Ford Books

I recently bought this book expecting to find out all that wasn't accessible online, only to find that it doesn't really say much. The author owned many basenjis, and knew about as much as I did after a few minutes of google searching the basenji. Check out My Smart Puppy, its a general book but its the only thing that I can say relates to, and has helped me with my basenji, Simone.

A must for a Basenji owner. The pictures are great, good tool to explain the African history to friends. The historical aspect is the most compelling to me, a good coffee table book unless your Basenji pulls books off the table !

This book is sure to delight everyone, from people who breed and show basenjis to the owner of the cherished pet.

A long established breed originating from Africa, the basenji is indeed a distinctive dog. Basenjis have deeply wrinkled foreheads, double curls in their tails, clean themselves like cats, run like antelopes and yodel instead of bark. They can also shed tears. Basenjis are known for their determination, loyalty to their owners and their keen hunting ability. Their cleanliness, natural beauty and gracefulness make them cherished pets indeed.

This book is a good teaching tool for folks who own basenjis, a good resource tool for folks interested in basenjis and certainly a well written wealth of information.

A true wealth of information on the amazing Basenji breed. The book provided a concise history of the dog and its migration to other parts of the world. My only complaint is that the pictures were not in color only b&w. Still worth the purchase price. If you are lucky enough to own a Basenji, buy the book. Thinking about owning a Basenji, buy the book and read another. Basneji's are truly unlike any other dog and deserve a person who knows, accepts and appreciates their distinct differences.

An excellent resource on Basenjis for both the novice and the experienced owner!

Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down and I did not until I finished it. Knowing the background of the hard-working people he came from and growing up in that same era and areas, it was like peering in a window and watching another world that I had only heard about whispered with girlfriends. I am grateful for the glimpse from Mr. Ford, as I know how painful the retelling must be for all, and hopefully cathartic as well. I could not imagine living in that drug culture or being a part of that desperation, growing up a wide-eyed and naive small-town girl at that time. I only knew the rumors of those that did, somewhat in awe at their audacity, like local versions of a forbidden rock star in some ways. What a tough character he was and a parents nightmare! The high stress of living such a life would seem to exact a heavy toll and the authors words conveyed a dilemma of ethics in a world where little seemed to exist. Yet I found myself oddly cheering him on and wanting him to succeed and be redeemed in the end, not admiring the lifestyle but appreciating the experience without having to live it. I felt for his family and children and all they must have endured. I was sad when the book ended as I felt there should be a neat and happy ending somehow, and hope it is as best it can be. The reader is left with a sense of lessons learned and regrets to overcome from the author (maybe part two?), yet a hope for a better life for he and his family. Good luck to the author and his family and I looking forward to reading some of his other books.

I was involved in the little known business of smuggling contraband INTO Mexico in the 80s. This did NOT involve drugs though the DEA thought some of us were into it...and they were probably correct! Not me of course!

Anyway, I can relate a bit (a small bit) to what Don endured. He must be one tough hombre is all I can say. The badlands of northern Mexico is no place for sissies! The book reads very well & the only way I could put it down at night was my eyelids refusing to stay open! Highly recommended for all those craving adventure stories...TRUE adventure stories.

If you're reading this, best of luck to you Don. I worked out of McAllen flying Queen Air 65s. One of the best aircraft for hauling heavy loads of VCRs & TVs! Levis & Motorcycles too...oh, and Cognac & Baclava! Mexicans love that stuff.

Contrary to the comments made by Genny Kirkpatrick, this is an outstanding narrative. Genny does not understand the culture of the border. A Spanish speaking Anglo, sincerely interested in Mexican culture, will have no difficulty being accepted by Mexicans near the border, and for this, the book is believable. It is definately an eye opener, and very informative regarding Mexican culture. Several passages discussing food found my stomach growling lol. My hat is off to Mr. Ford. He accepts responsibility for his actions, is not afraid to face the consequences, and all the while tells an interesting and sometimes amusing story.

The mexican cartels absolutely wouldn't have allowed this
guy living on the border to exist in their territory as it
relates to grass smuggling.In Nuevo Laredo and Laredo,Tx.
their have been 170 drug territory related killings year to date.
This isn't even close to logical.Further,if his ranching business
was broke and the bankers were knocking he could not have been anything more than a petty grass-runner.The mexicans have plenty
of these types.With no money--you're a mule.This is however good
fiction reading.The mexicans-including ''El Chapo'' of the Gulf
cartel would laugh at this one.An individual cowboy on the Mexican border that is broke?C'mon.Mexicans fiercely protect their business.FICTION!Anyone who knows anything about this business knows that this story just ain't happening.

I was witness to part of what Don wrote and having read Contrabandos, can testify to its accuracy. Any errors are only those of perspective, because we all see events in a slightly different light. Ms. Kirkpatrick reviews the book as fiction. I can assure you that it is not. A 'Mule' only recieves a fee for his services and is notinvolved in any other part of the business. If anything, this book lacked space to tell much more of the story as it happened.

This book covers the 9N, 2N and 8N tractors. The Jubilee is hardly mentioned; but for 128 pages it gives you a little insight into each model. It also covers experimental and tractors made for show.
Good book for a 128 pages. It could have been 3 times bigger with more pictures.

The price was very reasonable and the book was delivered really quickly, excellent service.

A good overview of the Ford N series but did not have the detail I was looking for.

I previously stated that the pictures used in this edition were previously published. This statement is in error. The confusion arose because many tractors included have been seen in other works. The author assures me that these pictures are all new issues.

Although there may be a few minor details subject to scrutiny, this work meets an important need. Replete with color and B/W photos, the authors point out the differences between the various Ford N-models, and attempt to illustrate the important details to be considered when restoring these tractors. Paint details, variations in models and years, options, and anomalies are described in detail. As with many Motorbooks International publications, there is a tendancy to use oft-published photos, but this is not a major concern. A section on the popular Sherman auxiliary transmissions includes a table of various gear ratios and speed ranges. Original and aftermarket reproduction aprts are compared and the appendix includes a pretty thorough list of suppliers. While this book is not the final authority on the subject, it is by far the best thing yet to come out on this topic. Highly recommended.

This is a great book if you are building a muscle car. It's less useful if you have a 5.4L, 3-valve truck engine and are looking for tips in that context. If you are shopping for modular Ford engine books, you may have read my review on Richard Holdener's "Building 4.5/5.4.L Ford Horsepower on the Dyno," book. My lament with this book is the same; a dearth of specifics on the 3-V 5.4L truck powerplant. This book, however, does have a modecum of specific info on the 5.4L 3-V and lots more practical nuts-n-bolts info. Because of the general architectural similarities between all the modular engines, the nuts-n-bolts approach covers a lot of ground generally. Of the two books, this one provides a more "hearty fare" that could be useful to a truck owner... if he understand the difference in context between the basic needs of a torquey truck engine vs a high-revving sporty engine. This book is geared towards the power side of the equation and that's exactly what the author intended. No foul! I came away a lot more knowledgeable regarding the Ford Modular engines. A few specifics on building a 5.4L torquer would have earned this book a rarely-given-by-me five stars. I like the layout and composition. It's only lack is a comprehensive index... something sadly lacking in many books these days.

So far, the product is well worth the money. Only complaint I have is that it was shipped from Amazon to the post office in a damaged box, causing the corner of the book to be creased. Not the fault of the product...

Author really knows his stuff now run out and buy his stuff in other words mostly a self promotion

Obviously, Sean Hyland has done a bunch of mod motors and R&D over the years. The review of different heads and intakes is nice, and seems spot on. How to modify intakes seemed a little vauge, but not bad. There's a few combos in the back of the book that probably would help some guys get an idea of what to build. There's a good source of info about superchargers!

There's some engine build-up stuff in there, and lots of pictures, but I thought he could have been a bit more specific about actually building the engine step by step. I liked the parts where he told about past failures, and what he learned from them. I also liked his description and instructions for head porting. He doesn't explain how to do it as much as he does what to do. With a little existing knowledge about porting, you'll be able to gain from this.

Overall, I thought the book was really decent and worth buying.

This book provides a wealth of information, including specific manufacturers and applicable technical data, which is otherwise somewhat difficult to locate, partiularly in one book. the information is very current and applies to a wide range of vehicle applications for this particular engine. Overall, an extremely valuable resource

I discovered this author at the new listings section at the library and found this book so amusing I raced through it and went right back for a second. His characters are richly developed, comical and earthy. Leo and his crew are real people with real life problems (OK, a dead body in the old greenhouse is more literary than real life but it's still good stuff). I always appreciate a sense of humor and Leo and G.M. certainly get theirs across. I believe an author has done his job well when I wish I could meet the principals. Rather reminds me of Richard Russo in that respect--also very funny although not a mystery writer. I would recommend this book to others and am in fact here purchasing it for a friend. I would read it again--and THAT's saying something!

This was the first novel in G.M. Ford's Leo Watterman private detective series that I have read. I found Ford to be a decent writer and Waterman to be a moderately interesting character. But neither can hold a candle to such greats as, say, Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder or the master Chandler's Phillip Marlowe. The back cover says that Ford is a former creative writing teacher and that figures because his writing is at time a bit too cute in its effort to be entertaining. The biggest drawback of Waterman's charcater, son of a now deceased prominent politician, is that he's far too happy with his domestic life and too well known in the community to be the classic alienated cynical private eye. Ford gives a good feel for life in Seattle as a backdrop for Waterman's antics. Waterman is also properly quick with both his wit and his weapons when need be. But his continuous run ins with the cops get tiresome after awhile and the story is bloated by about an extra fifty pages or so.

Overall, I rank Ford squarely in the middle of P.I. fiction writers. Though I enjoyed spending time with Waterman on this one occasion, I will not be going out of my way to seek him out again.

This is definitely a quality book. It is a very well developed story with interesting characters. The story builds very well and the conclusion is satisfying. I would recommend this book to any avid mystery reader. I am a big fan of Robert Parker, Robert Crais, and Harlan Coben. While Leo Waterman doesn't have the sidekick that the hero in those books does, he has much the same demeanor as Spenser, Elvis Cole, and Myron Bolitar. The wit isn't quite as snappy, but still enjoyable. These are only minor comments and what prevents me from giving the book 5 stars, don't let it prevent you from reading this book. I have a ton of books, but I am sure that I will pick up another one of Ford's novels sometime in the near future.

Leo Waterman is a very likeable wisecracking P.I. much like the one created by Robert Crais. If you like Crais, you will like this series. Ford writes hardboiled action scenes without them becoming to "dark". The book had an interesting plot and the characters were believable. After reading this book I immediately went out and got three more Ford books. Ford's humor is not politically correct. When he is illustrating the unlikeliness of something happening he muses, "Sure and if Mama Cass had given Karen Carpenter her ham sandwich, they'd both be alive today." When describing an elderly matron who was no stranger to the plastic surgeon's knife, he writes " if they stretched her skin any tighter, her eyes would be looking to the sides." It is difficult to write humorous mysteries with a good plot, but Ford does it.

I've been looking for new authors recently, and decided to give Ford a try. I am happy that I did. His main character Leo Waterman is in the same vein as Robert Crais' Elvis Cole, only perhaps not quite as funny. In Last Ditch, Leo, in the course of doing some renovations to his property, comes across a buried body. The body turns out to be that of his late politician fathers biggest enemy, and has been missing for some 30 years. Obviously Leo's father is the number one suspect, so Leo sets out to find the truth. Leo is a great character in the genre, tough, but not unbelievably so, very human, and of course wisecracking. There are lots of twists and turns and misdirections in this well plotted novel. The writing is also above the quality often found in the genre, Ford really puts the reader into the scene. If you like a good mystery, Last Ditch is a good place to look.

thanks for a great transaction!!!! would recommend with two thumbs up!

This book is very good if your a new Model T owner, & looking for alot of photos. AS far as text, I didnt find it real usefull, but some of the tool sections, & dates are invaluable.

Excellent resource for the Model T Ford enthusiast & restorer. Essential reference for accurately researching Model T cars & parts.

This is the most complete book on the subject. Mr. McCalley was the editor of The Vintage Ford, the Model T Ford Club of America magavine from 1966 to 1996

If you like Fords, Model T's or old cars, buy this book. To say it covers the subject well would be an understatement. It is an outstanding book for any collection and would also be helpful to a Model T owner for restoration purposes. I would also recommend a ride on the rail car on the front cover (dust jacket) if you are lucky enough to visit the Nevada State Rail Road Museum in Carson City when it is running. I also recommend all of Ray Miller's books, the one covering the Model T having been co-authored by the author of this book.

Five principles of Internet success are 1. Internet initiatives are integrated into the fabric of the company's business strategy and do not stand-alone. Internet is a way of doing business and includes marketing, advertising, corporate communications, public relations, legal and regulatory, and customer support. 2. Internet initiatives require commitment and leadership. Top executives need to provide crucial commitment and leadership while developing Internet business models, products, and processes. Leadership empowers and emboldens Internet managers to learn from their mistakes, make changes, adjust to new circumstances, and persevere. 3. Intermediate relationships are growing on the Internet. The middleman numbers are growing. 4. Internet-technology advances are overrated, it is the business advances that matter. Adoption lag is reality and these delays may extend over multiple years. Some companies are reverting back to supporting older browsers because their customer base has not migrated too the new browsers. 5. Partnering brings all the necessary skill levels critical for success too the table. It is often necessary to go outside the company to leverage the necessary talents, resources, and products to accomplish the objectives. The success of most partnerships is in the handoff from the negotiating team to the various operating units. Pick partners who have a good reputation and can teach the company something about being in business.

The Website design should cause a person, an action event. Act event needs short but descriptive questions, easy visual aids, and effectively respond back with relevant information. The response can be comprehensive, verbose, and complex; but the question should be simple, clear, concise, and leading. Most visitors to a website have a goal. The website design needs to help the person reach that goal, conveniently, painlessly, and fast. More personalized the content correlates to increased likelihood of a return visit and reoccurring business.

Virtual communities allow people with common interest to meet, communicate, and share ideas. Understanding the dynamics of virtual communities is emerging as a critical business skill. Virtual communities create linkage between the members and the business trying to gain access to them. Community members can band together, share information, and seek additional benefits. Members engage in "intellectual discourse, conduct commerce, exchange knowledge, share emotional support, make plans, brainstorm, gossip, feud, fall in love, find friends and lose them, play games, flirt, create a light high art and a lot of idle talk."

There are three types of marketing: mass marketing, direct marketing, and collaborative marketing. In mass marketing, product companies promote their image and generate awareness in order to sell more. In direct marketing, companies provide more product information to create more knowledgeable buyers in order to sell more. In collaborative marketing, companies support prospective customers in understanding and evaluating alternatives, and in finding the right product or service to meet their needs-they help prospects to know more, earn their trust, and thereby sell more. There are four types of user participate:

Passives- seeking effortless entertainment or information
Actives-participate enthusiastically in activities and topics created by others
Motivators-create topics and plans activities of interest to other community members
Caretakers-serve as intermediate between community members and community staff members; are usually seasoned Motivators

The distribution is important: 85% of the users are passives, 12% are actives, 2.5% are motivators, 0.5% are caretakers. Total time spent within the community is dominated by the Actives and Motivators and these are the people that create content that attracts the passives. An important goal of community development is to move people from passive readers to active contributors. Direct marketing (DM) to the customer design is too elicit a specific response and capturing the response in a database for future decision-making.

This book is a must read. I value e-business texts that are based on the case studies of successful E-commerce leaders. The 24 leaders who contributed to this book know what the front lines are all about!

This book should be required reading for middle and upper management of any company engaged in the eEconomy -- which is just about every one. I haven't seen such a clear, concise, practical and well-informed collection of essays on eCommerce in one place. Highly recommended.

After reading the multiple positive reviews for this book, I expected a book that is much more insightful than I found this one. I work for an Internet company, and found this book to be targeted more at Web neophytes, more specifically large businesses without a web presence, but who want some thoughts on how to get started with taking advantage of all of the benefits the Internet can offer their business. Most of its discussions end with Q4 1998, which in Internet time is woefully out of date. I unfortunately found no original insights from this book, and believe that anyone who keeps up with the industry would have a similar experience.

for anyone who is interested in getting into the internet business, as well as those that are in it already.

What an excellent reference! I bought this book specifically looking for info on the 351M that I have in my LTD. I was pleasantly suprised to see how much time and effort the book spent on each of the different Ford Engine families to include the 351/400M, a much overlooked Ford powerplant that was installed in countless trucks and fullsize vehicles. I was also very happy to see good info to help determine if an engine needs to rebuilt or not. All around great book, a keeper.

Impressed with this book even at my advanced years. Excellent information and PRACTICAL guidelines on rebuilding 351C, 351M, 400M, 429 and 460 engines. Generally I dislike these types of books because they tell you to use this special too or that special tool but this book teaches you how to use what you've got to get the job done. It does try to show you what things to not try yourself without a machine shop and that is fair enough but most of the rebuilding tips are for the shade tree type guy and are fair game. Good job Tom, this book will remain on my bookshelf for a long long time.

The book "Ford V8 Engines" is full of helpful information on rebuilding Ford engines. As a first time rebuilder, I was not exactly sure what procedures to follow in order to be successful. The Information within the book is easy to understand and is thorough. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in rebuilding Engines.

This book is about rebuilding 351c,m,400m, 429 and 460 motors. It is not a how to hot rod book. It is a detailed how to take it apart and put it back together right book. The author show with fairly good pictures the normal short coming of other overhauls and steers the reader on how to avoid these. I enjoyed reading this book and will keep it for reference if nothing else.

I purchased this thinking it would work for my 90 Bronco, but it is for older engines. Beware of this book it is outdated for newer engines.

I am in the process of returning it, and boy is that a hassel in it's self.

It is interesting how many Dylan fans view Bob Dylan's involvement in Christianity as restricted to a couple years in the late 70's and early 80's and those years as a momentary lapse which he thankfully came out of. If one digs deeper into Dylan's work they will see an entirely different scenario. Dylan has had some Biblical references and themes in his songs since he first emerged in the early 60's. What does one make of the Jewish Dylan's Basement Tapes outtake, "Sign on the Cross" concerning the narrator's consternation that Jesus just may be the king of the Jews? The years following Dylan's born again period provoke much debate about his religious stance. Had he renounced Christianity, embraced Judaism? The Author makes a compelling case that shows how he believes Dylan has never ceased believing in Jesus even while embracing his Jewish roots. Mr. Marshall has meticulously researched these issues by examining Dylan's work through the last 2 decades including the songs that Dylan plays in concert day in and day out. Personal interviews abound. It is obvious that the author is a devoted fan who knows what he writes about. Well worth purchasing, this book is an interesting look at an often overlooked side of Bob Dylan.

* * * * *
Throughout this book, Scott Marshall reveals that many of the answers people are searching for, in regard to Bob Dylan's faith, are found within his songs and life. The problem tends to be the biases brought to the music beforehand. This causes words that Dylan has said to appear contradictory, to be taken out of context. The author helps straighten them out, as he exposes the big picture (each chapter chronicles Dylan's life to the present year: 1941-1978, and so on). Though it is evident that the author also believes in Yeshua Ha Mashia (Jesus Christ) on a personal level, he does well in allowing the musician's own words and actions to speak for themselves.

Mr. Marshall covers numerous events, concerning (among others) such friends as Allen Ginsberg and acquaintances like Frank Zappa. And they help give added weight to lyrics in songs like "Precious Angel": My so-called friends have fallen under a spell. They look me squarely in the eye and they say, "All is well..." and the unacceptance felt in "I Believe In You": I believe in you even though I be outnumbered. Oh, though the earth may shake me-Oh, though my friends forsake me-that couldn't make me go back.

It is evident from Dylan's music that he feels people have tried to pigeonhole him. It is apparent, however, that his faith is strong regardless. Dylan has found critics on all sides. And he has done well to do what many people apparently fail to--delineate between his faith in Christ (which is personal) and religion (which, in and of itself, is not).

As Dylan sings in "Need A Woman," he is: searching for the truth the way God designed it. Not man. This would go hand in hand with his not being beholden to any "rabbi, preacher, or evangelist." He made such a statement after admitting that he enjoys listening to "preacher stations" on the radio. Another contradiction? Nope. But who is Dylan accountable to then, one might ask?...God. He knows well that a day of reckoning is yet to come (just listen to "Lord, Protect My Child," "God Knows," "Are You Ready?," Shooting Star," "Things Have Changed," and "Summer Days").

Some skeptics would say that Bob Dylan's spiritual journey has been one of contradiction. His own aunt evidently believes that his "conversion" was for the means of publicity. If this was the case (which Marshall does well in refuting), Mr. Dylan needs a new publicist! She also said, in effect, that he couldn't have "converted" because he's "plenty Jewish-minded-he was barmitzvahed." So someone who is Jewish, and barmitzvahed cannot be a believer in Christ? Scott Marshall heartily disagrees, as do many other believers. Jesus was a Jew after all.

"Restless Pilgrim" was a most enjoyable and quick read which left me wanting for a second volume. I was satisfied with its content as being researched very well. I would disagree with another reviewer, in saying that this book is narrow in its scope. It is obvious that Mr. Dylan was nominally a believer in Judaism, but that he embraced his Jewish roots more fervently after coming to faith in Jesus Christ. In the past twenty years (post-"Gospel Tour") it seems that those of Judaism and Christianity have, at some level, been debating whether Dylan belongs to their camp, or not. Mr. Marshall lays out the facts as they are...

I was impressed by the author's numerous interviews with individuals who were at the heart of the "Gospel Tour," and have been a part of Dylan's life. I had never heard about the many other musicians from the Rolling Thunder Revue that had become Christians-and artists like T-Bone Burnett and Roger McGuinn who came to faith at that same time (members of Mr. Dylan's circle of friends). I also found the story behind the original "Saved" album cover to be interesting (as I personally find that painting to be aesthetically more pleasing than the present one being used by Columbia for the cover).

Lastly, I was left with these impressions after reading this book: Dylan isn't singing for the generation who idolized him in his younger years. Though he was once referred to as the "voice of [that] generation" many considered him a traitor after he took a bold stand for Christ. Even Joan Baez spoke ill of his faith in "Children of the '80s" (what an open mind, Ms. Baez). He was only a voice for them when they believed that he agreed with them. Even when he sings "All Along the Watchtower" these days, one wonders how many know of its connection to Isaiah 28. I know I was clueless on this matter. Dylan isn't singing for the music industry either-it is all too obvious that many of his albums since "Saved," and prior to "Time Out of Mind," were not bestsellers. But is that what matters? I agree with Leonard Cohen, and Bono, that those albums are works of art, many of which are under appreciated. No, Dylan isn't concerned with the music industry's acceptance of him. It can be summed up in the introduction he gave to "In The Garden" at the Hard to Handle concert in 1986. Dylan said "I'm gonna sing about my hero now." Anyone who knows the lyrics of this song knows for whom he sings, and why.

Bob Dylan is a wizard with words. But his life is almost as interesting as his compositions, especially his spiritual life. Scott Marshall takes us on a tour of Dylan's spiritual life. His thesis seems to be that even though Bob is a seeker of truth, he is still a Christian after all these years. He highlights interviews that Dylan has given through the years, from the Sixties all the way to the present day.

However, when you read a Dylan interview, you never know whose answering the questions; the real Bob Dylan baring his soul, or Dylan the icon, or Dylan the whatever. Bob seems to enjoy being masked and anonymous, so I think it is tenuous at best to make a firm conclusion based on his interviews.

I think Dylan has gone back to the Judaism of his youth, and so I disagree with the author. Yet I also appreciated the fascinating journey that this book takes you on. Dylan truly is a restless pilgrim, and Marshall's book is faithful to its title. Recommended reading.

Very interesting subject, but as I got farther into the book, I noticed that some of the reference Bible verses and quotes were starting to last over a page. I soon came to realize that the book was published by a Christian publishing company (Relevant Books). I learned more about "the sermon on the mount" than I did new information about Bob Dylan. "Restless Pilgrim" included some interesting facts, but was definitely written from a point of bias.

One thing that really struck me about Martin Scorcese's recent Dylan documentary, "No Direction Home," is how much integrity Dylan displays when considering his artistic vision. And the pressure has been tremendous, as different camps have sought him out to make him their own. Joan Baez's comments regarding the desire to enroll him in protest efforts is perfectly illustrative of this. Just as illustrative is Dylan's push-back, which would result in his severing, at least partially, ties with that activist singer. His words have that kind of pull, but Dylan insists that the songs stay in a territory that he, not others, defines.

Still, the real career capper that went beyond Dylan's rejection of the folk movement, is his turn to Christianity. What to make of this turn? As Marshall and Ford point out in their book "Restless Pilgrim," his fans shouldn't have been that surprised, since Dylan has been signaling a religious sensibility for years in a number of his songs. And Dylan has said, look to his songs, if folks want answers about where his head and soul are at.

"Restless Pilgrim" is for the most part a distillation of things Dylan during the "faith" part of his career. Following this progression, Marshall and Ford make a strong case for Dylan still being a Christian - and a Jew, which are not at odds with each other. Looking at the songs Dylan still plays in concert, not to mention any number of comments made to interviewers over the years, you can't help but shake your head at the various Dylan "experts" out there who insist the Christian thing was just a phase. Well, clearly it's a phase that goes on.

One aspect of the book I really liked, were the various discussions of neglected albums. For example, Marshall and Ford suggest that the much maligned gospel albums "Shot of Love," and "Saved," are, upon examination of the actual songs, much better than critics have given them credit for. Listening to "Shot of Love," after reading the book had me agreeing. "Shot of Love" is a very good album, and I didn't even know that the great song "Every Grain of Sand" could be found on it. But Dylan's biblical interest didn't stop with these albums. Far from it. Marshall and Ford follow the thread up to the near present. If anything, Dylan's biblical vision is of a conservative and apocalyptic nature. But Dylan being Dylan, it's a vision that operates as a prophetic sword, one that cuts neither right nor left, but only aims at the truth.

In his acknowledgements, Jeffrey Ford admits that he wasn't interested in historical accuracy and secondary sources when he wrote this novel. He was more concerned with "the shifting mirage of my memory." In other words, he didn't do a lot of research. Unfortunately, research is needed to establish verisimilitude, and there is little of that in this novel.

We know it is set on Long Island in the middle sixties. We know the mother and father in the story are having financial difficulty. The father works three jobs; the mother also works but she's unstable, apparently bi-polar, something Ford forgets when it comes time for resolution of conflict.

We know there are three kids, Jim a junior high student, his little brother who is entering sixth grade, and Mary a special ed. student who is a few years younger. Jim keeps a miniature version of the neighborhood in the basement, and Mary has the ability to manipulate "Botch Town". Nan and Pop, the children's grandparents live in a remodeled garage next door. The action begins when a peeping Tom enters the storyline.

Jim sets out to catch him and they immediately find a footprint. Ford drops that idea like a hot rock, and the conflict turns into a murder mystery instead when a schoolmate disappears. Mary is able to predict, using Jim's "Botch Town," where the murdered boy is. Then another neighbor disappears.

The psychic elements just don't amount to much. Ford keeps getting distracted by school activities and neighborhood bullies etc. The villain, Mr. White, is about as scary as a Halloween ghost. He's supposed to have special powers, but he's not very smart, walking right into a trap the kids set. Ford also doesn't bother with motivation at all.

Despite the above, I really did like some aspects of the book. A couple of the characters are quite compelling. Little Mary spends time in Room X in school because the teachers can't decide if she's simple or a genius. She also has a classroom set up in the basement where she's the smartest kid in the class. Mr. Krapp, the fifth grade teacher, is totally clueless, assigning the Moon at one point. His students can make a replica out of anything they want. Those are the only directions he gives them. I was more interested in the mother than I was in the hokey murder case. Not only does she appear to be bi-polar, a horrible cook and a drunk, but she's also a gifted artist, painting a canvas of Mt. Kilimanjaro with cheetahs in the forefront. One of the characters is worried that the mother is Mr. White's real objective because she's weak, i.e., unable to give up drinking. There's a sort of epilogue at the end of the book during which time the protagonist returns to his old neighborhood. Ford appears to have forgotten the mother had a problem.

I absolutely loved this book! This story was written with a natural and smooth style. The characters were vividly drawn and easily relatable. Quick paced coming of age tale with interesting twists throughout and a satisfying ending.

Ford's Long Island is one I knew when I lived there in the early 1960's. The novel shows it to me again - the towns sprung up in what had been potato fields, the communities made up entirely of newcomers. His description of a flea-bitten circus that's pitched its tents on a mud flat in Farmingdale is dead-on. I may have seen it on the same day the author did.

In those suburbs, the family was everything. The one depicted, with an alcoholic mother, a father working three jobs and a pair of grand-parents slowly fading out of the picture, is what would now be called dysfunctional. What Ford does brilliantly is to show how the kids, the narrator who is in sixth grade, his slightly older brother and somewhat younger sister, are thrown onto their own resources, forced into a tight bond, in the face of danger.

And dangers exist in what was supposed to be a paradise free of all the problems of the big cities. Early on in the book a pederast is busted, the main plot line concerns a killer who stalks the neighborhood. It's here that Ford depicts as well as I've seen it done, the tension and fear of a kid with dreadful knowledge he is unable to communicate to any adult.

The novel has a mystery and a ghost. It also has in abundance, the sights, the sounds, the smells and the feel of the early stages of the greatest social experiment of this nation in my lifetime.

Jeffery Ford captures the thin lines between reality, fantasy and fear that separate childhood from the adult world. The narrator's belief that his sister had powers to predict others behavior, which she revealed by moving figures around Botchtown is exactly the type of connection that we fear and crave as children.
Ford also captures the unique perspective that children hold of adults in their lives, each description of an adult by the narrator, a boy, was right on the mark.
I read most of the book in one sitting. It drew me into its world and was was anxious to find out how it ended. The ending as other reviews noted was not equal to the rest of the book. But the book is more than worth it.

THE SHADOW YEAR by Jeffrey Ford stands as one of the most striking pieces of fiction I've read so far this year. It's a coming-of-age novel and a statement on dysfunctional families that partially masks itself as a creepy mystery story. It starts out with a face in the window, a prowler in the neighborhood. The time is the 1960s and the location is Long Island, during a kinder, more gentler time when a family's secrets and failings were kept religiously guarded behind closed doors.

I was blown away by the atmosphere and eye for detail Ford packs into his writing. This was my first book by this author, and I was immediately impressed. He possesses the keen vision of Stephen King and doesn't flinch when it comes to exploring personal issues. I got the feeling that a lot of what's in these pages is biographical, and if it isn't, I'd be willing to bet Ford knew a family like this.

Almost. Ford presents a normal abnormal family, then leavens the whole mix with a hint of the supernatural. There's a ghost and the strange powers little sister Mary has, and the eerie presence of Mr. White, a diabolical villain.

But when Ford paints the picture of the family so realistically, most readers are going to get sucked right into his world and forgive the author all of his transgressions. I swallowed the supernatural bits without hesitation because the family were exactly like people I'd grown up with. The father is a workaholic holding down three jobs to get the family by, and so he barely spends any time with his wife or kids. The mother is an alcoholic, and though I would have desperately loved to know why she was, sometimes you just have to accept that there's no answer. The grandparents, Nan and Pop, are on hand to help out, but they're limited.

The narrator, who never named himself, has an older brother named Jim who's daring and audacious, and everything a younger brother could ever dream of being. Mary is the little sister and as odd as they come, while possessing a matriarchal power that both boy are in awe of and seek to protect. As all-knowing as Mary is (and she smokes cigarettes too, which is weird but fits in well with the character), she's also an innocent.

I sat enthralled as I turned the pages, captivated first by the mystery and the threat, then by the narrator's school projects (especially his impromptu clay moon on a stick!), his ongoing battle with a teacher, and his views of the family and how they worked for and against each other.

One of the most original things about the novel is Botch Town, a microcosm created by Jim. It's a replication of the neighborhood where they live. As they sort through the mystery of the prowler, they move the individual figures around to simulate the movements of their neighbors. Unfortunately some turn up missing. Mary has the mysterious power of knowing where they are - even when they're dead.

The threat of Mr. White grows on every page. The kids hunt him through the neighborhood, but he quickly figures out who they are as well and the chase swaps ends. Ford does a lot with the narrator's daily travails as well, putting him in just as much peril from bullies as the prowler/murderer.

I enjoyed this book immensely, but I wanted to know more about some of the characters. I suppose that happens when they appear so real on the page, so I don't want to take anything away from the writing. Ford's other books include award-winning fantasy and Edgar-winning mysteries. He's definitely a writer I'm going to read more from.

THE SHADOW YEAR is an excellent novel that doesn't fit within the restraints of conventional fiction. The book marches to the beat of its own drummer, and the cadence will rivet most readers to the pages either through the elegance of the imperfect past or the chilling menace of a killer on the loose with children in harm's way.