Bergman Books

Few veterans describe themselves as "heroes." It's a painful word - filled with aspiration, horror and loss. Many veterans who write memoirs avoid the most devastating echoes of war - their own perceived culpabilities. It's understandable. Who wants to poke a finger into a festering wound?

Douglas Bergman is a brave man. Using a magnifying glass, he focuses a scorching sunbeam onto his own soul - allowing the reader to see his demons in great detail. It is unsettling in a world where few want to accept responsibility for their mistakes - where confessions are whispered litanies of shame washed away with a few penitential rosaries. My initial reaction was to look away but I soon found myself examining the author's broken heart like a curious onlooker drawn to a fiery car wreck.

This book is many things - a memoir, an adventure, a tribute, a confession and a sob. From the shiny hearse-white cover to the imagery-dense prose, Mr. Bergman's tale perplexes and intrigues. Vietnam was a conundrum for everyone. For the men who fought there, growing up was like peeling a scab off a half-healed wound. Boy soldiers drawn to the service to resolve other problems found new sorrows to occupy their nightmares. "Names I Can't Remember" is a close up view of a Vietnam Veteran's reaction to war - and a description of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) that still torments many who were mere babies in the 1960s.

The author plunges into his story with profane vigor. He amuses and shocks with an almost adolescent glee - as though he has returned to his rebellious, angst-ridden youth and is set on taking the reader with him. He uses literary flourishes that complicate the read like a translucent veil draped over lovers laboring together for their love. You can see the movements, hear them moan - but their faces are dim behind the silken sheen of the fabric. Mr. Bergman peoples "Names I Can't Remember" with garish characters that touched his life but have now faded into ghostly symbols - a motherly whore, a man with a cat on his shoulder, a doofus unable to function in the jungle, an alcoholic CO who confuses courage and foolhardiness -- a nun and a Vietnamese child trying desperately to survive. Despite this distance - or perhaps because of it, this book is powerful and literate. I found myself lingering over the pictures the author created in my head - almost as if this was a novel. It was easier to appreciate this work on that level than to acknowledge the reality of Mr. Bergman's anguish.

The Vietnam War was not a Disney Movie -- neither is this book. However, if you are a student of psychology, a poet - or someone who wants to understand the warrior in your life, this is a wonderful read.

"Names I Can't Remember" is a tough, brilliant read of one man's journey into Dante's Inferno. All human foibles and flaws are put out for display. Mr. Bergman dares the reader to forgive him as he hasn't been able to forgive himself for thirty years. A piece de la triumph! 5 military gold stars - Lillian Cauldwell

"...there is something Keseyesque or Hunter Thompson - like about Bergman's prose: often profane and at the same time, image rich." - Daily News, Clem Richardson 7/8/05

This is not a book filled with words on a page, it is a capturing of a mans inner guts spewed upon pages from his tortured memory. We see the ramblings of a young boy yanked from the unsafe world of his home and the bottle, to be immersed into the world of drunking decisions, adult behavior expected from a still nursing infant. You need to digest every word and feel his feelings. Some of his experiences will fill you with disgust, horror, the need to nurture, but your diet will never be the same after you digest this meal of feelings.
Devour it...chew it... spit it out if you need to... But dont just sit there and read it........

"You'll be on an emotional roller coaster ride while reading this work. The author has given us a very raw look at a young life destroyed by a dysfunctional family drowning in alcoholism and how he carried that with him during his No Slack tour. Doug was in the same company as I was and we walked the same villages, but never met, the places he describes are familiar to me as they will be to others who read him. I wasn't ready for the constriction I felt in my chest as parts of this book made me wonder how he slipped through the cracks as he performed his duty as a platoon leader in an alcoholic fog. Read the book, it's a raw look at a personal battle with a life almost destroyed by abuse, mingled with war. Names I Can't Remember will shake your senses and make you ill but you will find that once you start reading it you can't put it down."
"Yankee Jim" Simchera - A Company 2/327th Infantry,101st Airborne Vietnam: 1969-70

This book, in its less than 200 pages, kinda sneaks up on the reader. It starts out with the writer/narrator filled with self-doubts, both about the voyage he has embarked on and his life for his first thirty years or so. Stay with it and you will be richly rewarded. By page 80 or so I was totally enchanted, first by what slowly unfolds to be a beautiful love story. A love story told with such restraint that it wasn't until halfway through the book that I realized that Bill and Brian were actually a couple, and had been so for more than half a decade. He writes about his partner with such understated ardor that I was sure that the story would end in tragedy, or that merely the two parted company. Neither is true.

Oh yeah, and Overboard was also a rip-roaring sailing yarn. And what would have been a rather pathetic coming out story (what took him so long?) until I realized how old he was. Denying oneself and getting married was a more reasonable survival strategy before Stonewall.

I bought this book because I was blown away by Storandt's first fictional novel, "The Summer They Came." However, as a straight male who does not know the first thing about sailing, I did not know what to expect from this work. My enjoyment of Storandt's effort is all the more impressive, given my lack of knowledge about the subject matter. Like all master story tellers, Storandt lets the reader enter his world by describing the situation in detail, with references to more familiar subject matter. For instance, when explaining why he cannot get out of bed during a severe storm, Storandt says that he can no more get out of bed than a potato worm can unfold in your hand ... brilliant! Storandt has 2 running stories in this book. In the foreground is his gripping account of his sailing adventure to Scotland (the homeplace of his life partner) across the Atlantic. In the background, is a discussion of his and his life partner's lives up until the time of the trip, with particular focus on how they came to realize they were gay. I highly recommend this book to even the most staunchly conservative "straights," and to the landlubbers most prone to sea-sickness!

Crossing thresholds, living dreams, staying steady and listening within! He did it! He writes it as only a person who has felt it all deeply and directly can do-it's not an "about" something book! So glad he wrote it for all of us-couldn't put thebook down!!!! Spellbound by all the possibilities it opens for each of us!

Sometimes a friend will surprise you. You know there's a memoir in the works, that it is to be published. Good for him. You'll have to read it. Reading it, you are impressed, knocked out, amazed. This is what happened to me with Bill Storandt's book, Outbound. The two stories, interwoven in alternating chapters, will satisfy both those seeking the taste of wind-driven mid-Atlantic salt spray and those who seek to better understand a gay man and witness his success in finding a life partner. There are wonderful side trips to Julliard, the Vermont woods, the Caribbean, the Scottish coast, and married life.
The book also satisfies a larger audience, however, and it does so with the simplest and most difficult device: honesty. Bill gracefully and without pretense shares his difficulties and successes, both maritime and personal. It is no accident that his boat is named Clarity. Because he has taken the risk to be so honest with us, an unusual bond develops between author and reader. The authenticity of his voice causes us to care about his perception of the world and to examine how it compares with our own. This happens rarely and it is a privilege and an adventure. We are in good hands with Bill, whose gentle and persistent humor, thoughtful consideration, and respect for all parties make the voyages we take with him away from and back to safe harbors both illuminating and very enjoyable.

I literally couldn't put the book down.

This is an interesting and fascinating memoir of one man's life who happens to love sailing and who is also a gay man living in a caring and loving relationship. You don't have to have a knowledge of sailing to enjoy this book. Although I have gone sailing a few times, I wasn't familiar with a lot of the sailing terms, but the author explains them very well. The author writes with dry wit, a questioning self-analysis, and deep passion. It was a pleasure to read his story, and it was never boring. This is a true-life story that will have broad appeal to many people.

Storandt tells in vivid detail the story of his transatlantic sailing adventure from Saybrook, Connecticut to Ireland, then on to Scotland aboard his 33-foot cutter named Clarity. He made this journey with his longtime partner Brian, and their friend Bob. It's an adventure that turns out to be exciting, unpredictable, and even life-threatening. They certainly get to test their sailing skills through rough seas, gale force winds, and a fierce storm. It's not "The Perfect Storm", but it's close. Interwoven throughout his sailing adventure we learn all about Storandt's earlier life; his marriage, being a freelance musician, living in the Vermont woods in a geodesic dome, leaving his marriage, coming out, and meeting his soon to be life partner, Brian, a Scottish doctor.

So whether you're hooked on sailing or just want to read a well-written passionate coming out story, this book is for you. I was disappointed when this adventure ended. As good a writer as he is a sailor, Storandt tells a wonderful story I couldn't put down till finished.

I saw your book in the bookstore a few days ago. I did not buy it right away because after reading it in the store I thought it was not for me due to my recent arrival back into AA. Your approach is radicle but after a few days I thought about it and decided to buy this book. I have been battling this disease for years now and I decided I had to give it another chance. I will apply all the tools I could find because after many attempts to stay clean, I kept returning back to the bottle. I am optimistic about this attempt to stay clean because I do like the realtity of this concept. Even though it is not oriented on a twelve-step approach it does allow the freedom for me to incoropate my current tools and enhance them with the exercises and more importantly ERP.

Thank you and keep the information coming.

This book was great. The concept is so realistic and simple but the actual sessions seem unbelievable. I would love to experience them myself. If you have any trainings. let me know, I want to tell my therapist about ERP.

Thanks,

This book was intense. I heard about it from a friend so I bought it. The idea was rightv on, the exercises so real, but the pictues and session, WOW!!!. It seems very intense but after reading more and doing more, I realized just how real ERP is. I like the idea of choices along with the concept of not being dictated by the addiction, but moreso giving the person power over their addiction. Nice concept. Thanks again for the ideas and help. I highly reccommend this book to anyone with a addiction.

I saw your book in the bookstore a few days ago. I did not buy it right away because after reading it in the store I thought it was not for me due to my recent arrival back into AA. Your approach is radicle but after a few days I thought about it and decided to buy this book. I have been battling this disease for years now and I decided I had to give it another chance. I will apply all the tools I could find because after many attempts to stay clean, I kept returning back to the bottle. I am optimistic about this attempt to stay clean because I do like the realtity of this concept. Even though it is not oriented on a twelve-step approach it does allow the freedom for me to incoropate my current tools and enhance them with the exercises and more importantly ERP.

Thank you and keep the information coming.

I had to write and tell you that I bought the book and found it very provactive. As a substance abuse counselor, the book was right on the money. It talks about the reality of the addiction and makes clients look at how their drug use encircles all aspects of their lives. Nice job! I reccommend this book to anyone working in the field who has an open mind to change. ...

Thanks You;
TM

Reminded me so much of my mother in law. Enjoy the book, belongs in every home library.

Forget the world of intrigue, suspense and deception. Here is a story of quite compassion, love, and family. With simple direct tone and nostalgic portraits, Mr. Steve captures elements of life sadly long overlooked. Seldom have we glimpsed the soul of a person so completely, viewed through the loving eyes of those closet to her. Easily flowing from one topic to another we envision the changing life thoughts of a wonderfully innocent woman unaffected by the cynicism of life. Each page reveals another element to the complex yet unassuming nature of Julia. You will smile and nod and laugh and think as you listen to Julia speak. And when you close the cover you will thank yourself for taking the journey through her eyes.

Not a cook book, but this book is a recipe for laughter. Loved it!

This is a great book. It brings back some fond memories of my two grandmothers.

If you want to bring a smile to your face, read this book. Before you put it down, you'll feel like you know Julia and you'll have a sense of the special relationship she, her dauther and son-in-law shared. My favorite quote: (Upon meeting an acquaintance, Julia remarks --) "Hi, how are you? You look so nice and fat!"
Enjoy the read.

Although the story of what Bryan went through is devastating, the book is a fantastic read. I found it very eye-opening and humbling, as many of us take our childhood and parents for granted. I could not put it down. I commend Bryan for the courage and inner strength he found to tell his story. I hope there are more books to come written by this talented author.

This is a very moving and thought provoking story. Bryan's delivery of his life story took a lot of effort and must have been emotionally draining on him as well. His story reveals what goes on behind closed doors, something I myself as a former 30 yr. veteran of the Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) was ignorant to because they keep everything secret. The sadest part of what this book reveals, is that the JW's elders are NOT qualified counselors and have no specialized training, yet they practice such and have contributed to the suffering of such innocent ones as Bryan and all in the name of their so called, Jehovah God who is actually the Watchtower Bible & Tract Society.

I read the book in 7 straight hours. You can't put it down.

Very well written. It shows how a life and family can be torn apart by a high control group. More of these types of books should be written, to show the world that this happens not just occassionally, but happens frequently. The world needs to know.
I could not put it down.

I could not put this book down! Jehovah Witnesses and non-Jehovah Witnessed could benefit from Bryan's heart breaking experience. We all take life, and being a parent for that matter, for granted sometimes. This book truely opens one's eyes to how easily we are manipulated by our social environment and how it molds us to the core...touching every cell of our being.
The lies and deception that Bryan experienced by being kidnapped from his own mother are devastating! The end results are heart-wrenching....

Bryan Lee McGlothin compelling memoir Have you seen my mother? is the heart-breaking story of one man's quest for love, truth and acceptance. The contrast between the behaviour of both of his parents is most telling. The father professes to be Christian but kidnaps young Bryan from the loving arms of his mother, slandering her in the eyes of the world but more important, in the heart and mind of her love-starved and vulnerable son. The mother, heartsick and desperate in her unsuccessful search for Bryan, flounders mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. While the father "progresses" in his faith and in life, the mother spirals toward tragic circumstances.

Bryan's father's narcissistic selfishness and cruelty are all too familiar to this writer, but the roots of such evil are complex, never easily explained.

McGlothin does a commendable job setting forth his story in his quest for truth. What he discovers will break your heart. It might also educate and humble you.

Having to go to court with out the money to hire a Lawyer several times, this book proved to be a valuable resource. It taught me that Judge and Arbitrators like individuals who are ready and prepared for their cases. If you can not have a lawyer present, you can at least prepare like one.

The authors give honest information on every part of the trial and the trial process. You will learn how to file a complaint to answering a complaint. It gives real information on the process of the trial from filing motions, seeking discovery and settling your case. It caps with judgments and appeals.

I like how the authors make everything easy to understand and the advice is completely useable. This can be used if this is you first time in court or your tenth.

Footnote: Nolo press is the best company that produces law books for the common person. They are always easy to read and pact with good advice.


Enjoy

This is one of the best books I have read and enjoyed about pro se litigation. The large font, great white space, and properly displayed summary tables render the book easy to endure and utilize. The authors offer many proverbs and examples for lay people that alleviate the harshness of legal lingo. Moreover, they even translate the formal and non-technical English words into layman's language. For example, words such as "sanction, impeach, strike, motion, cross, re-cross, direct, and re-direct" are simplified to common readers to mean "punish, discredit, delete, request, and questioning of witnesses in different setting".

The authors realize the hardship of hiring a good and trustworthy lawyer and assist the readers in understanding their rights for self-representation. Not only you will learn how not to be a fool pro se, but also how to expose the foolishness of ill-prepared lawyers and how to feel home among busy birds of a feather different from yours.

The book dissects the court room like an anatomy specimen and shows the reader where everyone belongs. (In one of the traffic violation I attended, a defendant brought his 5-year old son to the courtroom, was not able to control his running between the judge's legs and messing up stacks of papers on the reporter's desk.) This book will familiarize you with the territory such that you will avoid acting childishly. Aside from running between the judge's legs, the pro se will learn how to seek permission to approach a witness, to admit exhibits, to strike evidence, and so on.

The paper work phase is explained in great details to remove the anxiety of the long and contentious process that follows. It offers assurance that anxiety and fear are natural reaction to performing on a stage of adversarial nature. Actors, teachers, lawyers go through what a pro se litigant goes through in laboring to defend his or her arguments. It offers forms for different filing purposes, describes exhibits and trial notebook, and explains how to respond to and make objections.

The trial dissection is also magnificent in describing in details the phases of paper work filing, subject and personal jurisdiction, statute of limitation, and the development of the trial process from filling answers, motions, pretrial material, discovery, and evidentiary issue.

The trial process is well described as well to entail opening statement, direct and cross examination, closing statement. It is preceded with extensive elaboration on how settlement, aberration, and mediation most of times cut the process short of a trial.

The elaborate description of informal and formal discovery process is very helpful to pro se litigants since it saves the exuberant amount of money spent on lawyers to gather documents, depose witness, and disclose evidence. The thorough details of the techniques of discovery are presented in bulleted subsections, each with its advantages and disadvantages.

The book extends it discussion to post-trail phases of appeals and judgment. It then delves into specialized areas such as divorce and bankruptcy. The coherence of the book topics serves the readers a great deal in enabling pro se to focus on pertinent legal claims, their elements, the facts that address each element, and the evidence required to prove the facts.

Three trivial problems are noticeable. One, pages are numbered according to chapters which forces the reader to remember two instead of one number when trying to memorize latest page read. Two, referencing to legal coach is excessively used while the book is intended to self-represented parties. Three, excessive branching of references for further reading are everywhere despite the good 24 healthy chapters of the book.

Mohamed F. El-Hewie
Author of
Essentials of Weightlifting and Strength Training

As a Pro Se Petitioner, I have found this book to be incredibly helpful! It explains all of the ins and outs of trial, how to organize a trial notebook, how to arrange your questioning, and how to cross examine among many other important facts. This book contains the inforation that lawyers know, that we need to know, but have not gone to many years of school. It is written in plain English, and is a MUST for anyone looking to go into or try to avoid going to trial!

I was thoroughly impressed how well written and easy to understand this book is. Each step is completely explained, referenced and many documents have examples printed right in the book. There are great tips and tricks to deal with opposing counsel as well as warnings for what type of red flags and tricks to watch for from the other side. This book is an asset for the novice to the more experienced pro se litigator. Definitely a Five Star book.

I decided to represent myself as a pro se litigant, and turned to this book since it got such good reviews.

I was NOT disappointed. It does a great job chronologically illustrating common judicial patterns, and it will even give you a spectrum of scenarios in case your court system operates a bit differently. There are example dialogs and mock situations to help you understand what to do in certain situations.

Believe it or not, I didn't need the book in the end. There is a statistic that is published in the book pointing out that over 90% of people who go into court usually settle before an actual trial. Because of this statistic, I mentioned it to the Plantiff's attorney and was surprised to hear, "well, then, make us an offer!"

Had I not had the chance to settle out of court, I would have been very prepared to represent myself.

There were a couple of weak spots in the book, but they were of my own wanting to have more information. One of those areas that the book needs to get up to speed on is electronic documents, such as dealing with e-mails, and techniques in proving that e-mails are legitimate.

I'd also like to mention for those of you who are looking for Child Support help, this is not a good book for that. It has a tiny section on Child Support, then leaves you hanging. This may be because laws vary so much, but I thought I'd at least point it out. The book is more for general concepts, so the info falls short once you begin specializing in certain subject matters.

Whatever your case is about, I can't emphasize enough for you to take a morning off from work to go watch some cases in court. You'll eliminate some fear of the unknown, you'll start to see that attorneys go through a similar set of procedures that you are just as capable of performing yourself, and you'll get a feel for how to talk to the judge and those who might be in the same room as you.

My 2 1/2 year old grandson asks for this book over and over. He loves the part "were they scared?" Great repetition for children. We love this book!

My 3-year old and I got this book out at the library. She loved reading it (and I loved reading it to her) so much that I am making sure to buy a copy for ourselves.

Starting with the illustrations... I asked my daughter... "Uh oh...what happened here?" (someone left the door open), and then as the alligator goes creeping into the house the question is reiterated..."and were the children scared?" To which my daughter would shout..."YOU BET THEY WERE!" While it could be just a tale about a scary alligator (!), it's really about being empowered and not playing the victim, a lesson that could be used in a variety of situations-- the children "have enough" at the end and they must up their courage and shout.... "Alligator, You Get Out!" (And was the alligator scared?) My daughter LOVED shouting the answer, every time.

You know when you love a children's book, when you don't secretly groan and roll your eyes when you child asks for it... and this is one we love.

My 5 year old loves this book. I read it to his classmates in small groups at school, and they adored it and begged me to read it again. It is cute, not too scary, but let's them think it's about something scary. The illustrations are clever. The repetition in the story encouraged my young friends to read along with me; everytime I read, "Were the children scared?" they "read" along with me, "YOU BET THEY WERE!" My 5 year old still loves to shout that one out as we read it. I cannot fully describe how engaged all my son's classmates were. Their eyes were wide, their smiles were big, they leaned forward and inched closer and closer to me until they were nearly in my lap. Big hit! Recommend for ages 4-7.

If it is reading time, my three-year-old granddaughter always searches for this book. She recognizes one repetitive phrase throughout the book and now joins in the reading. This interaction and the wonderful illustrations, delight her. The story encourages children to face their fears in a fun rather than didactic manner.

Being allowed to read this book to kindergarteners, first graders and second graders is SO MUCH FUN, I can't believe I am getting paid to do it.

From the title page to the first page of the story, we follow a path of footprints from an open man-hole cover, down the street into the lobby of an apartment building. When we look closely at the two page spread we can see a green tail disappearing up the stairs from the lobby.


"When the alligator came creeping . . . creeping . . . creeping up the stairs..."


Three children try to keep an alligator from coming into their home but can only run and hide as he breaches the doorway. As the alligator draws closer and closer the story repeatedly asks, "Where the children scared?" and answers with a resounding, "YOU BET THEY WERE!"

As the alligator's tongue is flicking and his feet are kicking, listeners enjoy becoming delightfully scared as the beast draws closer and closer. I was cracking up watching the kids hide their eyes or cling to each other as the menace approaches.

An empowering ending delightfully deals with the gator. Nick Maland's quirky illustrations perfectly convey the danger and help build the suspense. A two page close up of the alligator's head brings the peril right up to the reader's face.

This was a fantastic read-aloud. I just wish I had had an alligator puppet to accompany the story.

The book was given to me as a gift. I cannot tell you how great it was, to start a Sunday Morning out, in such a positive way. Jesse James has a great sense of humor , but still profound. His namesake would be proud.
I hope he does another book soon. I am a new fan. Very impressed!

This is the book to read on monday mornings to get you in the right frame of mind for the week. Read a few pages and go out and face the world knowing you can win.

Rich Fox

This was a very fast and funny read. I hope he writes another book soon. Does he do Motivational speaking? If he can talk as well as he can write, we may have a winner here.

Jesse obviously has a way with words...and an optimistic attitude. If you want a fast, fun, entertaining and thought provoking read, buy this book!!

Totally great reading! I loved it, page to page! Even the Authors name is cool! I bought one for myself and one for Dad, for Father's day! AWESOME!! Just one question though, when is the seminar???

I don't encounter color photography very often that literally knocks me off my feet. But,this is a notable exception. The portraits in this book are glorious - a tribute to the profound sensitivity of the photographer who took them. This book is a must for any serious collection.

These are images that go beyond being visually powerful, they also have a profound spiritual, emotional and intellectual meaning. Toni Morrison's provocative meditation, "The Fisherwoman", is an integral part of this great work of art and provides a perfect entree into a gallery of sacred beauty.

I am much more of a devotee of black and white images than color - especially portrait photography. But, this incredible display of artistry sweeps me off my feet! The artistic depth and personal sensitivity displayed through this work makes me want to know more and see more from the master photographer who created it. You won't be disappointed with this purchase!

This superb book is nearly uncategorizable. The portraits contained in this volume, described as "color pictures of everyday people" taken with "a simple 35-mm camera, amateur film, no tripod, and no special lighting" are unlike any other photographs ever published. On a technical level, Robert Bergman's work equals the best of any of photographer now working (including any of a number of celebrity lensmen) while his painterly use of color, texture, and composition is unrivaled. This in itself would be enough for most photographers: in sensual terms there's much to startle and delight the eye. But for Bergman, the revelation of the inner life of the subject reigns supreme, and his masterly technique is entirely in the service of his manifest sympathy for each person whom he presents to us. It's here that these images depart so markedly from what we are used to seeing in a photograph of a person--each individual is revealed with the most penetrating gaze, but with such tenderness of spirit as to leave his or her human dignity unsullied. It's not photography, it's art. As Toni Morrison concludes in her Introduction, "Occasionally there arises an event or moment that one knows immediately will forever mark a place in the history of artistic endeavor. Robert Bergman's portraits represent such a moment, such an event."

Let me say that being able to hold this treasure in my hands and to feel the souls of both the artist and those within, provides an experience I never thought I would have. This book is a road map to the soul of all of us and it is my wish for everyone who is fortunate enough to see it that the door to the inner self that shines from Bergman's work is opened to them. It is a rich feeling indeed to be able to open the book at any point and see the face and love of God. Bergman is blessed with a vision that has brought this to Everyman. A KIND OF RAPTURE is a great and universal gift.

"Casablanca" is, unarguably, one of the greatest films ever to emerge from the Hollywood dream factory. So, it's entirely fitting that the prolific and hugely talented Aljean Harmetz should give us the ultimate bible, road-map and encyclopedia of this Bogart-Bergman classic.
It's a fascinating read from cover to cover, including scores of back stories relating to every stage of the film's development. What's more, it will help settle hundreds of bar-room bets, thus paying for itself many times over! To author Harmetz, I can only say, "Here's looking at you kid!"

As a Casablanca lover (words don't do it justice), I ate this book up. Harmetz writes with warmth about nearly everyone involved in the film except Jack Warner, about whom she writes with a deserved respect. The stories of the bit players, most refugees, expanded the Casablanca context tremendously for me. The suspense, and the tale of how this gem could have been different in so many ways (or not produced at all), made me appreciate this cultural icon even more. I haven't seen the film since reading this book, but you bet when I do I'm going to turn off the phone.

Aljean Harmetz's "Round Up the Usual Suspects" is one of the best books on the making of what is probably the best film of the 1940s (and possibly of all time). Harmetz explains almost every aspect of the story--often sounding more like fiction than fact--of the making of this all-time winner. These aspects include who was behind the camera, the actors, and the writers. She provides many details about life behind the WB shield--which collaborates the view of Jack Warner as a jerk seen in a fine book,"Hollywood Be Thy Name"--the fights on who wrote the screenplay, and how they all meshed together to create an enduring classic. She also explains how the film escaped the propanganda machine of later 1940 films. If you love this film, you should read this book! Let us hope that it returns to print witht he release of the special DVD edition of "Casablanca".

This book is a great read. Although heavily documented, the "characters" come alive throughout--the characters being actual actors, the Warner brothers of Warner Bros., the director, writers, even the lighting director and sound men on the set.

It wonderfully describes the studio system, the differences between the studios and how "properties" were loaned out, and how WW II affected everybody in the movie business.

Two quotes had me laughing until I was in tears. It is a great book. Additionally, the hardcover with translucent dustjacket is most gorgeous. This is a winner and a keeper for movie history buffs.

"Round Up the Usual Suspects" provided many behind-the-scenes tidbits about CASABLANCA that I've never heard before - Murray Burnett's lawsuits against Howard Koch, the feud between Jack Warner and Hal Wallis and a precise picture of the Warner Brother house style. Ms. Harmetz provided an excellent and detailed account of Hollywood moviemaking in the early 40s. After reading this and her books on GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ, she just may well be one of the foremost historians of Hollywood's Golden Age.