Lopez Books

reading this book will surely improve your race driving technique and make you a more intelligent race driver. As the other reviewers have mentioned, this is *the* bible of race driving technique. Books like Ayrton Senna's Principles of Race Driving and Alain Prost's Competition Driving may have more flashiness and glamour, but Going Faster! is the reference textbook you'll be grabbing from your bookshelf regularly if you participate in HPDEs or autocrosses. There is no substitute for track time, but understanding the physics and theory behind car control and the real world racing line will help you avoid making time-wasting mistakes when you are actually on the track.

Even if you don't race and the closest you get to motorsports is the TV remote, this book will give you a better understanding of the technical nuances involved and make for a more enjoyable experience.

I bought this book prior to attending the Skip Barber Racing School, and it was the perfect preparation. The book goes into far more detail than the actual school has time for, so by internalizing it before attending the school, you are well prepared to put the theories into practice.

If the book has any flaw at all, it is that it treats race car driving like something that can be approached completely mathematically. When you're in a real car, instinct, courage, and judgment still count for a lot.

Going Faster is the recognized authority on the subject, and it might never be surpassed. It gets quite technical at times, and bears re-reading as one gains race experience. It is a bit too much for spectators, but for an ambitious racer, this book and seat time can take you to the winner's circle.

If I had one book about driving to recommend this would certainly be it. Skip Barber managed to cover pretty much every aspect of how to drive fast around a track in step-by-step, clear and easy to understand fashion. The book is well ilustrated and well structured.
I personaly haven't taken classes at his school, but I'm pretty shure that all the knowledge he tries to pass and his method are put down in words in this masterpiece. It's the closest from a racing driving class you can get without actually driving around a track with an instructor at your side.

From what I've read so far, it is a great book which covers the aspects of "Going Faster" (whad'ya know?) More theory, rather than dealing with the hands-on-at-the-track-i-need-to-make-sure-the-car-is-running-before-i-go-out, part. Great for people (like the book says) "who want to get into racing or want to appreciate more of what the pro's do when they're spectating from the stands. I haven't read Speed Secrets yet, but from what I read from the reviews, it should be similar.
Compared to Secrets of Solo Racing (which I have read), there's much more useful information for me, because it has more material covering driving rather than covering the entire autocrossing experience (volunteering, clean up, what to take to the track...you can get this from your close autocrossing friends. So focus on driving well with what you have).
All in all, main point is, great book if you want to learn how to drive fast.

Very well written. My husband and I have both read this book. I have given two copies of this book as gifts and the recipients have also expressed their appreciation for the book. The two gift recipients, my husband and I are are musicians and have a deep appreciation for the depth of this story.

I heard about this book in the NAMI "Advocate" magazine. I was NOT disappointed a bit--this is a realistic portrayal of life as a supporter of an individual living with chronic and persistent mental illness. I've been a professional in mental health services for more than 12 years, and one of the most difficult realizations to come to is that you can't do it for someone else...you can't wish for it hard enough, run interference long enough, or care enough to "fix" what we as loved ones perceive as "problems." We must be careful of our value judgments. Nathaniel is a man to be admired because he never gave up. Mr. Lopez's involvement in his life gave him something we all need--a human connection--and both benefited in the long run.

The Soloist is a poignant journey into the harsh world of a brilliant and talented homeless musician whose story will pluck at your heartstrings.

Through the very compassionate and capable voice of Steve Lopez, the reader is led into a world of stunning surprises and shocking insights into the very real domain of mental illness and homelessness where doors are opened and scenes displayed with unrefined veracity.

This novel seems to beg to be read as a clever work of fiction...however it is far from fictional!

This is a true story of amazing strength and of the careful 'baby steps' required to navigate the delicate emotions that continually thunder inside the heads of the mentally ill... and to walk beside a man of enormous talent who is also afflicted with schizophrenia; living on the streets of Skid Row while creating beautiful music for all around him to hear.

Nathaniel Ayers once had a brilliant career ahead of him in the music world and was a stand-out student at Julliard.
Everything changed as his slow descent into mental illness evolved and one day he found himself on the outside desperately seeking the comfort of the euphonious chords that sweetly sooth the scattered thoughts of his present-day schizophrenia.

Nathaniel worships Beethoven as he pushes his shopping cart full of instruments and his survival cache through the streets and tunnels in the slums of downtown Los Angeles.

The chance meeting of Nataniel Ayers and Steve Lopez is what makes this startling story and the friendship that is formed fills the novel with charity, empathy and grace.

This novel will change how you look at the mentally ill and homeless around you forever....Mr. Lopez has helped to shine a bright and fresh light on the 'stigma' of what we call madness.

With true compassion, we see how delicate the path to well-being can be and learn the deeper meaning of "There but for the grace of God go I"

Thank you Mr. Lopez...you really DID make a difference!

A long title gives a good summary of what's inside. Lopez, a long time columnist for the LA Times, happens upon a homeless man playing a violin with only two strings, and is moved by the man's obvious talent. Thinking this man's story could be a good column, Lopez embarks on a journey to uncover the soloist's identity, and in the process, becomes a friend to Nathaniel Anthony Ayers, who once studied at the Cleveland Music Settlement and Juilliard, only to be derailed by the onset of schizophrenia in young adulthood.

Ayers' story is fascinating and heartbreaking - the desertion of his father, the alienation from the rest of his family as he rebels against hospitalization and the mind-numbing medications of the 1970s - but the love of music keeps Ayers alive and fighting to hold on to his patch of Skid Row. Lopez's articles spur an outpouring of gifts for Ayers - violins and a cello from generous donors, and offers for help from local mental health outfits; before long, Lopez is learning much from various psychiatrists and social workers about Nathaniel's disease and finding ways to cajole the soloist back into contact with the world.

It is a long process, and the book spans two years of encouraging steps forward and frustrating backsliding, but Lopez and the gifted musician from Cleveland both gain so much. For Lopez, especially, the relationship opens the door to greater insight and compassion for Ayers and for others like him. It's a touching story of an ongoing and complicated struggle, and one that sheds light on the shadowy world of the mentally ill.

Not so much in book form -- On second thought, I take that back, I think it could be a very compelling story, that's undoubtedly why they're making a movie out of it, right? -- BUT, personally I didn't find Mr. Lopez to be a very compelling writer.

I'm sure plenty other people have gone over all the odds and ends of the book, and I'm sure it's safe to say they did it better than I could do -- but the fact of the matter is(at least in my case), here is this very weighty subject matter and the writing feels as empty as a drum, Mr Lopez simply got lucky and stumbled upon a story that even if you are a second rate writer, you would most likely have success--seems it deserves better -- three stars, ah well...

Although I admit I intensely disliked certain parts of this book ( I won't spoil the book by saying which ones) I loved the language and the gritty description of life in north philadelphia. Although, I also believe that the author doesn't capture enough of the community. He doesn't mention enough the close-knit relationships and the welcome embrace you will recieve no matter your background. This book highlights a problem in the city that can have consequences like what happened in the novel. However, (stepping on soapbox)I don't believe they are going about it the right way and police officers, especially, are taking their rage out on bystanders and people that live in the neighborhood. Don't terrorize the citizens, because you have a score to settle!

this is one of my all time favorite books. the story is so engaging and it takes you on a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from pure laughter to genuine tears. the writing is so detailed and accurate, i swear you don't read this book - you see it. the images are simply etched in your mind. all the characters are rounded real people, each with his/her own unique personality and motives. you feel all of them, you relate to them, and you carry them with you long after you finish reading this book. Lopez doesn't adorn nor judge his characters; he tells it like it is, and that's what makes this book so intense and whole. an extraordinary work.

got there on time but the case was broken. did you warn me about that? i don't remember. sometimes the tape skips too, but i enjoyed listening to it

I recently attended a graduate class and heard this novel being discussed by high school teachers. Though the content and language are not appropriate for me (el ed), I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a consistently engaging read. I also saw many levels in the characters, and loved the foreshadowing and imagery. We live about 45 minutes away from Philadelphia and I was curious to see how much truth to real life the text was. I saw some reviews that claimed the book portrayed violence to an extreme, not surfacing the goodness of the city. Local news broadcasts reveal deaths and muggings daily. So, the reasons for the violence may not be the same as in the book, but I suspect it's not too far from the truth. For me, the goodness and beauty of the city developed through the characters. In reality, I would love to see someone do the bodies on the streets, every big city needs a wake-up call for peace and nonviolence, and sometimes nothing says that better than a visual. This is a book I highly recommend and will read again.

Steve Lopez has a straightforward storytelling style that manages to come up with interesting metaphors, images, and symbols without going overboard as too many contemporary literary writers do. The dialogue is accurate and the characters are truthful, and the story is riveting. Other 'hip' writers like Jonathan Lathem or Rick Moody have been acclaimed for their baroque, hyperrealist style that is supposed to awe the reader into something like a 'wow, that is SO original and unique.' But the minutae of everday life these more 'acclaimed' writers weave into their stories can get downright boring. I mean who needs to read a two-page description of a 10-year old examining the cracks in a sidewalk square in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn (that's the sort of stuff I did as a kid, but if someone found the process interesting, I'd tell him or her to get a life). Unlike such neo-baroque ventures, Third & Indiana places basic situation, interaction, struggle, tragedy and character--first: to give the reader time to consider not just the writing but the story. But since the literati get a bang out of arcana and cleverness, books such as this one will not get the credit they deserve for a long time.

Eric's writing is simply amazing. He digs down and finds different ways of expressing his emotions.

If you're into music, and enjoy honest, easy-to-read writing, this is the book for you. I read it on recommendation from one of my HS students, and read it in about 45 minutes - it was a great way to pass the time in the airport!

After months of harassment from Eric via MySpace, I finally quit drinking long enough to set aside some money for his book. (Just kidding.) Anyway... I am really glad I did. Coma Therapy is the first poetry/prose book I have enjoyed in a very long time. I truly appreciate the honesty of the work, even if it were to turn out it isn't all truth.(Thank you, James Frey, for making me doubt every autobiographical account that is published.) I don't care at this point, because this is a collection of poems and stories that can affect the reader. I was reminded of the late Jim Morrison's poetry, only Coma Therapy is more intelligible and you can even read it if you aren't in a Hunter S. Thompson-like haze. (The lack of lizard-king repetition is also a plus.) With each page, I was drawn further into the text. It all seemed so personal that I felt like I was reading a journal without the author's knowledge and wanted to absorb as much as possible before he walked in the room and caught me read handed. It takes a very gifted writer to let their guard down and write with such candor. Victorino does not censor the text for fear of an outsider's judgmental prejudice. I only wish I possessed the courage to write without inhibitions, as Eric Victorino has been able to do in this book. In conclusion, thank you Eric, for constantly reminding us on Myspace about your book. I just started reading it for the third time. My favorite pieces include: "first kiss girl", "sweet, cherry red", "it's a people business", and "one of the most terrible things I have ever done (and a great friend.)" What am I saying? They're all friggin' good. Just buy the damn book and support a talented writer and musician.

I read this book for two reasons: The first of which is that I am a fan of the musical group "Strata" in which the author, Eric Victorino, is the lead singer. The second being, Eric personally asked me to read it..and being an artist myself constantly yearning for a greater audience, I decided I would help him pay the rent by buying a copy. It wasn't that spontaneous however, I started reading my friend's copy...and after the first two poems I decided that a great piece of literature such as this deserves a place amongst my shelf of classics.

It is written in a very artistic and impressive way that reminds me of Jack Kerouacs revolutionary spontaneous prose. It is metrical in yet lyrical...prose in yet romantically composed as poetry. I can safely say that I was intrigued 100% whilst reading the entire book and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone, reader or not. You don't need to be a performing artist to feel emotion when reading this, but it helps.

Coma Therepy is written very well. I couldn't put it down when I was reading it. I felt as if I was living in the stories.

In perhaps the most comprehensive autobiography of a gymnast on the market thus far, Kerri Strug details her life as an elite gymnast from her early memories all the way through the 1996 Olympics. Younger gymnasts (upper elementary school/middle school aged) will be able to understand the book, but the ideas contained will appeal to older readers as well.

Strug addresses her success, her aspirations, and most importantly, the difficulties of competing at the elite level. She talks openly about her eating disorder and problems with coaches. Strug also makes it clear that the person who pushed her hardest was her- not her parents, or her coaches. While Bela is known for pushing his gymnastics, Strug lets it be known that he never pushed her too far, and that it was her idea to perform the second vault.

Strug also addresses something that all gymnasts will understand: the frustrations. Not getting a certain score, not qualifying for something, or simply not progressing skill-wise are all common frustrations that any gymnast experiences. Most gymnasts will appreciate knowing that other people have gone through what they are currently going through. This is a great book for someone who is already familiar with gymnastics.

I do gymnastics and love to read about is so this book is great for me! This book is full of pictures and useful information. It has from when she was a baby to when she stuck that wonderful vault. If you are looking for a good gymnastics book or just a good book I would buy this one. If you do buy it I hope you enjoy reading it like I did!

Before I read this book, I didn't really know much about Kerri, except that she had hurt her foot doing a vault at the Olympics, and had somehow become America's darling.

But after reading this book, I now know Kerri for who she is: a marvelous gymnast who was always in the shadows and never seemed to pull everything together during competitions. How she came so close to making the All-Around competition in Barcelona, only to be edged out by .14 of a point.

This book will make you laugh, cry, and wonder how she could come back after injury upon injury and still continue gymnastics. This book will tell you about her joys and triumphs, and her defeats and despairs.

Since I have read this book, Kerri Strug has become my favorite gymnast, not just because of what she did at Atlanta, but what she did to get there. I promise you, if you read this book, you will be left with a profound respect of the girl who could continue on, despite the pain and setbacks.

My only recommendation is read it!

I really enjoyed reading Kerri Strug's autobiography. Her legendery vault, the Yurchenko with a one-and-a-half twist, helped the USA 1996 Olympic Team win a gold medal! I really thought this was a terrific book. Kerri talks about her triumphs, struggles, victories, experiences and so much more. She tells her complete story, starting from baby years, all the way up untill after the 1996 Olympic Games. Her story is a great inspiration to all gymnasts. If you enjoy gymnastics or are a fan of Kerri Strug, then this book is a must-read!

This is definitely the best gymnasics biography I've read! In this book, published right after the 1996 Olympics, Kerri really opens her heart to the reader...we learn about her passion for gymnasics which started at a VERY young age, her progression through the sport, what it was really like training under Bela Karolyi, and about her family. One thing that impressed me about Kerri was how she is truly self-motivated...I think many gymnasts are pushed by parents living their own dreams through their children, but this was NOT the case with Kerri. It was refreshing to read of the loving, supportive family she has, and how completely sane her parents are (as opposed to other gym parents we've heard about, like in "Little Girls in Pretty Boxes" which I also think is an important book). I think people who are THIS driven, as Kerri is, are incredibly rare...which is why she flourished under Bela's harsh training instead of cracking like so many other girls did. She is honest about the often-times brutal training under Bela, but obviously loves and deeply respects both him and Marta and she gives them credit for contributing to her successes. There are great photos included of Kerri through the years. Awesome!!

I bought this for my daughter - it was perfect. I didn't want a book on growing up or how to date. Just this one subject. My daughter is small for her age and also a bit immature due to some hearing problems when she was younger. So all of her friends have already hit this milestone. This book was great and helped her tremendously. We talked and talked about her first period, but being able to look at the book over and over again really helped her. She has now hit this milestone and survived it just fine! A great book and highly recommended.

I thought the book was well written. My daughter is 8 1/2 and was very interested about the subject of Menstruation. We read it together and I felt it gave her all the information about growning up without the "sex" part.

I purchased this book for my 12 year old daughter. It is an informative book with some monochromatic illustrations. I also purchased "Ready, Set, Grow". My daughter's opinion is that "Ready, Set, Grow" was an easier reading style, more colorful and more fun to read. I have to agree with her. I also enjoyed reading the other book more than this one.

I would recommend this book, but if you're only going to buy ONE book, I'd recommend "Ready, Set, Grow".

This book is very simple and straightforward. I read it before I gave it to my ten-year-old daughter and it really touches on points that I didn't think to touch on with my daughter. My daughter read it and she loved it. She said it made her realize that she is normal and that everything she's thinking and feeling is NORMAL. It didn't give her so much information that she was overwhelmed and confused either. It simply goes through what is happening to her body now and nothing more. Thanks for a great guide!

My mother got this book for my younger sisters when I was 14 or 15, long after I'd started my period. But I still learned a lot from it. Reading accounts of how different girls/young women felt about their menstrual cycle was especially reassuring, since I felt "weird" about how painful and heavy mine was compared to that of other girls my age. I wish my mother had bought it for me when I was much younger, since I had many misconceptions about what a period was! A very subtle yet readable book, without "gross" pictures (has simple sketches instead). I also like that it doesn't talk down to young girls as if they're "just kids"; has a very respectful, reassuring tone that delivers what you need to know about your period when you're in middle school or junior high. Doesn't get into sex ed at all, so you can save that info for another book!

After watching the adults use the classroom, full-sized SEE Dictionary, the students started doing it to look up words they didn't know in their leisure-reading books (they figured out how to do it all by themselves). We gave the books to them in their end-of-year gift bags and the books were a HUGE hit. They are perfect little mini-versions of the full-sized book. LOVE them!

If you're looking to learn SEE (Signing Exact English) then go no further. This book really has it all. A better way of signing then ASL in my own opinion because this teaches all the proper uses of the language, and in turn shows in writing and such. Good sized images for each of the signs.

i loved the book very conveient i would recomend this book to the big one any day.....

This book is extremely helpful and very well made. It definitely helps out those who are trying to learn sign language but need a little extra something. I strongly recommend it for beginners or anyone who needs a quick resource from time to time. Definitely worth the money

This is a great signing book for adults. some of the actions are a little tough even for me to be sure on. But gives you pretty much everything you need.

I dont want to ruin the book for you. If you loved the show then buy the book. I got it for my wife as a birthday present. Enjoy its funny.

This book is super fun! It has tons of awesome details about the writer and the story's background. Lots of pictures from the show. And I really enjoyed reading the whole script! It's all in here! From "It Sucks to be Me" to "You Can be as Loud as the Hell You Want" to "For Now"! The entire script is there so you can make sure you didn't miss anything from the show!

The only problem with this book is: you may be picking monster hair out of your mouth when you read it! This book is super hairy! But it's all part of the fun!

After seeing the touring version of AVE Q, I had to get this book. It has become my favorite show ranking over Phantom of the Opera and Les Miz. (I nerver thought that would be possible.) The book is colorful, full of fun information and most important the full text of the show. Lots of pictures and interviews including other casts besides the original Broadway cast.

As for the mentions of the orange fur shedding, I immediately sprayed both covers with a couple coats of hair spray and it has not shed at all.

Only fault I have is the book was published before the tour so no pictures of that excellent cast headed by the wonderful Rob McClure.
Don't wait BUY THIS BOOK!

Fun and whimsical, this book servers as a great "coffee table" companion to the play itself. It contains the usual info about the creation of the show and its original cast, as well as the full script. If I've any criticism, it's with the "furry" orange cover, which, though fun, tends to shed.

The show was great - the book is wonderful with the lyrics and such. The key downside to the book is that it sheds.

Trisha Howell's children's books are always layered, with the sweetest stuff underneath the froth on top. Kids will love the "princess" and identify with her rebellion against changes outside her control ... doesn't that happen to every kid? And the sweet, humorous resolution will bring a smile to the face of every reader. Highly recommended.

My kids love this book!

This book is gorgeous! Trisha Howell did a wonderful job, writing a short meaningful children's story about 2 dogs that rings the importance of sharing and loving each other. All book lovers and parents: I highly recommend you get this book!

And by the way, the quality of this book is super. You should buy it just for the art!

Zev Saftlas, Author of Motivation That Works

The Princess and the Pekinese was a delightful book. My children loved the surprise of who a main character actually was. They performed a magical puppet show based on the book. I know when a book touches my children because it brings out wonderful creativity in drawings or activities they do afterwards, and this book definitely did.

Princess Lillian is a regal little Yorkie who is at the center of her family's love and attention. Then they get a new puppy, and she cannot stand the attention he gets -- or gives her. So she runs away. By the time she returns, she has learned to appreciate the blessings she has.

This is such a beautiful book, from the story to the illustrations. If you have ever had two (or more) dogs, you appreciate the complex relations between them. They truly have their own personalities, and their own objectives. The relationship between Princess Lillian and the Pekinese rings true.

For anyone -- dog lovers or just lovers, of all ages -- this book will touch your heart. And when you read what inspired Trisha to write this story, it will move you.

This is a Trisha Howell classic. Like all of her books, it presents life in its whimsical and glowing aspects. I have enjoyed reading it to several children.

What's really terrific about this book is the way that it sets the story of Van Meegeren's forgeries within the personal biography of the forger and the history of the period. In fact, I'm starting to think that this is the way that art should always be looked at, because I suddenly saw these fake Vermeers in a completely new light. I've heard people ask how anyone could have been fooled by these pictures, but through really simple side-by-side comparisons, the author makes it totally clear that the paintings really looked like the pictures that people of the time saw around them. So Van Meegeren's early forgeries (which look a LOT like real Vermeers) also resemble movie posters from the 1930s, and his late forgeries (like the famous one he sold to Hermann Goering) resemble Nazi propaganda pictures.

As a side note, I also just want to say how impressed I was with the way that the author clearly did a huge amount of research, but made the book a really engrossing one to read. None of that academic stuff that you find in a lot of books about art. But at the same time, treating the subject in a very serious way. And it's a very serious topic. Van Meegeren held truly despicable fascist beliefs, and his forgeries expressed them.

I found the book totally eye-opening. I definitely recommend it!

I like mysteries, intrigue, politics, and history. I picked up The Man Who Made Vermeers because it was one of the best sellers in my local bookstore. One of the salespeople told me that customers who read crime fiction had been buying it, and I can really see why. The book presents an excellent understanding of Han van Meegeren, the Dutch artist who sold a fake Vermeer to Hermann Goering during World War II.

It turns out that Van Meegeren was a fascinating figure--much more interesting than I would have thought. Because Van Meegeren had fooled Hermann Goering, he became a hero in the Netherlands after the war and he presented himself as kind of a patriot. But it appears that swindling Goering was more or less an accident. Van Meegeren didn't have an axe to grind with Goering. In fact, he had been an admirer of Hitler and fascism since the movement began, and had even painted work on commission for the German occupying forces.

What you really get to see here is the criminal mind at work. While other books about Van Meegeren have taken his story at face value and presented him as a hero, Lopez convinced me that this man was no hero at all. The book offers real insight into the psychology of a fundamentally duplicitous individual who capitalized on one of the darkest moments in world history...

Nicely told, and the story's completely new to me. Gives very nice historical background details and good observations and comments on paintings. Excellent historical photos illustrating the text. Fun book.

I like to read widely in non-fiction, especially in art history and history, but I'm no expert; so I often consult the reviews of other readers. In that spirit, I want to recommend this book I recently finished.

The Man Who Made Vermeers tells the story of an ingenious art forger working in Holland prior to, during and just after World War II. I bought this book because I enjoy reading historical biographies, particularly of "unknown" people living during times of momentous upheaval.

Van Meegeren's life is fascinating and the author of the book gives his readers keen insight on the artist-forger's motivation, mindset and aesthetic savviness. But, reading this book has left me with not only with an interesting biography to consider but also with a far greater appreciation for the political context of life in 1930's-1940's Europe.

For me, it's Lopez's ideas about how forgeries generate their own appeal to their contemporary audiences and how an individual's political ideology pervades his actions and words, regardless of what might seem to be an apolitical activity - painting forgeries for money. The author's analysis provides a lot of meaty food for thought about politics and societies more generally and I look forward to any other books Lopez might write.

Finally, I want to add that the author's congenial writing style made this book a genuine pleasure to read, so even if you aren't sure you are interested in Dutch art history, you will definitely enjoy the experience of reading this book - and come away wiser for it.

Jonathan Lopez presents an insightful look at the mind of Han van Meegeren, as explores his Nazi sympathies, manipulative tendencies, and general deceitfulness. Lopez seamlessly weaves the story of Nazi rule in the Netherlands, and the tale of World War II, into van Meegeren's biography. While Lopez's work is certainly scholarly, I did not find it to be "above my head" (as an individual without a strong background on Vermeer and Dutch painting in general) nor, frankly, was it "dumbed down" for uneducated readers. In short, I highly recommend this book; it is a page turner from beginning to end!