Lawrence Books

BRAUTIGAN AT HIS BEST, in his use of humor IN an ABSURDIST NEO NINETENTH NERVOUS CENTURY VENTURE INTO THE TWENTETH CENTURY COINAGE SQUALOUR,in an ARCADIANIAN LIKE GARBAGE HEEP HANG OUT FOR SQUATTERS, everwhere 1950s ARSONIST guierilla condederate idealist/relic, confronts conspires aghast in stumble bumble berry bush brambble,ICON AS HELL STALLION MELON DEAD DRUNK eXpire hearFIRE TILT TIRE echo, footsteps leading back past fast,TREAD MUTATED SURREAL.ABSOLUTE ABOMINATION THE GHOHSTS OF THE PASS MERGE WITH THE REGRET OF THE NEAR AND DIRECT PRESENT IN FOLKLORE, LEGEND IN PROISE by the ocean in BIG sur,

Where to begin? Despite the foreshadowing of brautigan's abandoning of modern American society (He's out in the mountains of Idaho as we speak, putting his mack on some female hikers or else shivering alone in a bear's cave), this book also is funny. I like it. There's some aligators in there and that made me laugh because i think that aligators are funny.

Brautigan's excellent novel is definately worth the quick read, and then worth a second read to catch all his language play. Having grown up near Big Sur, this book was particularly funny as I believe Lee Mellon is still in residence there.

Brautigan's description of drugs, drinks, frogs and the commas of Ecclesiastes are all done in a straight forward style that made me laugh out loud.

One of my favorite paragraphs: "He broke the seal on the bottle, unscrewed the cap and poured a big slug of whiskey into his mouth. He swallowed it down with a hairy gulp. Strange, for as I said before: he was bald." A great read.

If there's one thing the world lacks, it's a good supply of well-written, funny-as-heck books. Luckily, aside from A Confederacy Of Dunces, we have this little gem. The characters are drunks, druggies, skanks, prostitutes & nutzoids. The pace is brisk and the imagry vivid. Most of it seemed to be part of my own life, but just where do you find weed that's so potent that 4 people smoking 5 joints stay high for well over 2 hours?! If you want to spend a day or night having a good laugh over a great book, pick this one up. You'll laugh out loud. And as Martha Stewart says...."It's a good thing".

If you read nothing else by Richard Brautigan, read "A Confederate General From Big Sur." Mere words are inadequate to properly describe this book, and the majesty contained within. Brautigan, master of the simile, is at his finest as he spins an off-beat tale containing (though not restricted to): frogs, dynamite, prostitutes, booze, and a man named Lee Mellon. Forsaking all possessions and the amenities of "civilized" life (a notion nearly inconceivable these days), Lee Mellon and the narrator, Jesse, embark upon an adventure in a place called Big Sur. An adventure not only in the physial sense, but in the metaphysical as well. Reading Brautigan in the context of our times, it is hard to imagine how the audience of the 1960's embraced his work. While his works may, to us, appear strange at times, we have grown accustomed to such eccentricities. But in the 60's it was fresh and new. One can only speculate if we have somehow missed out on some aspect of Brautigan by having read his books 30 years after they were written. But the mere fact that his work stands the test of time is a testament not only to his books, but to the man himself. But, alas, i stray from the topic of this missive. You want my review? It's a damn good book. Now go and read it.

Wonderfully insightful. Truman's own words give you an entry to this great writer's philosophy. It's a fast read.

Truman Capote was a great writer and self-promoter. Both characteristics come through in these interviews with Lawrence Grobel, an interviewer who has done his homework and only intrudes when he has something to add.

The book stands up well on its own merits, but will prove more enjoyable if you read some backgound material first, notably (in order of priority) "Music for Chameleons," Gerald Clarke's first-rate biography, and "In Cold Blood."

After you've read it, you may want to watch A & E's excellent documentary on Capote's life.

I own several books of conversations with authors. This is the first one I've wanted to read cover-to-cover without pausing for a breath. It's the first one I haven't been tempted to skim, looking for the best nuggets, because this one is FULL of nuggets. Capote isn't afraid to say, flat-out, what is on his mind. The chapter about his contemporaries is particularly interesting to me.

For instance, of Faulker he says: "Well, he was completely reckless. I'm not a great admirer of Faulkner. He never had the slightest influence on me at all. I like three or four short stories of his, 'That Evening Sun,' and I like one novel of his very much, called LIGHT IN AUGUST. But for the most part, he's a highly confusing, uncontrolled writer."

Which is all absolutely reasonable. Then Capote adds, "I knew Faulkner very well. He was a great friend of mine. Well, as much as you could be a friend of his, unless you were a fourteen-year-old nymphet. Then you could be a great friend!"

And Capote doesn't hold back about any of his other contemporaries, either, like Ken Kesey, Jack Kerouac, Norman Mailer, Gertrude Stein, and more. For instance, when the interviewer expresses his respect for Bellow's HENDERSON THE RAIN KING, Capote says, "Oh no. Dull, dull."

This book also has several photographs of Capote. The quality of the photos, at least in my softcover edition, are rather poor, unfortunately, but many of them I've never seen before, such as the one with Truman showing up to a court appearance on a drunk driving charge in shorts! The caption reads: "He [the judge] was very insulted...Actually, I looked quite smart. I had a very smart pair of shorts on and a very smart jacket and shirt and sandals."

In some ways, this is like reading a great comedy routine, yet there are definitely undercurrents of anger and sadness in this book. I highly recommend it.

This is the book that makes you sad at the prospect of Truman Capote dying before he could finish his last novel, but you suspect that he didn't have to finish it since you get a lot of it from these interviews. He was one of the most fascinating figures in literary history and his insights into art, literature and celebrity are amazing.

There's a running rivalry with Norman Mailer, a dismissal of the beats, discussion of Breakfast at Tiffany's. He talks about interviewing the killers for In Cold Blood and how that led to other interviews with convicted killers. He discusses Hemmingway and leaves the reader with one of the best lines ever - "I am the man that Hemingway pretended to be." which is even more interesting when you consider Hemingway's repressed homosexuality (or accusations thereof) in light of Capote's openly gay personae that he displayed when that could get you killed.

Be warned. Once you start reading this book, you won't be able to put it down. So set time aside so you can finish it in one sitting.

everything and perhaps a little more than you want to know about Truman Capote. A nice easy to read bok.

My husband and I have been married for more than 20 years and I have read a number of books on the topic of sexual health, but this is by far THE BEST I've seen!! It is enjoyable to read, extremely comprehensive and easy to understand. We particularly enjoyed the 'patient vignettes' that take us into the Doctor's Waiting Room. Most importantly, the book emphasizes women's sexual function as the critical element in improving sexual intimacy for the COUPLE. The authors make it very clear that there are effective treatments out there for all of us! I highly recommend this book!

Move over Dr. Phil - A get-real book that covers the emotional and clinical aspects of male AND female sexual dysfuntion, how it affects your relationship and how to cure it. The book is so specific about problems and solutions and is enjoyable to read. I've never read a book as helpful as this one. Even though it's a "couple's" book, I think it's a must for all men and women whether you're in a relationship or not. Just as important, it should be REQUIRED reading for doctors....

Hopefully my husband will take the hint and read this. The "waiting room" stories are great. Some really hit home for me. Dr. Hakim presents sexual problems and gives real solutions for overcoming them. Sex should be great between married couples, and communication is the key. (Although not the kind of thing we talk about so openly in St. Louis!)

If I was in Florida, I'd try to set up an appointment to see Dr. Hakim - and i'd drag my husband with me.

Don't be afraid to buy this book - it will help!

Written by Lawrence S. Hakim (Head of the Section of Sexual Dysfunction, Male Infertility, and Prosthetics at the Cleveland Clinic, Florida) with the assistance of Donald Michael Platt, The Couple's Disease: Finding A Cure For Your "Lost" Love Life is a helpful and pragmatic look at sexual dysfunction (a problem that afflicts more women than men), and how to go about sustaining or restoring lost love lives for couples in married, long-term, or same-sex relationships. The thoughtful, reader-friendly, informed and informative text by an articulate and knowledgeable physician who is well experienced in treating sexual dysfunction make The Couple's Disease an excellent resource for both professional reference collections and the non-specialist general reader with an interest in an often sensitive and intimately personal subject.

This isn't the kind of book I would normally buy, but it was recommended by a friend of mine. I can honestly say that after reading it, my wife and I are on the way to solving the biggest problem in our marriage: our sex life. What was mundane, or a chore, is now something we both look forward to with an excuberance we haven't had since our honeymoon! (And after 10 years of marriage, that says a lot!) Dr. Hakim offers excellent advice for anyone who has "lost that lovin feeling" and wants to get it back.

Besides the "clinical" there are great "real life" examples as well that really hit home.

Really helpful!

Lawrence Scott is a full-time police officer in Florida who loves to fish and write. He has a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Florida. He is a street cop with fifteen years of experience. He has also been a marine police officer. He is someone who knows the ocean, and knows crime.

Morgan Ponce's nickname is Cracker for his Minorcan heritage, which is the name for the Spanish who came to Florida. He has connections with the ancient conqueror Ponce de Leon, who established the colony known as America's oldest city, St. Augustine. Morgan is a dedicated homicide detective who drinks and fishes to provide a psychological barrier to the horrors he witnesses in the line of duty. But the biggest shock is yet to come, when a young and influential congressman and his wife are found brutally murdered on their yacht, the Majority Rules. Ponce and his partner, Nicky, find themselves in the line of ruthless murderers as they try to unravel this puzzling murderer, and their prime suspect is the victim's father himself:

"Morgan said to Nicky, 'So, we got a father who knows details of his son's murder, but won't tell us how he knows.' Morgan went on. 'We got witnesses reportedly seeing a Mako center console with blue writing on it, a T-top, and three men aboard her.' Nicky then said, 'We got three dockhands at Jordan's estate that look like ex-Navy SEALS, all of whom are trained extensively in hand-to-hand killing-not to mention the gun racks in the Mako.'"

Cracker Cop is a straightforward, entertaining tale of murder told from a police procedural perspective. Scott adds a healthy dose of interpersonal relationships affected by Morgan's line of work...his divorce, the fact that he doesn't see his kids as often as he would like, a new love, and the anguish he feels when his partner lands in the hospital after a murder attempt on his life. The backdrop of St. Augustine and Scott's obvious love of the ocean and fishing makes all of us readers wish we were out there on the ocean watching him engage in one of his passions. The new love in Cracker's life...Dr. Loretta...is sweet and satisfying. Overall, Cracker Cop is an top-notch read from a romantic guy who has a lot of heart, and is a respectable addition to the genre.

Shelley Glodowski
Reviewer

Lawrence Scott has penned a gripping detective story which takes place in America's oldest city, St. Augustine. From the very human lead character, detective, Morgan Ponce, to the surprise ending, this is an excellent read. It is easily compared to works by James Lee Burke or John D. MacDonald. When the son of a rich and famous politician and his wife were found brutally murdered, Detective Ponce finds himself in a little over his head. He has to investigate this mob style "hit" and becomes a target himself. The murders had occurred on a luxury yacht and Detective Ponce has to find out who did it and why. Unfortunately, there was little evidence, no witnesses and he was met with resistance everywhere he looked. As he and his partner sift through the morass of information, it becomes evident that some very important people and corporations are involved in a high level conspiracy. This is a must read!

H. Steven Robertson, Author of "Ranch Boy."

Cracker Cop grabs you from the begining and keeps a hold on you. This book reveals some of the "hidden history" of the Nation's oldest city and combines it with the mostly unknown world of criminal investigation.
Furthermore, "Cracker Cop" is richly textured with personal details of the world of police work that only someone with intimate knowledge of the field would have.
I'm looking forward to the next book!

A great thriller from begining to end. I cant wait to read about Detective Ponce's further adventures.

I loved this book! It was so cool reading about my adopted hometown, and
recognizing the places mentioned (even if they were thinly disguised -
too bad about the spoilsport potential lawsuit crazies!)

OK, Larry, you gotta give us another fix -soon. Will Morgan and Loretta get
together again? Will Morgan ever get to go fishing again? Will Nicky
recover and once again become part of the dynamic Old City duo? Will the
Lieutenant ever acknowlege Morgan's brilliance? Will Morgan's kids grow
up and realize what a cool dad they have? Will St. Augustine's
Finest solve another crime? Come on - don't make us wait too long!

A disturbing work that showcases the skills and emotional depth of this up and coming (or is he already here?) author.

"Dog 'Em" will have its reader turning pages in anticipation of finding out if Mick Hart can solve another baffling crime. This story combines love, suspense and intrigue. Lawrence Christopher has created another metaphor to the phrase "Dog 'Em." This is a fast paced story that will keep your interest with its crisp dialogue and dynamic plot. Anyone looking for an excellent short mystery to read should definitely purchase this book!

I couldn't put this book down! Lawrence Christopher weaves a spellbinding mystery, leaving any reader's mouth gapping. Just when the reader thinks he/she has got it all figured out...BAM! And the reader must start chasing his/her tail all over again.
It ain't over 'til it's over.

A very satisfying read, love, mystery, relationnship issues; all in a fast paced slice of life book, I look forward to more Mick Hart mysteries

Looking for a quick paced mystery to get your mind running as you try to figure out whodunit? Well, Dog 'Em: A Mick Hart Mystery, fits the bill and goes the extra distance to take you into the world of Mick Hart, private investigator! It also throws in a measure of drama and romance to give it an extra twist and provide wider audience appeal.

Mick Hart can't win for losing. When he goes against the rules and bends the rules for a single mom to help her find the father of her child, he loses his job. We then take on a journey through one of Mick's cases in which he's hired to find Amanda Monroe, reported missing by her grandmother, and using his first tactic of checking the city morgues, he comes up empty handed...well, almost empty handed. Instead of finding her, he finds two corpses with similar injuries and then finds Amanda in the hospital in a coma with the same injuries. The plot thickens when he finds out that all the women know each other and are members of the Sisters of Empowering and Learning Book Club.

Their last read was How to Train the Dog in Your Black Men so perhaps that has someone feeling a bit threatened, challenged, and ridiculed by women across the country. Many women are picking it up and trying to put its principles to practice at the risk of becoming the next victim. And the serial killer is on a rampage trying to redeem himself. He's [upset] and tired of being the one dogged.

Christopher has brilliantly penned a novel that is poignant and revealing, just as it is suspenseful and intriguing. I read this book in under two hours and my only disappointment was that it was over. I look forward to the next installment in the Mick Hart series and would highly recommend this book.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

For a book titled Encouragement, I've actually found myself kind of discouraged. Now, I ought to clarify that. It's probably, at least partly, a good discouragement. I'll elaborate.

Dr. Crabb's book is basically a beginner level counseling book. He speaks, almost medically, about people's tendencies, thoughts, feelings, fears, etc. This alone, I don't think would be terribly useful. However, Dr. Crabb builds relatively well on top of biblical foundation (albeit stretching things sometimes) which allows him to speak with more authority.

While I didn't agree with everything Dr. Crabb had to say, I completely agree with the overall theme of the book, which is simply this: Rely only on God for everything, and on all occasions hold others above yourself. A pretty simple and elementary message, as some would say, but Dr. Crabb tenderly builds a subtext that clearly reveals the rarity with which we actually practice that message.

Encouragement spends the first twelve chapters dealing with the heart and motive of the encourager and only in the last two chapters does Dr. Crabb move onto encouraging others. He argues (well) that encouragement requires that the encourager's heart be right in his words and actions. He delves deeply into people's thoughts and motives behind why they speak and what they choose to speak and how they choose to speak it. The discussion is done with a level of care and intimacy that will almost certainly hit home with the reader.

There were some things that I disagreed with, although they may really just be contextual grievances. I think that Dr. Crabb failed to take into account the varying degrees of relationships. There are clearly times to go to close friends or wives about troubles and pains in life; that wouldn't necessarily be wrong, and in many cases could likely be encouraging to the other person. However, Dr. Crabb paints a picture of encouragement that makes it sound like encouragers are not ever to voluntarily open up themselves and their grief to another person--barring the circumstance that the other person comes looking for it. It was this that caused me to find myself walking the line of discouragement. However, that point seems to be made, inadvertently, between the lines and I doubt Dr. Crabb would actually say that outright.

Ultimately, this book caused a great deal of introspection in me. It forced a serious evaluation of my thoughts and motives and actions. With time and prayer, I hope that the concepts in this book will bear fruit in my relationships with God and people.

I wouldn't recommend this book to the casual reader. I could easily see it becoming confusing or even an undue pressure and discouragement if misunderstood. However, anyone able and willing to approach the book, at least kind of academically, will probably find a lot to learn here.

This book has been sitting on my shelf for about four years. What a waste. I should have read it much sooner. This is a great little book and an excellent resource for every Christian. We are all called to encourage one another (Heb 10), but often we don't know how. Sometimes we are too caught up in our struggles to recognize the needs of others. Sometimes we are satisfied to never let our conversations pass beyond shallow words. If you want to minister to others in a meaningful way, then learn to encourage. If you don't know how to be an encourager, then read this book.

This is a wonderful book that has changed my understanding on how to respond to others' need for encouragement. Frankly speaking, I've been misled for years by what people said about stuff like applying empathy towards others, often finding myself at dead end which did not lead to what the Bible says we should head for. The book points the way from the shallow need for nurturing the other person's layer to entering the core, from attention on what to say to having the right attitude as we seize the opportunity for encouragement. Sadly enough, although the above is not a new concept and can be realized and accepted through common sense, we have been confused by theories of secular counselling which has pointed us to unbiblical ways of caring for others.

Though I think the book could have been even more helpful by saying more how we can continue to encourage after opening the door, I decide not to drop a star since I think it is a must read for all Christians who seriously desire to do their part in this much needed ministry of encouragement, especially because I seldom come across books which provide such valuable advice on this topic which is compatible with what the Bible says.

Some books age well. Normally that's because they present timeless truth in timeless ways. They avoid dating themselves by wedding themselves to the latest fad or passing fancy. Encouragement is just such a book. It describes the power of timely spiritual conversations motivated by grace and spoken heart-to-heart.

This work is the most practical and immediately applicable of the many works by Crabb and Allender. Extremely useful for equipping lay counselors and caregivers.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Spiritual Friends: A Methodology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, Soul Physicians: A Theology of Soul Care And Spiritual Direction, and Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction .

This is an excellent book by very inspired authors. Encouragement is in fact a two way street. If you read a book about encouragement you are probably expecting to learn how to be more positive personally. However, we also need to know about our responsibility to be more encouraging toward others. This book will teach the reader that we are responsible for every word and every action toward others. Our responses to other people can be encouraging or discouraging. I don't think I had taken my actions toward others serious enough until I read this book. This book should be read by all high school students because it really guides the reader into a better understanding of both self-image and social responsibility. The book is a quick read and holds your attention very well.

I love Weschler's writing and the subjects he writes about, especially on art. He has an interesting way of looking at things, bringing together history and art, broadening our understanding of the visual world we live in. A great book that will get you thinking!

This is what art criticism at its best should do - converge themes from present and our rich history in a clear language.... not obfuscating academic deconstruction but brilliant exposition with beautiful language and so many rich references - it's a joy to read and it actually affirms the fact that you already have very rich knowledge base inside (instead of trying to teach and preach). It weaves our factoids into a beautiful tapestry of human experience, synthesizing and unraveling our time here.

Having read reviews on Amazon and other places, I placed this item on my wish list and received it for my birthday. I was really looking forward to reading it - I love stuff like this and read quite a bit as a diversion from business, fiction, and science reading.

Unfortunately I don't share the same level of enthusiasm for this work as the other reviewers here. While there were times the columnist/blogger/casual-essayist style was entertaining, at many points I found it a bit like listening to someone working hard at making connections because he could, not because they really were all there. If I were speaking with the author at a party, I'm uncertain I would listen to him speak about one of his convergences for very long - not because he lacks education and depth and has some cool ideas - it's just that some of them strain to much to convergence. Is it really convergence when someone forces two things together rather than discovering the intersection?

I guess it felt like naming cloud images. Fun, but not for long, and sometimes no matter how hard you try, the other person can't quite see the pattern you see. But I am only one voice out of many, so take my perspective in stride.

For its strange and compelling originality, I gave this book five stars. Author Lawrence Weschler's visual connections are unlike anything I have ever been exposed to. And it was because of this work, that when I was compiling photos for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, that I began to notice family photographic "echoes."

A picture of my 1-year old brother in his stroller, mouth wide open in toothless glee, reaching toward the camera, echoed a photo taken at family gathering 45 years later in which the only things different are the chair in which he sits and his gleaming teeth. His body language, his expression, even his adult-sized outstretched arm are the same as the boy from the stroller.

These sorts of echoes are commonly seen in your standard `grip-and-grin" shots at traditional events such as birthdays and weddings. But in one-off photos like the baby/adult ones of my brother, there's something more at work. Did a buried memory surface when a similar photographic situation arose that caused him to echo his own pose from 45 years before?

That might explain the same person subconsciously reacting to a similarly presented situation, but it fails to explain completely separate scenes, at different times, featuring a random set of people or circumstances that nonetheless are captured in an eerily identical composition to each another by artists not known to one another.

Not all the connections in this book are photographic. Weschler includes geographical, artistic, scientific, and architectural connections, too, in which human behavior could not have influenced the outcome. This is a provocative look at an unusual and inexplicable phenomenon of things that converge between time and place.

Lawrence Weschler has a powerful mind. The essays in this collection cover such divergent topics as art to politics. The author, however, finds was to connect seemingly unrelated works. The essays are a camera into a very thoughtful mind who looks at the world and tries to connect it to himself and tries to connect the edges to each other.

I personally had purchased this book and was reading it during a time of poetic writer's block and I found the essays so thought provoking that I produced at least 3 new pages of writing.

The only drawback is that a few of the essays are a bit dated. I am referring here to primarily those on Solidarity. I feel to really understand those in better detail I would have to do some more research on that time in our history.

This is a great intellectual read and is a pleasure for the eye as well with great photography and artwork within its' hardcover pages.

This book is the best in the field for calculus and differential equations. By studying the programs one can learn a lot about writing ones own programs. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up!!!.

It is well-written and explains calculus concepts as well as the subtlties of the TI-92. The accompanying CD is worth twice the cost of the book--many programs that really help me in class. I highly recommend this one!

This book will help you with most of the steps that you need to be familiar with when using your TI calculator. All the examples have step-by-step instructions--just like it should be. All the books by these authors are straight forward and to the point--which is to improve your understanding of your calculator and that of the subject matter.There are no other books being published that address the needs of the advanced math student like GILMAR's.

This book is a must have for calculus students that have the TI-89 or -92plus! Instead of fumbling through the owner's manual (what a joke) trying to figure out how to do calculus on the calculator, this book gives you step by step instructions on how to do it in terms you can understand. It also comes with a disk of programs you can download onto your calculator that are so good it is almost like cheating! Also, it helps you understand the math you are doing instead of just telling you what to type.

This book will help you with most of the steps that you need to be familiar with when using your TI calculator. All the examples have step-by-step instructions--just like it should be. All the books by these authors are straight forward and to the point--which is to improve your understanding of your calculator and that of the subject matter.There are no other books being published that address the needs of the advanced math student like GILMAR's.

I recommend this book for anyone who would like a few more clues on the many ways masterful sentences are put together. If you have the soul for good writing, but need a little more concrete guidance on how powerful phrases from the Bible to Virgil to Shakespeare to Churchill are constructed--this book will be a delightful little teacher.

I was impressed by the lighthearted and humble approach of the author. Although he gives the formal (and quite forgettable) names for the figures of speech, he says he doesn't expect readers to remember the names, but rather to "taste" the examples he cites, and to get a feel for how to apply these patterns in their own writing. He repeatedly stresses that knowing how to use words and rhetorical patterns is far more important than memorizing their names or even agreeing upon their proper classifications.

The author also cites classics ancient and modern in making the unconventional and refreshing point that we need not slavishly follow the dictates of the now-popular rules of usage as promulgated by Strunk and White and other like-minded authorities. For example, while contemporary authorities repeatedly (yes, ironically) stress the importance of avoiding any unnecessary words, the author of Figures of Speech cites many passages from the Bible, Shakespeare, and other sources of distinction, that clearly do not follow such strictures--and choose elaboration and repitition over spare economy.

Overall, the book is informative, accessible, generous-spirited, and, in places, even humorous and playful.

When I got to the end of the slim volume I found myself wishing there was more.

Short, easy to read. Full of great examples. Will make you a better speaker and heighten your appreciation of great literature, as well as showing you the techniques used by playwrights, poets, politicians, lawyers, clergy, and all others who earn their bread with their tongues. An eye-opener.

Professor Quinn's slim volume is perhaps the best treatment of the subject of rhetorical devices that I have ever read. I say "best," not because it is the most extensive, nor because it is the most detailed coverage of the subject. I say "best" because I feel it is the most *useful* coverage I have ever encountered.

In concise fashion, Professor Quinn takes the reader through many of the most common figures of speech, tells us the formal names, and provides numerous illustrative examples.

It is true that simply knowing the name given to a particular turn of phrase will not guarantee that one can effectively employ it in one's writing. Nevertheless knowing the
forms and having names to identify them makes it easier to see them in use in the writing of others. By thus making them memorable, they also become a more ready part of one's writing toolkit.

The engaging and entertaining style which Quinn uses throughout the book makes even the most daunting technical terms readily accessible. His well-chosen examples are also entertaining and informative, and most are quite memorable. I can't be certain that merely reading this book will improve every reader's writing, but I believe that most folks will benefit from reading it.

"Figures of Speech: 60 ways to turn a phrase," by Arthur Quinn (Professor of Rhetoric at the University of California, Berkeley) is truly worth it's weight in gold. This book is not a stuffy academic classroom text...it is a sleek, extremely funny and stimulating resource that will undoubtedly add tremendous value to your knowledge of writing the "Queen's English." Moreover, Professor Quinn's book is super provocative, superbly written and succinct...allowing the reader to go cover to cover in a few short hours.

Quinn challenges the reader..."We are confronted, inescapably, with the intoxicating possibility that we can make language do for us almost anything we want." In other words, the author "thinks outside the box" long before it became fashionable to do so. I'll never forget a groundbreaking banner front-page headline in the New York Daily News back in the 1970's, it read, "We Wuz Robbed!" The headline reported that masked gunmen broke into the payroll office and stole millions in typical New York City lingo. Apparently the editors in the Daily News Building agreed with Quinn's approach to effective writing that "style, is like a frog: you can dissect the thing, but it somehow dies in the process."

Each chapter in this marvelous book is short and compact. My favorite chapters include, Missing Links and Headless Horsemen, Man Bites Dog and Reds in the Red. In a nutshell, Quinn demands that we navigate the jungles of style creatively and includes many figures of speech through out his book to stimulate the learning process. Overall, this book is a joy to read. In the words of the author, "language becomes a prison house only poets can escape...if we do not reject any strict distinctions between ordinary usage and figures of speech."

Bert Ruiz

"A Handlist of Rhetorical Terms" provides a more complete study, but "Figures of Speech" is more user-friendly, more entertaining, more compact, more useful. "Handlist" proved to be more scholarly, "Figures" more practical. "Handlist" arranges the figures alphabetically, "Figures" by type. "Handlist" gives a few examples, "Figures" many. I found the examples in "Figures" to be lyrical, the commentaries whimsical, the results educational.

This personal and readable memoir of Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) is very inspiring. Young newspaperman William L. Shirer (1904-1993) covered Gandhi and Indian nationalism in the early 1930's. That was at the time of Gandhi's salt march to the sea, which protested economic restrictions against Indians. Gandhi desired independence from Britain, and by 1930 his peaceful protests had disturbed the British Raj and won the hearts of many Indians (and non-Indians). Readers see how Gandhi's tactics of peaceful non-cooperation eventually led to independence in 1947 - the tough British countermeasures never extending to inhumane. We also see the Mahatma up close; a courageous, humane, brillant, energetic, yet flawed human being. Like Albert Einstein and Lord Mountbatten, the author considered Gandhi the greatest man of the Century, one who's example inspired Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Aung San Suu Kyi, and countless others.

Shirer wrote these readable pages a half century later, but this superb memoir is worth your time. Also worth reading are Shirer's bestsellers on Nazi Germany (Berlin Diary, Rise and Fall of Third Reich, Nightmare Years).

This book is an American journalist's recollection of memories of his days with Gandhi in India from February to June of 1930 and later in England in September and October of 1931 during the first round table conference when working as a reporter for Chicago tribune. Shirer was then just turning twenty-seven. He wrote this beautiful memoir after nearly 50 years from his untainted memories of Mahatma.

One could read his beautifully worded, mellifluent memoir as if reading a story and one would feel as if traveling with him and was part of the drama that was played out between Gandhi and the British in the early part of the 20th century.

When I started reading this book, in spite of its title, I had the same qualms that I had when I started reading other Gandhi books. Most of the Gandhi books follow a chronological order of events of his life; his childhood in Gujarat, England studies, law career, his struggles in south Africa, encounters with General Smuts, home struggle, Kaira and Champaran struggles, round table conferences, Rowlatt act, his fasting and assassination, a monotonous repetition unless accompanied by new interpretations and historical evidences. But Shirer's book on Gandhi, unique in its genre and subject, remains as a true memoir from the beginning to the end. I finished the whole book in one sitting.

Shirer has given many first hand accounts of his acquaintance with Gandhi in his memoir. Shirer beautifully sketches Gandhi from his memories detailing it with even small incidents, relevant or irrelevant to the political struggle in which Gandhi was part of, thus drawing a broader picture of Mahatma, and for readers it is a great treat. This is a definitely a great advantage; for knowing Gandhi better, books written by people who spent times with him have an edge over those written by people who have never seen or was with Gandhi.

You will get to know some of the amazing qualities of Gandhi from Shirer who spent months with him in India and London. Irrespective of age, Gandhi listened to people, engaged in active conversations, shared ideas and even had banters. Gandhi was sixty-one when 27-year-old Shirer was meeting with him. But that age difference did not cause any uneasiness among them and the relation that started at Gandhi's ashram lasted till Gandhi's death nearly 20 years later. Gandhi continued to influence him for the rest of his life. There were many others (Horace Alexander, Charles F Andrews and Madeline Slade are only some of them) like Shirer who came to India to know who this man the world called Mahatma and succumbed to the `magic spell' of his individuality and principles.

In India, Shirer experienced Gandhi at work. Shirer had been in Delhi all the time when Gandhi was meeting with Viceroy Lord Irwin to iron out the specifics of the famous Delhi pact. One gets a sample of the hectic life that Gandhi lead in his life whose days start at 4 in the morning no matter what time he goes to sleep. Readers get glimpses of many of Gandhi's qualities from Shirer's memoir; Gandhi's boundless optimism even when things are in the dire straits (when asked by a reporter about the efficacy of his forthcoming trip to London on the eve of departing for round table conference on a very unfavorable atmosphere for discussing the possibilities of political concessions, Gandhi said, "I don't know. I am just going to ask them freedom".), his unlimited energy (Shirer was so amazed at seeing Gandhi who came back at 1'o clock in the morning from a meeting with Irwin after walking four miles from viceroy palace to his ashram, the distance he always walked except a few times when viceroy sent his car, spending another one hour at spinning before waking up at 4'o clock for his usual morning prayers), punctuality (he has seldom broke or delayed his morning and evening prayer meetings. Even while he was meeting with viceroy conversing matters pertaining to nation building, Gandhi took leave from viceroy and went back by walk four miles to his ashram to conduct his prayer meeting and then came back and continued where they left off. One another occasion during roundtable conference, he took off during the middle of an important negotiation to have his daily prayer on the corridors of House of Commons since going back to his ashram was an impossibility!). Shirer agrees that even at his younger age, he could not keep up with Gandhi's pace when he used to go with him during his morning walk.

To Shirer Gandhi once said that he will live up to see India winning its freedom and asked Shirer to bet on it. Gandhi was neither in a fool's paradise nor brimming with an unrealistic optimism when he made this prediction. The year was 1930. Gandhi was very well aware that British can't hold on to India for long owing to their increasing unpopularity, crumbling financial situations back in England, looming war prospects in Europe etc. The slowing pace of the freedom struggle after the failure of the first round table conference and the deteriorating health of Gandhi proved at times that Shirer was going to win the bet, but history had something else in its stock that Shirer `happily came to know' later though he lost his bet.

He watched Gandhi's composed countenance during their conversations, during Gandhi's conversation with others and during prayer meetings with astonishment even when things were going against him. Only time when Shirer thought Gandhi's composure was shaken was when the handpicked delegates of viceroy stood in the way of a unified India proposal during the round table conference.

Shirer also shares with readers his few meetings with Jinnah, in whom he saw a rebel and an impatient aristocratic politician. Jinnah's western upbringings and sole-politics approach without any commitments to the communal issues of the people were directly opposite to Gandhi's background and his involvement with the masses. Jinnah, a western minded, who enjoyed liquor and posh life and clean-cut beef had never been a match to the pious saint-clad politician Gandhi. If it was not for his contempt for Gandhi and Nehru, he would had never staged a come back into active politics in 1931 after having left for London to continue his law practice upon the non-acceptance of his 14-points-proposal to safeguard the interests of Muslims in a Hindu majority self-governed India by the delegates of Indian national congress three years before.

Shirer has given yet more accounts of Gandhi's unlimited enthusiasm and energy during his meetings with Viceroy in India's summer capital Simla. Unlike Irwin, the new viceroy Willingdon was more hard-lined and he took a sterner stance with Gandhi. Gandhi had to either opt for human-rickshaws or walk twelve miles to meet with viceroy since the viceroy denied Gandhi access to his personal car, a convenience that Gandhi sometimes availed from the previous viceroy. Gandhi in his usual manner, without even a slightest objection but with heavy enthusiasm walked all the twelve miles from where he is staying to the viceroy bunglove through cross country roads that were filled with puddles from heavy rains often arriving at viceroy palace fully drenched instead of choosing to become a burden to his own countrymen. However, the rain did not dampen down his political demands to the viceroy.

When Gandhi was in London, he had been invited by none other than the King George V to his palace, Buckingham and he went to see him in his loincloth! When asked by a reporter whether seeing the King in a loin-cloth was a good idea, he quipped: "the king was wearing enough for us both". Shirer gives Gandhi's stay in London in details; his desperate moments in London round table conference, his meetings with prominent political leaders, deans of colleges, mill workers and owners, school students, even passers by and all but Winston Churchill who refused to see Gandhi. It was during this time that Gandhi had given his only speech addressed for American audience, which was broadcasted live.

Gandhi always believed that propaganda was must to win freedom for India. His agitation of masses of India, his abundance writings, his reliance on reporters, his excessive travel and speeches, and above all his image, a figure in loin-cloth, were all designed by him as part of this propaganda theme for one ultimate objective, freedom for India. When British did not permit any foreign journalists to come to London to report the proceedings of round table conference, Gandhi arranged a ticket for Shirer to travel from Paris to London with him to report the same.

By taking the readers through his memoir by postponing the most controversial chapter of Gandhi's life, his `Brahmacharical' experiments with girls, towards the end, Shirer was clearly delineating Gandhi's true greatness from a few controversies that cast a shadow on his later life. Gandhi had given elaborate explanations on these `controversial' experiments, which were never done in secrecy, to the readers of his journals. For Gandhi these experiments were all part of his `experiments with the truth' like many others that he had been experimenting all through his life with no malicious intentions whatsoever. However, Nirmal Kumar Bose (who was once his secretary and left Gandhi when he came to know about his experiments) and others that was enough for stirring much of controversy, whereas the girls with whom he shared his bed never spoke ill of Gandhi and only considered him as their own `mother'. I would say that the propensity of human beings is to search for filth and in the life of Gandhi also, what Bose and others did is searching that filth which was never existed. In his memoir, Shirer, perplexed by the extent to which Gandhi had taken his experiments, was trying to find some answers that had always eluded his mental capacity and reasoning abilities as had happened to many of the west.

Shirer was not to blame. Gandhi is no an easy man of intelligence and not many in west can clearly understand many connotations of his life political, spiritual or religious unless the significance of many spiritual and religious practices of the East can properly be understood (check out Richard Grenier's `Gandhi nobody knows' for a shining example). Even many in east really have no deeper understanding of some of these practices such as Brahmacharya, religious fasting, kundalini, higher consciousness, enlightenment etc., and without such knowledge a proper understanding of Gandhi is ever going to remain as a distant dream.

Gandhi once told that he is a politician masquerading as a saint, but the history shows the other way. For millions of people in India he was a saint and messenger sent by god down to earth for the welfare of millions of half-naked, ill-nourished millions of poor people of India who soil and toil in the hot sun to make a living. Gandhi miserably failed wherever he mixed religion and politics. For congress members, he was a political poplar without whom they knew the congress body would cease to work as a political mouthpiece of India. Shirer's book gives many accounts of incidents and events supporting this very fact while he was in India. In many ways Gandhi could only be seen as a saint than as a astute political, by his principles and teachings, way of life and his adherence to the teachings of Geetha and Ramayana. But what makes Gandhi different from other saints was his novel idea of putting the working mind of a saint into practice (not without failures) instead of letting it rot by the carefree life in the hermits. For his mixing of politics and religion, he has given this statement, "But though by disclaiming sainthood I disappoint the critic's expectations. I would have him given up his regrets by answering him that the politician in me has never dominated a single decision of mine, and if I seem to take part in politics, it is only because politics encircle us today like the coil of a snake from which one cannot get out, no matter how much one tries...Quite selfishly, as I wish to live in peace in the midst of a bellowing howling around me, I have been experimenting with myself and my friends by introducing religion into politics". His intention was never to establish a theocratic nation though he often spoke about `Rama Rajyam'. A more detailed discussion of this topic is beyond the scope of this review.

Though Shirer could not agree, or rather not understood Gandhi on many topics, he learned from him among many other things that a man can be a man even when he disagree and love has a prominent place in all kinds of relations including in politics. One could surprise how a few months of acquaintance with Gandhi could create such a lasting impression on Shirer. He later said, that was the power of love and truth. Even when mesmerized by the powerful character of Gandhi, Shirer was able to keep the very delicate balance between admiration and adoration, may be that was demanded of him by his job. Years later, when in America, hearing the news of the assassination, Shirer seemed to have lost that balance and only then he started seeing the real meaning of `Gandhi'. In the later years of his life, while writing this memoir, he was pondering over how helpful were his teachings for him at his life's many precarious moments. What attracted people towards Gandhi, as Shirer correctly pointed out, was his warmth in relations, his genuine openness and simplicity.

Not knowing much about Gandhi, I decided that this brief book would be a good place to start to learn about this great man. I was not disappointed. I was very moved by Gandhi's story. I was shocked by the brutality of the British administration (such as the infamous crawling order). Gandhi's philosophy of non-violence, his acts of disobedience (such as the Salt March), and his speeches and negotiations in defense of complete independence and Indian unity inspired and excited me.

Of course, there is a lot in the story that is sad. I must be naive because I was quite disappointed to learn about Gandhi's personal limitations (such as his sometimes disrespectful treatment of his wife, his issues with sex, and his dismissal of the Hebrew scriptures - all minor in the scheme of things.) Of course, the strife between Hindu and Muslim is tragic and continues to plague India and Pakistan.

A moving reading experience. Highly recommmended.

It is with great sadness that I see that this tour de force memoir is out of print and has limited availablity. I had purchased my copy on the street never even imagining that it was hard to find.
It is impossible to do justice to this remarkable book in such a short space, but the author, the famous William Shirer, wrote this memoir some 50 years after he had met Gandhi as a young American reporter in India. Looking back over a lifetime, this book is his attempt to understand Gandhi in a larger context as a great yet humble man whose radiance, powerful intellect, and superhuman courage not only changed the world but also redefined the power inherent in the human spirit. I found the account intensely moving especially in its tragic ending. Not just because Gandhi's life came to an end at the hand of an assasin, but because his victory itself was bittersweet. His dream of a united India ended in the creation of two seperate states - something Gandhi had bitterly opposed. And although independence had been won through nonviolent means, that same independence engendered an unbelievable bloodbath. In finishing this book, one can not help but be struck with a sense of wonder that the human soul is capable of the greatness of a Gandhi and that, despite the greatness of the players, history itself must go its own way.
In short, I found this book to be both riveting and emotionally powerful. It was an absolute joy to read and I hope some day it once again becomes widely available.

It is one of the most amazing historical ironies that the one of the most non-violent independence movements in history became one of the greatest bloodbaths when the colonial power left. Once Britain relinquished power over the Indian subcontinent, hundreds of thousands of people were killed by their fellow citizens of the former colony. Ultimately, three different countries emerged from the British colony of India, and two of them, India and Pakistan, remain enemies and may go to war at any time. Mohandas Gandhi was the leader of the independence movement, and he lived non-violent civil disobedience with his every breath. In many ways, it seems inevitable that he too would also be a victim of the violent birth of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
William L. Shirer was a correspondent who spent a great deal of time in India in the early 1930's, and this is an account of that time. He spoke extensively with Gandhi and had a great deal of interaction with the other principals of the Indian independence movement. Clearly, Gandhi was a great man, and the circumstances happened to be right for a non-violent movement to be successful. Even though the British could be brutal, they were ultimately civilized enough to allow it to work. If Gandhi-like tactics would have been used against people like Hitler and Stalin the results would have been different.
Shirer clearly was impressed by Gandhi, his political astuteness and his understanding of the people of India. Fortunately, this does not blind Shirer to Gandhi's weaknesses. While Shirer does give an accurate, interesting and journalistic account of Gandhi's actions, he also explains some of the problems and how people in the independence movement like Jawaharlal Nehru at times grew very frustrated at Gandhi's ideas. With the advantage of historical perspective, some now argue that Gandhi was also bad for India, in that he never seemed to grasp the underlying religious and ethnic hatreds among the people. That is very clear in this book. He also did not grasp the need for a modern infrastructure, as his daily spinning of cloth really did not do anyone any good.
After reading the book, I did come away with some new perspectives on Gandhi and what kind of man he was. Humble, yet well aware of his significance in world history, he can be admired for the principles that he held so strongly. Some say that he died for them. I respectfully disagree, as I believe that he would have been assassinated no matter what philosophy he had expounded. Such was the violent nature of the birth of the nations that arose from the British colony of India.
William Shirer was one of the best journalists of the twentieth century. He was present at many of the greatest historical events and his descriptions of them are some of the best journalism the world has ever seen. This is another in his list of literary accomplishments.