Borden Books

Well, this confirms what savvy teens and their parents already know - Middle School is NOT too early to start thinking about college. That's where a lot of the ground work is laid - because that's where smart kids get on track taking the right math and science courses (which you can't get into later on if you lack the prerequisiste course from the year before), begin or expand their foreign language studies, and start taking meaningful electives such as art, drama, and architectural drawing.

Borden talks about the Early Decision dilemmas that have been in the news recently. She also gives the inside scoop on standardized testing (also in the news a lot.) She offers sensible guidelines for visiting colleges, determining where to apply, and various kinds of financial aid that might be available for you. And she tells you why every college applicant should take SAT prep courses.

This book helps you focus on the details you can control, and let go of the rest. If you start early (and "early" is a key word) you can significantly improve your chances of getting into the college of your choice.

Throughout the book, Borden gives you the facts, and then zeroes in on the "Bottom Line" - what, exactly, do you need to know about this or that. Her book is easy to read and understand. The set up is also easy to follow.

What an incredibly complete guide to the college application process! Marian Borden has thoroughly researched this increasingly complex journey and made wonderful suggestions on subjects as varied as high school course selection, standardized test-taking, summertime and extra-curricular activities, and the college search and application process. She has also included a very complete chapter for the student-athlete hoping to play college level sports. She has answered so many questions so completely under one cover - a MUST for families of college-bound middle and high schoolers!

If this book or one like had been available when I was moping around in the eighth grade, I would have been ... well, I would have had a much easier time with college. Marian Borden has written a readable, fact and tip filled, entertaining book aimed at kids in middle school (though she makes in clear that parents are more than welcome). She demystifies and organizes a process that has grown amazingly complicated and difficult, and she makes it fun. In fact, she shows how kids can increase their enjoyment of those years while building a solid record of accomplishment and depth that will make them interesting to college admissions types. The message of KickStart to College goes way beyond admissions, however, and provides strategies and actions that will help kids make the most of their college experience. It's indeed too bad I didn't have it when I needed it, but I'm glad the book is here for my niece.

I bought this book for my daughter, who is starting 8th grade in September. I don't want her to panic in a few years and realize she didn't plan ahead for doing other things in 10th and 11th grade besides applying to college -- and worrying because she didn't have a plan in middle school! Even the kids who you would think would have no problem getting into the colleges of their choice aren't -- things are so competitive these days. This book answered many of her questions -- and I'm sure she'll be going back to it again and again in coming years.

With two children in Ivy League colleges, I thought I was an expert about college admissions, but this book proved me wrong. I picked it up because I have an eighth grader who wants to follow in her siblings' footsteps; I realize the college admissions game is constantly evolving. This book inspires organization and offers realistic advice without scaring the reader or over-dramatizing the process. I was also very impressed with the research about standardized testing, early admissions, and college visits. Even if you think you have a handle on getting into college, you will benefit from this book!

This book is clearly written, beautifully illustrated, and it provides for very enjoyable reading for adults as well as children.

The illustrations are a combination of watercolor artwork as well as sketches. The book is written in verse and makes a marvelous reading for young readers. I read it to my first grade class and they loved it.

Louise Borden's "A. Lincoln and Me" has the great good luck of being illustrated by Ted Lewin. Author and painter work quiet miracles herein, with Borden's young boy reflecting on Lincoln and the similarities they share (not the least of which includes the same birthday).

Lewin makes a powerful impression here with his pencil sketches of Lincoln shadowing the boy throughout the book. This deft use of pencil, juxtaposed with watercolor paintings of the boy, draw a subtle line between history and modernity, while the size differential (the boy is always smaller than is Lincoln) underscores Lincoln's importance, both in history and to the boy personally.

Really very highly recommended for any child, especially those who have an interest in either Lincoln or the Civil War.

This is an excellent picture book for young readers. Louis Borden has done a great job with the writing of this book. The book is about a young boy who loves the fact that he shares his birthday with our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Throughout the book, the boy also discusses physical attributes that he shares with Lincoln. These attributes consist of large hands, large feet, and a "bean pole" stature. Ted Lewin has done a wonderful job with the illustrations of this book. The first time I looked at the pictures, I actually thought they were photographs because they looked so life-like.

Every so often a gift is given to a parent when reading a book for children. The gift is that moment when the book being read becomes just as interesting, charming, funny or poignant to the parent as it is to the child. I received such a gift when I read this book. In short, simple, poetic sentences the author has managed to make vivid a great man who with the passing of years has become less human and more "historic." At the same time, the young boy in the story who discovers the likenesses between Lincoln and himself is poignantly real in his embarrassment with his awkward physical self. The dead president inspires the boy, and vice-versa: the boy opens a path for us to A. Lincoln. You can buy this book for your child, but you'll be buying yourself a treat as well.

This a wonderful children's book for early elementary teachers. It has so many possible uses. Some of these include: individual differences, historical fiction to interest children in history, and the introduction to money. Plus, the illustrations are simply fabulous. I just love this book!

Ben Benjamin has been my favorite bodywork writer for a long time. I read all of his columns in the American Massage Therapy Association Journal. This book has been thoroughly used so that the cover has even fallen off! Keep up the great writing Ben! Having authored "The Healing Art of Sports Massage", I have a specific need to know things for my practice to be successful!

This book gives clear, understandable step-by-step guidelines to help the reader identify what type of injury is causing his/her pain. This book helped me understand what my chiropractor and sports doctor did not, that I had a torn ligament in my back. This excellent book also describes exercises that will contribute to the healing of one's injury.

This is an easy to understand book. I learned a great deal from it. The author knows his stuff, and wrote the book so you don't have to have a great deal of knowledge to follow along. I would recommend this to anyone who deals with injuries, or who has an injury or pain and wants to learn more about it.

This book is an OUTSTANDING resource (and real eye-opener) for the practitioner as well as for the average person who just wants to understand how things happen in the body and why it can be so hard for some injuries to heal.

Mr. Benjamin is a truly excellent educator who can get the knowledge across in a clear and concise manner. I have personally taken quite a bit of additional training from him revolving around the fundamentals laid out in this book. I can honestly say that it changed my life and my career as a massage therapist.

This is a book that you will refer to CONSTANTLY. It is invaluable.

This is a good book if you are experiencing any pain. It will discribe the problem you are having and how to treat it. It could even save you from going to the doctors office and spending unessesary money if you are sure of your problem and can treat it yorself. I enjoy having this book around. It is a good reference book.

So many books in the area of taxation simply restate the Internal Revenue Code. The same books create confusion and leave it to the reader to interpret how the Code is applied to real situations. "Tax-Free Swaps" is easy to follow and does not leave the reader confused. The author uses examples of how like-kind exchanges affect people in the real world. The examples really make this book easy to understand. If you are unfamiliar with 1031 exchanges, this book does a great job by explaining the extremely difficult concepts from the beginning. If you are familiar with 1031 exchanges, this book is still a useful reference to a complicated area of the law.

Brad's book takes a highly technical tax subject and makes it easily understood by average people as well as those of us who have handled 1031 exchanges for years. As a tax attorney, CPA and owner of All States 1031 Exchange Facilitator, LLC, a qualified intermediary for 1031 exchanges, I have read more than my fair share of books, treatises and articles on 1031 exchanges. Brad uses a folksy, conversational way to help the reader. The examples are extremely illustrative and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to know more about 1031 exchanges. This book is now mandatory reading for my employees as they study for the Certified Exchange Specialist (CES) exam.

This is a wonderful "how to" nuts-n-bolts guide to doing tax-free real estate asset swaps. Highly recommended for practitioners and people who are in or interested in the real estate business.

Tax-Free Swaps: Using Section 1031 Like-Kind Exchanges to Preserve Investment Net Worth (Nuts & Bolts series) (Nuts & Bolts series)

TAX FREE SWAPS
This is the book to add to your library whether you're a property owner or practitioner.

"Tax free Swaps" by Bradley T. Borden is, first, well written: the highly technical tax language of 1031 exchanges is made understandable. The tax consequences 1031 exchanges are presented in logical order, from the history of tax deferred exchanges to current practices. Between the table of contents and the index, it's easy to find a topic of interest. The coupe de grace is Mr. Borden's use of "conversations" with clients to illustrate the concepts. I've used/tried many sources to research Tax Free Swaps and Mr. Borden brings it all together in these 290 pages. Appendix D, Additional Section 1031 Resources, alone is worth the price of the book.

Robert N. Brown, CPA, Denver

TAX-FREE SWAPS by Brad Borden

Readable - Informative - Enjoyable - Interesting.
a most valuable and exceptionally well organized work.

I have been involved with 1031 exchanges for over 43 years and this is the first work that treats the subject in the proper manner it deserves.. It is most accessible for the reader who needs to and should be informed about this often mis-characterized section 1031 of the IRS code. I just wish more of my clients would read it. It is certainly a must read for every Realtor, CPA, attorney and Qualified Intermediary wanting to explain 1031exchanges to their clients.
Thell M. Woods CES SRS,, Certified Exchange Specialist and Specialist in Real Estate Securities.

My grandchildren love the book. When ever they come over they always ask,Papa can you read us this book.

The book is great I have to keep reading it to my children,even tho they know the word to the book by heart.I think it raelly teaches the children the good things and not the bad.

My family just loves the book it is the best book.I think it should be sold every where. By friends had to get books for there children because they loved our book so much. Its the best.

The book tells a child or any one that no matter what people say or think,that if you believe in your self you can do it. So set your goals and reach for them.

I purchased this book after my 7-year old son & I saw the Wishupon characters at a book fair (My son was quite infatuated with one of the cute little pixies!) We read the book together that night and when it was done we both felt that wishes really do come true -- if you believe in the magic that is within each and every one of us. Kudos to Dyanna Lynn and everyone else involved with the Wishupons. My son and I look forward to the next dream you weave.

The book, titled "A Better Country: Why America Was Right To Confront Iraq" is published by Hamilton Books and tells the story of why we took Iraq seriously. Mr. Borden is a Democrat, and like so many others in his party, he's faced with the prospect that the facts behind the war have been dismissed, forgotten or twisted for political reasons. In 88 pages he outlines the intelligence, the arguments, the failures and the threat Iraq posed. What makes this book truly useful is that one can sit down for a single afternoon and rise from the chair with a healthy understanding of all aspects surrounding the Iraq war, making it a great place to start if you're out to change minds.

He begins by reminding the reader of the Carter Doctrine (yes, that Carter!) that declares, in no uncertain terms, that "An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force." He does this not to revise President Carter's reputation as a foreign policy failure, but to make the point that the stance taken by President Bush wasn't a first, it was in line with government policy going back decades. President Clinton's Iraq Liberation Act in 1998 was another dot on the line that ended at President Bush's desk, but the difference between the two was that the 43rd president wasn't willing to pass on the Iraqi threat like the 42nd did. Mr. Borden makes his points powerfully, and draws from history, documents and speeches to prove his case.

Every chapter, pithy as it is, continues in this methodical fashion. He addresses the failure to find WMD and the use of that charge by opponents. Another chapter centers on the promise of containment and the prudence of relying on the United Nations to disarm dictators. He wonders why anyone is surprised that the administration forced a democracy on the hapless Iraqis, and skillfully works through the Iraq War Resolution for those who haven't taken the time to read it. It's a book of thought provoking essays. It's also a valuable weapon against those who would rather not sift through the details.

It's worth debating whether we ought to have gone into Iraq, but no thoughtful deliberation can happen without the facts. The media in this country and around the world settled for a narrative that focused on equivocating America and her enemies, but there are few cases as stark as the one made in confronting a defiant tyrant in a country that had used WMD after 9/11. Whether this generation of Americans will look beyond slogans and platitudes for the answers to the moral questions that will define us, we can only ask that the wise do their duty. In that, Arthur Borden earns my gratitude.

A Better Country: Why America Was Right To Confront Iraq - a review

Book Review by Debbie at Right Truth, [...]


The book A Better Country - Why America Was Right to Confront Iraq, is a must read and I highly recommend it to all my friends. A Better Country is the Right Truth Book Club selection for September. I couldn't wait to start reading it, and finished in one sitting. This little 88 page paperback has no fluff, no filler, no glossy pictures -- from cover to cover the reader gets facts backed up by sources.
The author, Arthur Borden, wastes no time, no ink, no paper making his argument, -- and he does make the argument. Mr. Borden happens to be a Democrat by the way.

A few quotes to wet your appetite:
[snip] He [President George W. Bush] presented the nuclear threat as an approaching danger, not yet as an actual one, and he was resoled to prevent it:
Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud . . . . Understanding the threats of our time, knowing the designs and deceptions of the Iraqi regime, we have every reason to assume the worst, and we have an urgent duty to prevent the worst from occurring.

Though bush did not invoke the Carter Doctrine explicitly, he added that "the same tyrant has tried to dominate the Middle East" and that "two administrations -- mine and President Clinton's -- have states that regime change in Iraq is the only certain means of removing a great danger to our nation." (page 4)

[snip] It was later, almost three years after the Iraq war had begun, that the mainstream media addressed this issue significantly and in keeping with the Carter Doctrine. As Ted Koppel said with stunning candor on Meet the Press on December 25, 2005, "the only difference between the Clinton administration and the Bush administration was 9/11 . . . . If 9/11 had happened on Bill Clinton's watch, he would have gone into Iraq":

And the one thing that we are not talking about, because it somehow seems indelicate or unpolitic or even inappropriate, is the simple fact of the matter that, while we did not go to war because of Iraq's oil, we did, in act, go to war because it is absolutely essential to the national interest, not only of this country but also of the Europeans and of the Japanese, that the Persian Gulf remains stable . . . . [W]e need to have a stable Iraq in order to guarantee a stable Persian Gulf, and the name of that game is oil. Nobody talks about that. (page 5)

Those quotes are from pages 4 and 5, now you must read the rest for yourself. I will leave you with two short quotes and some food for thought as the United States and the world consider dealing with Iran's nuclear program and the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who wants to not only completely destroy Israel and all Jews, but who wants to destroy the United States and Western nations.

In President George W. Bush's 2003 State of the Union Address he said:
Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words and all recriminations would come too late. (page 32)

In A Better Country, Mr. Borden rightly states:
[snip] As we should recognize after 9/11, complete certainty is practically impossible now that the threat combines terrorism and WMD.

If the President breaks faith with us, or if we break faith with the President, we become defenseless in a dangerously uncertain world. When the Democrats attacked the President's credibility, they aimed to deprive him of the powers of his office. They choose instead to believe in the U.N. They have argued since 2003 that the President broke faith with them. The truth is, they had refused from the start of his presidency to put any faith in him. The war in Iraq has divided us further because we were already divided. (page 67)


My friends, we live in a divided nation, yes, but we are all Americans. Is it possible to put these divisions behind us, to put the nation first ahead of politics? I pray we can my friends, because we face many threats in the years ahead. Iran is the next big threat we must face. Can we learn lessons from Iraq to defeat our enemies? First we must recognize and understand the past, what happened in the run up to Iraq, during the first years of Iraq, and what is happening even today.
We have a Democrat candidate for President who based his candidacy on pulling troops out of Iraq. As individual American citizens we have some tough battles and decisions ahead of us. I suggest you read A Better Country because Mr. Borden will inform you, he will make you think, he will give your sources to back up your discussions with others on the subject.

Now GO, buy this book, read it and share it with your friends and foes: Amazon.com $16.15. The best money you'll spend this month.

In September of 2002, with the first anniversary remembrances of the 9/11 attacks taking place across the country, and with America obviously preparing to go to war to thwart another such attack, Arthur Borden began to notice some disturbing reactions coming from his Democratic Party, even among his own friends and colleagues. These reactions and the totality of the circumstances involving 9/11 and it's various related issues led Borden to study the issues more closely and led him to realize that he was now living "..in an America which is not the country where I went to college, served in a good war, and enrolled in law school.." The result of his studies is the book "A Better Country: Why America Was Right to Confront Iraq" released this year as a soft cover by Hamilton Books. In it's short number of pages (67 plus a handful of indices), Borden makes a compelling argument that not only was President George W. Bush right in going into Iraq and deposing it's despotic leader Saddam Hussein, but that this move was vital. He also makes the case for remaining in the country, and possibly for the need to extend the conflict into Iran in the near future. From the free flow of the oil that is vital to our national and the world economy, to a geo-political presence vital to securing peace and democracy, Borden moves through the many varied and important issues over the last few decades that led to the Iraqi campaign and the larger War on Islamofascism. Borden presents that both of the Bush administrations and the Clinton administration recognized the threat of the Hussein regime. These administrations recognized that it was reasonable to confront the Iraqi regime based on the longstanding and widely-supported 'Carter Doctrine' which recognized the vital interest regarding the free flow of oil from the Middle East. He goes on to present that a combination of intentionally biased liberal media attention, a near traitorous attitude by many Democratic Party politicians, and even the faux pas committed by the current 'W' administration led eventually to the public turning on this necessary war effort. His chapters on "The Missing WMD" and the Joe Wilson-Scooter Libby issue of the "Aluminum Tubes and Yellow Cake" are particularly insightful, revealing, and well researched. What Arthur Borden does with "A Better Country" is present a better narrative for this necessary effort in Iraq. The book is a short and easy read, but also a detailed and educational must-read for anyone interested in exploring the issues behind the necessary sacrifices being made by America's troops in Iraq over these last few years.

I just got this book today. I have not finished reading it yet, but I want to make one short point.



CARTER and CLINTON left Bush out to hang. They put those policies (Carter Doctrines and Clinton's "Iraq Liberation Act of 1998") in place to protect American interests in the Gulf Region and Bush just followed through. Clinton knew the public would NOT buy off on it.

President Bush sincerely went into Iraq, to not only protect the American interest in the region, but also for our National Security. Unfortunately, the critics and the Democrats (a.k.a. "Bush Haters") took an opportunity to promote their party and self interest.

Ted Koppel was on 'Meet the Press' in 2005. He is stated saying that the difference between the Clinton Administration and the Bush Administration is 9/11. If 9/11 happened under Clinton's watch, he would have invaded Iraq.

History is always being rewritten. We will look back and see Bush did the RIGHT thing for our country....not for the Republicans....not for dad, and definitely, not for the oily companies.

By the way, this book was written by a Democrat and a member of the "The Greatest Generation."

Mr. Borden, Sir. You are truly "The Greatest Generation" Thank you for writing this book.

Heed the warning, people.

Fast read, easy to understand concepts of church leadership being presented, seems to speak mostly to ministers. Probably could have been done in half as many pages.

This book leverages the "Leading Change" model of John Kotter in a highly effective manner within a ministry context. Paul speaks as a real leader with successful experience in coaching, equipping and releasing real leaders in the mission field.

If you have never visited an organic church this is the place to begin! And even if you have visited or belong to an organic church this is the book to help you better understand and implement the effective, yet fluid, approach to ministry that is producing so many fruitful disciples and churches. Dr. Whitesel gives an academic, practical, and applicable introduction to twelve emerging organic congregaions from across the U.S. with examples from England and Canada as well. As a pastor and former youth minister and Christian school teacher, I greatly appreciate the author's insights into philosophic background, worship style, and church growth mechanisms of these multi- and younger generational churches that are effectively reaching the post-modern thinkers. Having just spent a week with thirty other church leaders in the San Franciso area of California studying and experiencing emergent worship and ministry with Dr. Whitesel, I can say this author lives out and teaches with an authentic passion to help all Christian leaders communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ in a culturally relevant way without marginalizing the Biblical message of redemption. Everyone interested in growing the church in a post-modern and often, post-Christian society needs to read this book!

Few in the North American church scene have as much experience with local church turnaround as Paul Borden. What makes Direct Hit so useful is that Borden addresses why turnaround is so often talked about, but so rarely achieved. He gives very clear rules about: the timing of turnaround, the role of pastors and leaders, using outside help, and the necessity of mission. Many congregations do not look to the deep issues behind why their church is the way it is. Not so with Direct Hit. Borden is up-front and passionate about his subject. A previous reviewer has put in this space a review of some other book about "Organic Church", not by Borden. There are a few typographical and syntactical errors here, but a lot fewer than his previous book Hit The Bullseye. The Appendices are worth the purchase price alone. Five stars.

Free Spirit is a wonderful book It combines history with a facinating story of a girl growing up in the 18 hundreds. Sabra travels to California at a young age and marches to her own drum. She is misunderstood by many, but becomes loved by all. She is true to herself, an adventurer who takes us on a wild ride. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in how the west was born.

Free Spirit is a wonderful book It combines history with a facinating story of a girl growing up in the 18 hundreds. Sabra travels to California at a young age and marches to her own drum. She is misunderstood by many, but becomes loved by all. She is true to herself, an adventurer who takes us on a wild ride. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone who is interested in how the west was born.

Free Spirit is exciting, instructional, and captivating. I could not put it down. My journey through Stevens' book was exhilerating and uplifting...exhilerating from living with the characters, sharing their Gold Rush experiences, and becoming well-informed about California history and about life in the West...uplifting as the characters resolve their problems and surmount obstacles. Free Spirit is a rare treat!

Reading is for enjoyment and this is exactly what Free Spirit possessed. Truly pleasurable reading mixed with much history of our old north west. You will find yourself not wanting to put the book down.

My 4-year-old son picked this book out at the library (I think he was attracted by the cover picture of children ice skating, a hobby he too enjoys). When I read it to him at home, I was surprised at how engaging it was for me, being that it is a book written for a younger audience. The author certainly researched her subject matter. My son and I both learned a great deal about the Netherlands in the early 1940s, and the history of ice skating. The Elfstedentocht, the speed skating race in the northern province of Friesland, I had never heard of before reading this book. Maybe one day my son will travel to the land of his ancestors and compete in this race! This excellent book could certainly inspire an interest in a venture of that nature. I certainly would recommend this book, both for its content, and the captivating artwork.

I purchased this for my 2nd grade granddaughter to read from her list of summer reading books. Turned out to be a 4th grade level, but she was definitely up to it! Wonderful book! Excellent adventure from WWII. She was enthralled and I was, too! Recommend this one highly!

Louise Borden has added another little known story to her collection of historical fiction. In the year 1941, Holland has been under Nazi control for a year. Ten year old Piet dreams of following in the footsteps of his hero, Piiim Mulier the skater who first achieved Elfstedentocht, the Eleven Towns Race.

When a family friend is taken into German custody Piet's grandfather asks the boy to take the threatened family's children, down the frozen canals, to safety across the border to Brugge, Belguim. They are hoping three children skating down the canals will not attact the attention of the German troops. The journey becomes Piet's Elfstedentocht. The cold, the exhaustion, the fear and the natural exuberance of the children are beautifully shared in this story.

Niki Daly's illustrations have an old fashioned feel. Daly has caught the feeling of the Dutch winter sky and the era with muted colors.

Interesting notes on the Elfstedentocht are included along with pronounciations of the Dutch words. Another wonderful book about Holland during WWII is "Forging Freedom" by Hudson Talbott. These two titles would work well together.

Parents often find themselves amazed at the sheer number of WWII picture books available to kids today. Why the year 2004 alone was privy to such fabulous tomes as, "The Cats of Krasinski Square", by Karen Hesse and "The Greatest Skating Race", by Louise Borden. Usually such picture books are examinations of the Holocaust and/or Jewish oppression. Borden's book, however, takes an entirely different route. Concentrating on the German occupation in the Netherlands, the book shows how resistance and bravery can flower in children when the need is great enough. Though this book is far too lengthy and involved to seriously interest any child under the age of eight, I'd still recommend it to those tykes that can maintain their interest through a riveting race against time.

Piet (pronounced "pete") has a single burning obsession that has yet to be thoroughly quenched. He loves to skate. This is not particularly peculiar in the Netherlands, of course. After all, he comes from a long line of skate artisans and often he traverses the many canals that run through his town. But Piet's real hope is to someday compete in the difficult Elfstedentocht race held in Friesland when the winters are cold enough. Piet's hero, Pim Mulier, once completed the 200 kilometer (roughly 125 mile) course in just 12 hours and 55 minutes and Piet's raring to do the same. But it's the second winter into WWII and the Netherlands are under German occupation. What's worse, a father of two kids in Piet's school was recently arrested by the Germans for passing on information to the British. This places the man's children in dire peril and their only hope is to somehow escape over the border to Belgium and then into the town of Brugge to safety. But how could two such children be able to find their way? That's where Piet comes in. With his trusty red notebook in hand, Piet and the kids must escape and elude the Germans and make it to their safehouse in the course of a single day over 12 kilometers. If they're strong enough.

Though looking like a picture book, this is an in-depth read more appropriate for kids reading early chapter titles. In the course of the narrative, author Louise Borden spots the text with factual information in the form of maps, pronunciation guides (very useful when you have words like, "Elfstedentocht" to contend with), and info on the great Friesland race as well as a history of skating itself. It's enough to make your head spin. And then, to top it all off, there's the story. Borden cleverly sucks you into the action. It did strike me as a little odd that in this book the adults would place Piet in such danger when a grown-up probably could've have helped the two children instead. Then again, maybe they figured that kids would attract less attention. Whatever the reason, Piet's journey is realistic. He comes up with an ingenious way to keep the seven-year-old from tiring too much and also for keeping the children's spirits up. After reading the book, you may never want to skate yourself but you're happy watching others do it here.

The illustrations by Niki Daly are nicely detailed as watercolors go but the real hero here is the text. Kids who like that classic piece of children's literature, "Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates" by Patricia Lauber will find a similar tale in "The Greatest Skating Race". Purchase only for those advanced readers that won't be turned off by a little historical fiction. A great WWII picture book for a select audience.

Anyone interested in how people in a stigmatized or marginalized position can empower themselves and change institutions should find this book fascinating. Audrey Borden has collected a rich set of moving narratives from people who were at the forefront as Gays and Lesbians made AA work for them, and in the process helped AA live up to its traditions. The selflessness, generosity and modesty of many of her sources make these stories all the more touching, given the struggles they faced and the lives they have saved. Well written by an insightful author. A wonderful contribution!

Wonderful. A real must for anyone interested in AA.

The focus on 'Gay AA' history does not narrow the book; rather, the Gay focus provides a window through which AA tradition, practice, and history can be traced concisely.

Anyone interested in AA, or alcoholism, let alone Gay history, should have this volume.

As a history of recovery programs, Borden has provided unique insight into the development and application of governing principles for AA. This kept recovery from alcoholism first and foremost when it came to highly politicized and culturally-polarizing topics.

As a GLBT history text, I consider this a must-read, alcoholic or not. My experience has been that one can't go far in AA without encountering openly GLBT people with a long history of strong sobriety, and this is their story. GLBT's active in recovery seem to make up *far* more than the 5% one would expect within the general recovering population.

I consider myself somewhat well-read in GLBT history texts, but few captivated me as this has. The personal details of the lives of these people provided one of the most personalized exploration of the practical lives of GLBTs in the mid-20th century I have found. In many ways, this is a soberly (ha!) narrowed application of Ian Young's "Stonewall Experiment" with the existential input needed to really do that kind of work.

One can't go far in AA without encountering openly GLBT people with a long history of strong sobriety. With the incredibly personal nature of individual recovery openly described, I was able to feel proud of these people, I praised their successes and empathized with their struggles as my own.

I can't stress how important I believe this work to be. Because many GLBT people do not bear children, our cultural heritage often is often forgotten between generations. The unique personal experience of surviving homophobia, discrimination, and queer experience is unfortunately gone with the elders. I loved being able to relate to these people, and consinder it of grave importance for younger generations to seek past lessons.

I did want for more. There was little descriptions of early gay AA in Chicago, and I've had the personal experience to know several GLBT people with very long term sobriety in or from Chicago. Maybe there will be a part two ;)

There is a lot more of this history to do...

Ms. Borden has brought together a fascinating and important collection of "insider's history" regarding GLBT people in Alcoholics Anonymous. Organized in a straightforward (no pun intended) and very readable manner, the book conveys through first-hand accounts the place and significance gay and lesbian people have had in the development of this remarkable recovery program.

The only criticism this reader has is that there are so many more stories that should have been gathered, particularly from areas of the country (especially the Midwest) where equally important developments took place. The book is a bit "bicoastal" in this regard; there are amazing stories yet to be gathered and told from the middle of the country as well as the two coasts. (I know--I am here, and have been out and part of it since this 1970s in Iowa and Minnesota!)

Nonetheless: this history is a must-read for anyone interested in A.A. history--GLBT and straight alike. Thank you Ms. Borden, and Haworth Press.