Bennett Books

Bennett's character sketches in Talking Heads are devastating. The grown man whose safe little existence begins to unravel as he discovers his dear old mum has taken a lover, the vigilent, upright busybody who ends up in prison for invading her neighbor's privacy, the widow of "Soldiering On" whose emptiness of purpose is revealed through her inability to grieve--each uncomprehending character Bennett has created in these astonishing soliloquies is undone by his or her brave and steadfast unwillingness to acknowledge the bare-knuckled truth of human emotion.

Bennett is not cruel in revealing the weaknesses of his characters, but he is uncompromising in revealing those weaknesses. This is the Teddy Bear who brings to the picnic the sharp knives that cut through the bread and fat prepared and packaged by his companions.

Also recommended are Bennett's Writing Home, The Clothes They Stood Up In, and any and all of his other plays, particularly The Old Country; and, for those who just must have the soft and fuzzy version of the Teddy Bear, listen to Bennett's reading of Winnie the Pooh, or go see his stageplay of The Wind in the Willows.

Bennett is a masterful observer of character and the six monologues gathered in this collection all display strong characters revealled with a sharp eye and a compassionate heart. Bennett is witty and controlled in his approach, allowing his characters to reveal themselves and their foibles subtley. I find these little tales deeply moving as well as funny, despite the apparently mundane subjects he's dealing with.

I can't think of a comparison to make to illuminate his style, especially since monologue is very rarely seen these days. I can see an affinity to A. Maupin and R.Rodi in terms of waspish observations of people and their social milieu. Bennett's characters aren't blatantly queer like Maupin's or Rodi's, they're not young and tre! ndy things either, but Bennet's own sensibilites and sensitivities give queer readers pause for thought, especially about the older, isolated members of society.

He takes us right inside the heads of six very ordinary people and lays bare their lives, their self-delusions and their petty snobberies in their own words. The texts were originally written as television plays and were broadcast on the radio by the BBC too, however, they work perfectly well on the page, rather like short stories. Why not try it and see for yourselves!

In this second book of the UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL series, Cherie Bennett and Jeff Gottesfeld once again draw the reader in with such a sharp hook, that you'd be out of your mind to try to avoid the inevitable, which is to read the book. From page one you are kept in suspense about all types of medical emergencies, and it only gets better. Not only that, you are lucky enough to experience the soap opera-like drama involving relationships between Becky and Rick, Summer and Tristan, Tristan and Zoey, and Chad and Eve. The suspense that you experience in reading CONDITION CRITICAL is exhilirating, while at the same time a killer. Fans of the previous book in the series titled UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL must read this book, as it is essential in putting your mind to rest about certain situations.

Erika Sorocco

I have completely loved the first two books in the UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL series titled UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL and CONDITION CRITICAL, but I must admit that this third installment, CRISIS POINT, takes the cake as my absolute favorite. The excitement and suspense of the novel is absolutely exhilirating, and makes it hard for you to put the book down, even for a lunch break, and the suspense of Chad and Eve's relationship makes the reader root for Chad in his quest to somehow, someway tell Eve how he really feels about her. This is an absolute must-have novel for any fans of the previous UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL books. You won't be disappointed.

Erika Sorocco

This book provides a bit of warm guidance in seeking a deeper sense of Self and Awareness, to what We Are Inside.

In the passage of time, filled with the diverse and sometimes strange nature of stress and change, challenges and rewards, the divine inner quality of Life is always about, yet a bit hidden, needing only a small door to be Opened and Seen.

From the mystic soul, the ever silent wind of Grace,... there is that timeless call to stop the ignorance, quiet the mind, and Become one with the Infinite, if only for a magical second.

That is all. Be still and Behold.

From the music of Santana or Coltrane, to the smile of the Zen Master or the words of the Sages of past and present, the message is always the same.

Go Within.

Be it the towering winds of Chicago, the classes of UCLA, the villages of Europe and India, to the hills of San Francisco, to the sands of San Diego or the slopes of Sun Valley,... we merge into the river (dharma) of life, where ever we are.

Be it dance, meditation or yoga, the message is the same.

B. Bennett shows us an easy beginning to an Endless journey.

Though this is not an in depth manual for learning the physical postures, it does have some sequenced practices that can be used for different purposes (such as energizing, or tonifying etc.). Her asana practice sections are very sound incorporating dynamic movement (where you move into and out of poses several times with the breath). This stays true to her viniyoga roots (she is a student of Gary Kraftsow I believe who is the most well known teacher of Viniyoga in the west). Viniyoga is a practice taught by TKV Desikachar (which was developed by Deskachar's father T. Krishnamacharya who was also the teacher of B.K.S. Iyengar, P. Jois and others).

I particularly like her section on Pranayama. It's simple and concise and very user friendly. You can apply the techniques quite easily whereas some books on Pranayama are a bit "long winded" :)

Also, she has a section called "An Emotional Walkabout" which is a series of questions that relate to her eight limbed approach and I think it is very helpful. It helps you work through any particular situation you may be dealing with.

Basically you really look at whatever you are dealing with from various angles (there are options within each eight steps so that you can use that which is most suitable to your situation) and the purpose is that it helps you really integrate the situation in a skillful "real life" way. This may be used to come to grips with (perhaps accepting) something you are dealing with or it may be used to let go of unskillful emotions regarding something. This lets you integrate it, learn from it and move on from it.

Anyway, If you are interested in giving yourself another way of looking at the deeper practices of Yoga, then I think this would be a very worthwhile book for you. Bija Bennett definitely has a distinctive personality and perspective to this ancient practice.

Also recommended are Stephen Copes "Yoga and The Quest For The True Self" (and his companion CD's "Yoga For Emotional Flow" which are excellent), Darren John Main's "Yoga and The Path of The Urban Mystic" and Donna Farhi's "Bringing Yoga To Life". All the previous books are not on asana but rather the internal practice of Yoga.

Namaste

As "Assistance" and "Service" animals are becoming increasingly visible in the community, a heightened sense of public awareness is useful and valuable. Ms. Warshauer's beautifully-written narrative, along with lovely photographs by Mary Bloom and others, make Everday Heroes a book for both youth and adults.

I must add that the vignette about "Ramsey," the Guiding Eyes for the Blind dog guide who was raised by a family in New York City and is now "working" with a blind pianist in Jerusalsem, Israel, was of particular interest to me.

Without hesitation, I recommend Everyday Heroes to all who love dogs and believe in the strength of the human spirit.

Despite many days of questioning the principals, the widow, the wives and anybody else who might have a shard of knowledge about the group, Chris has almost as many questions as she does answers. Yet her persistence has turned up a few leads that the police have as yet to discover. Thus a pretty good premise leads us through the life and times of the men, especially the murder victim, Arthur Wien, a famous novelist, to a fairly surprising conclusion. Wien's celebrity life, his women chasing, money borrowing, and messy divorce, fueled much of the grounds for motive, still difficult to find among the great chums. We picked up a clue mid-book that gave us an inkling of the outcome, an "eureka" not common to reading the stories in this series. Even with that precognition, we were held in suspense until nearly the final chapter when all becomes clear and Chris once again is the lever that elicits a confession from the apparently guilty party. Interestingly, whether it was really that party or not is somewhat left to the speculation of the reader.

We enjoy the very predictability of Lee Harris' stories of which we suppose some might tire. We have often characterized the leading lady and her family as wholesome and caring, creating dependably pleasant tales that don't need violence and gore, nor foul language or explicit sex, to capture and sustain our interest. Isn't that what a good mystery is all about ?!?!

A group of boys living on the same block in the Bronx becomes friends, calling themselves the "Morris Ave Boys". They even wear jackets with colors to distinguish themselves from other students. Over two decades later, nine of the boys remain in touch. They hold reunions, bringing their wives to the festivities. Their next meeting is scheduled for New York on Father's Day.

Former nun and amateur detective Christine Bennett lives and teaches in the city with her police officer spouse. One of her students asks her to assist his grandfather, the prime suspect in the murder of one of his cronies, a fellow member of the "Morris Ave Boys". Christine begins to investigate and finds that she likes all the group's members and their spouses. Everyone seems nice and harmless. As she digs deeper, she begins to find flaws in their perfect behavior, concluding that one of them has ample reason to commit murder.

Lee Harris has the ability to successfully handle a large ensemble cast that leaves the audience feeling they intimately know everyone. The transition between Chris the detective and Chris the mom blend well together and actually enhance the intriguing story line. Even Ogden Nash, after perusing THE FATHER'S DAY MURDER, would say "The Bronx, thonx". Anyone who reads this novel or the other nine tales in the Bennett amateur sleuth series will feel fully entertained and anxious for the next book.

Harriet Klausner