Brown Books

I bought an earlier edition of this book before my law school exam 15 years ago. I ended up with the second highest exam score in the class. I practice consumer bankruptcy law now and I still go back to this book sometimes. It explains complex concepts very simply which is good for both law students and lawyers trying to find a simple way to explain bankruptcy law to clients. The diagrams and flow charts are very useful, too.

This book made the new bankruptcy code changes actually easy to understand. It saved my life and my grade!

I am an experienced lawyer and regularly read books (usually one-volume treatises) outside my practice area. Comprehensive books on bankruptcy are hard to find, and I purchased Blum's for lack of any alternative. The book is well organized, clearly written, and contains a lot of information. Even the attempts at humor are generally successful.

To offer some unsolicited advice to law students, I don't recommend using this or any supplementary texts in your courses. Stick with the casebook and other materials the instructor assigns. It may seem as if this requires more effort to learn the subject than is warranted, but you won't regret it. You'll never have the time once you start working to reread and think about cases that you have while in school. That 3 years may seem like a long time, but if you take it seriously you will benefit significantly throughout your career. It is surprising how often I encounter exprienced lawyers who are ignorant of matters I learned in law school (now long past) and still remember.

If you are taking an introductory course in Bankruptcy, get a copy of this book - And use it! If your course also includes Chapter 11 Reorganizations, I would also recommend that you get a copy of Chapter Chapter 11 Business Reorganizations: For Business Leaders, Accountants And Lawyers. They are useful before exams. But I recommend getting them at the start of the semester.

This is a great supplement that covers the 2005 changes in the code. Watch out for other supplements that are still owrking off of the pre-2005 amendments.

Un petit livre destiné à la jeunesse, "L'histoire qu'on lit au bord du lit" est écrite en vers et, en quelques pages, tourne autour du thème du lit : le lit tel qu'on l'aime, c'est-à-dire douillet, voyageur, pliant, casse-croûte, sous-marin ou tremplin. Chaque thème est travaillé de façon amusante, autour de paraboles et d'images hautes en couleur ! Les illustrations sont comiques, signées par Rotraut Susanne Berner, les vers sont traduits par Beatrice Vierne. Ce qui est particulièrement enrichissant, et s'adressant ainsi à un lectorat plus avisé, c'est que l'édition est bilingue : la page de gauche est en édition originale, celle de droite en français. Ainsi de lire les deux versions et de s'extasier sur la plume talentueuse de Sylvia Plath - auteur prometteuse trop tôt disparue !

Embark on a gentle, fantastic trip into a magical world that lies between reality and dream. Your child's imagination (and your own) will drift into sleep with images of acrobats, submarines, elephant beds, and so much more!

That this book should be out of print is a complete mystery to me, not enough violence in it, I imagine. As for the used price above, I can just imagine snuggling in bed with my child and an antique book... Books like this are meant to be read again and again, not placed in a gilded cage on a pedestal.

After years of searching for a copy (new or used) of Plath's "The Bed Book", which I used to read to my son when he was a toddler, I discovered that a publisher in the U.K. is going to re-release the book in September, 1999. I hope Amazon.com will make it available. . . this is a smashingly creative book, with page after page of beautiful watercolor illustrations.

My son and I read this book for years at bed-time - It was our absolutle favorite. Somehow we have lost the book and I have been searching for another copy for ages. Can the DC reviewer provide me with the name of the British publisher that is going to re-release this book - or any other details that might lead me to a copy? I would be very appreciative!

"Not just a white little, tucked in tight little, nighty night little, turn out the light little, Bed."

And this is not just an ordinary book. I came accross it one day and decided to give it a go, having read other Plath works. This book is incredible, te utter childishness of it, every time I think of it, it brings a smile to my face. This book is a must-read.

Excellent, if you had 10 stars I would give it a ten, beautifully written story. Does anywone know what happened to the author?

This book oozes southern charm. The characters are very realistic and well written down to even the most minor characters. These people are real, as a southener, I know these people. This book is definitely a keeper!
The reader will love this layed back southern charmer, Billy Bob Walker.

I'm a Southerner that has lived all over the US and the world with my military hubby of 25 years. What makes us a unique group of people comes through Ms. Brown's books better than any author I've read. She has captured the Southern psyche and mannerisms.

Billy Bob Walker reminds us that people and circumstances aren't always what they seem on the outside. Billy Bob, a young man from the wrong side of the blanket, as well as the tracks, is far more noble and honorable than his priveleged half-brother, Michael Sewell who has had the advantage of the best things and education that money can buy. Everyone in Sweetwater, Mississippi, expects the heroine Shiloh to marry Michael. But as fate or Cupid would have it, Billy and Shiloh fall in love. They have a tough fight ahead of them. Her father, his father (though Judge Sewell has never acknowledged Billy), and Michael all try through hook and crook to keep our cross-starred lovers apart.

I discovered Lisa G. Brown's books through BILLY BOB WALKER GOT MARRIED in a bunch of used books I bought. I loved it so much that I acquired all three of her other books used (SLEEPING AT THE MAGNOLIA, CRAZY FOR LOVIN' YOU and HIGH STAKES which is written under the pen name Dana Warren Smith--all are out of print). I'm wondering when and if she plans to write more. I eagerly await her next novel.

If you get the chance to buy this book do it and be prepared to keep it in your keeps library. I have it and I read over and over it is one of the best written romances I have found. The only negative is that the author doesn't seem to be producing anymore books I keep watching and I haven't seen anything from her in 2 years.

Shiloh Pennington is the pampered daughter of the richest man in Sweetwater, Mississippi. She's a good girl, and is very close to her father; she does her best to please him and to live up to his expectations, including getting engaged to Michael, Judge Sewell's son.

Billy Bob Walker is known for getting into fights and in general being the town's favorite subject for gossip. He's also Judge Sewell's unacknowledged illegitimate son.

Four years ago, Shiloh and Billy Bob had a secret and very sweet romance, until her father found out and broke them up. They went their separate ways--she to college and he to help out on his grandfather's farm. Both are heartbroken, but her father, and circumstances, had done a very thorough job of driving them apart.

Now, Billy is in jail for getting into a brawl and is unable to pay the fine. Shiloh meets him there after getting caught for speeding (when she finally snapped and had to get away from the men in her life.) They make a deal--she pays his fine in exchange for his agreeing to a marriage in name to her, so that she won't have to marry her fiance.

So begins their path to happiness, but it's very rocky--he has his pride and his struggles to make something of himself. He's also had to face a lifetime of people thinking he's worthless trash, especially his father. She's trying to find herself and to move away from the shadow of her father's influence (he disowned her completely after her marriage). There are outside factors working to drive them apart as well, such as the Sewells, Shiloh's father, and the whole town's prejudices. The small town itself is protrayed very well and gives the book an authentic air. And the dialogue feels natural and just flows so well, you can hear the southern drawls in their speech.

That was just a description of the book's bones and doesn't come close to conveying the sheer emotion and poignancy in the story. The characters are drawn so realistically and nothing feels overly contrived. I like how Billy is characterized: he's tough, possessive, and just such a man. After he and Shiloh get married, she looks over at him and muses, "I wonder what kind of husband you'd really make." And he answers without hesitation, "A damned good one." He appears to be a worthless good-time boy, but in reality he works and gives everything he has for those he loves. And Shiloh is no passive Southern belle; she holds on to the principles she knows are right, and she's strong enough to take on her father, the town, and her new circumstances, all the while helping to build up a happy future for her and Billy.

This is a very compelling love story. It's about unconditional love that can overcome the biggest obstacles, it's about being true to yourself, and it's about how loving can help make people stronger. The ending is very well-done and the conflicts are realistically and satisfyingly resolved. This is one of the best romance novels I've ever read, and I highly recommend it.

I am happy with amazon's fast accurate service. The book is interesting and easy to read. Would reccomend to anyone interested in history and development of modern substance abuse education and treatment. Mrs. Mann was a truly remarkable woman. I don't believe her contributions can be over estimated.

I enjoyed Marty's story so much. She was such an intelligent, attractive, successful woman, and yet alcohol brought her to a point of utter despair and poverty. I could truly relate to how it feels to have so much and yet not be able to save yourself from alocholism. With the help of AA I have found my life again, and continue to grow in all areas of my life. Reading Marty's story was so good for my self esteem and confidence. It truly emphasizes that alcoholism is a disease and not a moral issue. I enjoyed this book so much I stayed up until 2am the first night I started reading it. This has been a good read for me! I would recommend it to females in AA especially.

Riveting and educational! A page turner! Marty Mann was an incredible woman and we finally get to read about her life in detail. This is a must read for those who are recovering from alcoholism, those affected by alcoholism, social service and public health providers and legislatures. We have much to learn from Marty Mann and we must continue her mission today.

This was written with the language of the heart... and was informative, fascinating, and well done in every way. I enjoyed the pictures too. I felt privileged to see inside this fabulous woman's life.

I loved this book. It is well-written, expertly researched and completly honest.As a recovered person myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the the weaving of historical accounts of the early days of AA and NCA. Even without that, the story of Marty Mann was impressive and powerful. The account of the founding, growth, growing pains and success of NCA was a primer on how to get an impossible job done. Many other historical facts that were intertwined throughout the book provided a sense of reality about developments in our country that are rarely discussed.

My thanks to the authors for writing a book I will treasure it and make it a permamnent part of my personal library.

This unique work is an excellent resource for anyone interested in the lifestyle of the pimp and prostitution subculture. In some examinations of the study subject's testimony, I thought the authors were much to forgiving. The authors blame prejudice and racism for the exploitation that the criminals involved heap upon the prostitution victims. It is very obvious that the authors were very friendly with those that they studied. This makes it the reader's responsibility to examine the activities and actions of the pimps and prostitutes to form a complete picture of the criminal subculture. There is a wealth of accurate information that can be found in the statements made by the pimps and prostitutes that were interviewed. Though this book was published over 30 years ago, the lifestyle, and motivations for engaging in it, have changed very little.

I paid this book $100 (used) and it worth it. Enough?

Milner, a white graduate student at Berkeley, working for years as a stripper in San Francisco wrote this personal and academic study of pimp culture in the Bay Area during the late 60s. As a stripper working in establishments with "player's club" sections, she had ready access to lounging pimps eager to add her to their "stable". From a dependable factual foundation of dozens of participating pimps, she writes a study amazing in scope and readable detail.

When I claim wide scope, I mean the richness of subjects spans anthropology, social psychology, and sociology. In an eye opening chapter she explains the culture's patriarchal ideology, catechism, and symbols. Drawing from Scripture, the pimps narrate the fall of Adam and Eve, reworking the story to become a symbol of the defeat of mankind by woman. The story propels a pimp system of beliefs that asserts "square" society--all of us but them--is ruled by women and pimp culture is the last bastion of male domination in the Western world. I was invigorated by this new approach to gender relations. The claims are outrageous but these men are living their bluster, and that will make them credible enough for you to rethink to your relationship to the other gender.

That's enough material to make for amazing reading but it's just introductory. A large section will not disappoint--it's probably more than you could hope when you first sought a pimp studies book. In instructional detail, the mechanisms for controlling hos are explained. For any square the psychology of control is not intuitive. Pimps do not shy away from violence but the method of operation is psychological submission. The pimp must be a master of manipulation because the relationship between pimp and ho is an inversion of gender role. The pimp builds alpha magnetism, inspiring the sexual worship of his ho, a conquest so commanding that she becomes the wage earner so she may court his affection, allowing him to have the leisure to shop for fine clothes--quite an inversion.

This is a sociological work covering the bread and butter topics of the department such as race, deviance, and law, giving the book an academic comprehensiveness. The book manages to be intelligent and pure as an academic treatment and remains readable, the prose infused with the flair of that gilded age and place, late 60s San Francisco. The sociological observations spring from wacky encounters between hippies and pimps living in the same neighborhood, pimp war and peace, and more good times.

Find a research library and find this book.

This is the book that anyone, anyone, Anyone who wants to know about the game should start out with. I read this book in a research library then purchased it. It is the only book that I have ever seen that truly depicts the life objectively and fairly. Thorough, factual, multi-faceted, "real," and scholarly. This book is truly worth $100.00.

This book was the product of an anthropological study regarding both the lifestyles and subculture of San Francisco Bay Area pimps and their prostitutes. Given the fact that the authors befriended many of the local pimps prior to interviewing them they were able to obtain a lot of information that would otherwise have been unavailable. In short, this book gives us a truly unique look at one of America's most controversial subcultures.

The people that Joseph Mitchell introduces the reader to in these character sketches are representative of a New York that no longer exists and their stories are nostalgic and sentimental. But there is more here than that. Mitchell writes with a respect for his subjects regardless of their circumstances that reveals a true observer of life at work. Without a hint of judgementalism he takes the time to understand and the reader is rewarded and enriched as a result.
This collection is particulary good and Up In The Old Hotel contains more of the same style. The latter book is more readily available although I found a copy of this at the Strand bookstore off Union Square.

Joseph Mitchell--The New Yorker fact writer, whose birth, in North Carolina, 100 years ago is being celebrated by the reissue of this 1959 collection--was deeply versed in classical literature and in the fiction of James Joyce, and he loved the populist death art of Posada. He didn't let any of them get in the way of his journalism, though: they fueled his imagination, but he didn't require that they fuel ours, too. Anyone who reads for the first time the six New York waterfront and river stories in "The Bottom of the Harbor" is given everything needed to absorb what Mitchell has to say on every level in the prose, itself. And such beautiful prose it is--full of rhythmic texture and patience, of lists as melodious as scat singing, and of knowledge worn so lightly it can only be felt. Sometimes, Mitchell's writing is so seamless that it doesn't even seem human: it is both very modern and evocatively biblical in that way.
Mitchell was unquenchably curious about everything and everyone connected with the harbor, beginning with the hard-working fishermen and other workers, whom he presents with sympathy and matchless skill. And, yet, the human interest here is only one layer of his marvelous literary constructions. A strong recurring theme is the wasteful degradation of the environment in search of commercial gain. Another is the frailty of any individual life. Yet another is the poetry produced by the artless arrangement of names for fish or for wildflowers. And still another is the magic of stories, and of stories within stories, and of stories within stories within stories--the magic of suspended time. Although some of what Mitchell mourns has actually since improved, such as the ability of the Gowanus Canal to support underwater life, for the most part the New York harbor of 2008 has lost much of what he chronicled elegically 50 or 60 years ago. Even so, Mitchell's world--personal, individual, reflective, informed, invested with considerations of mortality shot through with graveyard wit--remains vital and real and so accessible that it would be dangerous to let high school, much less college students get their hands on the book. It might prompt a tragic optimism in them that it's possible to make a living as journalists by trying to write this way, a possibility as long gone as the once-thriving oyster beds around the shores of Manhattan.
A note about years: the pieces in "The Bottom of the Harbor" are arranged according to their tones and subject matter to make the book a good reading experience, rather than according to the chronology of their first magazine publications. If you look at them from the earliest to the latest, though, you find that the early ones are written in the omniscent third person and then, as the years go on, the voice goes into the first person, increasingly confiding on the page. "Mr. Hunter's Grave," first published in The New Yorker in September 1956, and described on the jacket flap as "widely considered to be the finest single piece of nonfiction to have ever appeared in the pages of The new Yorker," also ends on the darkest note. However, the book concludes with the youngest of the pieces, "The Rivermen," from 1959, whose ending, an apology from one man to another (also, as it happens, named Joe), reads: "'As far as I'm concerned,' he said, 'the purpose of life is to stay alive and to keep on staying alive as long as you possibly can.'" As the essayist and historian Luc Sante writes in his estimable forward to this centennial edition of "The Bottom of the Harbor": "This book of ostensibly journalistic feature stories turns out to hold at its core some of the fundamental questions of existence."

When Joseph Mitchell died in 1996 at the age of 87, the obituary that appeared in the New York Times, May 25, 1996, called him the "chronicler of the unsung and the unconventional." Mitchell began his career as a writer for The New York Herald Tribune in 1929. His career spanned the 1930s to the 1960s. He joined The New Yorker in 1938, and the pieces he contributed to that magazine have continued to gather momentum, taking on a life of their own. The six essays offered in this collection, a revised edition of The Bottom of the Harbor, were first published between 1944 and 1959.

Mitchell came to New York from rural North Carolina, and quickly found a fascination with life in the city. His essays, a combination of oral history, natural history, and psychological observation, reflect his love for the people and the surroundings of New York, with a special emphasis on fishermen and others involved in life around the harbor.

The first essay in the collection, "Up in the Old Hotel," is a kind of mystery--from a restaurant on the ground floor of a building near the Fulton Fish Market, Mitchell leads the reader to wonder along with him what the abandoned floors above may hold. It is this idea of mystery, things hidden from view, which permeate his stories. Whether he is describing the rat infestations on board ships in the harbor or the wild flowers growing in graveyards, his eye for detail is captivating. The narrative in each essay unfolds slowly, following a kind of wandering trajectory like the paths Mitchell takes to visit the individuals whose stories he relates with charm.

The Bottom of the Harbor is a book to be enjoyed slowly. The characters and settings are vividly drawn. The historical detail will delight those readers with an interest in New York's past, and the oral histories will captivate those readers who have a penchant for dialogue and psychology.

Armchair Interviews says: First-class essays all will enjoy.

He really does take you places. Places you may have been before, but in a time we'll never know again. As I'm reading, I'm careful to catch every word, afraid of missing out on the world he's revealing to me.

This is the first I've ever read of Mitchell, but he's already one of my favorite authors. Journalism at its finest.

There are so many good things I could say about The Bottom of the Harbor. Mitchell's writing style is clean easy to read without lacking in depth and texture. The stories themselves are fascinating and off beat.

But the best part of the book are the characters Mitchell writes about. They come alive through his portrayals and you will find yourself thinking about them, their thoughts, and their ways of life long after you stop reading.

The book contains six separate stories, each about 40 (short) pages long, so you can absorb them at your own pace without losing the thread. Personally, I had a hard time putting the book down.

If you are reading my Ramayana series, then I gently urge and request you to please not buy the UK or US editions, even if they're available at bargain prices. Which they probably are, since the publishers there have more or less put the books out of print, due to a lack of interest by non-Indian readers.

The Indian editions are the definitive editions of my work, containing a lengthy Introduction by me titled 'Retelling the Ramayana', which provides an essential perspective on the work, the final versions of all the books--including some small but significant changes, particularly in some book endings--no glossary, thank God, and are generally the best-edited, designed and published versions, in my opinion at least. In short, they're the Author's Preferred Edition, particularly the new hardcover omnibus editions, which represent the story in the way I had originally intended and are truly sumptuous to hold (and behold). Also, significantly, they aren't packaged as 'Fantasy' or 'SF' like the firang ones, which is a ridiculously transparent attempt at cashing in on the commercial success of the fantasy genre a la LoTR and Harry Potter. Please, people, my Ramayana series is a retelling of an epic, and that's exactly what it should be called, 'Epic'. I'd venture to call it 'Itihasa', but even Mythology, which is the label Penguin uses for the books here in India, is acceptable. But certainly not Fantasy as in one of the ubiquitous Tolkien rip-offs that are churned out in droves by western publishers, or even SF, both genres that can sometimes be wonderful in their own right, but are totally inappropriate in the context of an epic that pre-dates Tolkien by some thousands of years, and the entire tradition of western literature as well!

Frankly, I feel so strongly about this that I'd even go so far as to say, if you can't get the Indian editions, then don't read the books! That's why I'm currently in the process of re-acquiring the rights to the US and UK editions and they will soon be out of print everywhere but India. Which is how it ought to be: this is a quintessentially Indian story, written by a contemporary Indian for other contemporary Indians to read. And the Indian editions are really the only way to go.

Ashok K. Banker
www.ashokbanker.com

After finishing Bridge of Rama, I now worship Ashok Banker! His ingenuity is simply unreal! I am glad to say, it does not seem that I am the only one who thinks so! Banker has hit a lucrative business, and he sure has the knack for it! Regardless of the fact that his book series is one of the best that many people have ever read, Banker has tried to outdo himself - and he has succeed wonderfully! The fifth book just totally blows away any competition! Of course, those steadfast fans of literature could compare this book to ones like Dr. Zhivago, Atlas Shrugged, and books like that, and with that comparison they could say that Bridge of Rama is simply not one of the best books written. But, come on, nobody enjoys a book because of its reputation or classification as "literature"! People enjoy a book when it appeals or entertains them. It's a bonus if the book not only captures your attention but also manages to teach you some valuable, applicable lessons about life! I am happy to say that Ashok Banker's Bridge of Rama is one of these books. Pick it up and enjoy, whether you're Indian or not, whether you've heard of the Ramayana or not (if you haven't, start at book one, Prince of Ayodhya)! Oh, and I also had a complaint that Hanuman's character was not well-done in my review of the preceding book (book four of the series, Armies of Hanuman). However, here, Hanuman gains his powers and supernatural abilities (as he does in the actual epic), and his character now totally rocks! And, the last parts of the book are pure, intense action, so nerve-wrackingly jolting that even those gore-fest maniacs will be satisfied! For those who like just talk better, there are many well-written (seriously!) conversations between the well-developed characters of the book. Even the slowest parts of the book won't lose your attention for a fraction of a second. This book is simply too good to be summed up in a mere review, so get the book for yourself and experience what I'm talking about!

What I love about Ashok Banker's style of writing is the way he engages the imagination of an entire generation of kids being brought up on an intensely audio-visual world with slick productions and video games. I cannot thank him enough for having made this ancient tale come alive for my American-born 21st century kid who proudly takes Banker's books to school for reading hour. Every parent and child out there who need to grapple with issues of identity, cross-culturalism etc. absolutely need to read this series.

To tell you the truth, I felt that Bridge of Rama is Ashok's best book yet!!! The narrative is fluid, he never lets down the pace a bit, and the book is so so cool... Everything in the book is PERFECT!!!

Rama and the huge armies of vanaras and bears have reached the southern coast of the mainland, and are busy building a bridge to Lanka. Meanwhile, Hanuman discovers his special powers. But sita's life is in peril; hence, Hanuman has to undertake a daring mission- to leap into Lanka and bring Sita back.

Hanuman assumes centrestage in this book- he is truly one of the best characters in the Ramayana series. The readers can identify with him, because of his immense faith in his lord Rama. The way the author shifts the narrative from Hanuman's POV to Ravana's POV and back, is just too good, and the battles between Hanuman and the rakshasas are awesome!! The scene where Hanuman and Sita talk to each other, is one of the best moments of the book..

One of the things that set this series apart from other versions is that the author spends a lot of time in Lanka, thus enabling us to understand more about Ravana, Mandodhari, Supanakha, Vibhisena, Indrajit, etc... And that continues in this book too. Banker really scores in the dialogues between various characters. The scene where Hanuman describes the truth in Ravana's court and lavishly praises Ravana is portrayed beautifully. And the climax of the book, where Hanuman sets Lanka on fire, is absolutely magnificent..

At this rate, i'll run out of superlatives trying to describe Bridge of Rama :~)... I think that 10 on 10 says it all!!!!

Banker Proves His Story Telling Is Still In Top Form, March 17, 2006
Reviewer: gypsyman from Kingston Ontario Canada
Once in a while, an author manages to captivate you so completely that you are drawn into the world they've created without even noticing. You open the pages of the book, and the next thing you know you're on page one hundred, two hours have passed, and you've no recollection of when you started reading.

What's truly amazing is that you don't even feel like you've been reading. It feels like there is an external voice whispering the story in your ear and the only effort required on your part is to listen. There's no fighting to understand what the author means, or feeling of being spoon fed information in order to lead you to some inevitable outcome. It's like having your own personal storyteller sitting on your shoulder.

This is the case with the work of Indian author Ashok Banker. The first four books of his adaptation of the Ramayana have all been like that, and book five, Bridge of Rama is no exception.

Bridge Of Rama picks up the story where we left off; Rama's wife Sita has been kidnapped by the King of the Ausras (bestial demon type creatures) Ravana, and taken back to his island home of Lanka. Rama and his allies, the vanar, an ape like people, are massing on the shores of the mainland hoping to find a way across the final hurdle of the ocean so they can rescue Sita.

Even when the devoted Hanuman, the vanar to first recognise Rama's inherit greatness, returns at the head of an army of countless number of his own kind, plus an additional army of rksa (bears) the seemingly insurmountable problem of crossing the ocean is before them. After dismissing the idea of building boats to transport them as impractical, they settle on building a bridge.

At first, this too seems an impossible task, until one of the vanar strikes upon a plan that utilizes their major strengths, their willingness, and their numbers. All of a sudden, their goal appears within reach. That is until Rama is visited by the shade of his father who informs him that if he is not able to rescue his darling within twenty-four hours it will be too late.

Aside from beings of great strength and courage, the bears also turn out to be repositories of all knowledge. They remember their incarnations, and thus all the events of not only this lifetime, but lifetimes dating back generations. They are therefore able to reveal a secret that the Gods have long kept hidden from Hanuman: that he is actually the illegitimate son of Marut, the god of Wind.

The events that occur in this story are exciting and well paced but ther are also a means of expressing themes. Travels and journies take place on more than just the physical plane in Ashok Banker's Ramayana. This is a story of faith; faith in one's self and where we find it, and faith in the veracity of our chosen path.

Doubts plague us all weakening our resolve and literally bring us to a standstill. Doubt in your abilities to accomplish something and you will never accomplish it. Doubt in what you believe in and you will continually second guess all your actions and be rendered immobile.

Blind faith, faith, which has no justification or basis to rest on ends up being hollow and unable to sustain itself. Those who follow Ravana have given themselves over to him body and spirit and have little or nothing left for the nurturing of self. Without that, they are unable to grow beyond their bestial appetites and are continually at the mercy of their baser selves.

As Ravana desires complete control over his followers, this works to his advantage as it allows him to dominate through fear and intimidation. But this form of rule is not fertile ground for loyalty or individuality, and contributes to the stagnation of the inhabitants of Lanka.

Ravana sees his subjects as objects at his disposal, to make use of as his needs dictate, and thus cares not a whit for their aspirations and desires. Unless of course they happen to coincide with his own, or if, he can contrive to utilize them to achieve his own ends.

In the character of Hanuman Mr. Banker shows over the course of two books the process that is necessary for the development and utilization of faith. In Armies Of Hanuman the young vanar learns to recognise and appreciate the values that are expressed by Prince Rama.

As Rama expresses faith in his abilities, Hanuman begins to not only have faith in himself, but when the time comes is ready to accept his godly aspect with humility and awe. His only desire is to utilize these powers in repayment for the faith shown in him.

Rama leads by example, never threatening and always grateful. By reciprocating the faith of his followers, he elevates their sense of self worth, which precipitates growth and loyalty. Hanuman's devotion to Rama and his faith in the precepts he adheres to provide him with the strength to overcome all of his inner demons and insecurities.

What makes Bridge Of Rama work as both an entertaining story, which it is, and an exploration of faith and other ideals, is Banker's ability to integrate plot and thought seamlessly. Even at the books most philosophical moments, you only ever hear the voice of the character, never the author.

His characters are so well created and thought out, that every word out of their mouths is believable and fits into who they are. Rama, Sita, Ravana, and Hanuman are just the tip of the iceberg for this attention to detail. No matter how minor a role the character could have in the story, each has their own distinct voice, and stands out from the rest of the crowd.

Mr. Banker's eye for detail, and his descriptive turn of phrase allows the reader to feel like they are seeing their surroundings through the eyes of the person who's there. Sita's exploration of the tower floor that she is being held captive on, and her gradual realization that what she thought was a forest grove is actually something else is a fine example.

Little clues are offered up to make her suspicious, but what finally tips it over the edge is the fact that the moonlight covers every surface of everything. Instead of just illuminating the tops of leaves, their undersides are just as bright. As we haven't really understood where she is being held up until that point, the realization that she is in some sort of magical prison strikes us both as the same time.

With Bridge Of Rama Ashok Banker confirms himself to be one the best storytellers of our time. Not only does he create memorable characters, but has the ability to describe their circumstances and situations in a manner so vivid that you can almost feel the breeze he describes blowing on your face.

Within the context of the series Bridge Of Rama is somewhat akin to the drawing in of breath before the last battle. The forces are gathering in one place for their final confrontation and the leaders are marshalling their thoughts. With Sita remaining Ravana's captive, there is now no other choice for Rama but to invade and attempt to rescue his wife.

What will happen when Rama and Ravana finally confront each other? How much of themselves will they each see in the other? In my minds eye I can see the countless bears and vanar beginning to line the bridge from the main land to Lanka making their way across the treacherous ocean. I can't wait to join them for the last chapter of the Ramayana

In Brown Sugar: Soul Food Desserts from Family and Friends, Joyce White, author of Soul Food: Recipes and Reflections from African-American Churches, turns her attention to sweet endings. Brown Sugar gathers traditional Southern comfort desserts such as lacy wafer cookies, pecan sand tarts, gingersnaps, chocolate spice cake, a fluffy coconut peach cake, pineapple iced cake, cobblers and pies (including sweet potato and spicy molasses pecan), puddings and custards, candies and homemade ice creams. In terms of repertoire, it's similar to Patty Pinner's Sweets: Soul Food Desserts & Memories, but White includes numerous helpful hints for presentation and how-to's.

There are no photographs, but the recipes include introductions that explain the origin of the recipes and handy sidebars. There are also numerous substitutions and variations suggested if you're looking to branch out, or perhaps to experiment with a more adventurous flavor combination (like substituting cardamom for cinnamon in a coffee cake). There's a chapter devoted to fruits, so if you're looking for a lighter finale, you'll find numerous baked fruits and compotes. These foolproof gems are a wonderful way to slow down and reconnect with a simpler time, and the delicious smells that will be coming out of your kitchen are sure to attract friends and neighbors, who might then sit down for a well-deserved chat over a slice of freshly baked cake or pie.

Wonderful Book. The recipes are unique but not difficult. The book has great tips on the types of pans to use, where to place your pan in the oven and an education on "brown sugar". Who knew there were so many different types of brown sugar! I would recommend this book to anyone that loves to bake and would love to show off something different.

This book is fantastic! I truly enjoyed the stories leading into each recipe. It made me feel as if it let me into a warm and personal side of Joyce White's life. This made reading these recipes interesting and fun.

I've always had a problem with picking out fresh fruit. However, Brown Sugar takes the guesswork out of it. I was so enlighten with the details on how to select the freshest fruits. With the knowledge I've gained, I ventured into preparing a scrumptious dessert for friends. My choice was the "Fresh Berry Compote". It was a hit and the instructions were so easy to follow.

Brown Sugar is a wonderful soul food dessert book that I really enjoyed.

As warm and homey as the smell of freshly baked bread, Brown Sugar welcomes you to enjoy a rich and diverse collection of sweets. Candy, cookies, pies, cakes, ice cream and more are all featured in a collection of recipes featuring a wide variety of classics and favorites.

This is also one of those delectable cookbooks you like to snuggle up with and read cover to cover. Mixing practical advice with a wide range of personal family history, White writes the book in such a way that when you close it, you feel like a member of her family.

But even better than that, the recipes themselves are crafted with simple, everyday utensils, using ingredients that are common and can be found at the local store.

There are no pictures of the food, but that is a small price to pay for such a rich bounty of delicious, easy to make desserts.

Highest possible recommendations!

"Food for the soul" is an excellent way to describe the wonderfully soothing experience a person feels after eating any one of the treats from Joyce White's cookbook "Brown Sugar." Right now, just thinking about the "sweet potatoe pie" brings a smile to my face and that "chocolate cheesecake" makes my mouth water. ummmmmm, "Brown Sugar."

As a modern day "River Rat," I started reading this book, while waiting to kick off that little invasion down in Panama, affectionately known as "Operation Just Cause" in Dec 1989, and managed to finish reading it in between "Brown Water & coastal Patrols." It's hard to put down once you start reading, and CDR Cutler does this small, sub-community of Navy Special Warfare Sailors justice (pretty unique thing to do for an officer). It's the roots & history of the U.S.N.'s "Brown Water Navy", the combat tactics and actions that are still in use to this date. I highly recommend this literature work to any person(s) that's interested in the Navy, and the and the personnel that forged the Brown Water Navy's history in the volatile rivers, canals and coast line of Viet Nam. A true reflection of courage, human spirit and dedication in the most adverse conditions. PBR= Proud, Brave & Reliable! Keep the Faith

This is a great introduction to the US Navy's river war in Vietnam. Well written, informative, excellently researched, and very fair, it really is a must have for Vietnam history buffs. Plenty of black & white photos. I wish the Cutler had included more maps to go along with the firefights he describes so well, but this is about my only complaint.

In an interesting plot twist, the 2004 Presidential Election has brought a little known arena of the Vietnam War to light. Because Senator John F. Kerry, the Democratic nominee, made his valorous service in Vietnam a central component of his primary run and the centerpiece of his nomination speech at the Democratic Convention, a group of fellow veterans has challenged his version of events that occurred in Vietnam and ran a series of commercials attacking his credibility and calling him to account for the accusations that the young lieutenant had directed at his fellow veterans after coming home. The angry rhetoric that these two groups of veterans have exchanged has been the impetus for the press to write and speak about warfare on the coffee-brown waters of Mekong Delta back in 1968. Unfortunately, it seems like many members of the press haven't done their homework and thus the stories lack the valuable background and contextual information that would have made them more accurate.
"Brown Water, Black Berets" (which is still available) is one of the few books that have been written about the fresh water and coastal navy in Vietnam and I wish it were in wider circulation. It mainly covers the southernmost part of Vietnam, which the military cut into four tactical zones, so the bottom of the country was IV Corps. If we look at a map of Vietnam, we can see that there is a wide river, the Mekong, which empties into a vast delta, just south of Saigon. Because the Mekong ran right into the heartland of South Vietnam, it became a conduit for the North Vietnamese to smuggle arms and supplies into the south in order to equip their allies, the Vietcong guerillas. To interdict these vital supplies, the United States Navy and the Vietnamese Navy had to equip a force of boats that was small enough to navigate the rivers and yet strong enough to fight off attacks from well armed guerillas. Additionally, the Vietcong brought supplies down the coast using sampans and other small boats, requiring offshore Navy and Coast Guard patrols to chase and intercept them.
To fight this new type of war, the United States Navy created a new force of light including the little "Skimmer" a tiny "Boston whaler" used for offshore use, equipped with an outboard engine, the PBR (Patrol Boat River) which was a purpose built 31 ft. long, fiberglass hulled, diesel engined boat with a jet drive (it was made by Jacuzzi - a name familiar to many suburban homeowners) which enabled it able to turn on a dime. Then, there was the Louisiana built "Swift Boat" or in the Navy parlance, the Patrol Craft, Fast (PCF). The now famous Swift was built on the hull of a transport boat that ran crews on and off the oil drilling platforms in the Gulf of Mexico. These Swifts were a bit larger craft, fifty feet long, with an aluminum hull, powered by twin diesels, with screws, not the jet drive of the PBR. The boats were fast - about 28 knots - and powerfully armed with a pair of twin .50 caliber machine guns mounted over the pilothouse, with another mount on the fantail, this one an over/under arrangement of a single .50 over a 81mm mortar. Despite their weight and the firepower that allowed them to put a great deal of lead on target, the Swift Boats had a shallow 3 ½ foot draft, making it possible to get up small rivers and canals.
In addition to these craft, the Navy had larger boats designed to transport ships upriver and even constructed "Monitors" which were powerfully armed with a 40mm cannon in a rotating turret, hence the name. All these craft were necessary because in the vast delta, there were few roads and the waterways were the easiest way to get around for friend and foe alike. The men of the United States and Vietnamese navies used all of these craft to interdict the enemy's supplies and to transport ground troops and Navy Seals up river. Confronting the small boats of the Vietnamese was a perilous activity because in South Vietnam, every sampan could carry innocent peasants or a Vietcong guerilla with the machine gun or grenade. Additionally, the enemy would lie in wait along the canals, ready to seize the opportunity to ambush the patrol boats with heavy machine guns, mortars and small arms fire.
As the war went on, the Navy came up with some innovative programs in order to take the fight to the enemy, so about the time John Kerry volunteered for them, the Swift Boats and PBR began to operate more aggressively, operating in small flotillas to provide cover to each other. So, up until the later years of the Nixon administration when the United States Navy began winding down its operations, the men of the "Brown Water Navy" performed a difficult task and by all accounts, did it well. As a result, a large percentage of Navy losses in Vietnam - extremely light for offshore sailors - were on the small boats of the inland navy.
"Brown Water, Black Berets" is an award-winning book that interweaves personal stories of heroic fresh water sailors with the "big picture" of the strategic decisions. It also includes information about the design and deployment of the boats. The author, Thomas Cutler, was a veteran of the "Brown Water Navy" and his service in the last year of the war gives him the authority and experience to tell his fellow veteran's story well. Solidly written and well researched, this book will please anyone interested in military history, the Vietnam War or someone who is just curious about the type of boats Senator John F. Kerry commanded as a young lieutenant some thirty-five years ago.

An excellent and highly informative narrative of the nearly unknown world of the United States Navy's small craft fleet in Vietnam. A fine reminder to the sailors of today that individual heroism in a war fought with the machine gun and not missles is part of the recent naval tradition. If anyone can say they followed the path of John Paul Jones and went into harm's way, these sailors can, and LCDR Cutler has told their story well.

I was in the Naval Advisory Group at the same time as LCDR Cutler and I know where he's coming from. He did a great job of research. I'm really surprised at the volume of good factual info he managed to scrape up! BRAVO ZULU from an ex advisor at Rach Soi, Qui Nhon and Cam Ranh Bay.

This information-dense book will give you an important start on dealing with any security issue likely to arise in your business. Had a mugging in your parking lot? Here's how to make your employees and customers safer. Had a customer skip out on a large debt? This is where to go and what to do to get your money back. Want to do a background check on someone? Look here and find out how.

I have been dealing with keeping my companies' employees and funds safe for decades. I still learned a quite a bit from this book, and will be keeping it handy for future reference. Buy it. Read it. Apply it. If even one technique is needed, you will have more than repaid your time, money and effort.

Having been in the pool business for 25 years, I know how busy and hectic daily routines can be. Reading a book is the last thing I have time to do. Business Security is loaded with great subjects that I can look up and read only a few pages to learn what I need to know. I feel safer with the knowledge I've collected from the many different articles offered in this realistic, post 9-11 based book. I highly recommend this book to anyone, whether business related or not, to use as a "security dictionary" whenever the need arises.

As a security consultant and author, I found this to be a great reference that I refer to again and again. This is a great read for both large and small business owners who understand their responsibilities in a post 9/11 world. Nice Job!! Robert Siciliano

The scenarios in this book are very helpful in protecting yourself from a lot of grief. Things you don't ordinarily think about is pointed out to alert you of potential safety risk. It my be titled Business Security, but some of the safety measures can be taken for the individual and ordinary person. The book is an interesting book to read and entertaining. Some items are even good for group discussions. I gave it 5 stars because the book is easy to read and there is useful informantion in it for everyone whether you own a business or not.

This book can be regarded as a very useful manual for business
persons, especially also working international about avoiding
problems in their daily activities, also using modern media,
incl. the Internet.
M. Enchelmaier