Bradford Books

This is by far my favorite book from that genre. I first read it in high school and have gone back several times over the years. I just purchased it again to give to my 13 year old daughter.

I grew up in Santa Fe, reading this book, serving Mr. Bradford coffee at Zook's Pharmacy on the Plaza. Mr. Bradford's book reassured me that my turbulent adolescence was do-able, by lighting the way.
I have not been back there in thirty years. Santa Fe has been taken over by the rich and the entitled and they have squeezed the soul out of what we knew growing up there, though there is plenty of beauty and spirit left to be sucked dry by the commercial people. But if you want to know the siren song of Santa Fe, read this book. Sagrado is, indeed, Santa Fe. This was what it was like there even in the 1960's and 1970's.
I mean, where else could you have that unforgettable horse AND world-class opera AND the mountains AND the humility of entertaining the Native Americans by just being white people on the Plaza?
I read this book, I can smell the pine wood burning in the farolitos, and the breeze in the chamisa after the Summer afternoon cloudbursts.

This is a wondrous short novel. Read it if you'd like to be a teenager again. Buy an old paperback copy showing a teenage boy and girl standing facing each other with their foreheads touching--a very sweet illustration.

Now a good review (recommendation) doesn't have to be long, so let me give you a few lines of description. A boy moves from Alabama to New Mexico during World War II, and while his father is away in the war, the boy finds friends and a home in the small mountain town of Sagrado. One of his new friends is an sculptor who carves stone heads and places them on a hillside.

On the great book cover: Sometimes book covers actually decline in quality with the many printings of a book. This has happened with "Red Sky At Morning," but remember you are buying the book for the story.

Another example of the decline in a book's cover is seen in the early cover for "Summer of Night," by Dan Simmons.Summer of Night (Aspect Fantasy) The 1991 "Warner Book" edition has a window with a cut out. Through the window you can see some boys riding their bicycles at night. When you open the book, you see a mysterious school in the background.

The later covers of "Summer of Night" were not half as mysterious or fun.

As many others have said, it's impossible to get tired of this book. My parents gave it to me when I was 18 and (again, like several others) the first time I read it I found it a little slow and disjointed. It gets better and better with every read - each time I pick up on the subtleties of a scene for the first time.

Rather than boring the reader with a bunch of obnoxious capers and hijinks, Bradford envelops you in his characters' community, and it's this day-to-day banality (which turned me off so much the first time) that really draws you into the story. Josh's adjustment to Sagrado takes time, but when it comes it's so natural and amusing that you're almost completely unprepared for the sobering conclusion of the story.

I had no idea the book was so loved until I read these reviews. There are so many special moments in the story - the big wet snowfalls that ruins Chamaco's fiesta, the horribly backward residents of La Cima, the refreshing "white trashiness" of the Cloyd sisters, even Parker Holmes tearing an elk sandwich apart with his teeth.

I wish these characters existed in real life, and I wish I could be their friend.

I thouroughly enjoyed this book, I do not know how I missed it for so many years. It was recommended in Nancy Pearl's "Book Lust" (which you really should buy if you are an avid reader.) I have never been dissapointed by her recommendations.

Josh, as the narrator in "Red Sky at Morning" is a 17 year old high school senior at the end of WWII. His dry wit mad me laugh right out loud several times. I loved his sensibility and humor. The cast of characters in this book reminded me of some of the characters in "A Prayer for Owen Meany" by John Irving.

This is one of my favorite reads of the year, so much so I will probably hunt down a hard cover edition for my collection.

I recommend this book to anyone who is curious about life. I already had a life purpose I felt confident and satisfied with before reading this book. I have a strong curiosity for life, and Steve Pavlina recommended it, so I gave it a read. I couldn't put it down ( except to do the exercises ).
I feel much more alive and on purpose after reading Swift's book. I feel much more confident sharing my purpose with others, and encouraging others to consciously pursue their own purpose, or the discovery of their purpose with this book.
I though th analogy with the cup and how water shape to the cup, is sensible and understandable way to explain your life's purpose. I don't want to give it all away. This book is phenomenal, and it would be silly not to read it.

Thanks Brad.

Walk into any bookstore and you'll find a dozen books that claim to have the keys to finding your life purpose. I've reviewed a good quantity of these types of books and the majority of them seem to have a ready made solution for you: the most common being service to God. Although inspirational, I find it really hard to believe that I could have the exact same life purpose as every other reader.

I believe that the biggest flaw in these resources is that the author's focus on doing rather than being. What will you do with your life to make your time here valuable? What have you achieved today, this year, or in your lifetime? The process is all a little external and designed to be sporadic.

Life on Purpose comes from a completely different angle. A life on purpose is more about who you want to be first and foremost. How do you want to feel each day? Who are you and how do you want to express these attributes? The doing comes later and is inherently shaped by your unique definition of being.

Before I read LIFE ON PURPOSE I participated in several of Brad Swift's Teleconferences where he outlined the process in his book. What and how he shared touched me and I wanted to experience going through the passages he spoke of and discover what it might reveal for my life. I found the book filled with questions, big, small, simple, easy and quite a few challenging - by far almost all worthwhile answering. The text is peppered with wonderful quotes that range from profound to hilarious. It is easy reading and light of heart for a 'serious' book about a big topic.
For myself, I found Brad's 3rd passage, UNCOVERING WHAT'S BEEN SHAPING YOUR LIFE, the simplest and most direct approach to 'examining the past' I have ever come across. Brad takes the seemingly complicated issues that often unconsciously shape our lives -survival patterns, role models, socio-economics, religion, nationality, etc - and renders them understandable in a 'non-psychological' manner - without bypassing powerful emotions such as fear and vulnerability. His path of questions reveal the pattern of the "wall paper" that you have been staring at in your everyday life and perhaps never noticed. Then, this pattern is distilled into a concise description he terms your "Inherited Purpose" which is from then on contrasted with the evolving discovery of your "Life Purpose" throughout the rest of the book. This distillation proved extremely useful to me, as I explored the rest of the passages and as I continue on in my Life Purpose. Every time the "Inherited Purpose" infiltrates my thinking I can easily identify and dispel its deadening presence. Now, my Life Purpose is an evolving endeavor that has the very best of me at the forefront of my life. LIFE ON PURPOSE is not a silver bullet with fast answers but an excavation that frees one's intuition and liberates consciousness for the purpose your heart cries out for.

After retiring from the Federal Government in order to move from DC and pursue a teaching career I had all but given up. No one was interested in hiring this late 50's veteran who just wanted to teach. I heard Brad at church and bought his book Life on Purpose. I did all the exercises which reinvigorated my belief the I was to BE a teacher. Within another month I was offered a job as a co teacher of Exceptional Children, teaching two Language Arts and two Science classes in a middle school. Brad's book was a significant part of my commitment to being a teacher. Read the book, do the exercises it may just work for you too.

I interviewed Brad on my radio show and found both Brad and his book to be sincere and enthusiastic. This book provides easy-to-use steps to a life more filled with awareness and contentment. Lee Channing.

This is a very good and enjoyable book to read, i enjoyed it very much and i would tell my friends to read it. Im glad its on fiction and not non-fiction, i would not like the way it went or the way it turned out. I am looking forward to reading his next book. I hope its very good like his first one. Thanks Mr Bradford Morgan,keep up the good work . Sincerely your;s JoannCleary.Booki01

The book has some good ideas on what not to do in an emergency! It could prepare a family for a major catastrophy. Well researched and written!

When i first heard about this book, I was a bit apprehensive...thought the author was jumping on the bandwagon. Boy was I wrong! Everything you imagine about Y2K happens and how the characters deal with it is extraordinary. The political aspects of the book rate right up there with anything I have read by Ludlum. The characters are so believable, I think I may know some of them. I have been a fan of Stephen Hunter and David Morrell, but after reading this book I will havwe to move Bradford Morgan to the top of the list. I can't wait for the author's next book. If you are looking for a book that you think about long after you have finished, this is the book for you.

The author has dealt with a different and controversial topic in this action-packed, page-turning thriller. The story grabs the reader from the beginning and takes you through a nightmare of the worst kind..right up to the surprising twist on the last page. Bradford Morgan has an extraordinary talent and I highly recommend this novel.

Two credible stories woven into one complex and gripping novel. If you love to hate the current administration in Washington DC, you'll be captivated by the explanation that Morgan has laid out for the President's behavior. In the other Washington, a prudent family gets swept into the chaos of a Y2K stricken nation. Most exciting drama I've read in years!

Great Siege: Malta 1565 (Wordsworth Military Library.)

This is a good, well written book.The siege of Malta is one of those great episodes of history where almost super-human courage and bravery triumph against overhelming odds.

If you like adventure read this book: besides reading like a fascinating adventure story it happens to describe real-life actual facts. Beats any Hollywood epic, imho.

The "Great Siege", is the Siege of Malta in 1565, as the Turkish Ottoman Empire tried to expand further into the Mediterranean and up to Italy. The Ottomans had already conquered most of Eastern Europe.

The book, by a British historian named Ernle Bradford, is great! But unfortunately extremely difficult to get. It's not stocked on Amazon and second hand copies are rare. I was lucky and got mine second hand off Amazon for 20 bucks plus shipping, back in April. It's a book I'd always had a wish to read, since seeing a review years ago.

The historical background to the siege, and an abbreviated discussion can be found here online: Siege of Malta (1565) - Wikipedia.

The book uses all the contemporary accounts and puts them into a flowing narrative, that is really quite riveting. The main characters are the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St. John, (a fighting religous order who also maintained hospitals! Go figure.), Jean de Valette, the Turkish leader , Mustafa Pasha, and his Tripoli ally Turgot Reis.

The Turkish invaders really should have won the day as they had vastly more men. They were stymied by their own infighting, some bad tactical decisions (especially opening the siege by trying to capture the Fort of St. Elmo's), and by the heroic defense of the Christian defenders who travelled to Malta, and the Maltese fighters. The violence level is appalling. It was a bad idea to be captured, by either side!

It's a great, highly readable story, if you can get the book. I hope it gets re-issued soon.

An absolute page turning account of a desperate battle. The account, though historically informative, reads like a novel. It is concisely written, expressive, and captivating. I could not put it down. I highly recommend this book if you're interested in not only learning about a fascinating struggle, but in obtaining a sense of what it must have been like to be in Malta in 1565.

This is a truly great book. Mr Bradford is so passionate about his subject, so vivid in his detail, that it's all you can do not to book a plane ticket to go and see for yourself. The detail is staggering - he recreates the past with the love and care of an artist. It is a book about the Knights of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and their struggle against the Turks of the Ottoman empire - and it's a ripping good read. Just pick it up - you'll enjoy it.

What I read: An amazingly heroic defense of the knights and the Maltese against an amazing siege of the navy of the Magnificient and his generals. When I read in my middle school history class, this siege just was an unsuccessful one-sentence event in the hundreds of pages of the Ottoman Empire, but, while reading this book, I felt like I watched and lived the siege minute by minute. And I felt like this was the most important siege of all times (it truly might be!). My respects to especially Dragut (Turgut) and to La Vallette increased, since both were great leaders. I also learned how little things can change the result of the war. Questions in my mind after reading the book are: What would be the result like if Suleiman attended the siege? What would be the result like if Admiral Piali Pasha listened to Mustafa Pasha so that they would secure the north before the siege? What would it be like if Dragut wasn't hit by a stone and die during the siege? What would the result be like if the Don Garcia waited for two more days? What would the history be like after that?
It felt sorry for all the people fought during the siege, both the siegers, who came to "smoke out the nest of vipers who were constantly attacking their ships in the mediterranean", and the defenders, who "were defending their last homeland to death".

I was given this book by a research mentor at the conclusion of a summer of undergrad research. She thought I would find the sections advising scientists to find appropriate wives amusing, and I certainly did. Cajal is certainly opinionated on this and many other subjects, and he writes well and clearly. Although the book is dated, the basic philosophy of science itself has not changed, making Cajal's insistence that young researchers question authority and trust their own abilities as timely as ever.

a wonderfully written, sharp, succinct account of how and why we should do research. for anyone embarking on long term work in the natural or social sciences this book provides invaluable advice. if only everyone worked this way!

This is a great book for anyone who is embarking on research life journey. It should be a madatory reading for all persons getting training in research.

Could one expect have such a magnificent review of the life which can give you the main principles to enjoy your life as a scientist? Yes, read this book which still inspires me in most aspects of my life. By some pertinent illustrations, Santiago gave us the basis to lead not only a sucesss in your scientific career, but also (and more important) advices to a better human being.
This book (and all others of this kind) speaks to human's heart, and should be proposed in our education system instead of so many boring and barely useful.

This book was recomended by Dr. T T Sun, who himself is a great motivator and researcher. I read this book and its incredible. It changes the view of thinking towards science.

dominique moceanu is the best gymnast anyone could ever know.i'm a gymnast my self,and reading about her,seeing her on tv,seeing her smile,makes me wan't to go out there and do the same.and i do!saying this,you probubly won't believe me,but being a fan of hers,seeing her doing the things she does(smile)has inproved my skills in gymnastics!i hope she has done the same for you,cause if you don't know her.you better know her to day,cause she is the best you'll ever love!i used to hate gymnastics some times,and till i saw dominique moceanu with that beatiful smile.i've loved gymnastics ever since then.every time i compete.i act like her,smile,and show that i love doing what i'm doing,cause i know dominique moceanu~and you gotta know her too!thanks dominique,for making me win my first silver(on floor),cause seeing you smile all the time,and always being happy,has made me do the same,and it improved only because i love you!

You will find this book to give many details on the young gymnast at a professional view point. If you are looking to get more personal information such as characteristics, personality, etc.. Get another book. This is about her and the sport of gymnastics from the time she started up to late '96. I enjoyed the book a great deal and was amazed to find out how very succesful she is in every day living at such a young age. That is much to be said for our day and age!

Also recommended: Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion: An Autobiography Dominique Moceanu

This book is perfect for any fan of Dominique Moceanu. You learn so much about her, starting from her birth all the way up to the 1996 Olympics. This was a very vivid and detailed biography. I really thought it was cool to read about the gymnastics school she used to train at before she went to Karolyi's. It tells about all her early compititions and experiences. It felt like I really knew Dominique Moceanu! I learned so much from this book, and like Krista Quiner's other gymnastics biographys, this was a great one!

The book was fully detailed and was a very easy to read book. I read it in a matter of hours, and I am 11 years old. I love gymnastics and Dominique. Since the first time I saw her on T.V. I wanted to be just like her. Now I am taking acrobatics at a great little studio. even though we only do floor excersises, I still someday would like to be just like Dominique! The book has really encouraged me too succeed, and I really hope that anyone that wants to be something, jumps on it, you only live once!

This book was truly awesome. Krista did an excellent job writing this book. You feel that you actually know Dominique. I reccomend this book for ALL Dominique fans. A must read book!!

Also recommended: Dominique Moceanu: An American Champion: An Autobiography Dominique Moceanu

Having already read "Golf in not a game of perfect" on the mental side of golf and found it very useful, I was very interested to see if this book would help me with putting, which has been my Waterloo for a few years. I am please to say that I may not have yet won the battle, but I am getting there fast.

This is all about the mental side of the golf game focusing on putting. It was easy to read and understand and perhaps it would have helped me more if I had read it again. Not my favorite golf book.

Trust your first instinct when you hit the green, and learn to keep those negative thoughts at bay. This mental and technical guide to putting will help you improve your form.

Very straightforward and comensensical. Seems everything we read these days is about positive thinking. And it does work along with a good basic set up. I especially like his instruction that once you are over the ball, don't wait there and let negative thoughts sneak in. Go ahead and hit the ball. He says to trust your first instinct when you read a putt and I have always found that to be true. Can't wait to put his recommendations into play.

Any golfer (including disc golfers) would benefit from this book. It's a very good book!

I have three girls who love American Girl Dolls. We have read all the series. I found this series to be spot on for the time. At first I was a bit taken by details - but it was nice to explain to my girls what it was really like. The series does a excellent job telling the story of slavery from the eyes of Addy. I can imagine it must have been much more terrifying. I also got out some maps of the underground railroad - this helped them identify with the lengths Addy and her family went through for Freedom! I put this in my top three of the series with Kit and Kirtsten series. Extremly pertinent and relavant to topics today and the history of the good ole USA!

Everything good to say about these books has been said already. I agree with all good things said. I just wanted to add my 5 stars.

I think this was one of the best American Girl Collections. It describes the life of people and slaves had during the Civil War, and for me, a person who is writing a novel about the Civil War, this is helpful. It also describes the hopeless relality of salvery for any human being that I find portrayed well.
The only thing I wish is that there had been a little more interaction with white people. Make it clear not that all of them were racists and establish the fact there could a be real friendship between them. I mean white soliders went to fight and die for them, can't they appreciate that more? Of course not, they don't want to admit that. Other then that, I liked the season very well.

My nine year old daughter came home from school with one of these books, and she couldn't put it down! Before this, she never showed interest in reading. After I saw how in love she was with the book, I had to order the series for her. She was so excited when I gave the collection to her and has completed the entire collection in record time! I am so happy she finally found something she is interested in reading. She is always walking around with one of these books in her hand.
Thank you so much for a wonderful collection.
T.G
Garland Texas

Addy is so great. It is a 6 serie book set and it is really great. Addy is a amegenary girl who lives right after the civil war. It is filled with amotions. It uses no bad words at all. It is the best for kids ages 10-12
Lydia
Age 10

Excellent book, I saw this guy on a news program and had to have the book. He is one with the city for sure.

As you can see from the other reviews, David Bradford is a one of a kind, true artist who deserves all the respect he gets. I had the pleasure of boarding his cab back in 1997 which led me to make a short film on him for my NYU film school project. David has access to some of the most incredible scenes of New York as he drives through the city year round and at all hours with his camera. His photographs catch the subtle changes in light, weather, and emotion of the city. And he sees it from the street level behind the steering wheel. I am honored to be his friend and this book to me is as exciting as the work Andreas Feininger did of New York city during the 30's and 40's.

I have never been to the Big Apple, though for as long as I remember, I have always wanted to go there. David Bradford (a taxi-cab driver) captured NYC from his cab window so well that it really "took me there". I got a feel of NYC while I flipped through the pages of his book. His idea to do this is not only inspirational, but brilliant as well. This book makes a perfect coffee table book- highly recommended to anyone who loves New York!

I was so excited to get this book when they showed the story on 60 Minutes. The photographs were all taken with a Yashica T4 point and shoot camera, (the point and shoot of choice for most pro photographers)! The pictures are all in black and white too. The pictures are the pulse of New York City from the viewpoint of a New York Cabbie. I love this concept. I love that this man has used a wonderful point and shoot camera (now discontinued...shame on you, Yashica!), and how he photographs the city while driving. He also photographs the passengers (great idea!!). The text is fantastic. It lets you really understand where he is coming from when he took the pictures. What makes this book winderful is this combination of text and photography, and that it is a new struggling artist who makes his living by driving a cab in New York City, a very rough job indeed.

a book of photographs (and some prose) done by a NY taxi cab driver. all the photos were shot with a point and shoot camera, while he was driving his cab.

a great example of how a body of work is equal to more than the sum of the parts. in other words, the individual images are not necessarily masterpieces, but when you put them all together, the body of work could definitely be exhibited in a gallery. goes to show you that to be a successful artist, a concise body of work is more important then successful individual images alone.

also, this book is a great example of taking one's circumstances and surroundings and creating something artistic from them. there's room for creativity everywhere, especially for photographic creativity.

and in it, the author transcends what might be an ordinary job into something extraordinary. like a bumble-bee buzzing throughout the city, Braford in his cab with camera in hand shows us that in the wake of the events of 9/11/2001 (in fact, the World Trade Center buildings are in many of his shots), NYC is a city full of vitality, life, and soul.

as a published photographer myself, and someone who has not yet spent much time in New York, i really appreciate this book. it's one man's view of the city, yes. but he has such a great vantage point as part of the livelyhood of it.

I really enjoyed this book. I personally am a gymnast so I can relat. It is a really great book. It tells you about a girl who is the under dog but comes out on top. Then when she is on top and after her first Olympics everione says she is too oldfor a gymnast. But she goes over what everione says .And she wins the Olympic Gold

Here's another awesome gymnastics bio from Krista Quiner! This was a terrific, nice and detailed book about Shannon Miller's life. From the minute she was born to the end of the '96 Olympic Games, this book is the ultimate one to learn about Shannon Miller. The book had plenty of great information, and you learn tons and tons of stuff about her. There were also tons of awesome pictures too! This is a must-read for all gymnastics fans.

This book goes into great detail about Shannon's gymnastics career from the beginning up until the 96 Olympics and her professional career. It's the best book I have read on her so far. This book is great for a fan who wants this book as a "map" of her career, or for someone who did not watch gymnastics before 96.

I am a huge Shannon Miller fan, and this book is great. I have read it twice and I am still not bored with it. It gives great insight into her past competitions, what she went through, and the things that led up to them. It is really wonderful and detailed.

This is a great book to know what Shannon Miller was like what she she had to do everyday. everything she won all the times she fell and practicly everything you wanted to know.