Brown Books

The Rita Mae Brown book, High Hearts was a thrilling read from cover to cover. It was a look back in time to a woman who goes to war, the Civil War as a man, so that she can be with her new husband. More than a romance, but with more substance than an adventure tale, I could read this book over and over. I never knew about the phenomenon this book was based on, but apparently, there were several women who did in fact, pass for men, in order to go to war. Not complicated, or hard to follow, this book is enjoyable with some thought provoking aspects as well.

One of the best written by Rita Mae Brown. Gives a different perspective on the Civil War. Should be more like it showing the losers side.I highly recommend this book. I have given it as gifts to friends.

This book is very unusual for Rita Mae Brown and I consider it her best work! It's all in one: A love story, a history book (American Civial War & Slavery), a feminist novel, funny, serious, ironic, and critical of society. The reader experiences the war through the eyes of captivating characters you just have to fall in love with!

There were uncounted women who cut their hair, lowered their voices and took up arms on both sides of The Civil War. Rita Mae Brown does a wonderful job crafting a fictional story using this truth as her premise. The characters are richly drawn (I actually preferred the evolution of Geneva's mother, Lutie, to Geneva herself), and the story layered and interesting.

Geneva can't bear to be away from her husband when he enlists as soon as the guns fire on Fort Sumter. She joins him as a soldier, and learns some unpleasant truths about him and about war. She finds that she has a talent for fighting and that she and her husband aren't as compatible as they might have been had they not rejected their "traditional" roles.

Rita Mae Brown's interesting Foreword and endnotes provide context and explanation for her literary choices, and greatly enrich the experience. I give this book four stars instead of five because at the end, there are several characters whose final stories are only alluded to, as in, "this happened, but that's a story for another day." I wanted to know what happened for these folks, and this abrupt ending felt like laziness, as if Miss Brown just didn't feel like writing any further. Unfortunate, as it left a bad taste after the novel had been so interesting up to that point.

One of the BEST BOOKS EVER WRITTEN!!!! Shared this with my 12 year old son and my spouse, my 8 year old daughter, I would like to introduce,soon an another positive female role model. A great book to even interest( and introduce) HOMOPHOBES who cannot be asked to view another great book, Rubyfruit Jungle.TRy the book... you will LOVE IT!!! Love, war, decision based on love and respect. I wore out 2 copies already. One of my top 5 for a desert island. Enjoy the book.

My 6 year old is a beginning reader! He is so enjoying this book. He will read it and then read it again. It is a perfect read for him and his facination with bugs!

I acquired this book for my 2-year-old who is fascinated by bugs, especially butterflies. The text is coherent and written in a way a early reader would talk. Some of the Step 1 type books do not impress me, but this one does.

This is a great book for young readers who are just connecting the idea of words having meaning. They are predictable & have good picture context clues. My son loves it & recognized the author from another favorite bedtime story.

Few words per page. Children can reread this story without having yet the ability to decode. Provides early readers with success. Appropriate for English Language Learners of all ages.

This book is a great first book. In fact, it is the first book my son read. *sniff* I'm so proud. :-)

The sentences are short and the pictures hint at what the words may be. I would recommend this to all parents who are helping their children learn to read.

"Joke Stew" contains a wonderful variety of jokes, covering a great variety of topics and types of humor. There are a few with adult humour, but there seems to be nothing nasty or insulting or immoral or politically prejudiced (e.g., some other joke books starting off on page one with "Abortion" kinda kills the mood). "Joke Stew" is light hearted fun.

This book is a must have for aspiring comics and comedy lovers alike. Brown's book is a tool that inspires as well as guides those interested in the art of joke writing. The book includes a wide range of talent from legendary comics like Bill Cosby to the up and coming comedic stars of tomorrow. If nothing else the book allows the reader the opportunity to learn what makes these neurotic people tick.

Joke Stew is a great way for a reader to get in touch with his or her favorite stand-up comedians. It's a lot of fun to read over and over again as you try and remember your favorite jokes. Same recipe as Joke Soup, but with all new comedians and quotes. Great Book!!!

I have copies of both JOKE SOUP and JOKE STEW. I actually bought several copies of both to have on hand as gifts for any and all occasions. You'll find an amazing amount of comics and their funniest material in these books. Whether you're a stand-up comic yourself or you need to give a speech for any occasion, you'll find Judy's books invaluable as inspiration in writing your own funny jokes.

Joke Stew is fantastic! It's a lot of fun to have on your coffee table. You can pick it up and browse for hilarious observations on any subject (great for when you need a funny quote to begin speeches and presentations).

This book is essential reading for anyone seeking the truth about the Titanic.

We recently delved into Titanic literature, starting with the testimony from the stateside investigation. That led to a quest for more information because there were so many unanswered questions. After reading quite a few books, The Last Log of the Titanic finally arrived in the mail. And what a wonderful book!!!

David G. Brown carefully and exactly solves the mysteries involved in how and why the Titanic sank. It is all explained with a knowledge of navigation and engineering.

Read this book with an open mind and an attention to details. If you throw out all your pre-conceived notions from other books, the films, the TV specials etc., and really read what Brown is telling you, you cannot possibly have any doubts about what happened.

The only controversy caused by this book will be brought on by those who will defend their earlier positions on the foundering of this floating hotel.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!!

I admit that the Titanic movie of 1997 made a big change in my Titanic collecting - mainly before that time I had only about 5 books. One of the books I had was an original from 1912 that was produced due to the fact that there was no radio, Internet or CNN to blast the news into your daily lives. Only the newspapers carried the story and people wanted to know more.

Needless to say, the movie got a lot of people interested in the subject (as it always seems to do whenever a new movie gets produced) Due to this interest all sorts of books got re-published and published for the first time. I started to collect and read and read and read.

I was always interested in the many points of debate that continue on and on, but this book seemed to make so much sense because it aligned with those things that I had read and had questions about but that never really got answered.

There were several reports of iceberg sightings, before the ship hit. There was a report that the alarm bell was rung three times, not three sounds but three different times for three different icebergs. Why did Murdock keep going when they entered the ice field? All the other reasons didn't quite hold up. This author gives forth a logical answer.

The idea that the iceberg grazed along the side of the ship didn't really seem to answer how the ship could go down so fast, the author of this book explains how the ship could have hit. Not only does his explanation make sense but it aligns with the other eye witness accounts of that night.

The list goes on. I can only say that it is well worth the read, and I currently have 58 Titanic related books and have talked and talked to other historians who have their theories.

This is a really good book.

Chris, Founder, McVitamins

I have watched movies and read several books about the Titanic disaster; but, without doubt this is the very, very best I've seen. This book explains in great detail, how things happened. It is written in an easy to read style. It presents numerous references and direct quotes throughout the book, as well as written testimony presented at the official enquires, so it is clearly not simply the author's spectulation. This was one book I could not put down. It answers important questions, such as "Did the nearby frieghter Californian, see Titanic's distress signals; and, if so, why didn't they come to aid the striken liner?", "Were the engines placed in "FULL ASTERN" immediatley when the iceberg was sighted?", "Why were some of the lifeboats only half filled with passengers?", "Would it have been better if the Titanic hit the iceberg head-on instead of side-swiping it?" and "Was the Titanic excessively (and carelessly) speeding to New York in attempt to set a record?" Every page was a pleasure! I just cannot give it enough praise. You won't be sorry if you buy this book.

This is a really good book, but not for Titanic novices (read "A Night to Remember" and its sequal for that). It's a shame the book has such a speculative and rather silly title because it may put-off some of it's intended readership - Titanic buffs.

Refreshingly, rather than rehashing tired old stories, Brown keeps his book narrow and focussed. Drawing from the original statements made for both the American and British official enquiries and his own expertise in ship handling and dynamics, he manages to make a radical yet convincing arguments.

Like some of the other reviewers here, I too had trouble with some of the conclusions. Swerving around icebergs at 21+ knots in an unstabilised hull would have surely caused the odd spilt drink and more to observant passengers. Likewise, I believe the hull did split near the surface, but not on it. But in the context of the book's major conclusions, this is just minor nit-picking!

Highly recommended - crackpot theories on the Titanic sinking are so common it is a real pleasure to find original ideas that are so convincing.

I first read this book in 2000 and found it to be one of the more plausible explanations of the damage suffered by TITANIC when she hit the berg, as well as what happened afterward. Captain Brown has brought what is so lacking in many TITANIC books into LAST LOG OF THE TITANIC--actual shiphandling experience.

Captain Brown had also produced an eminently readable text, one which I think most people will have little trouble understanding.

I cannot reccommend LAST LOG OF THE TITANIC too highly to everyone, TITANIC buff or not.

Maxine Brown has created a masterpiece about the history, and characters involved in the making of Country Music. Her story is honest and heartbreaking at times. She has bumped into just about everyone who has had anything to do with the industry. She's smart, funny, honest and in some cases, unforgiving of those that have crossed her in the business. And, rightly so. Just the insight into the beginning career of Elvis Presley is worth the read. She toured with this shy kid who would become king. She gave us a glimpse into what it was like to know him before all the fame. This woman had guts to stick it out in a business that could be very unkind to women in the early days. Her determination to carve herself out a place in the business of country music is witness to her drive. The Browns hold a very important place in the history of Country Music. They influenced an entire generation, and let us not forget, were one of the first crossover sensations. Not only did they create a fire here in the States, they took on Europe with huge success as well. They lived through the rough and tumble days in Nashville when a chosen few could make or break a career. There were also good guys, like Chet Atkins who believed in the Browns, and stood up to the big studio execs to ensure that their records were made with integridy. Maxine was there to see it all, and tell it through her amazing recall. This book is an important piece of history, and should be read by anyone who calls themselves a fan of country music.

I've been a fan of the Browns ever since I was a young child in the early 1960's and my mom bought a Browns album. In recent years, I continue to enjoy the sweet harmonies brought by this incredible brother/sisters singing team.

Maxine Brown writes a riveting story of what country music was like in the 1950's, when they got started. It was a brutal, unforgiving business at the time and the Browns had their share of unscrupulous businessmen. She also writes about the relationship the Browns had with other country music singers of the day, some who have become major legends.

Very honest & open by the Author/Singer Maxine Brown. Very interesting & revealing, especially about Elvis Presley & Jim Reeves. Very good book.

Maxine Brown was part of a family country band with her brother, Jim Ed and sister, Bonnie. Their most famous recording is that of Edith Piaf's `The Three Bells'.

She writes about her early family life growing up in rural south Arkansas during the Depression. Her journey in country music and the people with whom she traveled and the songs she wrote. The people she met and performed with such as Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline and Chet Atkins. Performing on the Louisiana Hayride, at The Grand Old Opry and touring Europe. Particularly touching was the story about Jim Reeves' tragic death. It bought a new reality to his life for me.

I particularly enjoyed her stories of their encounters with Elvis Presley and how he fell in love with Bonnie and asked her to marry him. She turned him down. One particular incident was at the time of his discharge from the army when he called a press conference and invited the Browns to attend. He asked Bonnie did she wait for him and she told him `no', she was married and expecting a baby. She must have known what would have been ahead.

I absolutely loved reading this book and did it in 3 days. I love country music and it is also takes a look at the background of some of the great American country performers and the people involved with their careers.

Here in Australia we only see the end result of some the greats and have no idea what life was like for budding country singers in America.

I found this book while listening to WSM America's Country Music Station broadcast live from The Grand Old Opry. There was a live interview with Maxine promoting the book.

Thank you Maxine, for the experience.

Kudos to Maxine Brown for her fascinating no-holds-barred look at the country music industry of the 1950's and 1960's. Maxine, along with sister Bonnie and brother Jim Ed, were legendary country group The Browns, who chalked a number of hits for fifteen years, notably THE THREE BELLS, one of the biggest hits in country music history and as well as a number one pop hit for them. The Browns were all but ready to throw in the towel when they scored that monster hit. Their RCA recordings were not producing major hits. The group earlier came to success on the small Fabor Records label founded by one Fabor Robinson. Like many vocalists on small labels during the era, according to Maxine, the Browns "never made a dime" on their hit LOOKING BACK TO SEE, needless to say she has harsh feelings for Robinson "probably the sorriest b****rd then infesting the industry." She recalls a string of horrors the Browns had to put up with due to the association, so much so Robert Cochran, in the book's introduction feels to need to note country musican historian Colin Escott found similar stories from other Robinson associates in his research. Maxine titles one of her chapters "We Get Screwed" and her tales of blackmail attempts to harassment are truly astonishing.

There's lots of good times too, from dozens of close friends in the industry from Elvis Presley to George Jones and their years as the leading country vocal group. The Browns were especially close to Jim Reeves, and like Reeves they suffered from some backlash in some country circles because of their pop hits. Maxine recalls a run-in she had with Little Jimmy Dickens at a country music function during the peak of the Browns' crossover success when Dickens strolled up to them and said "What are you doing here? You Ain't country." As you might have guessed Maxine is not the type to just stand there and take that, calling him a "sawed-off son of a b***ch" which broke into a cuss fest that led to Maxine and Dickens not being on speaking terms for years although she happily notes they have since made amends.

After the Browns disband in the late 1960's and brother Jim Ed becomes a popular male star, Maxine found it difficult to launch a solo career (I personally love her only solo album SUGAR CANE COUNTY) and is surprised how quickly the industry seems to have forgotten she was one third of the hottest group in country music. Happily, the Browns have frequently reunited for concerts since the late 1980's and still perform today.

LOOKING BACK TO SEE is a great read, loaded with rare photos. Maxine writes in a friendly, talkative style and as you might guess, is as blunt as someone having an intimate conversation. This is a fairly large book - 348 pages - for a country star autobiography. The University of Arkansas (Maxine's home state and where she still lives) published this book and did a fine job with it. It's clear a local press is the way to go for country music star's of the past who might not be able to attract New York publishers. This book is a must for anyone who loves country music during it's classic "Nashville Sound" era.

I read the reviews and thought I'd give it a try. When I first got the book I wasn't sure it would be the catchy book I thought it would be. I read it once and my child absolutely loves it. I can now see why. I start a sentence now and she'll finish it. She is a few months shy of being 3. I even hear her say some of the lines while she is playing with a toy.

About the content of the book: It talks about going to grandma's house and how all these different types of animals have different methods of getting there in a very word catchy way that children like.

We bought this for our son when he was a year old and he loved it! It is a very creative and playful rhyme about 5 different animals and their different ways of traveling on the way to Grandma's house. Because it got destroyed, we purchased another for our daughter, plus two more for relatives, because we like it so much! The story is simple, but it's the sound of the words that makes this book so engaging!

This is a great book for babies on up. As a 3-month-old, my son loved resting on my tummy as I read this book to him. The rhythm--tip toe, tippity toe--made him giggle every time! Now, as a 19-month-old, he has returned to this book because the pictures, the story, and the rhythm are all enjoyable!!

I first happened upon this book at the library and fell in love! There aren't many books that you stand reading over and over and over again but this one is simple and fun and the rhymes are very amusing! My son always smiles at me while I am reading this book. A must have!

Great book to send to Grandma's house for her to read to the kids! Beautiful pictures and cool story.

The Bloom County strip is social and political satire at its' best. Breathed has developed such distinct characters that their strengths and weaknesses are exaggerations of those that we possess and encounter in others in our daily lives. Among other things, you see political puffery, self-absorbed hedonistic males; swipes at the pompous mass media and consumer psychology. All are done in the distinctive Breathed style that will cause you to nod your head in agreement as you laugh.

I bought this book at a ued bookstore in fairly bad shape, but it was excellent.
Bloom County is one of the funniest comics out on the streets today. If you want to start reading Bloom County, Though, don't start with this book! Start with "Billy and the Boingers BOOTLEG". I just read this book at school, and I thought it was hilarious. This is an excellent book. The best series, i'd say, would be when Steve Dallas becomes Mr. America. That was SO Funny!
But, the best strip in this comic is the one when Opus and Portnoy are sitting in the pond, and pous tells about his favorite song (Yesterday)
Read This comic!

Close your eyes and go back in time 20 years. Ronald Reagan is in the White House and getting ready to run for a second term against Walter Mondale. Disco, Heavy Metal, and Michael Jackson compete for space on a new network, MTV. In the funnies, Bloom County provides a humorous take on American society. This collection from 1983 and 1984 can take you back to those golden days when the Soviet threat made terrorists seem insignificant.

I love the "Bloom County" seiries - the deranged goings on of various animals and humans, Steve Dallas the lawyer, Opus and of course, Bill the Cat. Mr Breathed's humor is right on target and very funny.

I recommend this book highly

Bloom County was one of the greatest comic strips ever to have existed, and possibly the best comic in the whole decade of the 1980's and that was when Calvin and Hobbs (by Bill Watterson) and The Far Side (by Gary Larson) were in their prime.

The best comic strips today are Scott Adams' Dilbert (which jumped the Shark a few years back, but still have good moments), Get Fuzzy (by Darby Conley) and a few online comics, most notably User Friendly (by Illiad) and Sinfest (by Tatsuya Ishid). See www.userfriendly.org and www.sinfest.net for some good stuff.

Bloom County dealt with political and social issues in original and novel ways. He didn't shy away from issues, and always dealt with things in a nice and funny way. Lovable Opus the Penguin became the soul of the strip. The plush Opus dolls I still own to this day are some of my favorite possessions.

Yes, it does look a lot like Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury. But Breathed was not copying it, but satirizing it and paying homage to it at the same time. Especially the way Milo Bloom played when compared to the Doonesbury's Uncle Duke... who Trudeau was just spoofing off from the real life Dr. Hunter S. Thompson (author who is most famous for his quasi-novel "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas").

However, my favorite character was Oliver Wendell Holmes, the young computer hacker who fought apartite in South Africa through his invention, which was going to turn all the white people in South Africa black. Then there was the time he basically brought down Western Civilization as we knew it when he hacked into the New York Stock Exchange and put "A vast Ye mattes, Bank of America's about to go belly up" across the ticker. He got a well deserved spanking for that.

Most important to me, however, Bloom County forms one of the great memories I have from High School. Reading Bloom County and talking about it with friends was something I really have fond memories of from that time. Maybe it was just something from youth that maybe you remember as a little better than it really was. Things like "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams and the Night Court TV series seem that way to me now. Heck, I find much of Night Court to now be unwatchable. But Bloom County still seems to be very much readable to me. The 1980's in most ways basically stunk. But there were some minor high points to civilization as we knew it, and Bloom County was one of them.

This book was probably the best of the regular collections. It is good that I now hear that Breathed may be restarting Bloom County again.

I dare anyone to read this book and not be changed.

No one has Hilton's power of drawing a reader into the mind and heart of an ordinary bloke. I don't know how he does it; why do I care so much about his characters? He knows how to help the reader to sincerely CARE ABOUT a character, and therefore even his fellow man.

The twist and twist of the plot and timeline can be challenging at times, but well worth the effort.

And I thought the book was absolutely great BEFORE I read the last page!

(BTW, don't confuse this great book with the mediocre chickflick movie of the same name, and I don't recommend watching the movie first, as it might spoil some of the suspense.)

I had first seen the wonderfully sentimental movie, which is one of my favorites.

The book is not so sentimental. In reading the book, I was unprepared for how well-depicted would be the pain of the protagonist's psychological plight, how thought-provoking this book would be about society, and how much an individual could realistically be shown to be at a loss - no matter his external circumstances.

This is very much about someone who senses that once his life had meaning to him, and he had happily occupied a niche in the world - and can't rediscover it. The author is so wonderful in conveying this desperation.

Mr. Hilton also wonderfully conveys the highs and lows of both the well-born establishment, and the utterly displaced, of inter-war England.

And amazingly, he brilliantly evokes the wonderfully dreamy feeling of being in love. The scenes in which Smitty finds the small town, climbs up to the small lake in the hills, what he sees when he awakens, and the following several days, must be among the most moving in fiction.

I also love how the author shows the differences in personality between the earnest, sweet, easily alarmed, humble Smitty and the somewhat cynical, immensely able, practical-joking, self-deprecating Rainier - much of the difference seems engendered by the way they're treated and their places in life.

I love how subtly the author shows Mrs. Rainier's reaction to Rainier's discoveries - it's just brilliantly done. And the book's ending could not be more satisfying.

This is a more thought-provoking book than Goodbye Mr. Chips - and as much as I enjoyed that, this is a better one. I loved this as much as Hilton's So Well Remembered - which is high praise.

This completes the trilogy of classic James Hilton novels (the other two being "Lost Horizon" and "Goodbye Mr. Chips") which were all made into movies during Hollywood's Golden Era. It is the lesser known of the three novels, although Random Harvest is his most complete work.

The story is a romance, a mystery, a critque on England's class structure, and a parable. Hilton uses the lost years of Charles Rainier as a methaphor for the lost years of the 1920/1930's when England failed to prepare for the next war. Told in flashbacks and bookended by World War I and World War II, the resolution is only revealed in its final sentence that will shock you and change everything that you have just read & thought you understood. You will go back and re-read the book as your perception of all the characters are altered by the surprise ending.

Two cautions: First, see the 1942 Ronald Coleman/ Greer Garson movie AFTER reading the book to see how the ending is handled. Second, the opening few pages are set in an England and of a time that will be unfamiliar to most Americans, but if one continues on, the reader will be deeply rewarded. The ability to be surprised is a rare gift and Hilton delivers.

Random Harvest is my all-time favorite story. It might well be called The Wonderful Story or The Beautiful Story. Who hasn't read James Hilton's Good-buy Mr. Chips or Lost Horizon? This book, in my view, is his best work. It was this work that convinced me Hilton had to be a mystic although I don't know that. I do know that on one level, the earthy one, this is the best romantic novel I've ever read. On another level, social or historical, the work is a bringer of hope- written during WWII about WWI and ending on the eve of WWII the story speaks directly to our own uncertain post 911 era. But most importantly this is a work of spiritual completion. It can be read as the story of two people, or for Jungians in particular the coniunctio (union of opposites), the reconciling of the male and female within each of us, and in another context the "Marriage Feast of the Lamb"... This is, indeed, "The Wonderful Story."

A magnificently engrossing story that takes place over several years and including many twists and turns that make it difficult to write a review that does not give away too much of the plot. It starts with a war injury that brings amnesia induced loss of identity to our main character. The life that he builds from scratch is washed away when a car accident brings back his earlier memory, while losing the memory of his most recent life and identity. The two identities are quite dissimilar making it most difficult for the love of his second life to trace him once again to where he has built an entire life upon his early roots. The clash of his two identities and what he does with the women from both his lives is the crux of the book. Both his lives are truly worthwhile and if only there were a way to combine the best of both parts - but impossible to go back . . . the eventual answer is one of the most breathtakingly satisfying conclusions of all time.

James Hilton's (Goodbye Mr. Chips, Lost Horizon) greatest novel. A romance for the ages. If still possible for you, this is one time the book should definitely be digested before the movie (also great but substantially different).

A very interesting book with very clear explanations and a full comprehensible vocabulary. I am not an english speaking man, but I can understand almost the whole of the text withouth effort. And this although it is a technical mate. I recommend it to everybody with interest in rugby.

This review refers to the 2nd edition (2007).

If you have seen a few games and are lost, this is the book you want to get. It explains everything from the smallest detail to the history of the world cup. If you don't know the difference between a ruck and a maul or you have no idea what a pitch or a try is then buy this book. Everything is explained in a simple and easy to understand manner.

But then isn't that how all "for dummies" books are written? Well this one is written by people who play and know the game and have an idea how hard it can be for an American on the outside looking in to grasp the game.

I highly recommend this book for both those new to the game and those that have been just using Rugby as an excuse to pop down to the pub for a few pints.

The very first time I saw a game rugby I thought "what a cool looking game". I was absolutly though clueless as to what on earth was goin on and why certain things happened, all I knew it was a lot of fun to watch. This was how it was for years until I got a copy of "Rugby for Dummies", I was very lucky to get my copy as I won it on the Fox Sports World short segment on the "Rugby Report" hosted by one of the authors; Brownie himself. Every Thursday he would read and answer a question concerning rugby that one of the viewers had sent in; if he read that persons question you'd get a free copy of the book; which is how I got mine.

This book is very well writen and easy to understand. After years in the fog knowing about this mystery sport, my eyes and understanding of this game have finally been opened and I now understand the hows and whys of this game I have come to love, thanks to this fantastic book! So a big thank you to Brownie, Guthrie and Growden for helping this dummy understand the great sport of Rugby!!!!

I am new to the world of Rugby. This book was great. It really breaks down a sport that, to me, looked like a bunch of men running in to each other. I have a much better idea of the game and it's history because of this book.

The book was very informative. The book is great for all people, from those who don't know anything about rugby to those just looking for spare bits of information. The authors did a great job with their style as well, making the reader feel as if they were having a discussion with the authors, and giving the reader confidence in his/her rugby ability. It covers all areas of the game, from the rules, to techniques, to training, to the public world of rugby. I recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn anything about the sport

I love the way Keith Brown captures the essence of mother-son relationships in the African American family. It portrays the values that are developed between mothers and sons to produce strong black males. Each story is an example of encouraging motivation and hope for future generations of mother-son relationships.

This wonderful collection of stories to read about the bond between mother's and son's.

This book is so moving. Within the first few pages, I was so captivated by the warm feelings that are shared. This mother to son bond is unexplainable. I immediately told my family and friends that they have to read this book if no other.

This is to the response from Gloria Alibaruho dated 25 December 1999.

I just read your review of the book, Sacred Bond: Black Men and Their Mothers. You said in your review. "All of the mothers are acquainted with life as a journey rather than a destination." I think that is a very profound statement - your focus on "journey" implies a continuous activity as opposed to "destination" which is a fixed point in time. Too often, whether we set the stage or someone else does, we focus on a fixed point in our lives, the time when the journey is completed. We forget to celebrate the activities that brought us to our goal. This celebration serves to strengthen us and provides inspiration for the next day. That is why some goals are never reached - the preparations for the journey are not made and then we loose sight of our destination. Metaphorically, it is like taking a hike in a dense forest and forgetting to bring a map or compass.

I have a notebook of quotations that give me inspiration and I have just included your quotation in the book. Thanks for your words of wisdom.

Sincerely,

Susan Lightfeather lightfeather@exotrope.net

As I read this book, I could see myself in every one of the mothers. I laughed, I cried, and I was blessed to be touched by their experiences. As a mother, it was reassuring to read that I am on the right track. Through their trials and tribulations, the bond strengthened. To the authoris: Thank you for capturing these magnificent stories. To the mothers/sons: Thank you for letting us into your life.