Brooks Books

Cleopatra, a historical fiction book written by Polly Schoyer Brooks tells the story of how the beautiful, Egyptian queen Cleopatra used her elegance to pursue two powerful Roman leaders into helping her regain lost land and conquer more land for her Egyptian kingdom.

When I started reading this book I thought it would be more factual than was my liking. As the book went on it grew more and more exciting until at times I could not put it down. I enjoyed reading about Julius Caesar�s relationship with Cleopatra. It was depressing though when Caesar was stabbed by some of his own subjects. After Caesar�s death Cleopatra was greatly depressed until Mark Antony, one of Caesar�s friends, came to her. She fell in love with him and they ruled Rome and Egypt together.

One of the most interesting parts was went Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Cleopatra�s other powerful husband, were in battle against Octavius and his fleet. While some of their ships were on fire they secretly escaped on Cleopatra�s royal barge and fled back to Alexandria.

The book got boring when Antony was off at battle and there was nothing for Cleopatra to do. It picked up pace though when Antony stabbed himself because Octavius had taken all his army. When Cleopatra heard that her beloved had killed himself she planned her own death. But did she follow out with this plan or did she meet another powerful Roman lover. You will have to read the book to find out.

This book is great for young or old to read. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about history but thinks those text books lack action and are way to boring.

I thought this book was absoutely fantastic! I loved this book because it tells the story of the queen's life in her own perspective. I also like this book because it tells a lot about Cleopatra.You see, I love ancient Egypt,and Cleopatra is my favorite Egyptian ruler. I love learning more and more about Cleopatra and ancient Egypt. This was possibly the best way I could do that. This is also preparing me for a career I want to do when I grow up. I want to be an Egyptologist. This was a great book.

I am in middle school, and I was doing a report on Cleopatra and this was the most helpful book that I found, and not only was it imformative, but it was fun to read. So, not only was this one of the most imformative books I have read, but it is also a good book. I loved this book and would reccommand it to any one at all.

If I don't like a book than I just don't like it. I won't read it and no one can make me. With a book I like you can't get it away from me. I don't know how many times I've been up to 2:00 am reading under the covers. With this book I was up till 4:00 am reading under the covers because I couldn't wait to turn the page and see what was going to happen next. This book takes a woman who knew what she wanted and how to get it. It tells you with wonderful adjectives how she got those ambitions fufilled and what happened after that. It takes a historical event and puts it in one of the lines in the story. So please take my avice and read about the goddess of Egypt and the enemy of Rome.

A few of my favorite painters are contemporaries of Still, so I saw it as my duty to see the Hirschhorn exhibition. Well, I picked a dead day and had the show to myself and simply put I am now a fan. The book is great and David Anfam's addition to the book is especially enlightening about the work of Still.

I am a painter who has largely avoided Clifford Still but this book has turned me into a great admirer. Particulary influential was the contribution by David Anfam, the art historian who was responsible for the magnificent, award-winning Mark Rothko catalogue raisonne. Anfam's essay is insightful, far-reaching, beautifully written with poetic underpinnings, a pleasure to read. All you'll ever need to know about Clifford Still, his work, and his place in art history is covered in this essay. The color plates are also wonderful and, even as reproductions, offer a great chance to appreciate the paintings.

Clyfford Still is one of the giant figures of the art world and this book puts his paintings in a proper perspective. The book contains many color reproductions of his large non-objective canvases. Still himself wrote the book and gives us a very good insight into his life and thinking process. He discusses what went into his paintings and how his unique canvas numbering system worked absent dates and titles to identify his work. It is also a journey through his body of work. His paintings were skillfully balanced with positive and negative spaces and his unparalleled use of color is well documented. This book is a must for any art lover in general and for students of American art in particular. I liked this book not only for the well reproduced paintings in color but also because it let's us into the painter's mind to get a glimps of his true genius.

An excellent catalogue written by leading authorities on a great artist whose unique body of works has remained hidden in the estate (only about 150 paintings are scattered in public and private collections), and who, as a consequence has been neglected by the general public. It is the only such publication on Clyfford Still to be published since the late 1980's and I strongly recommend it to any art lover interested in the Ab-Ex movement.

This book is great for anybody that has an interest in collecting baseball memorablia. Mr. Zachofsky has unique suggestions for collecting autographs and how to display them.

I received this book as a gift and was very impressed with the suggestions and the history it gave. I have since begun creating my own Baseball Memorabilia Room and I have even gotten a few Hall of Famer autographs. I find this book extremely helpful for any collectors, experienced or new to the hobby. I think this book is fantastic and it is the "BIBLE" of any collecting manual. With the upcoming baseball season, it really makes a great read especially if you're interested in starting a memorabilia room. The forward to the book is written by one of my all time favorites, Duke Snider -- very impressive! Also, I love the pictures that are included! I highly recommend this book!

After 5 years of struggling collecting baseball memorabilia, I've finally found the magna carta for this fascinating hobby. Attempting to collect the key signatures for this hobby is the ultimate goal. Collecting Baseball Memorabilia A Handbook makes it easy, enjoyable and is a great investment. Lastly, since I've purchased this book, I've added 5 Hall of Famers to my collection without the stress because of the knowldedge found in this book.

Since collecting baseball cards many years ago I have always been an admirer of Baseball memorabilia collections. I never started on because it always seemed too difficult. This book makes it easy. From the aficionado to the novice,from the young to the old,this book encompasses all aspects for starting,adding to, or preserving a baseball collection. Amazing insight into the collecting world it gives great advice and tips that are so valuable to a new or even seasoned collector. This book is the "Ball Four" for collectors as it gives an insiders view from someone did it. It has interesting comments and synopsis of Hall of Famers and baseball park and team information. Concise and easy to read with great photos and a foreword by the "Duke of Flatbush",my hero. A must read for anyone into collecting or who enjoys baseball memories.

We love these books in my house because they are very believable and my kids get so involved in them they don't want to put them down. Sometimes my daughter tells me she almost felt like she was living right there with the characters, even in the very frightening times, because she knows the things that happen to the kids really did happen in those times. That's what makes it real to them.

The Colossus of Rhodes, is yet another great novel written by Caroline Lawrence. Lupus now owns a ship and he has given it to Flavia's father the sea captain so he can go on one of his voyages to Rhodes so he can more more money by bringing stuff back to Ostia. While on the ship, the four friends, Nubia, Lupus,Jonathan,Flavia, discover that children are being kidnapped and taken to Rhodes where they are headed. Lupus is very interested in this and when fate brings him back to his home where he thought his mother would be, he has to make a choice between two things; both depending on him.
This is a thrilling adventure book and I would recommend it to anyone. It is very well done!

Caroline Lawrence outdid herself in creating these histicly accurate, fictitious, adventures for children and youth. Both girls and boys will love finding a character they can relate to. They are wonderful read aloud books, or about 4th or 5th grade and up silent reading material. As Flavia, Nubia, Johnathan and Lupas travel through different parts of the Roman empire in about 79AD, we learn many things about Roman History and culture. This book actually takes them on a trip through the Greek Isles to break a ring of slave traders who kidnap free born children and sell them into slavery.

While I highly reccomend this book, I do think it would be helpful to read the series in order. There is so much character development that takes place in the preceeding books.

The Delphina sets sail in The Colossus of Rhodes on a mission to free the children enslaved by Venalacius. On board are Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus joined by Bato, one of the magistrates of Ostia, and Marcus Valerius Flaccus (a poet and future author of a version of the Jason's quest for the Golden Fleece) and his personal slave. Of course, Captain Geminus is at the helm but is a bit reluctant to bring the children along.

They are tracking a ship called the Medea (a good choice of name since Medea killed her children) and sail to Corinth, where the ship is hauled over the isthmus, and on to Rhodes without finding anyone who has heard of the ship. Along the way some accidents occur on board ship that convince the four friends that someone wants to prevent them from completing their quest. Presumably the saboteur is working for the elusive criminal behind the slave trade in kidnapped children - someone only know as the colossus. No one knows who this mastermind is but he has spies everywhere.

Along the way, the Delphina passes the island of Symi where Lupus and his family lived. He is anxious to return to the island but Flavia is determined to find and free the children first. This creates some tension between the characters and not only do they have to worry about a saboteur when a storm blows up that threatens the safety of their ship. And if the ship makes it in one piece to Rhodes, how will they defeat the colossus?

This is a very entertaining volume with vivid descriptions of Greece and the island of Rhodes where the ancient wonder - the Colossus of Rhodes - stood before being toppled in an earthquake. Caroline Lawrence also describes sailing in the ancient world with nice detail, and she provides a diagram of the Delphina along with a route map. This is an excellent adventure and provides a wealth of information.

I have used this book since I "found" a copy on book stand in NYC back in the 80s. Worth the purchase price.I use it all the time. The 1992 version should be better.

This review refers to the original volume that I have sitting by my TV. In these days with cable and satellite available many vintage TV shows are aired all of the time. A quick thumb through the book not only gives excellent overall view of the show but the cross reference of stars and other shows is suburb.

Used in conjunction with the Prime Time Stars book, this makes an excellent cross-reference of TV programs and stars for the period covered. My hopes are that the authors write a update for both the television shows and stars. The format is excellent showing all aspects of the shows including dates televised, stars and their roles, and interesting facts about the production.

I purchased this book when it was first published over a dozen years ago and still refer to it several times a week. Not only is it comprehensive but Tim Brooks often gives short biographies of the stars, listing other shows and related areas for which a particular actor or actress might have been known. I'm sorry that it is currently out of print because I would like to have an updated version of the book.

I'm a huge fan girl of Meljean Brook. My love and respect for her has grown exponentially with each published novel/novella. And while 'Demon Bound' was not my favorite romantic pairing, I'm still in total awe of her world building and characters.

For starters, I would not recommend this book to anyone as an introduction to the Guardian Series. I'm afraid that if you never ventured into this world before that you may be utterly lost. First timers should either a) buy Ms. Brook's entire back list now because you should have done it a lllooonnnngggg time ago or b) check out Brook's website and visit the Guardian primer. Here Brook details everything from whose who, places of importance, glossary, timeline, and general plots of each subsequent book to 'Demon Bound'. The primer is also beneficial to readers who have visited Brook's world but need a little recap to get back into the major subplots or to freshen up on all the characters.

'Demon Bound' is the seventh novel in the Guardian Series and is as unique as every other series installment. At the beginning of the novel, Jake Hawkins, a former Vietnam Veteran and current Novice Guardian, is still trying to develop his Gift of teleportation. Suffice it to say, things in the Gift department aren't going well. As a 60 year old Guardian, Jake normally would have had another 40 years to perfect his skills before being noted as a full-fledged Guardian and called to duty. Yet due to the Ascension, whereby thousands of Guardians chose to move on to their respective places in Heaven or Hell, have left the remaining forty or so Guardians to protect mankind, thus requiring Jake's help. Currently, in order for Jake to teleport to a new destination, he first must be scared witless before his Gift will even work. This "technique" is unreliable at best.

Alice Gray is a 120 year old Guardian and keeper of the archives in Caelum. Her Gift gives her the power to communicate and draw upon the heightened awareness of spiders, thus her nickname of The Black Widow. Before Alice's transformation, she unwittingly entered into a Bargain with the Demon Teqon. Either bring the heart of Michael (Doyen and leader of all Guardians) to him, or spend eternity frozen in Hell.

For the last 120 years, Alice has sought endlessly for a way to get out of her Bargain and the only way she can do this is either have Teqon simply release her, which is never going to happen, or she must find him something that he wants more than Michael's heart. Alice believes that the temples and the female Guardian statue is the key.

It is the shared curiosity of the discovery of lost temples combined with their passion for archeology that draw Jake and Alice together. Although Jake was initially scared and creeped out over Alice spider Gift, he begins to learn who she truly is and with this knowledge he begins to fall in love. Jake makes the brave decision of helping Alice find a way out of her Bargain and for this Michael promotes him to a full-fledged Guardian.

As the two scavenge the world for the mysterious temples that disclose the Guardian's history, Jake and Alice begin to learn a bit more than they bargained for. The history and creation of the Nephilim is revealed and wow, what a revelation it was! Michael's past is somewhat disclosed especially his creation which was a shocker to say the least. The origin of the prophecy and Belial's rise to power that was first discussed in 'Demon Night', is revealed. We are also introduced to new Guardian's and have even been granted a glimpse into the future and what it holds in store for Jake and Alice.

Alice was an intriguing character. I don't believe I've ever read a heroine quite like her, although I can pretty much say that about all of Brook's heroines. Each one is different not only to the Guardian Series but to the Paranormal Romance genre as well. I never would have guessed that a woman that can draw upon the instincts of spiders to be heroine material but Brook pulls it off with ease. Alice, because of her Bargain to murder the leader everyone loves, is a self-prescribed loner. She guards herself from feeling...anything for anyone because her fate is to rest for eternity in the frozen wastelands of Hell. Even if she fulfills her Bargain, to take the heart of Michael would make her murderer. So really her choices are the Pit and an eternity of torture or her face will become part of a frozen landscape in Hell while her body is consumed, re-grown, only to be consumed again by the monsters of Chaos. I don't blame Alice one bit for being closed off and emotionally unavailable. Who wouldn't be with that type of fate hovering in the back of your mind.

Her Gift also secludes her from others. The fact that it took her years to overcome her own fears of spiders is a testament to how others feel. Plus, because Michael is aware of the Bargain, even he has kept his distance from her. It's no wonder that Alice feels considerable shame for having entered into the Bargain to begin with. Never mind that at the time she was mortal and knew nothing of Michael or what he represented, let alone that Teqon was a Demon from Hell. One can't help admiring her strength amidst all the tragedy that has befallen her. But there is one Guardian who may just be naive and cocksure enough to go after Alice's heart and that's Jake.

Jake provides considerable comic relief for our buttoned-up heroine. His youth and enthusiasm is infectious while his mind is nimble and strong. Alice can't help but be intrigued by his obvious smarts and I think this, in combination with his shear persistence, is what captivates her first. Of course his gorgeous body quickly follows. And while initially Jake is a very immature boy, his relationship with Alice soon evolves him quickly into a man of considerable strength and dependability. Looking back, I believe that amongst all of Brook's heroes, Jake truly made the most sacrifices for his heroine. Wow, did he ever.

There was only one thing that dragged this book down for me, unfortunately a biggie, and that being the lack of sexual chemistry, IMHO. Yes, Jake made incredible sacrifices for Alice and they were a true testament of his love for her. But I missed the sexual tension that Brook has delivered to pure satisfaction in the past. This lack is perhaps due to Alice's nature of not only embodying the creepy and inhuman characteristics of arachnids but also from her past and what ultimately caused her transformation to Guardian. Jake in turn still seemed too young for her, in my reading experience. The burden that Alice had carried for more than a century just seemed to put her in a league way out of Jake's reach.

Despite the above mentioned, I've still been struck dumb by Brook and her amazing world and wow, what a crazy and intricate plot. The woman is amazing. I had absolutely no idea how Alice was going to get out of her Bargain. It truly seemed utterly hopeless there for a while and man what a fabulous and shocking ending. I loved the action and all the new and exciting surprises that were delivered to us. `Demon Bound' was truly a fascinating addition to the Guardian Series and I'm once again on pins and needles to discover which characters will receive their HEA next.

First off, the review put together under the title "Another great addition to Brook's Guardian's..." is really excellent and does a great job summarizing the story. I can't add much to that. But I just wanted to put in my "5 star rating" too. I loved this book! I will say that unlike the reviewer I can't say Jake is my favorite over Drifter or Hugh but I will say he is right up there with them!! Jake is a wonderful lead and Alice also is simply fantastic (what an interesting character - I loved the description "sexy creepy"). What a great, great story. As other reviewers have stated, Ms. Brook creates the most interesting and fascinating characters in paranormal literature today (in any literature really). The very best. The characters become so real to the reader that you don't want to leave them after the books are finished! Kudos to Meljean Brook - especially with your last three novels, you have become one of my top five authors and your books are on my must read list!

Guardian Alice "Black Widow" Grey is upset as she is trapped in a Faustian deal with Teqon the demon. She must give to Teqon the heart of the most revered and powerful Guardian, Michael; failure to do so means eternal damnation for Alice. She knows her thoughts are dark as she considers cutting out the heart of the Doyen Michael. Alice also is well aware how difficult that would be as he has proven to be the mightiest of them over thousands of years demonstrated by the Second Battle when the Seraphim bestowed power to him and the others before their retreat.

Guardian Newcomer Jake Hawkins tries to help his mentor Alice by using his teleportation skills. They begin to fall in love, but must find a way for her to escape her deal with the demon without sacrificing her or Michael.

The latest Meljean Brooks Guardian romantic fantasy (see DEMON NIGHT, DEMON MOON and DEMON ANGEL) is an excellent entry in a great series due to the dilemma of the lead female. She refreshes the saga with her moral quandary of either her or Michael being condemned for eternity. The rookie Jake is a perfect junior partner trying to help his trainer while falling in love with her. This is another winner as the multifaceted Guardian saga continues to expand in complexity while remaining entertaining.

Harriet Klausner

Brook's latest entry in her Guardian series lands former soldier and novice Guardian Jake, who had a supporting role in both Demon Night (The Guardians, Book 5) and the short in First Blood, in the leading role and introduces the very odd `creepy sexy' Guardian Alice as the women who first repels and later fascinates Jake as he moves from the novice who failed his first assignment to a fulfledged Guardian not to be underestimated.

Alice made the sacrifice that qualified her for Guardian-hood during the Victorian period, but not before making a deal with a demon where she promised to deliver the heart of Guardian leader Michael. So now she lives with a Catch 22. If Alice doesn't fulfill her bargain before she or the demon dies, Alice will loose her soul and will suffer an eternity of torture in Hell, but if Alice does the unspeakable and honors her deal, her soul will be equally forfeit for premeditated murder - assuming that it is even possible to kill the powerful Michael. So Alice has lived her Guardian days in fear, and that along with the fact that her weird Gift has marked her - giving her the nickname of "Black Widow"- has helped to keep other Guardians at a distance. But Jake changes everything and when Jake's boundless optimism evolves into the determination to help Alice find a way out of the deal, Alice finds a glimmer of hope that they can win her free from the deal that has her demon bound.

Brook is a favorite author of mine. She tells a great story but it is really her characters that bring this tale to life. Jake and Alice are extremely well developed, from their unusual quirky personalities right on down to the distinctive speech patterns that show up in their dialog. On the surface Alice and Jake are a truly mismatched pair, but Alice's straight-laced Victorian exterior hides a sensuous woman and a wicked sense of humor and though Jake has an impulsive enthusiasm and optimism that lends him a youthfulness - and the lack of a social filter that leads truly inappropriate things to pop out of his mouth - he also hides a quick intelligence that makes him insightful and clever. Though Jake's lack of control initially rubs Alice the wrong way, and Jake initially finds Alice quite creepy, their intelligence and love of archaeology give them a common ground and they find themselves slowly developing a friendship as they both are surprised to find what lies beyond their initial perceptions of the other.

Though Alice and Jake's relationship and the development of the their odd ball pairing is central to the book, it is their search for a way to save Alice that serves to facilitate revelations which add a whole other unexpected layer to the overarching plot of the series. They uncover more details about the prophesy mentioned in the last book and their discoveries about Michael, Belial and the nephalim promise great things for the rest of the series.

There is a great deal to like about Demon Bound. I really loved the resolution to Alice's dilemma, it was clever and very satisfying. And Brook has done her leading man magic again, and I have to say that Jake is my favorite leading man so far in the series. Even though Drifter and Hugh were pretty hard to beat, there was just something about Jake. He was such an interesting mix of impetuous and thoughtful wrapped up in a self depreciating sense of humor, that I would love to meet him in real life. Because of my infatuation with Jake, I reread Demon Bound immediately after finishing the book and then scurried off to find a copy of Demon Night so that I can reread his part in that book too. I am already chomping at the bit for the next book.

If you haven't read any of the previous Guardian books, I don't really recommend starting here even though Brook has a primer to bring the new reader up to date on her website. Instead do yourself a favor and start at the beginning and then hopefully you'll enjoy this series as much as I do.

Demon Angel (The Guardians, Book 2)
Hot Spell (Brook has this 1st, but it made more sense after Demon Angel)
Demon Moon (The Guardians, Book 4) (Berkley Sensation)
Wild Thing
Demon Night (The Guardians, Book 5)
First Blood

I'm not only a good friend of Tina McKinney but one of her biggest fans as well. From All That Drama to Fool Stop Trippin', Tina has always kept me entertained while reading her work. She's had me laughing, crying and wanting to to commit capital murder on some of the characters. However, in Dubious, Tina has solidified herself as one of the most daring writers out there. Most authors wouldn't even go near some of the topics of Dubious and that's why I have even more love and respect for her work-- because she's absolutely fearless in her writing.

I won't ruin any surprises or repeat the synopsis. All I will say is if you a reader who is comfortable in reading the same tired and clichéd topics found in many of today's novels then steer clear of Dubious. But if you are looking for a novel that will shock, titillate and take you on a jaw-dropping literary excursion then this is the book for you.

Shelley Halima

Tina McKinney is one author that will go very far in the writing industry. Upon reading Dubious I was like what is she going to write about next. I stayed up all night reading this book. We are talking about love and betrayal,betrayal, betrayal, betrayal.

Dubious is a story that will have you looking at people when you see them on the street thinking, I wonder what they are about, it is a love story gone bad, that comes out with a postive ending. But in between the pages are what will knock you off your feet.

Felicia Clark had it all or so she thought until her marriage of 13 years fell apart. She was everything a wife should be and yet her husband still walked away. As she struggles to get her life together and build a life with someone new, Felicia discovers secrets about her husband that shake her to her core and threatens to destroy everything she has worked to gain. Will Felicia find the happiness she deserves after dealing with her husbands secret fetish? Randy is confused. He has secret desires he cannot share with anyone and these desires are destroying everything he holds dear. They have already destroyed his marriage; will they destroy everything he has ever known?

Tina Brooks McKinney has done it again folks. If you read any of her other books you already knew McKinney could write. With Dubious McKinney lets readers know that her writing has no boundaries. This books discusses the feeling of sexual confusion that many people experience and shows how that confusion can affect everyone involved whether you want it to or not. Be warned you may find a scene or two that makes you stop and say hmmmmmmmmm. These scenes are done without being judgmental allowing readers to make their own decisions. McKinney is able to take a topic that would make many run for the hills and deal with it open and honestly. She neither sensationalizes nor underplays the sexual issues making you realize that this could be the lives of the people next door. You just never know. And don't worry, McKinney has not forgotten her fan base. She still brings the drama we have come to love from her previous novels.

Dubious is a page-turner. My only wish is to have Tina Brooks McKinney behind her keyboard right now writing a sequel because there is no way I can be left not knowing what happens next. She dropped a couple of bombs at the end of the book and I need to know about the aftermath.

Let me start by saying I knew before i started reading this novel that i wouldn't be able to put it down and i was right. Felicia thought she had the perfect marriage until it crumbled before her eyes.......now divorced and moving toward something new, now she stumbles upon why her marriage end.............................don't want to give away too much, but check it out i bet you'll understand why and how the drama still continues.

I love Tina's writing, she makes you feel like you're sitting right there with the characters in her story. Keep up the good work.

This is definitely one of my best math books. The main feature of this book is that the readers feel very easy to follow the provided concepts and understand what is important. I really don't know any other book as good as this one. Probably only David C. Lay's "Linear Algebra and Its Applications" can compete with this one. I truly recommend anyone who studies modern algebra to take a look at this. Good luck!

I found the ideas in this book to be very accesible to the student with little mathematics experience (as I have). It is very straight foward, contains illuminating example problems, and even has an application section at the end of each chapter. Many abstract algebra books assume that you can prove anything. However, Gilbert's book focuses on the techniques of learning how to prove.

It is surely one of the books I most enjoyed!!
But its pricey, thats why a lot of colleges (or professors) try to avoid it.

The book has eight chapters:
1) Fundamentals
2) The integers
3) Groups
4) More on Groups
5) Rings, Integral domains, and fields
6) More on rings
7) Real and Complex Numbers
8) Ploynomials.

Definitions and Theorems stand out in Boxes, then later comes the examples!! (Plz Mathematicians who write books, just take a look here, see how nicely a book can be written, then go for the challenge).

one of the good things in this book, is that it does not assume you took a class in number theory before, so it introduces in the first two chapters everything (from a typical number theory class) that you would need in modern algebra class. (that might be a drawback for a student who took number theory class, and his professor is determined to start from the first chapter in this book).

other than the definitions and theorems stand out clearly, The author give examples on how that theorem can be used!! and The examples sometimes are really good!!

What's best in this book, are the problems after each chapter, they rank from direct applications to theorems, to CHallenging problems! (at least challenging for me). But note that some of the problems depend on each other! so if ur stuck on one problem, that means you might need to use a result from an earlier problem in the same chapter. its a drawback that the author does not say "use problem ... to solve this one", I think they assume that anyone solving the problems, is solving all of them in sequence, which what students SHOULD do. There is no way you can get a good grasp on the material in this book, unless you are a genius, or you solve ALL the problems after each chapter (at least a very good amount of them). I found best thing to do is try solving them in sequence, if you dont have time to solve all of them, then skip the ones that you REALLY think you can solve, and this way you can use the result later on.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in modern (abstract) algebra! But I think a pre-requisite to self-study in this book is exposition to how to write proofs rigorously. (well sure thats the pre-requisite for any math course, but usually this subject is one of the first subjects studied in upper level math courses, and you better take another course that exposes you to how to write proofs, if your buying this book for self-study).

I thoroughly enjoyed my modern algebra class, with an excellent professor and this excellent book. The book is very clearly written, and the concepts of sets, groups, rings, fields, and number systems are explained with detail. This is especially important since my summer research in number theory requires an understanding of these algebraic structures.

This book was written right before WWII broke out in Vienna in 1940. It was written in Yiddish and it's primary target was Jewish children in the USA to let them know what fellow children in Europe were experiencing.

The book is very moving to me as an adult one of the best I have read. Reading this as a child in 1940 and telling my parents about it I'd think it would have caused a bigger outpouring of crys to help the Jews escape. I know the USA suffered huge losses in WWII but I've not heard of groups of children trying to help the children in Europe.

The Diary of Anne Frank is a household word, I think this book should be also. Karl and Emil are not real people but they portray what was happening to real people at the time. It was written when it was happening and not decades later.

It just saddens my heart that so many were lost. I was not alive during WWII so I don't know what I would have done. I hope I would have Begged to have one of there children come live with me. But that is easy to say now I know. Do not get me wrong..I 100% respect those who fought and won the war for us, I am grateful to all the troops now also.

At any rate this is a must read for all 9+yr olds. I at 52 was greatly moved. This is a classic and I am glad it got translated into English.

The first thing to bear in mind about this book is that it was published in Yiddish in 1940 based on the first hand accounts by Mr. Glatshteyn from a visit to Vienna in 1934. That means this book wasn't researched... it was WITNESSED. To me, that makes "Emil and Karl" as poignant and as real as Anne Frank's Diary.

But this is not a Holocaust tale. This book stands out for me as a cautionary tale for ALL ages during ANY time in history as a succinct exploraration of how a nationwide mob mentality can engulf an entire society and eventually result in a Holocaust.

But I would be remiss if I didn't also mention that the book succeeds not only in its coverage of such an intense subject, but how it does so with such fine writing. The characters of Emil and Karl are designed with great care and sensitivity to a boy's mentality, and their friendship is truly palpable. Even the many incidental characters such as an old man ordered to clean the sidewalk help to create the tangible environment of a Vienna on the brink of catastrophic madness.

Teachers looking to create a curriculum using firsthand accounts of the Holocaust for young adults might want to consider "Emil and Karl" as the FIRST book for their reading list. Then, move on to "The Diary of Anne Frank" and conclude with Anita Lobel's autobiography "No Pretty Pictures", which also stands out for me as a book partly dedicated to surviving the aftermath of the Holocaust.

This gripping and unusual novel is set in Vienna on the eve of World War II. It is a beautifully written and compelling story of Jewish life in Austria turned on its head after the German invasion. Two nine-year old boys who are classmates and best friends -- Emil is Jewish and Karl is not -- fight to escape the Germans and to survive the war together. Their respective parents are either dead or have been taken away in a violent fashion. In their attempt to survive, they see a world where Jews are regarded as inferior people. They are initially helped by their neighbors, who are both good Austrians and good people. They are then put in touch with and protected by members of the Resistance. Written in Yiddish in 1939 in New York, it is a unique book in that the story it is telling was written as the events were unfolding. The translator believes that it is one of the first books, in any language, for young readers about a period that would eventually be called the Holocaust. The Anschluss in 1938 was the beginning of the persecution and deportation of Jews in Austria. This is a particularly haunting story to read now, as we read with the benefit of hindsight. For ages 10 and up. Reviewed by Shelley Feit

In 1940 Vienna, Austria, prior to the start of World War II, Karl, who is not Jewish, has just witnessed his mother - a Socialist - being beaten and taken away from his apartment by Nazi thugs. Alone, he must decide what to do. His first thought is to go to his friend Emil's house.

Emil is Jewish. His father was taken away and murdered by another group of Nazi's. They cremated him and sent the ashes back to the house. The funeral has just taken place and Emil's mother is sitting shiva. When Karl arives, they decide to stay together forever.

Their experiences describe the sense of terror and horror the people of Austria - Jews and non-Jews - felt when the Nazi's took over their country. Emil and Karl encounter people of all types: the good who work to save people and end the occupation; the bad who force people to do terrible things like scrubbing the streets with their bare hands; and the indifferent who stand by and watch as all of this takes place.

This is an excellent book to begin discussing how people reacted when the Nazis came to power. Why did people stay and not leave? Why did some people join the heckling, shouting, evil crowds? Why did others decide to stay and fight from within, saving as many people as they could? While today we know the tragic consequences of the Nazis, this book allows us to enter into a world prior to the war and imagine what we ourselves would have done under similar circumstances. Highly recommended! REVIEWD BY KATHY BLOOMFIELD (NEWTON, MA)

This book (and the series) may be aimed at pre-teens but is surprisingly sophisticated in the ways it deals with some of the harsher problems of life faced by its protagonists. Add to these the underlying philosophies of the Roman world of the first century AD, and you have a story rich in setting, characters and plot--mainly because the sense of youthful adventure is never ever neglected. Very highly recommended reading.

Every book that Caroline Lawrence writes is based on a character in the roman mysteries series. This book was based on Jonathan. Jonathan and his friends Lupus, Nubia and Flavia go to Rome to solve a mystery for the emperor Titus. During solving the mystery, Jonathan gets an urge to show something to his father. Something very important. Something that has to do with Jonathan's family. In this book, Berenice(said to be the empress) was told by emperor Titus to leave the city returns once again. I rated this book 5 because it has all the actions and adventures that a great book should have!!!

Its great. Its follows a myth like The Twelve Tasks of Flavia and once again we meet some characters we've seen from the past. (Tip: read the series in order).

The Enemies of Jupiter picks up the story with the epidemic raging in Rome. Doctor Mordecai has successfully battled the disease in Ostia and can count several Roman families among his clients. If fact, the doctor has become more Romanized shaving his beard and taken to wearing a toga, which alarms Jonathan into believing that a Roman matron has her eye on his father.

Doctor Mordecai receives a message from the emperor Titus summoning him to Rome to combat the epidemic. Titus also has had a prophetic dream that he is anxious to have Flavia and her friends solve the mystery. Jonathan has another reason for wanting to be in Rome: he wants his parents to meet in the hopes that they will rekindle their love for each other. The Rome that Flavia and her friends return has been hard hit by the epidemic but there is a feeling of hope and Titus' prophecy appears to indicate an end to the disease, or does it?

As with the prior volumes, Caroline Lawrence is masterful in her research and her splendid writing. I particularly liked the description of Tiber Island and the methods by which the other physicians were treating the epidemic. Titus is nicely portrayed as the benevolent emperor that he was but we also see him suffering from headaches and his anger gets the better of him on occasion. We also get a brief encounter between the four children and the historian Josephus. This is a marvelous book for young adults and adults as well.