Johnson Books

this is one of those books where not only do the children in my life enjoy this book, but i do as well. for a kid's book, it's pretty existential. A boy goes through this world where nothing exists and with his purple crayon, creates his world. What makes it more than just a kids book, what gives it the philosophical premise is that even though harold starts the story with this crayon, and has the power to draw anything, become anything, because all he need do is draw whatever he wants to be or where ever he wants to go, even though he has this power, he is unsatisfied and goes on a journey. he uses his crayon to create the world as he goes through it and ultimately finds some contentment, a resting place if you will :P, but the fact that he can create is irrelevant, its a means to an end. The implied 'end' gives us something to think about, and though the children who are meant to be reading this book will not go into such depth with the symbolism or the philosophy, they will pick up on some of the questions the author asks, like what is harold looking for? why did he need to do all that stuff if he was just going to end up back at home? (though actually he didn't start at home). even if the kids don't burst their brains thinking about this, even if they don't come to any logical conclusion, even if they don't ask any questions to begin with, i think exposing our kids to this kind of story is important. aside from being very amusing, it provides intellectual stimulation for those who look for it and for those who don't, well one day they may look back on this story as an example of some conclusion or another they have drawn. Even if they never understand the story philosophically, the fact that they are exposed to it will register somewhere in their heads and what they know of it will teach them something about life (as does everything, which always gets me critical of the constant stream of nothing we shove down our kids throats, like the bastardisations of stories presented by disney and now barbie... and lets not even talk about pop culture).
anyways, the kids i read this to love it. its a great story, i recommend

This is a great book to get in hardcover because you will use it alot if you have children of your own. If you are a children's literature collector you will want to look at older hard to find copies to invest in. For the rest of us this is a beloved favorite baby gift, but an even better first grader book. If you have a slow reader this book will help those who are struggling to read the opportunity to read a BIG book and for reasons I do not know it is often a "boy" favorite. The language is not babyish or unfriendly to adults so it will be a great laptime read for uncles and aunts to read as fill in bedtime readers.

My five year old son loves this book. It inspires creativity in kids to create what they can dream up.

I just got my son his first library card (remember them?) at the age of two and this was the first book we took out. I had heard of it, but didn't have it as a child and wanted to have a read through before I considered purchasing it. I LOVE this book and so does my son. The very thing that reviewers complain about: the limited illustrations, is what makes this book so great. In a time where our kids are constantly overstimulated visually (ie. TV, computers, video games, etc.) it is so nice to have books that are simple, clever and inspire imagination.

As a working artist, I can appreciate the simple genius of this book, not only in it's illustrations, but also in it's encouragement to use our imaginations, or what's left of them.

I love this book and i just had to get it for center i work for!
It's a book no daycare center shold be without!

As a published author myself who has been left to do the vast majority of the legwork to promote my book, I speak with some authority as to the validity of the ideas outlined in the Frugal Book Promoter. The text is chock full of outstanding suggestions and recommendations for elements all along the book publishing/promotion timeline for both traditional and non-traditional publishing paths. I don't think there's a single page that doesn't offer something extremely useful, and oftentimes multiple nuggets of wisdom to get your book in the public eye. I've got several in mind to help expand my own efforts.

Here's my gripe, though. The formatting of the book is awful. It would have been so much more readable had the author or someone else taken the time to clean up the presentation. I can't help but conclude that the book was just a cut and paste job from a website or ebook. There are long, underlined URLs all over the place. The book employs a great deal of bullet lists, but the lists are crammed together. There are also all kinds of alternate formats used in a less than elegant fashion making for a very clunky looking work.

I give the content a 5, but the formatting a 1. That would average a 3 for a score, but since the material is so useful I'll weight that higher and give it a 4.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson shares rich and practical information about publicity that works, mainly because she has already tested it all herself. Having synthesized her prior work and life experience, she's only too willing to explain its' application to book marketing. Whether you're creating a brand, growing an email list, looking to network or building platform, this book is for you.

Carolyn is the good Mom we'd all like - she's engaging, generous, smart and truly wants you to achieve success, whatever that means to you. Her creative ideas are tucked throughout the book and her energy jumps off the page. No matter what promotional resources or partnering websites she's recommending, her enthusiasm is, indeed, contagious.

When I was sitting in the back row of my high school English class, my teacher old Mrs. Smith (not her real name) told me that a famous publisher would spend $1000000000000 making my book a bestseller. After graduation, I learned that she didn't know what she was talking about.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson does know what she's talking about. "The Frugal Book Promoter" has so many ideas, tips, resources and defining moments that reading it all in one sitting is simply too overpowering. Howard-Johnson begins with a list of stuff you better not do and marches like a conquering hero through 38 chapters of things you should do. At the end of the book, you not only have a heavy toolkit of techniques, you have a PR mindset from contact lists to writers conferences to contracts to book signings. Since your publisher probably won't make you a star, this frugal, do-able, practical approach will show you how to do it yourself.

Howard-Johnson does it again with The Frugal Book Promoter. Who doesn't love getting free publicity? As an editor, I see more and more first time authors write their book, go through the expense of self-publishing their book and then don't know how to sell their book. The Frugal Book Promoter helps guide young authors through the promoting process and gives great tips and advice to get that book sold! I highly recommend it to authors on a budget.
Karen L. Reddick, author of Grammar Done Right!

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's PR background shines through as she shares dozens and dozens tips for preparing media materials and working successfully with the media.

The Frugal Book Promoter also offers advice on the effective use of galleys and ARCs, tips for getting blurbs, information on using Amazon's promotional tools, ideas for book launch announcements and parties, tips for jump-starting sales of books that have been out for a while, and more.

This book is a great tool for both new and experienced authors. New authors will especially benefit from Howard-Johnson's refreshingly realistic look at the not-always-glamorous world of book signings and book fairs.

Dana Lynn Smith, publishing consultant, Texana Publishing

Awesome Book! A must read for those of us searching for a deeper relationship with our Savior! Highly Recommended!!!!

This was a really good, easy-reading book. It's surprisingly insightful being written by a man. It's a book that speaks to the single woman hoping for a mate, as well as the married woman. I gives insight on how to understand how men think and feel and what they need, as well as how women feel. It challenges us to understand why we're have broken hearts and disappointments and how to become more whole.

T.D Jakes has written a book that every woman should read. Each page gives tremendous insights into the needs of a woman. Quite surprising to me, was that it was written by a man. I believe though that he was inspired by God - the Creator of women.
I have bought several copies to give to women I minister to from prison. There are golden nuggets within each page which will bring insight, love and healing to the reader. It's a good read for men, but may be a bit hard to understand all the emotion that is involved within it's pages.
I cried often and when I finished the book, I felt loved by God.

I got this book yesterday from a friend and I have only just read the introduction and T.D Jakes described me and the story of my life in a few sentences - It was amazing! I know I am going to love this book; for this book was wirtten for me...and it contains important messages tailor-made for me...So I suggest that you get this book too and it will speak directly to you too!

I cant imagine going through life as a woman without having read this book. I have read this book over and over again and I have given it out to my girlfriends as birthday gifts. Every woman just has to have it on their shelf-next to the bible.

I have been an avid reader of baseball history for most of my life and I first purchased this book in the 80's and wore it out and purchased another copy. There isn't a season that goes by that I don't read it again. When you read the interviews of the ballplayers, recorded by Lawrence Ritter, it's as if you are a fly on the wall hearing the conversations first hand and the ghosts of seasons long past are brought back to life.

You get a first person account of some of the most famous moments in early baseball history through the fond recollections of some of the participants. Merkle's boner, Snodgrass' muff, Wambsgan's unassisted World Series Triple play are all recounted. The most entertaining parts of the book recount tales of Germany Schaefer stealing first base, the chronicles of Charles Victory Faust, and Wilbert Robinson attempting to catch a grapefruit dropped from an airplane. You get a glimpse of Ty Cobb from his teammates Davy Jones and Sam Crawford. You get several different takes on the great manager John McGraw from several different players who once played for him.

This is hands down the greatest sports book I have read. It's not only a great history of the early days of 20th century baseball but a wonderful piece of Americana. The book breaths humanity and paints a portrait of the ballplayers of the past who played for the love of the game unsullied by steroids and multimillion dollar contracts.

If you love the game of baseball as it once was and still should be this is a "must read"...some of the players interviewed by Ritter were unknown to me and I was fascinated to learn of their exploits...I ordered an additional three books and sent them to long time fans of the game...If I was a GM today in MLB I would have every member of the team read this book so that they might appreciate the game as it was in its infancy...the modern player (in most cases)doesn't realize how fortunate he is to wear a major league uniform and earn the money today for playing a "game"

This book was a lot of fun to read, it showed a different side of the sport of baseball other than statistic. Told by the people themselves who played the game and in their own words. The author just let them go on for as long as they pleased with any stories they might have to tell. If you enjoy baseball history this is a must read.

This superb oral history of baseball circa 1900-1920's contains many priceless tales. After Ty Cobb died in 1961 author Lawrence Ritter (1922-2004) took his tape recorder and traveled the USA to interview 22 surviving players from that remarkable era. We hear from top stars and established players, including Ed Roush, Sam Crawford, Smokey Joe Wood, Chief Meyers, Sam Jones, Bill Wambsganss, etc. Each player reminisces in his own way, recounting games, teammates, owners, managers, crowds, ballparks, etc. Some talk at length while others are briefer, but each is articulate and illuminating. I particularly liked Rube Marquard's memory of visiting the Chicago firehouse where he'd once slept as a transient, Stan Coveleski's view that baseball kept him from the coal mines, and the remembrances of Davy Jones and Jimmy Austin. It was also interesting to see how these players viewed superstars Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson, Ty Cobb, and Babe Ruth. This book provides readers with a superb sense of baseball before night games, air travel, TV, radio (except after 1922), farm systems, and in some cities, Sunday baseball.

Ritter set a standard with this superb oral history. The players interviewed here have all departed (the last in 1988), but their memories live on in this superb book. Fans might also enjoy BASEBALL WHEN THE GRASS WAS REAL, a similar effort about a later era by Donald Honig.

Statistically, baseball back then couldn't be more at variance with the game now. Cy Young threw 511 career victories, and 750 complete games. In 1909, Ty Cobb led the majors both in batting average (.377) and home runs (9). Cobb's teammate Sam Crawford hit over 300 triples in his career.

What to make of such numbers? Lawrence S. Ritter's "The Glory Of Their Times" strips away the statistical confusion by getting to the heart of Major League Baseball's early days, the players themselves. An economics professor, Ritter invested his downtime from 1962-66 in interviewing elderly men, baseball players all who knew what it was like to face a Walter Johnson fastball, or have Ty Cobb slide into the base they were covering.

"People were more unique then, more unusual, more different from each other," says Davy Jones, who played on the Tigers with Cobb and Crawford. "Now people are all more or less alike, company men, security minded, conformity - that sort of stuff. In everything, not just baseball."

Transcriptions of Ritter's interviews with Jones and 21 other former players, including Crawford and two others then in the Hall of Fame, makes up the whole of "The Glory Of Their Times," published in 1966 and later extended with four more interviews in 1984. Nearly all the interviews offer both testimony and color for the game as it was then.

Bill Wambsganss tells us about his unassisted triple play in the 1920 World Series, and how Ring Lardner once used his last name to rhyme with "clam's chance" and "Ray Chapman's pants". Fred Snodgrass tells us about his famous muffed fly in the 1911 World Series, and how his New York Giants tried to psyche out the Philadelphia Athletics by sitting on the dugout bench, ostentatiously sharpening their spikes.

You hear so much about another famous World Series moment, the Merkle "boner" of 1908, that you feel like you were there on the field, too. There's a Rashomon-like quality to hearing various interviewees give their different takes on such things as the character of John McGraw and whether "Giant Killer" Harry Coveleski was run out of the league when he was caught chewing on bologna. (Snodgrass says so, while Harry's brother Stanley, a major-league pitcher himself, calls it "a lot of bull".

Not all the interviews are riveting. One wishes Ritter could have pushed some of the old players more, like the rumors that swirled around Smoky Joe Wood involving fixes. But allowing the subjects the reins probably drew more color out of them than a Grand Jury could have. I love how Crawford keeps telling Ritter he hasn't much time to talk, while giving Ritter one of the longest and most entertaining interviews in the book, describing how players would allow themselves to be rubbed down with "Go Fast," a noxious combination of Vaseline and Tabasco sauce that made them sweat like a sauna.

"I hope I haven't said anything I shouldn't," Crawford says at the end. "There are a lot of the old-timers still left,you know, and they're liable to say, 'That fathead, who the hell does he think he is, anyway, popping off like that!'"

If you like baseball even a little, you will enjoy "The Glory Of Their Times" quite a lot.

A very good book that has problems and solutions for issues with horses. All of his books that I have read have been well worth reading and this one is no exception.

This is a book for someone who is already a horseman and is looking for clearer ways to think about his horsemanship. While probably not for everyone I find this type of book much more helpful than the "do this and then do that" type of material.
If you liked this book you'll like True Horsemanship Through Feel by Bill Dorrance and Leslie Desmond

Mark Rashid really has a way with words! And with horses.
He makes you feel right there with him, and learning everything
right along with him. Very enjoyable reading.

Easy to read and understand makes all horse people really open their eyes!! I just got the book this afternoon and am almost finished with it a definate MUST READ for horse owners!!!!

Mark Rashid's story format is very mindful of my days under the spell of cowboy and farrier story tellers. Mr. Rashid is absolutely generous in getting a point across without shaking a finger or being cryptic or evasive. He softly delivers the idea and lets the reader sift out their own application.

I love the 'old man'. I actually think I might have known him, in probably about 20 different people who counseled me in my early horse days. Whether the old man is/was a real person is superfilious as he functions as a terrific metaphor providing the conduit for learning and understanding.

But,actually he really is a very, very real personality in the cowboy and farrier world at large.

I enjoyed this book very much. The author has the ability to write in a way as to allow you to truly feel the characters. It is a great and exciting read!.. The female character Carol-Anne was very believable and her trials and tribulations were very believable. I consider the story a modern day, urban cinderalla story, which includes true and valuable lessons. I suggest this book to both male and female readers.

I loved the Carol-Anne and Max characters. I think they were developed well. I also like the storyline that was going on. This is a inspirational and uplifting book for single mothers. Where are the Max's in real life? It also lets you see how observative your young one's are and you don't even realize it. This book is an eye opener, you deserve to be happy, but you have to respect your young ones as well. Carol-Anne had serious issues she had to deal with first before she could even imagine finding happiness. The book was uplifting. Good job Ms. Johnson-Hodge. Keep up the good work.

I love the familar feel of these characters. I enjoyed the way this author took her time to paint these images...every sound they make, every tear they shed will seem real. This story of Carol Ann, a poor working class mom, doing her best under incredible odds drew me in almost immediately. Don't dismiss this as another "victims" book. This lady's a fighter and the story as moving as any you'll read.

I loved this little book (read the paperback version)...it held my interest...the characters were very well developed and the intimate scenes....made the pages of the book.....steam up! Margaret....please add me to your list of fans...you are an awesome story teller. I started this book on vacation...and really enjoyed it. Sometimes I wanted to jump in the story and hit Carol Ann over her head with a tree...but it was very well written story. Thanks for also sharing how the daughter acted once she started...."feeling grown"....as we know our kids can act. I loved it! keep up the good work. I celebrate your God given talent...only He (God) can create such a fine gift....storytelling!

The words of Roberta Flack come to mind as I recall the pages of "A New Day". I felt the author (MJH) looked into my life, and told my story. While there was no disclaimer in the front that the characters were fictional, I was confident that she wrote AS IF she knew me. While I didn't appreciate MJH telling my business, making me cry, and keeping me up all night to read this amazing novel, I was drawn into the deep well of lyrical words used to describe the characters and their emotions. Like the musician of Roberta's song, MJH was 'singing my life with her words'. Unlike Roberta, I was not 'embarassed by the sound'. Instead, I read on with astonishment because I fell in love with this book and its dimensional characters.

This story is intense from its beginning expressions of yearning to its happy ending of self discovery and true love. "A New Day" begins with a new approach - taking readers into the life of a real 'man crying in the dark'. Max Scutter is a sensitive, intelligent, stable and handsome man longing for a new day. He finds it in Carol-Anne Phyllis McClementine. As if seeing a ghost, there were several occasions when I closed the book while gasping for air because the passionate words literally took my breath away!

Though I have not met Max yet, almost everything else from the novel is a page from my life. Beginning with Carol-Anne's middle name being my first, Phyllis. Her last name, McClementine, is uncanningly similar to mine, McLaughlin. Add to that, her single mamahood to daughter, Nadia (who has glistening eyes), vs my daughter, Dasia (whose eyes sparkle when she laughs). If the names can be written off as sheer coincidence, how do you explain why Carol-Anne (like myself) quiets her passions, fears, and LOUD Thoughts with mellow jazz music and books late at night in her comfortably, worn chair? And here I sit confessing even more in this review at 3:46 am EST. As I savor every word of this delectable read, I wondered is MJH psychic or is this coincidence? I couldn't let my skepticism stop me because my heart was already consumed, and my eyes were already soaked.

When Max meets Carol Anne and almost immediately pours out his wealth upon her poverty, I thought to myself, get real Margaret. Who would believe such nonesense? What man would do so much for a woman he just met? Not even a hopeless romantic like me will fall for that. Then I was reminded when I turned back to pages 1-3, 11, 90, and many pages throughout that unveil Max's uniqueness.

After reading more, I thought again... Aha! I caught the diva of romance with her pen down:-)! Feeling somewhat victorious at the discovery that MJH never gives an explanation of why, how or when Max comes to love Carol-Anne, I could not deny Max's strong emotions that permeate the pages. The author convinces readers that Max is distinguishable from all others. So, don't bother trying to compare Max to your Dad, your best lover, and not even Superman. Just accept him because he is very real and real compassionate. Though Max is not the primary focus of the novel, I learned to love him too... just like I love myself, Carol-Anne, and Nadia. MJH makes sure you feel him and all the characters as they jump off the pages and into your heart!

With amazement and sheer ecstasy, MJH entices readers with details of fiery love scenes throughout. Not being satisfied with a brief declaration of the couple's love, MJH drowns readers in unbelievable passion as she lusciously describes the scenes with such grandeur.

Eeew wee! If the detailed love scenes are not enough, prepare yourself for the intense account of Max's anguish over being without his family, Carol-Anne and Nadia. The breathtaking account begins on page 133 and literally climaxes on page 135 as he is 'seduced by memory'. Oh my goodness, I 'wept out loud' with this man and stopped breathing too.

MJH knows how to cleverly evoke intense emotions that will make you wonder how she got into your heart and mind to create such an ache and inevitably, tears. Makes me marvel at how MJH is able to contain the creative talents that God has poured into her. Then I realize, she manages by writing and dumping on hopeless romantics like me... poetic justice, I guess.

"A New Day" is very enlightening and will encourage readers to search within for the new day that makes every day more beautiful than before. This is a must read for those bold ones who dare to dig deep within themselves. I HIGHLY recommend this novel!

This is one of the best books I have ever read! The revelation was so intense and so deep, that I had to slowly digest and marinate in what I was reading, as I was reading. I never had heard of this author before but I have since gone back and purchased all of his other books. This is a man who has the Word of God in his mouth and he is sharing it! So pay close attention!

This is one of the most life transforming books that I have ever read! If you read it and soak it all in, make it yours, it will bring out the very best in you that God intended. It is freeing and releasing and prophetically sound. I love reading a book that doesn't just teach but has a way of "making it yours" by helping you APPLY what it is trying to convey. Chris has done an excellent job of doing that and is an excellent communicator. He shares many examples from his own life and others that help you understand what he teaches. You are investing in a blessing to change your life, your family's life, and all whom you come into contact with if you partake of the richness of this book. I recommend it 100%.

Save yourself some postage and order more than one because you will want to share it with others so they will be blessed and on the same page as you are. Chris, thank you for your willingness to be a blessing to others and share your life with us. I will say about the book like Chris always says, "Now that was a GOOD WORD." :-)

After reading Kris' book, I had a whole new level of respect and admiration for him as a "Prince" of God. His humility and vulnerability to share from his life and God's process of refinement within him released grace and empowerment to me personally to live the life I am really called to live. I've bought and given it as gifts, and recommend you read it and do the same!

Kris Vallotton and Bill Johnson have shared something here that has the potential to cause a shift amongst Christians that will catapult us into a whole new realm of living as sons and daughters of the God who created everything. I feel that I have cheated myself out of an inheritance over the past twenty years that i have been a Christian as have most believers i have spoken to. The devil will be really miffed at the contents and the truth that Kris shares as he transitions us to life living in the Palace. Kris's writing style is very engaging his personal snippets from his own testimony give us a wonderful insight into this man of God. As a prophet I believe what Kris has shared in this book is revelation from God to bring the us into the fullness he has for us. We have just brought a stack of these books to give away to some of friends.

I have read a multitude of books, both christian and seculare, and this one has changed my life more than any other (outside the bible). As I read I began to see myself and those around me very differently. It encouraged me, and gave me tools for advancing my walk with God in the natural. It, unlike many other books, equipped the reader with the knowledge of a supernatural way of thinking instead of a superspiritual. I would recommend this book to everyone everywhere, and in fact I have to the best of my ability. I think it should be translated into multiple languages and sent around the world.

Ms. Johnson's book, The Alley of Wishes deserves five stars for her character development, story line and romantic drama and an additional five stars for her poetic writing style which totally engages the reader in this most poignant story of two people broken by war and life. I read Ms. Johnson's Grass Dance several years ago and hoped there would be more wonderful prose coming from this exceptionally talented writer. I wasn't disappointed and you won't be either.

It isn't often that readers fall in love with a book's protagonist before reading chapter one, but that was the case for me with Beck Sanow in THE ALLEY OF WISHES. The author's description in the book's dedication of how Beck came to be in her imagination was enough to establish a permanent place for him in my heart, and he never once disappointed me throughout the story.

The story of Beck and his wounded French songbird Cerise is written in Laurel Johnson's poetic style that reads like a sonnet to her readers. Theirs is a love that transcends the horrors of war, the savagery of evil men, and the debilitating sorrow of losing a piece of one's heart. The amazing thing is how the reader is left with an enduring sense of hope and joy even after enduring so much heartache with the characters, and that can be attributed to the author's gift for lyrical storytelling.

My only complaint is that Beck's parents and their own love story aren't introduced until near the book's end, because I wanted to experience it firsthand as I did their son's. I guess I'll have to hope for a prequel as well as a sequel to this unforgettable book.

The Alley Of Wishes is just one of those books you never want to end! I loved everything about this story and think most readers will agree with me! Buy it today. You'll be glad you did!

A friend gave me her copy of "The Alley of Wishes," to take along with me on my flight overseas. Reading this wonderful story made the long flight seems like only moments in the air. I loved this story and am thrilled to have found a new writer that I enjoy and will now go in search of more books by Ms. Johnson.

Laurel Johnson, is a beautiful woman as well as a beautiful writer...SUCH A TALENT! ~ I have been a fan of this fantastic writer since her first book, "Grass Dance." Ms. Johnson has a way with words that make her stories come alive...so alive in fact that the characters she writes about seem to jump out of the book and come to life in front of the readers eyes. "The Alley of Wishes," by super-writer Laurel Johnson is a book I know you won't want to miss...not in this lifetime anyway! (Highest Recommendation!)

V~

There is a lot in this book to enjoy and think about. Why it wasn't included in the syllabus for Post Modernist Fiction when I took it at Columbia in the 1970's is puzzling. Why read "Ulysses" or "The Sound and the Fury," two "classics" that leave you empty and frustrated, when you could read this book and at least walk away somewhat empowered? Why read two uninteresting drunks when you can read an interesting one? Maybe Kerouac might motivate you to take over Low Library or, better yet, drop out of Columbia and get a life. There must have been some reason.

Kerouac was apparently schizophrenic and I tend to prefer the thinker to the party animal, especially now that there are more party animals than there are parties to house them. What makes Kerouac interesting, though, is the way these two aspects of his personality interacted with each other. Scorn for the status quo, popularized in the "60's", whatever on earth the "60's" connotates in God's mind, can be traced back at least to the French symbolists, was then manipulated by 20th century national socialists, then rediscovered by the Beats and finally morphed itself into its opposite (the status quo) by the hippie-yuppie-military-Madison-Avenue-God-knows-what-else establishment we are currently enslaved by... I think I've run out of sentence. Ask Dennis Hopper when he's not making a commercial for Wall Street. Anyway, Kerouac gets this insanity at some very lucid level and it sets him apart from his peers, who were less (not?) able to view themselves, or their "generation," very critically. This all helps one muster up the (courage?) to deal with the current train wreck we're witnessing, with car after car mindlessly piling up on the smoldering heap. Not that Jack didn't add much to the smoldering heap. In fact, without the schizo element, it would be hard to believe that the same could get as heavy as he does in this book.

You can mindlessly read the first section of "Desolation Angels" on Desolation Peak. Kerouac seems like a normal, oversensitive guy and the section has a nice brevity and completeness about it. His existentialism is more current than Sartre or Camus and he is a better writer in many ways. He doesn't need to fictionalize because he sees that life provides the best material, so why muddy the water with a bunch of "lies?" Kerouac's only real "lies" are his bop prosodist excursions, during which his natural writing talents are short-circuited by his need to be "cool" and mimick Joyce and the other masters of confusion and tedium. The fact that Kerouac contradicts himself philosophically and morally almost constantly throughout is not a problem: he's B-E-A-T remember, like with a stick. And you're supposed to be as wasted as he is when you cognate, so what's the problem? It only matters when his stomach suddenly starts hemorraging in 1968, and then only to him really. He's like a star NFL quarterback, easily replaced once some 350 pound goon turns him into nursing home material. In "Desolation Angels," we get to witness the end of humanity as it was once known and Kerouac takes entire centuries of thought and sensibility with him to the grave.

But, Kerouac has two things going for him: he remains lucid enough, for the most part anyway, because he is documenting "simple life," as he might describe it. And, hence, secondly, he is able to convey greater complexities because he generally avoids the rhetorical stream-of-consciousness trap. It's like a Don Johnson "Miami Vice" shoot-out scene taking place in a library, with Don protecting himself from a stray bullet with a copy of Malraux, then opening to a page and reading an excerpt. If you're not laughing at least once every page, you're not reading closely.

Personally, I'd rather read Gauguin or van Gogh because they saw it coming. The issues were the same: freedom vs. modernity. Kerouac has many of their insights, but he thinks America, the open road, and guys who don't bathe regularly are going to save him and, by the time he finds out that they're going to kill him, it's too late. Apparently, like all blue-blooded Americans, he could be a pretty mean drunk. Fortunately, succeeding generations dropped their souls like Neanderthal Man dropped his tail and, so, there is no existential problem anymore. But, as Mr. Bowie notes on "Heathen," some of us "stay behind." For him it's 1982. Why 1982, I couldn't tell you. For me, it's 1903, the the year Gauguin died. For Jack, it was probably 1957, or therabouts. Either way, this book takes you back to a space that is now nowhere to be found, only recalled with pangs.

Of all parties mentioned, only Gauguin really completed his mission, as he had the sense to get out of Western Civilization before it turned him into one of those pickling cucumbers you stare at in horror at the grocery store, as it rots before your very eyes. No, Gauguin paints some beautiful pictures of the savage life that is dying, calls Schuffenecker an "idiot" and then, fulfilled, quietly dies. For Kerouac, this option was attempted (the Buckley interview was it?), but not really possible. However, it is most likely what he needed to do to complete the Duluoz legend. Unfortunately, Lowell, MA is his idea of the tropics. Ultimately, Jack's rucksack got full of too many sins, omissions and Americanisms to get him very far, so he ends up on a Greyhound bus with Memere too drunk to make out the next stop on the bus ticket.

All of this is much easier to comprehend if you view it as classic comedy, which is something Americans were once very good at making.

Somewhere in the 409 pages of this book you'll find buried a truly great work of American literature. It is hard to fault Kerouac for his devotion to spontaneous and unedited writing; though these methods imposed limitations on what he could accomplish as a writer, they also contributed to what makes his books so fascinating. If Jack had lived in Hemingway's time, he would have submitted Desolation Angels to the publisher and would have been handed back a 300 page masterpiece.

The most problematic section is the first one, "Desolation in Solitude." I understand that Kerouac wanted to convey the sheer insanity of his isolation as a lookout, but considering that he already devoted about 30 pages to this in Dharma Bums, he essentially retreads the same mystic nonsense for another 70 pages without giving much new insight into his experience. The one interesting bit that comes out of the whole ordeal is the gradual dissatisfaction that Kerouac feels for Buddhism (which, through his interpretation, seems to fall a bit close to nihilism) and his reacceptance of Christianity.

But after this first section, things pick up and Kerouac delivers one painfully sad and and transcendentally beautiful insight after another (one of my favorites: his frustration at receiving a $3 jaywalking ticket on the way to a job, costing him half his day's pay-- but you have to read the way he puts it to understand, of couse). It is worth noting that Desolation Angels really is two different books written almost 5 years apart. The first half he wrote while in Mexico City (during events he describes in the second half, Passing Through), while the second half was written in Florida (I think) while he lived with his mother. Thus, Kerouac's interpretation of life radically shifts when you begin the 2nd half. He also suddenly becomes a lot more candid, talking about his life as a writer, his use of drugs, and the homosexuality of his peers in a lot more detail and honesty than he could manage before. It is also important to understand that "Desolation Angels" (part 1) was written BEFORE On the Road was published, while "Passing Through" (part 2) was written AFTER. His sudden brush with fame can probably account for this shift in perspective.

I don't want to go into too much detail about the multitude of spiritual revelations within the book, as its better to hear it out of the mouth of the mystic. Reading the book, one can't help but notice that Kerouac, even when past his literary and spiritual peak, was not the embittered and impotent wreck that he's usually considered-- not based on his touching insights in "Passing Through." He clearly has a lot of faith in humanity, and of the necessity that people act out of love and respect rather than hate and fear. Many critics quickly dismiss Desolation Angels as a "lesser work," but I think that if you're willing the persist through the dense opening section, the rewards are nearly as profound as those of his more famous novels.

I read this book while travelling in India. I was amazed and touched. I haven't thought that Kerouac could write any better or even at the level of Onthe Road and The Subterraneans, I was wrong. If you like Keorouac, not to say a fan, buy this book.

Jack Kerouac's 'Desolation Angels', written about a period of his life roughly 10 years before his death, acts as a nice bridge between 'On The Road' (which was awaiting publication during the course of events described in "Angels") and a subsequent publication, Big Sur, both of which I've read.

During his two month self-imposed exile to work as a fire ranger on Desolation Peak, Jack Kerouac was forced to confront many of his pre-existing or emerging demons. The location for this period of his life is especially apropos for the 'desolation' surrounding Kerouac, much of which was self-created, as he sank further into depression and alcoholism.

The book covers more of his life than just the two months on Desolation Peak, but as Jack re-emerges into society, you get the sense that this 'loner' was only comfortable being 'alone' amongst others...that while he could see, smell, and wander amongst others, and feel tolerably 'isolated'...he could not stand the true isolation he could achieve, to remove himself from society altogether.

Jack wanders from the American Northwest to Florida, to Mexico, to Tangiers, to California with his mother in tow, and eventually back to Florida, when his mother grows further depressed with their cross-country move after only a month.

Many players from Kerouac's former novels appear in this one as well, albeit with different names...the poet 'Gregory Corso,' to whom Kerouac lost 'Mardou Fox' in "Subterraneans" is called 'Raphael Urso' in "Angels"...'Dean Moriarty,' from "On The Road" is 'Cody' in this incarnation.

Kerouac's detachment from the Beat Generation, his status as their reigning 'king', his fame, and his Buddhist beliefs all come into focus during this novel, one of his finest, in my opinion. If you rode shotgun with Kerouac for On The Road, explore his life further, and you will uncover far more about this dark, troubled, but fascinating author.

Kerouac at his best. Like the former reviewer, I agree that it times it can be thorny. However, if you take these "lull" moments for what they really are, you will see that much can be gained from reading them and not taking them as another Kerouac run-on. This novel, which I read third in the sequence of On the Road, Dharma Bums, and then Desolation Angels picks up nicely from the conclusion of Bums, and provides a great trilogy for those getting into Jack. Perfect character descriptions, encounters with his fellow beats, and the absolute wallowing of Kerouac into his Self...this being the best part of the novel, which the other two lacked. 5 Stars. Take your time with it, this is a beautiful piece of work.

My 3 year old son knows this book word for word. It is a superb story about patience and tenacity. Yet another library book that become so beloved we turned to amazon....

This book is a wonderful portrayal of perserverence and faith. Delightful to young and old!

i was happy to receive the book. it is exactly the book i remembered and its nice because it is hard.

thank you

Pictures are very cute and this book is so easy to read and make my son attacted! We love it!

This book had a huge impact on me as a child.

Everyone told the boy his carrot seed would not come up. Even the adults. My reaction was this: adults know everything, so why is this boy still trying? I was truly surprised when the carrot seed sprouted, and I clapped and cheered. My next reaction was this: maybe *I* shouldn't give up, even when other people tell me to. This is one of the greatest lessons I've ever learned.

I read this book to my own kids now, and they love it as much as I do.