Freeman Books

"I meowed at the door, but there was no answer. I meowed a bit louder. Still no response. I stood on my hind legs and scratched on the screen door as high as I could reach, but still no one came. I climbed almost to the top of the door, searching for any kind of an opening, but there was none."from Chapter 2

Catwalk is the story of Tiger, a tabby cat. Her owners have a new baby and Tiger feels neglected and ignored. Soon she begins living outdoors more and more and finds herself alone in the great big world.

Tiger meets many friends as she journeys across the continent, some are nice and some are not but she manages to survive.

A sweet tale for children, especially those with cats of their own. It is written from the cat's perspective and this adds to the story. This book is available in ebook as well as printed versions. Watch for the sequel. Recommended by reviewer: Haley Hodge, Allbooks Review.

Readers should know there is another book titled Catwalk a feline odyssey by Bill MacDonald. Recommended by reviewer Haley Hodge, Allbooks Review

This is a lovely book every cat lover should read. Catwalk follows the journey of a gray tabby female cat, and is told in her own words. She is known by various names by the people she encounters throughout the story. I was angered and horrified at the beginning when she is bought only to be dumped later when caring for her is no longer convenient (or appealing). Join her as she walks with a number of people, including a very kind homeless man, in her quest to return to her true home, and her people. I was surprised by the ending, but definitely not disappointed.

If you like cats and adventure stories, this is the book for you! Kathie Freeman has created a spunky feline protagonist that you can't help but root for and a colorful world of natural and human wonders for her to explore. Touching, funny, wise & unique - I've never read a book quite like this. I didn't want it to end and hope Ms Freeman writes a sequel :-)

I read the full story online when it was published one chapter a month and enjoyed it so much that I bought the print version. I highly recommend this book for all Cat Lovers.

This is an excellent story of the events in the life of a cat, both the good and the bad. I closely describes events that actuall happen to many cats, and is told strictly from the cat's perspective. I highly recommend this book.

The stories in this book gave be belly laughs, and they also made me think.

This autobiography of the great physicist Richard Feynman should appeal to all those readers who want to know about his private life and scientific activities in detail.However, most of the material is taken from two previous books, "Surely you're joking, Mr Feynman" and "What do you care what other people think?". Some of the "adventures" were already related by James Gleick in his biography of Feynman, "Genius".So people who own these books can do without this one, unless they are real Feynman fans(like me!).
Another feature of this book is the CD which comes with it, and which contains a recording of a lecture by Feynman, covering most of the material of the Chapter entitled "Los Alamos from Below". I found this CD both entertaining and very useful, as it gives the listener a taste of what a lecture by Feynman sounded like. In fact, all the book, in its simplicity, sounds more like a series of lectures;and Feynman, in his distaste for "humanities", seems to enjoy "talking" to the public, with not a hint of literary artifice in his style!Of course, this could be seen as unbecoming such a brilliant mind, but Feynman keeps reminding the reader that he has no respect for anything but science(at one place, he talks about finding the professors of the philosophy department at Columbia particularly "inane").Some will also find his philandering a little exaggerated: but he is honest enough to admit that there is nothing he loves more than a "beautiful woman", and who could blame him?
Finally, it is worthwhile noting that, if some top-notch scientists had also literary gifts (two major examples being Poincaré and Einstein, whose writings are literary gems), Feynman couldn't care less: he even boasts that he does not give any importance to spelling mistakes, as long as the reader (or listener) understand what he is talking about! However, after reading his Nobel Banquet Speech , I was agreeably surprised with a much better style, which he even admits in the book. Talking about this speech, he says(p.343):"But then I said I received, all at once, a big pile of letters - I said it much better in the speech- reminding me of all the people that I knew; letters from childhood friends who jumped up when they read the morning newspaper and cried out 'I know him!he's that kid we used to play with and so on...'".Feynman seems to be quoting from memory, because this is not exactly what he said in the speech:"...victorious cries of 'I told you so' by those having no technical knowledge-their successful prediction being based on faith alone..."(see Nobelprize.org for the complete speech).

A interesting view of life through the eyes of a down to earth genius.

This is a wonderful read....a chance to listen to a great scientist with a wonderful quirky mind. It is all interesting, some of it very touching, but the part on the investigation of the Challenger explosion is a classic study in bureaucratic malingering.

I have purchased almost all Feynman books so far.

Be forewarned. This book is a compilation of "Surely your joking..." and "What do you care what..." plus a bonus CD audio recording of a talk which was "in-te-res-ting" ( a Feynmanism).

If I had realized this, I would only have bought this book instead of all three.

For a more global and thorough exposition of his life, consider Gleick's '93 book "Genius".

For those wondering if they should find anything out about Feynman... There was a student that was asked if he wanted to come along to hear Feynman speak. "No. I'm going to study instead." Years later he was still kicking himself for passing up the opportunity. Feynman has this effect. Once you find out about him, you'll probably want to have done so earlier.

What's in store for you is a look back from the 20's to the 80's through the eyes of a physicist that married his sweet heart against the advice of family and lost her to tuberculosis a short time before a cure, rubbed elbows with the greats Einstein, Bohr, Dyson, Schwinger, Fermi etc, patrioticly worked on anti-aircraft defenses, helped build the atomic bomb, was bold enough to look at it directly behind a windshield that blocked the harmful ultra violet, cracked safes, deciphered Mayan hieroglyphs, learned to speak and taught in Portuguese, ironed out the problems in Quantum Electrodynamics, went around Caltech acting weird from a concussion for three weeks before any one noticed, "Well, next time say something!", he scolded. The '65 Nobel prize: "You'll raise more of a fuss if you refuse it.", learned to draw, play drums, inspired nanotechnologists, quantum computing research and after surviving 10 years of cancer helped trackdown the problem with the Space Shuttle Columbia and lastly said: "I'd hate to die twice. It's boring!"

This book is one of the standard university texts in physical geology, along with Understanding Earth by Frank Press et al. The book is well written and very well illustrated. The discription of plate tectonics and it's integration throughout the book is very well done. Like most such texts, it has the disadvantage of being written by lifelong academics with little or no contact with the extraxtive industries. Their treatment of energy extraction is superficial at best. One of the most important developments in geology over the past 30 years, that of sequence stratigraphy, does not even get a mention, perhaps because it came out of the oil exploration industry. (Understanding Earth does devote a paragraph or two to sequence stratigraphy.)

I confess that I did not buy a copy from Amazon. I picked mine up at a Border's Bookstore in London. The only difference in my copy and one bought in the US is a large graphic on the cover saying "Restricted: not for sale in North America". Why the restriction? Like many university textbooks, this one can be bought in overseas at a fraction of the US price. My undiscounted Border's London price was $59.19, a little more than half the US price. Quite remarkable, considering the current weakness of the US dollar to the UK pound.

Not only did the book arrive very quickly and in great condition but I had emailed the seller to ask a question and got an immediate reply within a couple of hours!! Would order from this seller again and again.

This book is for all persons, students and others, who wish to learn geology with over 500 easy-to-read pages. The Earth is a giant machine, a machine that never stops. How the Earth-machine works is the story told in this book, and it is a fascinating story. The science that studies the Earth is geology, and those involved in the study are geologists. Physical processes are shaping the Earth now and have been shaping the Earth over the past 4.5 billion years.

Skinner, Porter and Park give you a richly illustrated introduction to geology. The text spans the breadth of modern geology, and shows an exciting and changing planet. There are numerous photos of examples of terrain, often accompanied by schematics to aid understanding. The latest techniques practised in geology are explained. Especially noteworthy is the extensive use of GPS. This has greatly aided recording the location of interesting geological samples.

Earthquakes are also well covered, and will probably be of interest to many readers, especially if you are in California. The history of the Richter and Mercalli scales is gone into. Unfortunately, predicting quakes is still very uncertain!

The discussion on earthquakes is also used as a good example of plate tectonics, where the latter is probably the central idea of geology.

It was an interesting book that I am going to use also after graduation. Even if I don't speak fluently English, the book was easy to understand. I had the book as recommended litterature in a Geology course. And after reading it I did pretty well on the exam.

The sub-title of Evoke is "a political novel". At first glance, this story of a computerised system that transmits pre-packaged experiences to people over the phone lines via implants in their brains might look like a science fiction story, but actually the technology is only a small element in the book. The Evoke system is as much a metaphor for what is happening already with television and the internet as a speculation about what technology might bring in the future. The main theme of the book is politics. It is at once an exposition of Freeman's understanding of the way American politics works - the relationships between big business, lobbyists and organised crime and the official structures of Congress and the White House inform the bulk of the plot - and a vehicle for his own views about the development of American society more generally. These are not presented in a heavy-handed or didactic manner, but through the discussions among his characters over the implications of the Evoke system. Among the themes that come up are overpopulation, disappearing resources, inequality, and what is in a way the central subject of the book: the power of big business to buy convenient policies, at whatever cost to the rest of society. It is a well-crafted book, with a great story of interwoven plot lines that leaves the reader guessing until the end. The characters cover a wide spectrum: a billionaire, a Senator from Virginia and his family, a middle-class Evoke user, a black church leader and political activist and others. The essential idea is that the experiences provided by the Evoke system are so much more compelling and attractive than real life, that once people start using it, they lose interest in doing anything else. The parallel with television is obvious, but it is an important subject, and this is a fresh way of looking at it. One thing that struck me about the political aspect of the book was that the rest of the world - the world outside the United States, that is - hardly exists. This is an accurate reflection of the attitude of most Americans, of course, and certainly of Washington politics, but still, the themes of depletion of resources, pollution, and overpopulation that arise in the book have an international or global dimension, and this is something that none of the characters ever discuss. One image from the book is that of the billionaire character (Lonny Romeri, who wants to be able to advertise his company's products in the Evoke system's direct-injection fantasies, but comes up against the Senate Committee which is responsible for regulating it), cruising with his mistress in his luxury mega-yacht up the Italian coast. The rest of the world floats past outside: it is attractive, but it is not American, and it doesn't count. What counts is the real world of billion-dollar corporate take-overs, the Los Angeles drugs business and dynastic politics in Virginia. Also peculiarly American is the Evoke fantasy world itself. The idea is that the system allows you to have any experience you like, as if you are temporarily living inside the other person's head. What Freeman's symbolic Evoke user chooses, presented with this possibility, is a pedestrian mix of Playboy Channel sex fantasies, expensive holidays and gourmet meals: plus of course sport. He plays golf as Tiger Woods, and wins wins wins. It is an image of the American Dream. The suburban loser's view of heaven. The more up-market characters don't need this kind of escape, and their world is a different kind of luxurious fantasy: of private aeroplanes and private hunting parties, all thoroughbred horses and enormous mansions. The riding sections are some of the most attractive parts of the book, with long and lovingly-written descriptive passages of cantering about in the great outdoors. The characters are well-drawn and believable on the whole, though Marty, the token Evoke user, remains something of a cipher. After the hefty suspension of disbelief that is necessary at the outset for the reader to swallow the enormous, rapid changes that are supposed to have been brought about by the Evoke system, this is a direct, realistic novel. One could perhaps lament that the Evoke users discussed don't go into the intellectual or artistic possibilities of the dream machine (the commercial possibilities being the main point of discussion). A plan for using it for educational purposes is discussed, to be fair: but might not one or two users dream of being Einstein or Picasso rather than Tiger Woods? So, corporate America wants to start running people's dreams by direct wire into their brains, and a number of important players in business and politics want to get in on it, principally for the sake of the money. Their wives, mistresses and children get caught up as the wheels grind around, and millions of people slump into apathy as they eat their virtual lobster and are pampered by their virtual Playmates. A page-turner, and full of interesting observations and ideas about American life and society, Evoke sets out a grim agenda for the century.

Christopher Lord

EVOKE is a great read with unforgettable characters. Freeman makes a valid point about where we are (or might be) headed and does it in such a way that traditional, science-fiction or mystery readers will all find their interests served.

Evoke is a wonderful book, it's thought provoking, future age and highly entertaining. The Evoke system it self along with all the interesting characters in this book keep you asking for more.

Any Robert Ludlum fan will love this book. I made the mistake of starting it at bedtime, and ended up finally turning out the light at 3AM. The characters are well defined and the plot fascinating -- if a little scary. Think it couldn't happen? Think again. This was an unknown writer to me, but I will be looking forward to his next book, for sure.

Evoke is a wonderful book, it's thought provoking, future age and highly entertaining. The Evoke system it self along with all the interesting characters in this book keep you asking for more.

Once you pick up this book, you will be hard-pressed to put it down. I fully enjoyed reading this book of quotations of one of the most influential people in recent history. A wide selection of topics are covered including quotations about his colleagues. If you like Einstein, you will enjoy this.

A very quick read and I read this book as fast as I could. It was hard to put down, as it was very enjoyable. There are quotes that I will use over and over again in my life, writing, and public speaking. You'll find yourself saying, Wow!, this is his best quote, only to be surprised again on the next page.

It showed the good and bad of Einstein (this was not a happily married man), and readers will probably get a better sense of the man than reading some sappy one-sided lovefest biography.

If you're anything like me, you hate learning about a subject through a biased source. Be it the news, history, or a biography, when knowledge is passed on second hand, one is always left wondering what was lost in the translation, intentionally or otherwise.

This is why The Expanded Quotable Einstein is such a breath of fresh air; it allows one to learn about Einstein, his life, his thoughts, his character, in the purest way--through his own words. With over 400 pages of quotes, many of which are as poetically astute as you would expect from a top-notch professional writer, you can discover all there is to know, and draw your own conclusions, instead of being lead there on a leash by an author. Also, with factual information mixed in without the propaganda associated with a full-length biography, one can learn as many dates-names-places as one needs (unless you wish to write a complete fact-based synopsis of his life) and get to the heart of the matter: his spirit.

I feel that overall, this is the best way to present a historical figure, especially Einstein, whose thoughts and ideas need no embellishment, and for whom his own words serve as the best guide through his intricate mind.

One note: many people equate Einstein with E = MC^2, however do not be scared; this is a book of his quotes on everything, from politics to family to religion. No knowledge of mathematics or physics is required to enjoy the surprising insightful and well-rounded character that is Albert Einstein.

I absolutely love this book, and the myriad of areas Albert Einstein touches upon.
From deeply personal thoughts about himself, to humankind, science, music, life, war and peace, religion, God, and philosophy, Alice Calaprice did a fantastic job in collecting and compiling the moving and meaningful quotes in this book.
Here are three of my favorites:

On Pacifism: " No person has the right to call himself a Christian or Jew so long as he prepares to engage in systematic murder at the command of an authority, or allow himself to be used in any way in the service of war or the preparation for it."

On Success: "Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value."

On His Family: (To Mileva, 10-3-1900 in a love letter) "I am so lucky to have found you - a creature who is my equal, and who is as strong and independent as I am."

Einstein's wisdom is timeless. Whether you want to just read his wisdom, or share it with others, this is one great compilation. Highly recommended!

Barbara Rose, Ph.D. author of Stop Being the String Along: A Relationship Guide to Being THE ONE and If God Was Like Man
Editor, inspire! magazine

There are all kinds of quotes from Einstein to all sorts of people in all sorts of situations including many that are meaningless to anyone other than the person that he spoke or wrote to. For example, here is a quote to the Lebach family: "Here in Pasadena it is like paradise....Always sunshine and fresh air, gardens with palm and pepper trees, and friendly people who smile at one and ask for autographs." Here is another quote, this one to Ernesta Marangoni "The happy months of my sojourn in Italy are my most beautiful memories."

There are many pearls in this book to be sure, but I feel that just because Einstein said it, it is not necessarily noteworthy.

I was fortunate enough to be Dr. Hubel's advisee as well as his seminar student (class size 12) my freshman year. We used Eye, Brain, and Vision as our textbook, and I must say that it is a stellar, groundbreaking book. Even at his age, Dr. Hubel has his quirks and fun sense of humor, and it shows in this book. For anybody with an interest in neurophysiology, the eye, or visual perception, this book should be a fun read. Highly recommended.

P.S. Dr. Hubel had "tea and cracker" breaks during our seminars. Fun.

This is a great book for anyone interested in how they are reading these words. How is it possible that particular cells in our body can differentiate among physical objects and send electronic flickerings to the brain that then interprets this collection of atoms into familiar objects - a computer, monitor, keyboard, words or letters?

The details are explained clearly with many good diagrams and illustrations. We get something on the history of vision, the cellular and neural interplay that has combined to produce this miracle we call sight, and the comparison of photoelectric and other artificial methods of seeing with our human one.

Another great addition to the Scientific American Library.

If you want to learn about Psychoanalysis, you read Freud.
If you want to learn about the general Theory of Relativity, you read Einstein.
If you want to learn about Eye, Brain and Vision, you read Hubel.

If you want to know more about vision and curios about how we see the world, you shall read Hubel's book. Having done decades of research in vision, Hubel is one of the experts in the area. His language is simple and understandable. When you read this book, you will know more about how your brain works and how your cat sees you.

This reference provides an easy to read overview of vision. There is an introduction to neurons and neural pathways, followed by an introduction to the eye and its receptive fields. The visual pathway from the eyes to the primary visual cortex is then discussed. Orientation-specific simple and complex cells in the striate cortex are discussed. The architecture and modules of the visual cortex are then discussed, followed by a discussion of stereopsis, color vision and development of the visual system.

This is a wonderful book. I'm glad it's back in print again. Highly recommended, together with "From Falling Bodies to Radio Waves".

Segre` has written two excellect histories for the educated non-scientist. These are not "light" reads, but they are informative and entertaining. This is the second part of the pair (the first, "From Falling Bodies to Radio Waves") and is just exciting as the first. One could almost call this work, "The Story Continues". It tells of scientists working for years on end in attempts to understand the universe and its workings. Of course, we meet those geniuses that discovered a new aspect of reality or a long-sought explanation.

What is remarkable is how these great men and women used the work of each other to further their own endeavors. The practice of documenting new find and publishing scientific journals began during this era. Exquisite writine with diagrams, photographs and illustrations.

What this book is not:
A text book
Written to explain some controversial theory
Promoting a world view or pseudo religious belief
An artful work of literature
Written for a general audience

What this book is:
A chronological narrative of the development of modern physics
A series of stories about scientist and the nature of their experiments
A tome that covers the most important physics discoveries for the era it covers

Why read this book?
I would recommend this book to anyone who studies the hard sciences
This book would nicely augment a modern physics course
Because knowing the history of science promotes real understanding

This is a great book on the history of quantum mechanics. I highly reccomend it. Unfortunately the book is out of print and one needs to hunt down a used book.

It begins with the discovery of X-rays in 1895 and ends with events around the early 70's. It is interesting how the technological advances of today have come about after a sudden chain of discoverires starting with just 2 discoveries that acted as sparks: xrays and radioactivity (both of which thanks to some photpgraphic film that developed without the intention of the scientist). The chronological developments are nicely intertwined.

I enjoyed how the author has written of the rigorous development of quantrum mechanics from 3 different viewpoints of schrodinger, heisenberg and dirac and how they later proved that all 3 were the same. There are great photographs of the scientists of the time also. Overall very well written with lots of stories about the featured scientists. Can finish the book in one day, it was that incaptivating (to serve as a reference, am a chemistry student).

Segre's style on physics is straight forward and non-intimidating. But what make this book is his stories. Emilio met and worked with many of these men. He describes their personalities attitudes and politics, and they come alive in his book. This is history the way it ought to be taught. Squisito! Bravo! Bravisimo!

This is an excellent book, absolutely necessary for any geologist or geology student. What more can I say? Maybe: Amazing!!!

This book, by Guilbert and Park, is the "Bible" for any economic geologist on ore deposits. As a graduate student in geology, I am constantly using it as a reference and use it more frequently than any other book I have. We used another textbook for my economic geology course, but all of us referred to "The Geology of Ore Deposits" when some info was needed. It is also on several professers shelves as well. Well organized and easy to find specific info.

This a very good clasic ore deposit book that must have all economic geologist. I recommend the ore textures chapter.

This is a book on the geology of ore deposits. It is not a book on exploration techniques. Although most of the geology described in this book is on land, there is also discussion of submarine volcanics and oceanic manganese nodules.

Carbonatites are mentioned as bearers of various metals, notably the REEs (rare earths). The authors treat carbonatites as strictly igneous rocks, comparable to kimberlites. The REE-rich Mountain Pass carbonatite of California is mentioned, but not the larger one at Bayan Obo, Inner Mongolia.

Pegmatites are featured as important carriers of precious metals. These include common metals, as well as exotic ones such as niobium, tantalum, rare earths, and many more. REEs are often found concentrated in the contact-metamorphic aureoles of pegmatites (p. 198). Most pegmatites are late-stage magmatic products, enriched in volatiles as well as elements that don't "fit" the matrices of the common granitic minerals.

Many economic deposits are the result of concentration by alteration processes. Apropos to this, a helpful table of the relative mobility of ions is included (p. 780). Attention is also devoted to skarn deposits.

Details are given about such things as porphyry copper deposits, various hydrothermal deposits, massive sulphide deposits, BIFs (banded iron formations) Mississippi-Valley type deposits, uranium deposits, bauxite, and much more. The chapter on placer deposits includes sketches of important auriferous placers.

There are several schematic sketches in this book. These include such things as the zonal distribution of metal deposits in a lithologic sequence.

More than 20 years after its publication, this book is still (and deservedly) probably the most widely used text on the origin, description and classification of ore deposits. It is written in an entertaining style and provides enjoyment to the reader on a subject that could easily become dry. In 1986, when this book first appeared, many processes of ore formation were suspected but not scientifically proven. Most have since been proven, and Guilbert and Park have been proven correct in their assumptions. The book is in general very comprehensive, although it lacks any description of iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) deposits, the first of which (Olympic Dam in South Australia) was discovered in 1976. For an up-to-date text, the reader can consult the "recent classic" by Robb Introduction to Ore-Forming Processes. The community of geologists has been extraordinarily industrious over the period between the publication of these two books.

A wonderful thinking and teaching story book for 2-6 year olds. Kept their interest. Illustrations very cute.

This picture book tells the story of a young boy, his mother and their family dog, Miles.

They are all out on a canoeing trip in search of a spot to pick blueberries. Miles jumps in the water and swims alongside their canoe. They come upon an adult loon with its two babies. Miles swims ahead after seeing the birds in the water because he is curious.

Quoted from the book: "I tossed the berries I had in my hand into the bucket. We jabbed our paddles onto the rocks to push off. We had to stop him. Miles was our family pet. He played ball, slept on a dog bed and ate out of a bowl, but when he saw a bird, something came over him. He had never been close to catching one in our yard. These loons were on the water though--and two of them were babies!" (pg 6 of 32)

The story then explains how the other bird parent had returned to its family and when Miles got to close, the bird spread its large wings and danced on the water, creating a fierce demonstration for Miles. Miles returned to where his family was frantically paddling towards the confrontation.

Following the story is a section on fun facts on loons, loons in Native American culture, and craft instructions with sample pieces to use for the construction of a loon mask.

The Loon Chase story is enhanced by the detailed pastel renderings illustrated by Kathryn Freeman. This book serves as a combination of a picture book and a school textbook, a technique pioneered by Sylvan Dell Publishing, who calls these books "For Creative Minds." This is an idea that will change teaching and students perceptions of learning.

Armchair Interview says: Sylvan Dell has again provided an interesting story and wonderful added information at the end.

In this attractively-illustrated picture book young readers and their adults will experience a loon chase through the eyes and voice of a young boy who goes on a canoe ride with his mother and their dog Miles. What starts out as a peaceful experience turns frantic as they try to keep Miles away from a family of loons.

Realistic language, an interesting setting, and gorgeous color illustrations make this book a winner for young readers. A bonus is the "For Creative Minds" section in the back of the book that features fun facts about Loons; look questions, Map It, Math It, and Measure It plus Loons in Native American Culture and a Make a Loon Mask craft activity. Great for home schoolers or teachers.

A young boy and his mother discover that their pet dog Miles, is indeed a dog with animal instincts. Miles loves to swim and he joins them by swimming along side of the canoe as they enjoy a summer morning on the lake. At the end of the lake a loon and her two chicks are also enjoying a morning swim.

Mother and son become anxious as they see Miles swim straight for the birds. Miles is a gentle family pet but something comes over him when he sees birds. Knowing that loons are an endangered species, they paddle as fast as they can to keep Miles from harming them. Mother and son paddle frantically to capture Miles before he reaches the birds.

There was no reason for the human mother to worry about the baby looms, as Miles draws near, the mother loon rises up to protect her babies. The mother loon spread its huge wings between Miles and the babies. Miles was frightened and turned back. Miles had animal instinct but the universal instinct of a mother to protect her young was stronger.

After enjoying the story with your child don't forget to check-out the back of the book for the "Creative Minds" section. There you are reminded to check sylvandellpublishing.com and click on "Loon Chase" to hear actual loon calls. These pages contain lots of fun facts about loons and their habits. Loons in Native American Culture, is another page filled with information. A pattern and instructions how to make a loon mask is on the final pages of this unique book

Loon Chase is a children's picturebook about a boy and his mother who go on a peaceful canoe outing with their dog. They hear loon cries, observe a magnificent loon family, and even see wild loons take flight. The warm, naturalistic illustrations and the contemplative text form a story about respect and wonderment for nature's creatures; the narrative is just complex enough to be appropriate for children almost ready to make the transition from picturebooks to easy reader chapter books. A Creative Minds: Loon Fun Facts section at the end offers both amazing facts and fun to-do projects about loons. Highly recommended for young nature and bird lovers.

What a delight is Love, West Hollywood! The collection of stories in the book creates a delightful diversity; diversity in love, race, and class. Strangely gender is not an issue; the book transcends gender, intermingling stories by both male and female authors. However, the weakness being there is only one, albeit very educational, Trans point of view. Despite the delicious name dropping that may appeal to those "in the know" there is something for everyone. The collective stories (were able to) personalize the likes of icon Lucille Ball, tough dike Chicana footballers - even a Jewish Grandmother. Academic and historically accurate, it is educational and appropriate for any undergraduate class. The writing is creative, polished, and the topics are varied enough to hold one's interest. I would highly recommend it (and have already bought additional copies) for those working with runaway youth. It will validate and ring familiar to youth and adults that are still searching, regardless of race or class and is sure to educate my fellow heterosexuals. There is a strong theme of longing for place and belonging and an almost therapeutic sharing as each story unfolds. It's about Love, all kinds of Love; many stories pointedly demonstrate how culture and class often outweigh the ability for free expression of sexuality. One will feel both the excitement and shame brought about by spontaneously "kissing Elvis" in "Color Bonita" and recognize true love for the person known only as A in "a". Readers will understand the frustrated need for anonymity in "a" in "l.a. incog-negro". Congratulations to the editors and contributors on a job well done. Kudos on the breath of diversity it's a difficult task.

Freeman, Chris and Berg, James J. "Love, West Hollywood: Reflections Of Lost Angeles", Alyson, 2008.

Thriving After AIDS

Amos Lassen

Alyson Books began their successful "Love" series with "Love, Bourbon Street" and "Love, Castro Street." The latest addition is about Los Angeles and it looks at GLBT life there after the AIDS epidemic took its toll.
Southern California is a gay fantasy land replete with gorgeous beaches and a sun that seems to shine all over the area. But Los Angeles was hit especially hard by AIDS. The GLBT community there is as large as it is diverse and there are tensions within. Here is a book that brings those tensions together and it reflects the multiplicity of the gay people there. The stories like the people differ and they run the gamut in subject and style. Many of the authors are familiar and even those that are new to us give us an inside look at the "City of Angels". There is something for everyone here. The selections are all very different but they are tied together by the city. Reading them gives us both a sense of the
past and a look at the present.
Some of the history is amazing like the selection about 8709, one of the most notorious of the bathhouses. One could only get in if he was "hot" and white. There is a selection about the infamous piers and about a women's football team.
L.A. was glamorous and glitzy and the gay life there was as well. Hollywood provided the shadow but the city produced the literature and the culture. Los Angeles certainly influenced the way we all live today and this book tells us why.

It's a lot of good reads, by a strikingly diverse group of writers. The pieces range from quirkily informative to deeply personal, alternately funny, moving, shocking, and enlightening. About ten essays stand out as my favorites. Other people's favorites might differ. That's the strength of this comprehensive collection that reveals many different experiences of gay Los Angeles. If you're interested in old Hollywood, remembrances of LA's shadowy gay scene from decades past, thoughtful observations from gay rights pioneers, or if you want to hear from new, young voices in LA's LGBT community, then you'll love this book.

As a straight woman living outside of Los Angeles, I took a chance by ordering this book. All I can say is "Wow". No, not every story was for written for me but I still learned something anyway. I was especially pleased to find some never-before published anecdotes about my favorite stars from yesteryear. After growing up watching "I Love Lucy" re runs I was thrilled to read Taylor Negron's essay "Tuesdays with Lucy" about Lucille Ball teaching a six week acting class at the end of her illustrious career - true story! It's like being in the same room with this grand lady. Can you imagine? However, the story that must be shared is "The Love That Dared Speak Its Name" by Teresa DeCrescenzo. It is not about Hollywood per se, but it certainly has a Hollywood ending. DeCrescenzno is an exceptional writer/activist who tells of how a small act of bravery at a Los Angeles medical center, ultimately changed the course of history. It also taught me an important lesson about my own prejudices and awareness. After the last sentence, I cried like a baby. Kudos to all who contributed to this astounding and courageous book and a hearty congratulations to those who read it. BW

"Love, West Hollywood: Reflections of Los Angeles" is a marvelous self-portrait of one of America's most fascinating cities. 35 writers artfully paint a city at once glittering and grotesque - capturing both the allure and pain found within its pearly gates.

The editors have chosen their narrators carefully - each covering his or her part of the canvas in highly personal ways. Some apply war paint with fearless abandon while others dab delicately. "Love, West Hollywood" smartly blends intimate remembrances of Lucille Ball, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift and Mary Pickford with harrowing tales of runaways, discrimination and hustlers. The result is a profound testament to all of the creative and colorful people who lived, thrived, loved and died here.

Without a doubt, this compilation is sure to become the standard by which all such books are measured.
Whether a native Angeleno or a literary interloper, "Love, West Hollywood" will leave you spellbound.