential post WW2 writers, they are still, even with fame, to borrow a title from Kerouac, the subterraneans. A fascinating cast of drug addicts, alcoholics, murderers (Carr and Burroughs), criminals, thieves, bisexuals, homosexuals, a few heterosexuals, and some truly, clinically insane people.

- also, Ginsberg would be pleased to know that there is something to shock nearly everyone in the book. I for one did not feel comfortable with the seduction by Ginsberg of hundreds? of boys while he was an unpaid teacher at the Narobi? institute. I guess because this was a tantric institution it was accepted since teacher/student flings seemed to be going on with not just Allen (in the book a scandal is reported when the then leader of the college was found to be having numerous affairs with students even though he knew he was HIV positive.) Also Allen's unwavering support of NAMBA, yuck

Bill Morgan's new book about the poet Allen Ginsberg, "I Celebrate Myself", rates at the top of my favorites list. I was immediately captivated when I read in the Introduction about an incident where Ginsberg saw a poor woman who was about to be attacked by an angry dog.Ginsberg went to her and asked,"Would you like a fig newton?" From then on I couldn't stop reading.
The book is full of many interesting facts about Ginsberg's life and poetry.His writings represent the turbulence of the cultural revolution of the time and this book is a wonderful testament to this eccentric and unique writer's talent. I applaud and congratulate Bill Morgan for his superb book.

There are now many biographies of Allen Ginsberg. Shumacher's Dharma Lion stands out as a particular favorite, and the book-length poem by Ed Sanders is not to be overlooked. Most take a bird's-eye view of this poet and his life. Because of his long personal relationship with Ginsberg as his archivist and bibliographer, Morgan stood closer to his subject, both personally and through his access to the prolific journals Ginsberg diligently kept from the age of eleven to the end of his life, than any previous biographer has, or any future biographer is likely to.

The result is a biography whose intimacy and authority are unparalleled. For or some at least, this will be a decidedly mixed blessing. Those with a strong aversion to sexual revelation and description will be distracted if not put off, for Ginsberg was possessed of a ruthless, at times self-defeating, candor in all matters sexual, as readers familiar with his poetry will know. But, as Morgan shows, he was equally candid in all other areas of his life and feeling.

He was also deeply flawed, persistently naive and hopeful about the numerous lifelong friends he made in his days at Columbia and shortly thereafter: Kerouac, a drunk Republican mama's-boy and anti-semite, whose friendship Ginsberg treasured and whose work he championed to long after Kerouac's death; Huncke, who mooched and stole from him repeatedly; Burroughs, who, for a time lusted after him, but at others was inaccessible and gratuitously mean to Ginsberg's life partner, Peter Orlovsky; Cassady, an insatiable womanizer and artful dodger, or worse; Corso, who embarrassed and abused him often; and Orlovsky himself, heterosexual, chronically unstable and addicted to alcohol and amphetamines, and not infrequently interpersonally and physically destructive. To all of these, and to scores if not hundreds of others, Ginsberg's loyalty, generosity, and his efforts to support them financially and promote their work and enhance their lives never wavered. In his close personal relationships, Ginsberg could be, and often was, a fool, but he was not a fair-weather friend. Among the flaws that Morgan addresses and clarifies was Ginsberg's peculiar and persistent blind spot for women, their strengths, virtues, and talents. Even those close to him, not rarely in love with him, could in important ways escape his notice.

In fairly documenting his flaws, however, Morgan's treatment does not throw Ginsberg's virtues into shadow. His intense interest in all things human, his passionate commitment to free speech and unfettered thought and social justice and, some will be surprised, his patriotism, all come through. But what comes through most powerfully is the loving pains he took to care for others, more often than not one-at-a-time. Undivided attention, a meal, a place to stay, the reading of a poet's work brought to him for comment, his personal responses to virtually all the letters sent to him, from friend and stranger alike; Ginsberg cared and gave.

Until the last very few years of his life, and despite the popularity of his books, readings, and recordings, Ginsberg was chronically close to poverty, on many occasions simply broke, and sometimes temporarily stranded. Even when his income was nominally adequate, he bought his clothing in second-hand stores, rescued his friends again and again and again, and made up the difference. As he supported his friends, sometimes over many years, he supported numerous younger poets and writers, as well as working tirelessly to benefit the many causes, programs, and institutions he cared about; he gave and gave and gave.

In the end, Morgan's biography, its chapters proceeding year by year, covers the life of a great poet who was not less a man of truly heroic love and candor, a flawed human being who can stand as a model and a beacon for that which is most tender and dear in each of us.

Its obvious that Bill Morgan had access to alot of primary materials in writing this biography of Allen Ginsberg, which is clearly a labor of love for the author. And rightly so. Ginsberg's humanity shines thru on these pages - generosity, kindness, creativity, eccentricity, but mostly a dedication to live fully and richly without excuse.

I didnt know much of Ginsberg before I read the book; he seemed at best a minor talent in a discipline I knew little about, at worst a mentally ill crank. But Morgan's book drew me in deeper and deeper, and I soon saw the genius of Ginsberg, a genuis manifested in both his art and his life, which I assume Ginsberg would say were one and the same. In this age of greedy hucksters passing as 'artists', Ginsberg was the real deal. A fascinating human being in the best sense of the word.

Thank you Mr Morgan for such a labor of love.

I highly recommend Bill Morgan's "I Celebrate Myself", a biography of the late poet, Allen Ginsberg, a "Beat Generation" writer. Bill Morgan allows the reader to understand and appreciate, in such an interesting narrative, Ginsberg's unique style of poetry. I was truly captivated by this poet's life and work that the book seemed to be much shorter than it actually was. In addition to the title "I Celebrate Myself" from Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass," I especially enjoyed Bill Morgan's innovative approach of describing occurrences in Ginsberg's personal life that influenced his writing by placing in the margins of the book, the titles of the poems that Ginsberg was writing at the time. This creates for the reader an immediate interest and desire to read Ginsberg's poetry. "I Celebrate Myself" was a joy and adventure to read, and I learned so much about this sensitive, brilliant, and compassionate poet of the twentieth century. Fascinating Book!!

I enjoyed this book immensely, but probably for the wrong reasons. The book is a bit chewy in places, but stick with it, as it's surprisingly enjoyable on it's own merits. On a more selfish, sadistic note, I had been mecilessly bludgeoned on a regulary basis by a work colleague, a second generation descendant of the Emerald Isle, with tales of Celtic martyrdom and Anglo tyranny, and none of which I felt I had the right to dispute. Then I read the book. After ten minutes of lively debate, challenging all he knew as 'fact', he has not spoken to me since. No-one had ever shut him up before. Heaven. But back to the point, I found this to be a rather good read.

Baby Cromwell, Nottingham, England

R. F. "Roy" Foster author of 'W. B. Yeats: The Apprentice Mage,' 'Charles Stewart Parnell: The Man and His Family' and 'Modern Ireland,' has written this experience and interpetation into Irish history and literature. He does a fine job of it. His bravery in massacring every sacred Irish cow as one would have fun reading it. It leaves you with a warm, passionate, giggly feeling. It's entertainingly brilliant look at the past and present Ireland. I particularly love the chapters and passages on Theme-parks & Histories (with some warning from Foster on expliotation); the chapters on Yeats; When the Newspapers Have Forgotten Me: Yeats, Obituarists and Irishness; Selling Irish Childhoods: Frank McCourt & Gerry Adams; and, Remembering 1798. They're totally smothered in clichés and lots of traditional tidbits of fond or fatal memories, known to some as the Irish experience.

Foster cleverly works moments of Ireland's past into narratives of Irish culture on myth, folklore, ghost stories and romance. The result is from a varied interpetation of opinionated and right down funny interlinking essays. In Theme-parks and Histories-Foster writes of the Irish are to remember or commemorate anything. It is worth remembering the upward curve of Irish cultural achievement-referring to W. B. Yeats, Hugh Leonard, Ezra Pound, Cashel Heritage Society and the 2,000-acre Famine Theme Park in Knockfierna Hill west of Limerick. Irish history, the most distinctive achievement for it. His suggestion to form a monument to Amnesia and forget where they put it. As a historian he would be shocked, but as an Irishman he would be attracted to the idea. Foster shows no mercy on his view of manipulating Irish history on political places and Irish poverty and oppression as a commerically packaged heritage park. His exploration of Yeats' authority of the Irish story's fitting moments as the voice of his Ireland countrymen.

Foster leaves teeth-marked criticism of Frank McCourt (Angela's Ashes) and Gerry Adams and their devil may care attittude of taking hostages for fortune. Transcending into the bestsellerdom of Irish childhoods. Simply a technique of marketing where Irish version brag and whimper about the woes of their early years' experience. I find this to be an entertaining reading. In some places a bit wordy, but good telling of Irish culture. You may hate or love it. But, if your interest is in Irish history and literature it's quite essential.

Irish people of all persuasions and in all walks of life have developed a talent for building up a national history to their liking and drawing conclusions from it. Roy Foster's essays are about some of the ways in which Ireland's history has been interpreted, embroidered, exploited and packaged. I think everyone will agree there are cogent reasons for preserving the distinction between history and "national fiction". Ultimately, poor history makes poor propaganda, and propaganda in any case is a shabby use to put something as precious as a nation's history. This book is essential reading for people with an interest in Ireland. (I also recommend strongly the same author's earlier "Modern Ireland 1600-1972".)

This book ought to be on the shelf of anyone with an interest in Irish history. Foster has done an excellent job at making his points about the various 'uses' that history in Ireland has been employed for. From downright propaganda to 'memoirs' masquerading as vague truths he unleashes the power of clear thinking and valid sources. For so long Irish history has been treated as 'story' and this book attempts and succeeds in telling the difference. It is so refreshing to see something sensible in print! It is a great source book or reference and could also be read by delving into the different subjects in the index. I would recommend this for all who are involved in getting to know the real history of Ireland and the Irish and how some Irish 'history' came to be written in the first place.

Porter's tongue-in-cheek treatment of the marketing of Ireland is refreshing after an avalanche of Irish hype came from unscrupulous little publishers.The Disneynification of Ireland ,apparently propelled by American ad agencies for the Irish Tourist Board,is treated by Porter correctly as hype to snare innocent Irish-Americans.Porter gets almost every hilarious Irish twist of recent decades in this collection of exposes, including the hilarious, almost unbelievable marketing of the potato famine in Disney-like theme parks.Unfortunately, he closed his collection of revionist chapters without pointing to the biggest Irish hype of all -the invention and collapse of " The Celtic Tiger", based on runaway inflation and a Dublin stock market bubble that aped the rise and fall of America's Nasdaq.Foster's book is a must if you wish a clearer view of the Irish .

This book is so cute! Great reading. I highly recommend it

Joyce Cool was my fifth grade teacher, and I loved her. She signed a copy of this book for me, and it's one of my most prized posessions. There is one difficulty with this book, and that is that one of the main characters, Courtney, refers to herself as an "outcast," which doesn't make any sense in the context of the book. Miss Cool tol me that she had originally used the word "hippie," but the publishers made her change it because they didn't think kids would know what a "hippie" is. When she was my teacher, in 1986, she was working on a second book about a girl named T.J. (Twilight July), the daughter of famous hippie parents struggling with her parents' notoriety whily she attempts to be a normal kid in summer camp. I'm not sure if this book was ever published.

I read this book years ago, and I can remember laughing until my sides hurt! I even lent it to my mother, who enjoyed it just as much - until she lost the book halfway through the story. :( Even now, she'll occasionally mention it - "Whatever happened to that children's book, the one about 'What's-Her-Name' and the girl who never changed her shirt? I never did get to read the ending..."! This one is far too funny to remain out-of-print - today's kids (and my mother!) are missing out on a great book!

The Kidnapping of Courtney Van Allen and What's Her Name tells the story of a girl named Jan who visits her aunt Harry in New York City. While in New York she also meets Coutrney Van Allen, the daughter of a popular TV actress and politician. They are both kidnapped one night by Courtney's mean-spirited nanny and her odd boyfriend who is also Coutrney's psychiatrist. They are taken to an abandoned island where they are joined with the doc's eccentric mother who was once a movie star from the 20s and 30s. Jane and Coutrney launch an escape that almost costs them their lives but gets them home. Besides being hilarious it tells a story of friendship, trust and loyalty. Recommend it to anyone over 11.

This book is an unusual and fun account of the kidnapping of "what's her name" (Jan) and her famous friend, Courtney. The two girls meet in New York while Jan is visiting her eccentric Aunt Harry. Jan becomes the unwitting victim in a plan-gone-wrong to kidnap Courtney, daughter of a senator and celebrated actress. The girls are brought to Long Island where they try to piece together the missing puzzles of their kidnapping and plan an escape. Humour and warmth are sure to follow the reader the entire way with a plot rich in originality and realistic, likable characters! Eventhough this book is out-of-print, it is worth the trouble of getting a copy!