Beck Books

It is a very interesting tale. I was surprised and disappointed in the ending, though. However, I really did enjoy reading the book. I am anxious to reat "The Altruist" about Mary McGreevy's grandaughter.

This is an charming tale about the title character, who leaves the convent and takes over the running of a farm left by her late father. The characters are an eccentric group, each with their own idiosyncracies. Outside of marriage, Mary becomes intentionally pregnant, with no desire for a husband. The main story line stems from the townspeople's natural desire to know who the father is, and the ensuing gossip and irrational behaviors that will accompany emotion.
Unfortunately, the characters largely are too: good, forgiving, generous, honest, hateful, selfish, etc. Frequent marriage proposals fly without benefit of courting, forgiveness comes without a description of the angst of deep hurt, men are driven easily to distraction by the sight of a pretty ankle or the vision of a mother nursing her baby. In a day when the Catholic church is in such turmoil, the book stirs up more questions than answers. Some may see this as the mark of a good tale. Rather, I find little empathy for the main character who is made to capture the reader's heart, all the while causing much pain in her small Irish town.

This is an charming tale about the title character, who leaves the convent and takes over the running of a farm left by her late father. The characters are an eccentric group, each with their own idiosyncracies. Outside of marriage, Mary becomes intentionally pregnant, with no desire for a husband. The main story line stems from the townspeople's natural desire to know who the father is, and the ensuing gossip and irrational behaviors that will accompany emotion.
Unfortunately, the characters largely are too: good, forgiving, generous, honest, hateful, selfish, etc. Frequent marriage proposals fly without benefit of courting, forgiveness comes without a description of the angst of deep hurt, men are driven easily to distraction by the sight of a pretty ankle or the vision of a mother nursing her baby. In a day when the Catholic church is in such turmoil, the book stirs up more questions than answers. Some may see this as the mark of a good tale. Rather, I find little empathy for the main character who is made to capture the reader's heart, all the while causing much pain in her small Irish town.

Let me state first of all that this novel was a good read - I wouldn't put it in the same class as some other Irish writers I admire (such as William Trevor and Sebastian Barry), but Keady seems to have a knack for a good, interesting story, peopled with an array of (mostly) likeable, idiosyncratic characters. The questions that naturally arise from the storyline - a nun leaving her convent and giving up her vows to take over the farm left to her by her recently-deceased father, then intentionally getting pregnant out of wedlock, with no intention of getting married - are important and valid ones. Set in 1950, in rural Ireland, one doesn't have to imagine very far to understand that the Church frowned mightily at such goings-on - and even within the Church itself, the reactions to Mary McGreevy's 'scandalous' behavior vary a great deal. Some of the Clergy are sympathetic and understanding - some are livid and vindictive.

The character of Mary herself is an admirable one - many years ahead of her time, so to speak. She's a strong-willed, intelligent woman, bound and determined to do everything her own way. She's also possessed of a kind heart - and those of her neighbors who can see past her non-traditional path to motherhood recognize her as a good person, and do their best to be her friend. Again, given the time and place, that's not always easy to do.

Keady draws the characters well, but after a while, their 'Irishness' seems to be laid on a little thick - and the story, as heartwarming and thought-provoking as it is, tends to run in a rut as predictable as you might find in a rural Irish lane. Maybe I just 'got lucky', but I saw the revelation at the end coming a mile away. These are admittedly relatively minor complaints - and they certainly won't keep me from recommending this novel. Try it - I'll wager you'll find yourself smiling a good bit of the while...

After reading the terrific review here by "a top 10 reviewer",I find that there is not much more to be said about this charming book.

But I will try....

Mary McGreevy upsets the proverbial apple cart when she returns to her Irish village in the 50s and withdraws from the convent where she has been for many years. Soon she is further scandalizing the town by becoming pregnant (was it a coincidence that Keady named this character "Mary"?) without the benefit of marriage.

Much of the rest of the book involves the efforts of the townsfolk to discover who is the father. There are several suspects and Keady made me fel like I knew each of them very well, but not well enough to figure out who the father was!

To the author's credit, although he raises many questions about the Catholic faith and its doctrines, he never makes fun of it. Nor does he make caricatures of its practitioners or its priests.

Glad I read this book....in addition to being Mary's story, it was a charming depiction of Irish village life 50 years ago.

The novel 'Butterfield 8' is nothing like its film adaptation. The book is a rather gritty account of a confused and trashy socialite who has a fling with a wealthy man which, ultimately, brings them both down. The story itself doesn't cover new ground, and the characterizations, while realistic, are not particularly engaging (or likable). However I found the realism of the dialogue and the capturing of the essence of New York City during the early Depression years to be utterly fascinating. I got far more out of it than any sort of movie during that era could deliver. For example, the entire underworld of speakeasies and how they operate is something rarely told about. But in 'Butterfield 8' the author goes into expert detail whilst combing it into the narrative.


Bottom line: forget the story, read it for the historical perspective

Forget the candy-colored 60's film with Elizabeth Taylor and Lawrence Harvey entirely -- this novel positively exhales the smoky, bathtub ginny black-and-white breath of the 30's. This is a gritty slice of The Depression, micro and macro, as lived by a little group of formerly comfortably well-off New Yorkers involved with an unfortunate girl named Gloria Wandrous. Too young to have been a flapper, Gloria has spent nearly every waking and sleeping hour of her teens in speakeasies, getting drunk and sleeping with men old enough to be her father. The sad tragectory of the sexually abused is detailed here, as the 12 year old Gloria is obscurely molested by a family friend, then seduced at 15 by an ether-sniffing school teacher. The novel begins with Gloria waking in a man's apartment after having been practically raped by him the night before. Her dress is torn, and she takes a fur coat from his wife's closet to wear home. She also takes the money he leaves her (while Elizabeth Taylor proudly wrote "No Sale" in lipstick on the mirror, yeah, sure). She buys a bottle of booze to share with her friend Eddie, a former rich college boy whom she met when he was working as an elevator operator in a whorehouse. Fear of venereal disease enables him to remain "just friends" with the lovely Gloria, while the dress-render, a sour rich middle-aged serial adulterer who gets frequent check-ups from his doctor, becomes obsessed. He follows Gloria to a speakeasy, where they swap some shrug-shouldered 30's slang, get drunk, and end up in a screaming fight. Of course, it's true love. Believe me this all does not end well. It's interesting enough as a literary artifact of the times, but I found these people unpleasant and kind of stupid, in spite of the earnest breeziness John O'Hara's writing. Fran Leibowitz's foreward calls it a "guy's book" and it's true. Gloria's psychic wounds are vivid, yet the rest of her life is poorly realized. She exists as a sad example of something, not as a whole person, and that's a drag. On second thought, maybe I'd rather watch the movie.

Of course, John O'Hara did not picture Liz Taylor in 1935 as Gloria in the Butterfield 8 movie, the wild young lady in Depression America, but certainly someone like her, intense, stylish, bosomy and oh-so-clever with men.

But, then, Gloria had been molested, and carefully taught, and O'Hara must have known a few these girls back when he was 29 and starting out with his writing, his cataloguing, of facts, steamships, cabbies, bars, bar stools and men hang-dogging around, stifled by marriage, and almost as angry as Bill Maher now, in one of his stand-up harrangues against the cages we call marriage in 2008.

And O'Hara saw it all, the dalliances, the provocative banter, the mink coats, the anger and revenge, and more.

But accidental death catches up to many, particularly those who imbibe too much, love too much, and expect a happy ending in their lives, when "whoof" it's gone totally.

But who speaks up for those wives who trap husbands so unsuitable for much, and who braves the rancid air of speakeasies to "shoosh" these erring men home to wives who sit or nap or practice their bridge games?

Who, indeed, but John O'Hara, himself coming home from a roaring drunk to insult his wife and have another drink.

I can't add much to the wonderful customer reviews that come before mine, except to say that I highly recommend this riveting book. I just reread my copy (I first read it when I was 16 [!] and I'm 56 now) and my life experiences have tremendously enhanced my appreciation for the work of that brilliant word-spinner, John O'Hara. Forget the Oscar-winning Elizabeth Taylor movie, which was not filmed as a period piece, but in contemporary 1960 surroundings. This book simply reeks of 1930s New York atmosphere (not that I was there, but I'm a native New Yorker) and the movie makers did the novel a disservice by not retaining the speakeasy flavor of the original. If you're thinking about buying this book, do so immediately; it's a real treat!

Those who have found John O'Hara through "Appointment in Samarra" and simply felt in love with his work -- just like me -- won't be disappointed with his "BUtterfield 8". This time around, this magnificent writer touches the same issues of this debut but from another focus. And this time the protagonist is a girl, Gloria Wandrous.

"BUtterfield 8" was inspired by a real incident. The body of a beautiful and young woman was found in a Long Island beach. Nobody ever knew whether this was an accident, a murder or a suicide. O'Hara ignites from this news to tell this story of a girl who leads an erratic life filled with booze, love and fun. Gloria is this young woman. The writer unveils her existence from the beginning.

In the first paragraphs we meet Gloria in the apartment of a `strange' men -- strange meaning she doesn't know a lot of him. She is alone there and has time to walk around and examine his house. While she does it, O'Hara smartly introduces to his reader not only Gloria but also the apartment's owner, Liggett, is discovered. As the text moves, we can learn about the couple and what had happened that led them to this morning. As Gloria leaves his apartment, she takes something with her. This item will be in the center of the action until the end of the novel.

In the next few paragraphs, O'Hara introduces a couple of characters that however not important to the central narrative, they make an appealing and large mural of the middle upper class in New York City in the 30s. His descriptions are full of life and energy. The form one character run into each other is casual and smart.

As the narrative moves forward, we learn more about Gloria and her friends. But we also discover about Liggett and his family. Nevertheless, she is the main character and the one who has more background. The use of flashbacks is quite useful to show what lead Gloria to become what she is. At the same time, O'Hara doesn't `psychologize' his character. He doesn't try to find psychotic explanations to who she is. Neither social reason is brought up. Gloria is what she is -- period.

This device enhances the narrative, and brings the character closer to the reader. Gloria and her friends -- and lovers, as well -- are regular human beings, leading a complex existence, just like everyone else. This is exactly what O'Hara did in his "Appointment in Samarra", bring to real existence people that in the hand of lesser talented writers would like just like book characters.

Their dramas, fears, anxieties and joys are just like everybody else's. The fact that they have a `different' life is just a detail. O'Hara's creation moves in a real world, what he does is to show them to us. Judging these people or not is up to any reader -- not to the writer.

These stories are delightful in their quirky, darkly adventurous meanderings. A root beer river, a topsy turvy land where people live upside down, a king who loses his head and a nasty witch outwitted by a beautiful young princess? What child (or adult) wouldn't be drawn into the magical (truly!) land of Mo? I read and reread these stories when I was little, amazed by the wildly imaginative characters and playful settings. I'm surprised the previous reviewer had such a disappointing encounter with this childhood favorite of mine. I would strongly recommend it. I can't, however, attest to the quality of this particular edition as I own an older one.

First off, let me say that I love the stories in this book; I read it for the first time many years ago. However, I just ordered this edition (Dodo Press), and the printing is terrible. The illustrations look like they are 3rd or 4th generation: very blurry. I appreciate that Dodo is trying to make books available that would not otherwise be available, but it really looks no better than if I typed the book, copied the PDF files of the illustrations, and slapped a cover on it. I returned my copy and bought the Dover edition (which was also cheaper).

After having read Sea Fairies. Queen Zixi and Sky Island (all aloud to my 8-year old daughter) I was at first disappointed that this was a collection of often silly - and punny - short stories. I expected a narrative that we could look forward to advancing as the nights continued.

My daughter really enjoyed it. She got caught up in the fantastic, somewhat cartoonish world ... and I found myself wondering what the next surprise might be.

Why did I give it 5 stars when the Oz books, Sky Island, and Island of Yew are clearly better? Not by comparison to those books, but by comparison to the rehashed drivel you find at your bookstore.

Monarch of Mo is fun, reads aloud nicely, and has more depth and innovation than almost everything you will find elsewhere.

Watch your kid(s)' eyes as you read it. They can see this land and the stories unfold.

P.S. No, I am not related. Wish I were.

This is one of L. Frank Baum's earliest works. It's writing predate that of the WIZARD OF OZ but it was published the same year. It is not as polished a work but it is just as imaginative.

Mo is a kingdom near Oz. It is a happy place ruled by a happy king. It is full of magic features like root beer rivers and custard ponds. Every now and then, some minor trouble arises to keep things interesting. These involve wizards, dragons and rival kings. This book is a collection of short stories about some of these minor mishaps. They are all loosely related but each can be read without any of the others.

The stories are on a more juvenile level than the Oz stories but that does not keep them from being of interest. Baum indulges in his love of the ludicrous and for plays on words with great abandon all through the work.

It will most likely appeal to serious Oz fanatics and very young children.

The 1899 publication of A NEW WONDERLAND was almost immediately routed by the 1900 publication of THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ--and so L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) re-wrote the book, which was re-published in 1903 as THE MAGICAL MONARCH OF MO. The book has no central plot; it is instead a collection of short stories about the Land of Mo, where almost everything is edible.

Needless to say, The Monarch of Mo figures in many of these tales. His head is bitten off by a purple dragon, he is pushed down into a hole by a naughty son, and he is forced to sort out the truth of various claims on several occasions. But the stories also encompass his various sons and daughters, such as the ill-tempered Princess Pattycake, who is wooed by the commoner Timtom, and the beautiful Princess Truella, whose big toe is stolen by an evil wizard for use in a magic potion. Other characters include the wise donkey, the three foolish wise men, a vicious gigaboo, the clever Prince Thinkabit, and many others. It is all very imaginative and very charming in a period sort of way.

Baum's novels tend to bleed over into each other, and readers will enjoy encountering such characters as an iron man and a talking hen, both of which would undergo adaptation and emerge in OZ stories as Tik-Tok and Billina, but parents who wish to read the stories aloud to children should be slightly forewarned. In some respects Baum was a naive man, and he seemed to have a talent for turning a phrase he considered harmless but which startles others. In MO the faux pas occurs in Chapter Twelve, wherein Prince Zingle is wafted by kite to a monkey kingdom and locked up in a zoo. After some consideration a monkey professor announces "I shall write an article on the creature and claim he is a Homo, and without doubt the paper will create a stir in the scientific world." No doubt, indeed!

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

this is awesome! lots of examples with some comments of each single work and all colors. I wanna check next 10 x 10 series.

Im an architecture student at the University of Florida and this book, including 10x10_2 are a must have. They help to see many different types/styles of Architecture and also help in learning Arch. photography and how to capture that perfect shot, along with how to compose images/drawings of projects for presentation purposes. The book definetly puts you in the mood to design, even after many sleepless nights in studio, working on projects. Its also a good convo. starter if sitting on a coffee table.

The book itself is great; full of inspiration for an architecture student like myself. Great glossy photos, short bits of writing for each architect, basically just what I was looking for. However. And this is a big However. The binding will literally become completely detached after looking at half a dozen pages. I just took the binding right off, cut off the front and back pages, and glued them to the adjacent pages, and its somewhat been working by being held together with the binding string. Seriously, come up with a better binding for this great book.

This book is an awesome tool for any architecture student, it provides an insight into what is possible if we push the boundaries of design.
It has been a great resource for me and many of my peers during my architectural studies.
Can't wait to pick up the new book 10x10-2
I only hope it provides me with as much reading pleasure as the first.
If you have a family member or friend about to start studying architecture or who has a keen interest in architecture, buying this book as a gift will most certainly whet their appetite for the field.

I paged through this book literally twice after removing it from its packaging before the binding entirely separated from the pages. The cover of mine is now completely off the book, the "glue" that Phaidon used having completely failed to keep it together. This isn't an isolated incident either; several of my friends in possession of the same book have had the exact same problems. Even the copy on special reserve in my school's architecture library is experiancing problems of this sort. Above and beyond the binding issues, the actual design of the pages is very poorly thought out. As a previous reviewer mentioned, the captions of the pictures are oriented vertically within pages so chock-full of pictures it is hard to discern what one is looking at or for. The book's final offense is the essays in the back, which are printed on orange paper with black lettering, making them almost impossible to read. This book, while the content may be ok, is so poorly thought out that it warrants a second thought before purchase.

Ok I have read some of the reviews and who ever said that every book that comes from this author must be a wonderful romance. I agree however that it is slow at first as we are getting to know some of these new characters that we have never met.

Background as the first 3 books are focused on a group of friends in New York City and how their lives inner twine together we see a new group in this book.

Derek is the main character in this book. Derek is a "Kept boy" by his rich lover. Derek sets out to make a life for himself by getting a job at The Mall of The Universe. We get to see Derek make friends and have sometime very funny adventures. Derek also has to struggle with understanding how much he truly loves his boyfriend and just wants to feel his mans arms around him. We get to see this young man grow during the course of this book. Much like we did with several of the characters in the first three books.

I do recommend that fans of the book series read this in order. Why you ask? I am so glad you did. The author is so smart to bring in Shelia from the New York group to tie the story together. Also characters from this book start showing up in book 5.

Over all if you love the book series I would strongly recommend this book and author. Trust me Timothy James Beck is on the top of my favorite author list.

If you are in the retail business you will love this book. Many of the references are so true

I previously read "He's The One" by TJB and thoroughly enjoyed it. This one really didn't do much for me. An interesting cast of characters in a storyline that really didn't go anywhere. The fact that there wasn't a whole lot of sex was refreshing for a title of this genre. The big caper, a character (the boss of our cast of characters who work in a department store) who collects Dolly Parton dolls and doesn't want anyone to know about her passion, has her dolls held for ransom by her employees. (I mean really, it bordered on the ridiculous). I would be willing to read another one of this author's titles, but if it is not better then this one I'll have to say good-bye to TJB.

It is pure escapisem which I enjoy a great deal. I have read the previous three books by Timothy James Beck. I am glad to find an author who is able to write gay romatic comedys without lots of "porn".

Beck, Timothy James. "Someone Like You", Kensington Books, 2007.

A Great Read


Amos Lassen and Literary Pride

Timothy James Beck's "Someone Like You" is one of the best reads I have had in quite a while. It starts very quietly but it builds slowly along the way and ends with a bang. As I learned of the characters and their quirks, I felt like I had a whole group of new friends.
The setting is fictional. The novel takes place in Terre Haute, Indiana at a place called The Mall of the Universe, a tremendous shopping center that has everything one needs to maintain an existence. The entire mall is referred to in astronomy related terms and has aside from the shops condos, apartments, restaurants, skating rink and of course a planetarium among other things. Our hero, Derek, is in love with the man he has dreamt about, Hunter (who happens to be the son of a very wealthy man). Hunter's father owns an international chain of stores and Hunter, himself, is the manager of the hotel at the mall so he has a great live in arrangement. They two guys are in love but Derek sometimes feel that he is related to as a "kept boy." This causes him to question his self-esteem. Derek, feeling motivated to build his self-esteem, takes a job at Drayden's, a department store, and works as a shoe sales clerk. Hunter misinterprets Derek's decision and thinks he is simply in need of some more space.
The cast of characters is simply amazing and Beck's ability to draw character studies is fantastic. The group of characters presented includes several unforgettable types. Aside from Derek who strives for independence (so he thinks), there are several others worth mentioning. Vienna is a beautiful girl who has made up her mind never to be dependent on a man ever gain. Claiming not to want to get involved with another man, she is constantly eyeing others while selling makeup at the mall. Davii is a hairdresser at CosmicTology and is as quick with the jokes as he is with the styling brush. Nursing a secret crush on Derek, all Davii wants is a stable relationship. Christian is a smooth talker and has people eating out of the palms of his hand with his unique charm. And there is Hunter who sits and waits for Derek to come around, all the while nursing the silver spoon in his mouth.
These four unforgettable characters are unaware that what they are looking for is right under their noses and here is the gist of the novel. It is a fun book to read and terrifically engrossing Romanic comedy.

I find it stunning that a black pimp (the author, Iceberg Slim)can take you inside the mind of a racially-mixed con man (protagonist, White Folks) in a time period where race where was a central issue of daily life. There is such an authentic feel to this book that it's hard to believe it's fiction. If you've never read Iceberg Slim before, prepare yourself for an up-close look at a world that most people don't even know exists. Urban culture as popularized by music and movies today has never been as glamorous as Snoop Dogg would have you to believe it is.

The fact that Iceberg Slim never enters popular lists of great American authors like Twain and Hemmingway is a shame. He's truly extraordinary. This book, as well as other Iceberg Slim novels, takes a look at the true feelings and struggles of the urban underworld. I would NOT recommend this book to readers under fourteen years of age.

-alan

THIS BOOK WAS GOOD ONCE IT FINALLY GOT TO THE POINT! THE BOOK WAS A SLOW DRAG THAT MADE YOU WONDER IF IT WAS EVER GOING TO COME TO AN END. I FELT KIND OF SORRY FOR WHITE FOLKS. HE WENT THROUGH ALOT BUT NEVER GAVE UP. I WILL READ ANOTHER ONE OF THE AUTHOR BOOKS BUT IF THE BOOK IS A SLOW AS THIS ONE WAS, I WILL BE DONE READING BOOKS BY HIM! I WANTED TO LIKE THIS BOOK SINCE HE INSPIRED 1 OF MY FAVORITE AUTHORS TO WRITE (DONALD GOINES). WHAT'S FUNNY IS THAT HE INSPIRED DONALD GOINES AND TURNS OUT DONALD GOINES IS BETTER! THIS BOOK WAS JUST TOOOOOOO SLOW!

In this story we get to see Johnny O'Brien grow up to a teen with his black mother named Phala. His father is white and was not around to raise him. Johnny looks white but is raised in a ghetto type neighborhood. When he is a teen his mother is gang raped and put into a mental institute. This is where the story really begins, when Johnny meets a guy street named "Blue" because of his dark skin. He takes Johnny under his wing as a partner in the con game and teaches it to Johnny. Blue street names Johnny "White Folks". Blue's whole life is "Con" and he believes that with a black partner who looks white he will be able to run the con on a larger group of people. Which turns out to be true, I had a good time reading about the different ways that they conned people and all their trials along the way. The book is comical in some parts. Blue really takes on a fatherly role for "White Folks" as his relationship with his lesbian daughter is not as close as he would like. I liked being taken to a whole different world while reading this book. Late 50's early 60's. The way they talked the slang and the price's of things - I really loved this book. White Folks and Blue go through a lot of drama - that they bring on themselves. I do recommend this book. I am looking forward to reading the sequel "Long White Con"

...Equipped with a slang term dictionary, this book has me spoiled.

It was good to take a break from the... "Sister-Sister-Fan-Me-At-The-Mall-Dissappearing-Blues-Aint-Like-Mine-Acts" sagas...
Truly poetry in motion as Ice Berg took me through the slums and gutter of the con game.

I truly fell in love with all "Trick Baby" characters as I learned more and more about concentrated 'White is Right' and Blue-Black phrases with no in betweens, amazingly how it applies to my world today, and frankly how somethings never changes.

This book is humorous and truly a gem. When it came to a close, I couldn't put it down, in awe that it was over, fiending for the next Robert Beck novel. So sorry I'd waited so long to get access to the spoken word of Iceberg.

-Sadgyrl
03/12/02

I loved reading Trick Baby. I read it within 24 hours, so whoever said it is slow I would have to disagree with. But let me warn you, it was a very, very depressing story. Do not buy this book unless you are prepared to have your heart ripped out! I won't give you a plot summary, but this is a story that deals with issues of love, lonliness and deciet. There are two types of people in the world: those who con and those who get conned. Overall, the book is bleak (antithesis of heart-warming) but very enlightening and entertaining. I would profoundly affected. Highly recommended.

Thank you Thank you Thank you, Kids Can Press and The Beck Sisters. Not since the Brothers Grimm have I seen such talented siblings. What a wonderful time we live in. That there is so much variety to offer readers that no one is left out. This book epitomizes the boiled down essence that the story of a picture book should offer. It's not intended for smaller children but I think it can work well anyways because an animated reader would have a great time living this dog's fantasy out loud. And kids love love love this stuff! This also challenges older readers to use the music of language. It begs "grown-ups" to tone down their poliitical censorship, stop judging, have some fun, lighten up and listen. And I know the kids and I are hungry for more.

Brings back childhood memories of being read fairytales about gruesome, gobbly characters which made me giggle with delight. This story is not only about one dog's imagination of meeting his postman but the anatomy lesson that comes with it. A daring leap from the traditional mainstream children's storybooks. An absolute treat!

Brings back childhood memories of being read fairytales about gruesome, gobbly characters which made me giggle with delight. This story is not only about a dog's desire of meeting his postman but the anatomy lesson that comes with it. A daring leap from the traditional mainstream children's storybooks. An absolute treat!

What a FANTASTIC book. Adults and children alike will love it for it's wonderful rhymes, offbeat humour and bold illustrations with an anatomy lesson thrown in for good measure. How refreshing to see an author continuing a long tradition of 'gruesome' children's poems dating back to Dr. Heinrich Hoffmann's 'Der Struwwelpeter' from 1844. Especially in these times of so called 'political correctness' and blanding down. Kids are more durable than we give them credit for and, on the whole, will find this wickedly funny gross out tale endlessly fascinating and enjoyable.
It is a sad state of affairs that this book was not to be found on the shelves of my local big brand book shop but had to be escorted from the safety of the rear stockroom so I could have a look at it. I understand the need for some censorship but is that really necessary because, lets face it, children are exposed to far worse on TV, in video games and on the internet.

As a director of a small-town library, this is one of the worst children's books I've ever come across. It is very well illustrated, but the content is abhorrent, which makes it more unfortunate. Had this book been a little less graphic, it would have been a great children's book. As is, it will encourage children predisposed to violence while sickening the others. Children who enjoy this type of book bear close scrutiny. Recommended only for bondage clubs in San Francisco and prison death rows.

I don't think I'd want to pay $80 for this book, but getting it used in paperback was well worth the investment! I'll have it as a guide for years to come. The end of chapter quizzes were very useful in test preparation, and I found the massage routines useful since I didn't learn their style in my massage schools. Could use more in terms of Ayruvedic medicine, though, since that's part of the National Exam now.

I am a massage student, finishing up a 510 hour, year long course, and I LOVE this book. I do agree with the other reviewers in that it is general with respect to some of the anatomy and physiology. However, I used it this way: First I read an A&P chapter (for example, on the Digestive System) in Milady's as a sort of introduction, then I read the corresponding chapter in my anatomy book. this sort of "tiered studying" helped me to understand the more verbose, difficult A&P info. I hope that helps someone out there.... bottom line, this book was the cornerstone of my studies!

We have been trying to use this edition in class for the past few weeks. There are some terrible typographical errors. And then there are multiple sections where they will give two different definitions for the same term on the same page. Too many of the facts listed in the A&P sections have been checked against other books only to find the Milady's is incorrect.
Not to mention that the workbook and the text book, supposedly by the same author, will have mis-matched information in different chapters. If I was able to get a refund, I would definitely be sending both of these back to Amazon. (So would my instructor and several classmates)

One thing my entire class has noticed is that there are several typographical errors in this book (and in the workbook). It provides good information, but sometimes it doesn't make sense, causing my teacher have to look it up elsewhere. Otherwise, it's a great book, very informative.

One thing my entire class has noticed is that there are several typographical errors in this book (and in the workbook). It provides good information, but sometimes it doesn't make sense, causing my teacher have to look it up elsewhere. Otherwise, it's a great book, very informative.

While this book includes common arachnids that are not truly "bugs" along with the insects, it is the one book I would want to have if I could have only one for use by non-scientists. It is engaging, good science that is written and illustrated in a way that the layman can understand, use and enjoy. A key strength, in my opinion, is that color illustrations are included on the same page as the text, making it easy to identify and associate a particular type of insect with a discussion of it. A second strength is that the multiple common names of Texas insects are included and indexed, which makes the book very easy to use.

The authors focus heavily on a completely organic approach to Texas wildlife and gardening, with a substantial amount of information about organic methods of pest management. This may be useful to the reader; however, for the reader not ready to go organic, this information does not in any way detract from the value of the book as an extremely useful guide to Texas insects.

My wife and I agree this book is worthless as a reference book, but it does have some pretty pictures. Great as a coffee table book, but you will never use it as a reference book.

This behemothian piece of excrement is a slap in the face of any ligitimate work on insects in general, or growing organic gardens specifically. The book is fraught with inaccuracies and outright misinformation. Case in point, the kissing bug did not get its name from biting people when it accidently flies into your face, it got it from its habit of biting sleeping people on the lips. This information is not critical to the book, but it exemplifies the slothful approach to gathering information the authors obviously used to write this book. The "Stories" are nothing more than opinionted drivel, although some of them are slightly humorous. The authors have no credentials in Entomology (they state that in the Introduction) and although they claim to have consulted "...many other books and research papers..." on the subject, nowhere did I find a reference to such information when something other than common fact was stated (as is necessary in REAL science books), such as aphids "...help to eliminate unfit plants." That is the single most ludicrous thing I have heard in a decade or more! Fortunately for me I didn't buy this waste of sawdust or recycled paper (whatever the case may be), but obviously some did because this "thing" is now in its fourth printing. The one good thing about this book is that the authors advocate the use non-chemical control. Believe me, save your money, you can get much better, less opinionated, advice from a simple Internet search.

I've been an organic gardener for years and this book is one of my "Bibles". You cannot maintain an organic garden or landscape without knowing the beneficial bugs from the harmful ones. My husband and I really enjoy being able to identify what's in our landscape and seeing them in action. The world around us is a remarkable, complex place and sometimes you have to look at bugs to have it really hit home. This is a great book, along with all of Howard Garrett's others.

It is important to know what bugs are beneficial and which are harmful. This book does just that! Not only does this book include many great photos, it also provides wonderful recommendations on how to manage the ones that are pests.
As for the only spiders one should be weary of in North America: the Brown Recluse and the Black Widow, this book has great photos for proper identification. Furthermore, valuable information is included on the nature of these two spiders and has great suggestions on what to do should you happen to encounter one.

A great book. It uses clear exmples to help you understand the different faces of conflict in the workplace. Kritek then gives ideas, insight, and pathways of moving beyond the conflict toward a productive workplace. It helped me greatly.

This book provides an excellent framework for for learning conflict resolution and negotiation skills. Ms. Kritek provides meaningful insights into a variety of communication strategies that are necessary in today's stressful and conflicted world.

This book is the single most helpful resource for assisting nurses to deal with interpersonal conflict that is inherent in their places of work today. It provides practical exercises interwoven with real nursing stories and occurrences that allow individuals to personalize their approaches to addressing conflict with others. It provides the reader with the opportunity to reframe conflict and conflict management in a way that allows for resolution. A great read!

Usually I read a book because I'm interested in the subject matter. Unfortunately the author seems to think that I'm reading the book because I'm interested in HER. Big difference.

Everything in this book seems to be about the author: her opinions; her stories; her realizations; her points of view. In some way, all books are a bit like this, but usually authors learn how to put themselves and their egos in the background, and write about the SUBJECT from their personal point of view. This author doesn't do that... it's about HER, and her struggles with the subject materials.

It's similar to sitting at the very back of a theatre. The folk up front are watching the show, but you are watching the audience watching the show. The back of the theatre, unfortunately, is where Ms. Kritek places us.

I had a strong sense of the author using the book as a venue for complaint, rather than an exploration of the intricate dynamics of negotiation.

This title has been replaced by a substantially revised paperback edition, published January 2002, titled Negotiating at an Uneven Table : Developing Moral Courage in Resolving Our Conflicts (ISBN: 0787959375). The new edition is available on this website.