Big Books

This sweet, beautiful book teaches about bats in a lovely, non-threatening way. Stellaluna, as a lost baby bat, must learn about her talents on her own while trying to live with birds. Readers learn the difference between birds and bats, as well as the beauty of bats. What a wonderful book for bat lovers as well as those who fear bats! It is a wonderful tool for education as well as an all-round stunningly wonderful book.

GREAT STORY, WE HAVE THE BOOK AND VIDEO. A MUST HAVE FOR YOUNG ONES, CHILDREN WITH AUTISM. MY SON LOVES IT.

An owl attacks a mother bat one night, as the owl attacked a baby bat named Stellaluna was knocked out of her mother's grip and landed in a nest of baby birds. She must conform to the birds' ways and not hang upside down and starts to eat bugs. However, she then gets the chance to show her fellow bird "siblings" what life is like as a bat and the birds and Stellaluna learn about self-acceptance and accepting others. The genre is picture book and reading level is ages 4-8.
First and foremost it's a picture book that has information about bats and teaches it in the most interesting and appealing way for young readers to understand. The illustrations are very realistic and go fantastic with the words on the page. Genre: Fiction-Picture Book. Reading Level: Ages 4-8

Completed by Z on 5/12/08

Stellaluna by Janell Cannon is about a bat named Stellaluna. When she was barely born she was with her mother. Then an owl struck Stellaluna's mother. Stellaluna went down faster and faster until she hit a branch, hung up side down and covered herself. The next day she fell down in a nest. She never knew the nest. She met some birds named Pip, Flitter and Flap. Mama Bird came and let her stay. She also brought a green grasshopper for Stellaluna to eat so she won't be hungry. Stellaluna got in trouble by Mama Bird because she was hanging upside down with Pip, Flap and Flitter. Mama Bird said that if she doesn't behave she will not live in the nest. The next day it was time to learn how to fly. When Stellaluna flew she was full of happiness. When she landed she was trying to stand on the branch. Then she did it. It took her a lot of time but she got it. She flew a lot with Pip, Flitter and Flap. Then the birds went home. Stellaluna was hanging by her wings, too tired to soar. There came a bat hanging upside down. A lot of bats came. Bats were asking her questions. Someone wanted to see her. It was her mother! She was so happy. Stellaluna was hungry. Her mother said they would fly at night to find fruit. They found mangoes. When she was done she was upside down with Flitter, Pip, and Flap. At night they couldn't see. Quickly they were falling down but Stellaluna caught their hands wrapping them closely like they were sisters and brothers.

It doesn't matter if you're different. You can still be friends. Stellaluna and the birds ate different things. They fly at different times. They were different but Stellaluna still saved them. Stellaluna taught the birds how to hang upside down. I liked the way that Stellaluna was a bat and she still saved the birds when they weren't brothers and sisters.

By Jose

This book was in excellent condition. I gave it as a gift. Also I received it very quickly.

Wow, this book was NOT what I was expecting. I wanted a fun, lively read with lots of creative ideas of how to add color to a person's life! Instead I got a book with way too much reference to the author's incest experiences and more information than I had hoped for on her first-time explorations with a vibrator. Guess I won't be passing this one on to my friends!

My daughter got me this book for Christmas. I just loved it. I now buy this for all of my friends for their birthdays. Any woman would love this. Sark is amazing.

I love SARK. This is another addition to the wonderful collection of whimsical, colorful, and insightful books she has written.

Very easy (and fun) to read, if i'm ever feeling down, I just read a few pages of SARK and I always feel a little better.

This book is a good introduction to the world of SARK and great gift if you know any woman that needs a self esteem boost. It's witty and deep without being tedious to read or annoyingly sweet. Sometimes we all need to be reminded that we are wonderful and creative beings and need that little inspiration to connect with our spirit to create and do things that make us feel alive.

SARK shows us that attitude and small actions can make positive and unexpected things happen in our lives. she gives many examples of this from her own life. Love it! every woman should own a copy.

My finding this book was quite the happy accident. It was like making a good friend. It's colorful and creative presentation didn't prepare me for the possibilities I could explore inside. On those days, when you want or need something more to hold on to, pick up this book. Every page holds something of value!

Nice book....I appreciate the author's writing style, however the use of multi-colored text combined with the funky fonts makes it difficult to read.

Hemingway, Ruark, and Sanchez are all pale imitators of the great Peter Hathaway Capstick. Try to imagine an American walking away from a Wall Street career to hunt as a professional guide in Africa. Now imagine that this guy could write WAY BETTER than Hemingway, and you're still not there.
A small snipet from the chapter on leopard.
"...the bark of the tree, when, suddenly, your gazing into two yellow-green eyes as evil as poison gas."
I'm not a hunter myself, but reading this book makes me wish I was.

"Death in the Long Grass" is my favorite of all Capstick's stories. Note, I didn't say "the most accurate or honest", but simply my favorite. He makes fearful episodes with wild beasts believable but, I suspect that Capstick put many second-hand stories into the first person.

I spoke to one long-time professional hunter in Zambia, old Rhodesia and Zimbabwe, "What do you know about Capstick?" At the time I was an avid reader and believed every word like scripture. He told me, "All I've heard of him is that he was a cook in a hunting camp in Zambia." Then again, my professional hunter friend may have had insufficient information. Another time, in one of his book, Capstick seems to quote me, personally. I will paraphrase, "I met a young African hunter who gave me his philosophy on hunting, 'It's better to spend small amounts of money and go on many safaris than to spend a great deal of money and go on only a few'." This is, in fact, an accurate quote...but...I never met Capstick. But this was and is my personal philosophy and, because of it, I have hunted all over the world and taken everything from doves to elephant.

Another friend, who reportedly knew Capstick in his later years, told me that Capstick said words to the effect, "Everybody believes that I am a liar." My friend responded, "It doesn't matter what people think. You are a great writer and you've done more for big-game hunting than any man alive." I quite agree with this, by the way.

In one of his books, Capstick tells the exciting story of hunting down a maneating leopard. It's truly a gripping tale. Late in his life, Capstick--for a fee--offered his company on African safaris. I read the account my one of the men who hired Capstick. Once again, I'll paraphrase, "It's a remarkable thing that Capstick, who had guided so many hunters in the killing of leopards, had never actually shot one himself. I therefore gave him my leopard permit and Capstick did the shooting."

Hey, Capstick was a fascinating writer, had a great ear and made the reader live the adventure. Were all his facts exactly straight? I don't know and doubt it really matters.

Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Conquest of Mexico.

I first read this book years ago, but that copy got lost and I was overjoyed to find it again. My siblings and I all wanted it when Dad gave away his library.

Mr Capstick is a wonderfully descriptive writer! Each one of the big eight African game animals has a chapter; and each is the very worst way to die. Capstick does not skimp on the gory details, but he is entertaining and real. He spent many years in the Africian bush and obviously knows each of these animals very, very well.

I worked with a gentleman who met Capstick while in Africia and he reported that the man in the book is the same man in real life. If you want a different view of Africa from the Disneyification of wildlife this is the book for you.

"If you want to be a writer, don't listen to your high school English teacher", Pete Townshend once told a caller on a syndicated radio program. In this instance, I emphatically agree! I never knew what my high school English teachers wanted either. I can just imagine them with their red pencils, crossing out one line after another if they would ever bother to read a book like this. But in actual fact Mr. Capstick spins his yarns so well in this, his first book, that most of his readers could not put it down.

Reading in the safety of your own home, as you are sitting in your recliner chair sipping an iced drink, I daresay you will look over your shoulder once or twice. Even if the hair doesn't stand up on the back of your neck.

I won't go into the content here, as there is more than enough info in the other reviews. I've read about half of his books and I suspect that this first one is his best. You just have to start here. He writes so engagingly that even the foreword is required reading!

PHC is a spinner of hair raising yarns. He is quite a creative storyteller with a style that makes you feel like you're part of the hunt. His descriptions and details bring you face to face with dangerous game on a safari adventure. I've read and re-read this book many times and each time I am always wanting to know what will happen next.

My son loves to read books, but this one does not keep his attention. He likes Goodnight Moon, the Boyton Books, and others, but this doesn't keep his interest. I do like that it shows various animals and their noises.

This is one of my favorite books to read to my son. The prose is beautiful, concise, and profound. It's a very subtle book and takes some quiet time to truly appreciate it. The Big Red Barn is a picture of utopia; animals coexisting in peace, playing throughout the day, and then resting at night.

I was given this book as a gift just after my son was born. He is now coming up to three months and this is a book I just love to read to him. I am an animal lover myself and so I like the fact it is based around animals. I think the pictures are great and he is already taking a good look at them. The next step for me will be taking him to see the animals in person but until that happens we will live on the farm through this book. I have found it very pleasant to read as it has a basic rhythm to it, which means I don't mind repeating it which I am sure will help him with his development. I would recommend this book to many!!

I teach a pre-K program and didn't pay attention to the fact that it was a small, chunky book and not one to read during circle time! Gave it away and now have to find it in a bigger size!

The story is so cute and supports interaction and elaboration on every page. There is so much to look at in the pictures you notice something new each time you read it. So sweet. Every child should have this book!

Another good one from Mark. Makes you think of horses in a whole new way has you step into their world so to speak. A must read!

Mark has written a nice book, not clearly a manual or a How to.. book but a text full of experiences. It's not literature about horses but a book about different horses and experiences, giving clues about horsenalities and personalities. A fun and interesting book.

Quite simply, I love horses, and I loved this book.

What Mark writes about horses and humans gets to the heart of what life's all about. If I was the CEO of a big company, I'd bring this cowboy in to talk horse with my upper management, let them figure out why. I relate to his idea of quiet leadership.

I've since read three of Mark's other books. All of them have something unique to say, Mr. Rashid is a man with sharp prespective on life and a way with words.

We learn that when we have problems with horses it is because our attitude is not adapted to the horses nature. It shows us that anything a horse does is dictated by his nature, we musn't take it personally, we just have to figure out how to help de horse to understand the situation wihout using any kind of force. Many examples show that the thing to do is very simple...we tend to make things more difficult for the horse.

Mark has a way to really draw you into his stories! I always enjoy reading anything this man writes. What a sense of humor!

Do you what to buy a book you'll love to read? If you do, you should read Chrysanthemum By Kevin Henkes. Kevin Henkes is a good author. Chrysanthemum is a good children's book. If you are a mom you should read it to your child. They might love it like a favorite book. In the book Chrysanthemum loved her name until she went to school. The kids teased Chrysanthemum and said "you're named after a flower" and a girl named Victoria that was in her class teased her the most. Her parents said her name was perfect but Chrysanthemum did not think so. She had dreams that were nightmares like that Victoria was picking her like a flower. The main problem is she is picked on. I chose the book because it is interesting. The characters are classmates and Chrysanthemum and a music teacher and Chrysanthemum mom and dad. The book takes place at her mom and dads house and outside and school. I think the authors message is to not tease somebody (treat somebody the way you want to be treated.) If you want to find out if the problem's solved you should read the book.


also

Do you like mice? Then you will like Chrysanthemum. I chose to read this book because it was about mice. Chrysanthemum is a girl who was named after a flower and it came to the first day of school and everyone made fun of her because she was named after a flower. Everybody thought it was a funny name except for her parents and her teacher. Everybody said "That's a dumb name. Your names Chrysanthemum it barely fits your nametag" Every body there told chrysanthemum their names and they said their names were perfect. I'm not giving away the ending. You are going to have to read it. I will give you a hint though it turns out to be pretty good. I think that you should never make fun of someone about them. You're just making it worse and worse for you not the person who your making fun of. Its just an embarrassment. Kids through 1st and third grade should read this book because it teaches you a lesson.

I bought this book for my daughter who is an early childhood education major. She requested it after reviewing it in class. Great book!

I am an elementary school teacher and this book is great to read to the kids within the first few weeks of school. It teaches them about the differences between people and how differences are ok. It is just the right length and repeats for easy reading. The video is also a great buy! Play it as a listening center for reading!

Great story for a child in elementary school or approaching. It touches on many levels the challenges of attending school for the first time. The author highlights Chrysanthemum and gives her depth. The school children that she meets also are made to be a challenge for Chrysanthemum.
The problem solving and the love of her parents touch on family values.
LOVE IT AND RECOMMEND.

Chrysanthemum was the main character. She was sad because her classmates were teasing about her name. This happened at school. Chrysanthemum's friends were teasing her because her name wouldn't fit on
her name tag. I like this book for three reasons.
1. I am named after a flower as well as Chrysanthemum.
2. Also, I have been teased because I am named after a flower and it relates.
3. My last reason is because I like books that at first characters do not like each other but in the end they solve the problem. Chrysanthemum is a book for any age. By Lily

This book is not about property investment. It's about Frank's unique recipe for a life well lived. Don't let the long hair and colourful clothes throw you. It is obvious Frank is a relatively young man of exceptional intelligence and energy to make your head spin. I doubt many of us could keep up with him.

Frank runs a tight ship with all the management devices you find in huge government bureaucracies - strategic planning sessions, mission statements, short-term planning and reviewing, performance indicators and staff audits. I suspect he's a shocking control freak.

I had never heard of Frank until a web ad enticed me to join his "webinar". He spoke only plain good sense. No sales nonsense endorsing risky problem-fraught strategies as I half expected. I knew he was absolutely the real deal when I read in his forward a warm acknowledgement of his ghost writer.

It is sad that there are imbeciles out there (see other reviews) that believe he writes his own testimonials or that his long hair invalidates his wisdom (it's actually an artefact of his wisdom as he explains fully).

If I could have read this book 30 years ago I wouldn't have spent so long in government.

Thanks to Frank I'll no longer be too embarrassed to wear a pretty bow tie when I'm consulting. And he has inspired me to exercise my "risk muscle" - it's time for me to "up the ante" in terms of my own real estate investment strategies. And he's challenged me to loosen up and let go of some of my "Scrooge-ish tendencies"

I'll make sure my eldest son and grandson get to read this book.
Vic Barnes PhD

I had been struggling with my Real Estate Investing business for 7 years, after reading Make It Big everything clicked. Everything has fallen into place and the first 6 months after reading the book, my business has made more than all the previous years put together. NO BETTER BOOK OUT THERE. Thanks Frank. Nathan - Fayetteville NC

I strongly recommend this book for the entrepreneur. Ultra high end real esate is only McKinney's vehicle; his philosophy is universal. Those of us with the entrepreneurial bent tend to find unlimited places to go, things to learn, and projects to start. We often suffer as a result. Mr. McKinney's book is the epitome of Napoean Hill's clear thinking. He clearly has a steadfast moral compass, has thought through who he is, what he wants to accomplish, and how to do it. As a result he is highly successful and the world is better for it. A must read.
PS. Buy the book new - the profits go to McKinney's foundation that houses and supports the world's most poor.

This is one of the best books I've ever read. There are a handful of books I read annually such as the Bible (daily); How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie; Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill; The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Classon; and a few others. This book is on that list so much so that I've read at least a chapter of it weekly since reading it a few years back. It comes with 49 short, easy to read chapters with ACTION STEPS for each. For those of you that can do math- that means not counting three weeks vacation time you can read a chapter a week and DO something about it. Not getting three weeks a year off? You DEFINITELY need to read this.

But seriously, the points Frank McKinney makes in this book are simple, but profound-- my personal favorite is the lost art of taking great risks to attain great rewards. In our namby, pamby culture that values the illusion of stability and security this book is a breath of fresh air, and a real, tangible insight on how you can get fantastically wealthy from someone who's done it.

Running a close second is discovering your passion or "highest calling" as early as possible in life, and developing a vision for your passion. To paraphrase Thoreau "Live Deliberately!". So many people these days live like zombies. The light is on, but nobody is home. Nothing they do is by choice, or from the standpoint of being passionate about something and having a purpose, or vision for their lives.

I could point out the virtues of the whole book, but I don't want to re-write it for a review- so I'll end with my third favorite (which may actually be number one in terms of the order of IMPORTANCE to success) It is in Frank's words, taking the "lunch pail approach". In short- show up to work- consistently, persistently, on time and ready to work. Having run several companies, it amazes me how few people possess the integrity and self-discipline to carry out this first and most basic requirement for success. Woody Allen once joked (paraphrasing) that "80% of success is just showing up" and while it was his brand of self-depricating humour to explain why he, of all people, had done so many hit movies-- it's also very, very true. You can't hit a home run if you never step up to the plate, and you can't step up to the plate if you never show up to practice, and take the time to prepare. Showing up to the big game, or the big show-- seeing your name in the lights, starts with integrity and self-discipline in the little, unpleasant tasks of life that nobody sees you doing, and you don't get any credit for, but that you know you should be doing.

Frank McKinney seems outrageous--but this guy is all heart. He is a real inspiration and phenominal motivator. He's got an audio version out too but I think it's only available from his website. Although the phrase about "judging a book by it's cover" is a cliche, it truly applies to this author since you would never expect anyone with this persona to be so kind and generous to those less fortunate.

I for one grabbed this book because I heard Dr. Nick on "Focus on the family" in an interview and again on another radio interview and held him to be a Christian based diet author with personal experience and a wealth of knowledge about the medical side of getting thin. However, the book came across to me as an attempt to appeal to the masses and sort of put the credit to God on the back burner or off to the side or in the shadows and I can't be as inspired by that as a christian or for that matter, before my salvation. I did learn some great insights from Dr. Nick but I am a believer in the power of God to do everything and that just didn't come accross in this book. So with regret I say this book is a testament to Dr. Nicks' great triumph over the "Idolotry" of food as he said in his interview, but it just didn't get me to go along. I hope he will in the future let his faith be more prominent in his story telling and trust in our Lord for the results more than his publisher. If you would like a good hepful book as a compliment to this one may I suggest,Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength

Not only entertaining but encouraging for anyone who wants to lose weight.
Very good suggestions for anyone no matter what age or genter.

I found the book at a local second hand store on their free pile one morning while taking my walk. I felt drawn to the book and promply picked it up and took it home .As I read I felt a kinship with the author. He knew/knows the heartache of being overweight. I could identify with him and the trials that he has experienced. I found too that the book made me feel that I too could accomplish great things, as the author had done. I too so appreciated the fact that he turned his life over the to Lord and knew from where his success really came. I am sharing the book with a friend and when I get it back I am rereading it.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

motivation, desire, drive, push, ambition,
all are needed in abundance to lose weight. the more you are overweight the more you need them. constantly as your companions for the process of getting your body in good shape to do life.

It is not a diet book. it is not a how to do it book. it is a how i did it and why i did it fast paced, quick fun read.

being fat is sin. it stops you from being that good and faithful servant that the faith requires and God expects. the author leads the way, walks the path, is a real leader for this important insight.

thanks.

This isn't a typical "diet" book, which I like. I've read enough diet books in my life to understand the basic concepts. Instead, this book chronicles one person's journey, including the heartache associated with being obese as well as the triumphs of losing signficant amounts of weight. It has been surprisingly motivational - I find myself thinking of the story throughout the day when I struggle with something, telling myself that if he did it, I can certainly do it too. I would definitely recommend this book to others.

This makes the top ten list out of all the great picture books we read to our kids when they were young. I never tired of reading it. So simple, symmetric, even musical. The story? How does the peddler get the monkeys to give back all the caps they've stolen from him and carried up into the tree? Okay, I'm the publisher of One Monkey Books, so call me biased. But try this one on your three or five or year old, and really get into singing, "Caps for sale! Caps for sale! Fifty cents a cap!" It's been around for ages already, and this book will still be there when your kids are having kids. Nutty to Meet You! Dr. Peanut Book #1

I remembering absolutley loving this book as a kid, even though for the life of me I cannot quite remember why. But as far as pointless folktales go, this one really hits the spot. And how can I ignore those amazing illustrations and those silly monkeys? Not much in the way of plot, but somehow the book manages to be incredibly entertaining for some reason unknownst to me. Oh well. Maybe that is its charm.

Another classic to add to the list of beloved library books we had renewed so often we decided to buy it. It is a timeless classic. My 3 year old son loves it. Also see the sequel- circus caps for sale.

I remember a teacher reading this book to the class (a long time ago!) and now I read it to my 27 month old granddaughter. She loves the story and likes to immitate the monkeys. It's one of her favorite books. Our book is a soft cover, which I didn't realize at the time of purchase. With all its use, I wish I would have purchased a hard cover or even as a board book if it's offered that way.

Caps for Sale is a wonderful classic that young readers love to hear. There is enough repetition to encourage children to "read" along. This can also be "acted out" to engage different learning modalities.

Orwell's 1984 is a novel that is truly frightening for those who cherish free expression and the power of individual thought. Dystopia literature owes it all to this classic of the genre. I managed to get through all my formal education without having read this text. However, picking it up now I am glad that I waited until I was a little older to read it.
The first thing one must marvel at is the brilliant construction of the novel. Orwell as an artist is at the top of his form and the structure of the novel is wound so tightly that readers would be wise to annotate the text as there is an almost cyclical nature to many of the themes and ideas presented. Orwell weaves the same ideas throughout the text, and each time he revisits them he shows them through the lenses of a different ideology or character and thus emphasizes for the reader how precarious (and precious) are the mores and ideals of the individual mind.
The idea of governments who yearn for power for power's sake is not so foreign to our early 21st century world, and although the text ends on a nihilistic note, the reader walks away from 1984 with the renewed impetus to revere and respect our individual thoughts, as these, and these alone, give us unique value. Read this text, not so you can fear "big brother", but rather so you can be reminded to respect yourself enough to think and form intellectual thoughts. It is Winston's loss of the self that should frighten the readers of 1984, not the dreary world that Orwell creates. We don't need totalitarian governments to become Winston Smiths. We can do it to ourselves if we are not careful!

Today's American is mentally incomplete if he/she has not read this book. If you haven't read it, please do so. If you have read it, please read it again. And keep in mind that reading it is not the goal. Knowing it is the goal.

The distinction is important because Orwell so masterfully describes the loss of truth, the loss of individuality, the loss of freedom so subtely and so effortlessly, that the crucial points are missed if the reader has a lack of focus.

with uncanny brilliance, Orwell describes the tactics used by a totalitarian state against its own people to gain submission and cooperation. The submission is so complete that the proles (the masses) no longer have ownership over their own thought! It is a subtle and painless process and only Alexis De Tocqueville, in his monumental work, "Democracy in America" has come close in the past 175 years of describing it, but even Tocqueville admits that he can't give it a name.

"In fact there will be no thought...Orthodoxy means not thinking-not needing to think. Orthodoxy is unconsciousness" writes Owell. Orwell later writes that "orthodoxy is stupidity". What the reader needs to understand with this point is that "orthodoxy" is the "news" we get from our mainstream media, our establishment press. Because our mainstream media is government controlled, as explained in the book: U.S. Television News and Cold War Propaganda, 1947-1960 (Cambridge Studies in the History of Mass Communication), naturally only government orthodoxy will be espoused.

In the novel, Orwell writes, "There is no possibility that any perceptible change will happen within our own lifetime".

There are so many unbelievably essential tactics described in this book that I can't do much justice to them in this review, but the reader needs to connect with Orwell's cleverness and understand how important it is to Big Brother to control the language and rewrite the history, in fact, write the history before it even happens. This, the torture to get confessions, attacking an ally and blaming an enemy (false flag terrorism) is all here and Orwell wrote this masterpiece 60 years ago!

This book, Nineteen Eighty-Four, is drawn from heavily in the book, Don't Weep for Me, America: How Democracy in America Became the Prince (While We Slept). Here, the relevancy of "Nineteen Eighty-Four" will blow a lot of minds...

I think this is my favorite novel about a dystopia. So far, I have read "We", "A Handmaid's Tale", "Brave New World", "Anthem", and "A Clockwork Orange", and though I have thoroughly enjoyed quite a few of the novels that I've listed, 1984 is my absolute favorite. How is it different? The main character, Winston, if not entirely likable, is very relatable. What I like most about him is that he doesn't assume to be anything or know anything, but rather, he feels instinctively that something is wrong with how the world is set up. He is not especially intelligent (although he's not exactly stupid either) or strong-willed or moral or handsome. And as if to emphasize Winston's relatable mediocrity, Orwell gave him an exceedingly boring office job! In some novels about dystopias, the protagonist can be overly heroic (as in Anthem) or tragic (as in a Handmaid's Tale), and thus more admirable but also a lot less relatable.

Another thing that is different . . . this book gives you different perspectives. Orwell's theme of government control over language is pretty common in this genre, but because he took his thesis a little farther than merely saying that government control is bad, the book is an interesting read. He even gets a little into metaphysics. As a reader, you also get the perspectives of different characters in the book, and thus, the perspectives of both the government and of rebels. Often, books in this genre can be very straight-foward, but 1984, with its many twists, is a very worthwhile read.

When I read this book I saw a snapshot of what is actually happening today. How ironic someone would have know this was going to happen so many years ahead of time.Excellent reading and I don't normally read fiction.

Imagine, for a second, that tomorrow a large Atomic War starts, and the world is divided into three states. You are under the command of a leader called "Big Brother". Constantly on government surveillance, you try to escape Big Brother's listening and viewing devices, but, of course, you can't. Nobody can really escape.

In the year 1984, bombs invade the city of London. On the Malabar Front a war starts, in another state of the world, called Eastasia. The Ministry of Truth, a government organization, broadcasts to the population via a network of telescreens. These devices, which intrude on all aspects of people's lives, are also capable of monitoring their every word and action. They form part of an immense surveillance system used by the Ministry of Love -another government organization- and its dreaded agents called Thought Police, to serve their singular goal: the elimination of "thought crime". Winston Smith is a Party worker; Part of the social party known as the Outer Party, the pity of the intrusive government. Winston works in the Records Department of the Ministry of Truth - the government organization in charge of modifying historical news for consistency. When Winston finds proof that the Party is lying, he starts off on a journey of self-questioning. In doing so, he becomes a thought-criminal. Winston begins to notice that a young Party member, Julia, is watching him. She wears the special sash of the ultra-zealous Anti Sex League and Winston fears that she is an informant. However, to his surprise, she reveals herself as a subversive, and they begin a dangerous relationship. This inspires Winston to explore deeper the difference between propaganda and reality. Ultimately, it leads him to O'Brien - a member of the Inner Party who sets Winston on the beginning of an amazing discovery.

The book 1984 is a perfect read for anyone that is willing to see the world in a whole new aspect. Not written to a specific group of people, this book can be perceived from any point of view, and from any part of a modern-day- society. One reason people should read this book is because it sees the government from a whole new perspective. The book, 1984 was published in 1949. It predicts the way that a slightly communist government, would function in the future. What I find completely surprising, is that many of the futuristic devices in the book 1948 have become true to this day. When you put a good amount of thought into it, it all becomes reality. Today the government watches our every move through computer, phone, and ever video surveillance. It's scary to think that even now, as you read this, someone could be watching you. Also, the government still hides secrets through propaganda press. Another reason why this book should be read, is because it has a large array of quotes, such as: "War is peace, Freedom is Slavery, Ignorance is Strength" (Orwell, 1949, p.27). It provides the reader with a complete set of wisdom and knowledge through its quotation and lessons. The last reason that I will share, why someone should read this book, is because it keeps your interest. Even though the book isn't exactly a fast read, it's completely addicting the entire way through. Keeping your hands off of it is an almost impossible task to accomplish. It contains the ability to keep the attention of a monkey, and yet can relate to someone with the intelligence of Einstein.

In conclusion everyone, and I mean everyone, should read this book. With its perspective of government conspiracy, relation to modern day life, knowledgeable quotes, ability to contain attention, and its intelligent relation; I am positive it will keep you, and anyone else, on the edge of their seat.

-Jonathan Lightcap