Morrison Books

I didn't know any significant HTML prior to using this book. This book is a great starting point and will give anyone enough background to put up a pretty good page. I feel like I have gotten a good grasp of HTML from this book and now feel like I should branch out into Javascript to develop my pages further.

Oliver & Morrison offered good advice on what to do and what not to do when designing a webpage, and they also explained why they make those suggestions, which certainly assists in making later judgement calls on topics they don't directly address.

I would also recommend O'Reilly's HTML/XHTML book, which has come in handy in clarifying a few points. However, this book is sufficient for anyone looking to put up realatively simple pages and is easier as an introduction (and more motivating) than O'Reilly's book. That is, buy this book first and buy O'Reilly's book if you have a desire to learn more about HTML.

Having been out of web Development for a couple years, I needed confidence that my basic understanding was up to speed. This book HTML and XHTML in 24 hours, brought me up to date rather quickly. It provided the foundation that I needed both to build some basic web application prototypes, and to be able to begin reading more specialized books on Web Development. Specifically books on CSS.

This text will not make you a wizened internet programming guru... but it doesn't pretend to do so. What it does promise, and deliver, is a solid grounding in the creation of basic web pages. The book starts with the absolute basics; nothing is assumed. Finding someone to host your web site is covered, as is the creation of files using the Windows Notepad text editor and the uploading of files onto a web hosting computer. And, of course, there's a tremendous amount of detail in creating web pages.

It's important to note that there are two approaches to creating web pages today: you can create them by hand, using XHTML code written with a simple text editor like notepad; or you can use a web page authoring package, such as DreamWeaver or FrontPage. Using a program like DreamWeaver (most agree its the #1 program of its type) will allow you to create web pages much more quickly than by hand coding them; and unless you have an innate skill as a design artist, they will likely look better than something you hand code.

On the other hand, you'll never have a clue about how the code actually works, if you don't learn XHTML; and so you'll never be able to modify it. You'll be stuck with whatever the web authoring package can do for you. And there's also the cost factor: web authoring packages cost several hundreds of dollars, but notepad is free; it's part of the Microsoft Windows operating system. (Macs have a similar built in text editor.)

Most internet pros can do both; they regularly use DreamWeaver as a production tool, but know XHTML so that they can quickly modify what the program generates when the need arises. On the other hand, amateurs building simple web pages probably would never be able to justify the cost of a full blown web authoring package, so learning XHTML makes perfect sense.

Either way, learning XHTML is an appropriate way to start your web page building education; and this book is the perfect way to do so. Having read several books on the subject - including some thousand+ page hardcover whoppers - I can confidently state that this book does a spectacular job of teaching you exactly what you need to know. It gets right to the point, and quickly and simply teaches the core material. All the fluff is gone; everything in this book is solid. There's thorough coverage of graphics, animated graphics, even some javascript. There's a lot of reference to readily available tools on the net, and some indication of how they might be used. I was particularly impressed with the clarity of the instruction; the book does a spectacular job of identifying and teaching exactly what needs to be taught, while deftly avoiding extraneous discussion. Most universities don't provide a quality of instruction as crisp and as easily followed as that contained within this book.

So what's missing? Not much. There's no coverage of Flash to speak of, or CGI scripting. I didn't see any mention of secure HTML, so you'll need more than this book in order to start processing credit cards, or conducting commerce. And a few of the web resource links that the author provides are dead links, and haven't worked for years; they should have been caught during the revision process.

But these are mere quibbles; make no mistake, this book gives you an awful lot. If your desire is a really good book that starts right at the very beginning, and gives you enough knowledge to build really good looking web pages from scratch... then this is your book. If you want to set up a simple web page for yourself - or an informational web page designed to promote your home business - this is a great text. And if you plan on persuing a career as a web page developer, but have no previous knowledge of web design or HTML... then this is a great book to start with.

The book is now in its 6th edition, and that says a lot; publishers won't revise a book with poor sales. For a computer book to be revised and released 6 times is a dramatic testament to its popularity, and inherent quality. I can only think of one other book on my bookshelf - Muellers' Upgrading and Repairing PCs - that has shown such a continuing popularity level.

When you invest in this book, you get a lot of value. When you've learned and applied everything in this book, you'll be able to create extremely good looking and well written informational web pages from scratch, without having to rely on a web authoring package; and you'll be completely prepared to learn the intricacies of Java, Flash, and CGI scripting, if you so choose. However, probably 90% or more of the people who read this book, will never need to move beyond it.

For most web pages, this book is all you'll ever need.

I have been using a canned program to manage my company's web site, but I wasn't always able to do fine tune the pages the way I wished. So I decided to teach myself HTML. Working through this book, I was able to learn step by step how to design pages and manipulate the images and text. The book is very clear and concise and the exercises the author gives at the end of every chapter are extremely useful.

Best computer related book that I have ever read. I was somewhat familiar with HTML concepts, but never created my own web page. The lessons are organized well and are so easy to follow! They even go over applets, Active X, and JavaScript. Awesome, awesome book.

Terribly interesting. I got it especially for Gen.P.Orridge's essays. It's also got a great Crowley section and a nice piece on John Dee. This is both a great collection for seasoned occultists and magick enthusiasts and an excellent launch pad for those delving for the first time. Enjoy!

Because I consider it my duty to buy any book with the words "Magick" or "Occult" in the title, I picked this one up against my better judgement. On the whole, my initial fears were that this would be cartoonish, poorly written and obtuse. Even the name, cribbed from one of Aleister Crowley's works, worried me. That being said, I am very lucky that I purchased this book anyway.

Richard Metzger, the compiler and editor of this collection, has done the occult world a great service by bringing together this series of articles and publishing them in one soft cover. Containing the works of authors such as William S. Burroughs, Aleister Crowley, Anton LaVey, Timothy Leary, Donald Tyson and Robert Anton Wilson, this collection isn't any sort of theoretical discussion of magic. What you'll find here instead is a series of examples from fairly famous people who have actually practiced magic.

Many people who've been practicing or living magically for some time will still have a lot to learn from this book, just as I did. The examples are eye-opening in some cases, and at the very least thought-provoking in others. I often found myself saying "Wow... I've never thought of doing it THAT way."

My only real objection is the heavy emphasis on the use of illegal and illicit drugs. I understand that the use of these substances has been linked very closely with the occult, especially in the United States, but the way this book seems to promote the use of these substances upsets me. Still, there are enough examples of magic without drugs to satisfy my tastes.

All in all the book is very well put together, with a lot of detail, good editing and nice illustrations and pictures. I whole-heartedly recommend it to students of magic from intermediate to advanced. Beginner's might want to get a little more grounding before experimenting with some of these ideas, though. Good luck!

If the occultophobes of the world had any sense, they would leave the Harry Potter series alone and forget all about it. THIS is the book they should be trying to burn.

Book of Lies: The Disinformation Guide to Magick and the Occult is a collection of essays and articles by leading voices in the occult world. A total of 40 written pieces take up roughly 350 pages here. A small sampling of these includes Phil Hine on magickal initiation, Donald Tyson on the Enochian Apocalypse, and Boyd Rice on the connections between the Biblical Leviathan and the mythic Dagon.

An entire section is devoted to the infamous Aleister Crowley, his life's work, and those who took his ideas and ran with them. Fiction writer Grant Morrison (The Invisibles) delivers his philosophy on modern magickal practice as a lifestyle. Erik Davis discusses the fiction of H.P. Lovecraft and its significance to the practicing occultist. Tau Allen Greenfield debunks the popular history of Wicca, and P.R. Koening exposes the fraudulent "Caliphate" Ordo Templi Orientis.

This book reprints an interview with late Church of Satan founder Anton LaVey by author/musician Michael Moynihan (Lords of Chaos, Blood Axis) and Dr. Stephen Flowers's essay "The Secret of the Gothick God of Darkness." Only Robert Mason's article on the "Ahriman Consciousness" seems strangely out of place; it reads more like a vaugely Christianized version of David Icke's conspiracy theories than the work of a practicing magician.

Be advised this is not a "spellbook" as such; a few articles give practical advice for starting points and point the way to futher study, but the book as a whole is an exhibit, not a seminar. But it's a very well-assembled and stimulating exhibit; read it to learn, evaluate, and be inspired.

Young readers or newcomers to this area of interest may be surprised to learn here there is much more to the world of magick than astrology, Wicca, and themed-deck Tarot cards. This book is a joy in that it not only acknowleges the existence of a darker, more volitile side to the occult, but gives it legitimate coverage beyond a cursory two-sentance summary in dismissive, generalized terms. This is not commericalized, superficial reading. No Three-Fold Law. No love spells, vampire poetry or tips for naming your "familiar" (cat). This is a challenging and colorful showcase that gives a small sampling of the forbidden knowledge shamans of the Lost Age knew firsthand and embroyonic quantum science is only beginning to point to. Get your copy now... before the book burners do.

"Richard Metzger opened the drug fetus's industrial BDSM play into the abolition world and transplanted the era respiration-byte sending program of the acidhuman body encoder to the digital chimpanzee's cerebral cortex." - Kenji Siratori, author of Blood Electric

This book, unlike Metzger's MISERABLE TV series is a joy to have. If you are a person open to the idea of alternate realities then you will find some of the best speakers from that fringe world here. You should not think of this as a typical "disinfo" offering such as "You Are Being Lied Too". This material would more easily be imagined as a series of essays along the lines of subject matter Robert Anton Wilson might discuss. Much of it deals in one way or another with magick and alternate mind states.

ESPN always puts out a good almanac, and this is of the same quality of years past. It provides data for the past year for all of the major sports (baseball, football - college/pro, basketball - college/pro, hockey), plus racing, soccer, amateur sports, world sports, and some business information, too. It's nice that it provides a lot of historical data, too, single-season and career records. It's probably not the guide if you want all of the historical baseball information ever (or something like that for any other sport), but it's authoritative in its scope of all sports.

Like any almanac, the yearly data quickly ages. I suppose I would rather them carry data for the 2000-01 NFL season, for example, rather than the 1999-2000 season, but I suppose that given the continuous nature of the sport seasons, they have to make a trade-off for one sport.

It's very good; I highly recommend it for any sports fan with a knack for trivia or who frequently finds themselves asking (or arguing) about records and statistics and superlatives.

This is the best sports almanac you'll ever find! It is full of interesting facts about every sport and all the information you'll ever want to know. I highly reccomend this book to anyone who likes sports.

When it comes to sports, the letters that come to most people's mind are ESPN. Those letters have stood for sports for the last two decades. And the Sports Almanac delivers, every year.

This book is for everyone from the casual sports fan to the stats geek. It covers all sports. (At least every one I could think of!) For the amount of content and the price, you can't beat it!

I own a world almanac for knick-knack arguments and discussions, but I have found that when I am locked up in a heated sports debate, there is NO SUBSTITUTE for this book! It's the best! It's easy to read, and it has info on all of the sports that I care about (and even on some sports I could care less about!). It not only covers the pure stats of the games, but it also covers some facts about the arenas in which they are played! That, coupled with the in depth and far reaching historical material that it houses make this indespensible for the avid sports nut!

ESPN has shown the world once more that it is the beginning and end of sports information. Every sports fan should have this reference, as even the most avid fan will marvel at the breadth of knowledge contained in this must have publication.

Maybe only a great character actor could write about a great American character with such warmth and passion. Maybe it's because Richard Kiel spent over a quarter of a century in putting this story together. No matter the reason, KENTUCKY LION is truly a grand story. The characters come alive in this womderful piece of story-telling; even if it wasn't 95% true, I feel like I got to know Cash. I can't wait to see the movie!

I just got a copy of this book and upon opening it I could not put it down. Richard Kiel has done an astounding job of recreating in colorful details the life and adventures of this true gentleman. It is a page turner indeed! Once you start it you will see just how wonderful it is and just how hard it is to put down. I highly reccomend this book to anyone and I truly believe it should be included in a list of mandatory reads. There is much to be learned from this book. The authors have done an astounding amount of research into the life of this greatly overlooked individual. Richard and Pamela have created a true gem with this book. A masterpiece telling of the true life of Cassius Clay. A++

What an incredible account that until now has gone uncovered! The astonishing true story behind the Cassius Clay story. Captivating and enlightening read.

Excellent...This is a must read. This historic american novel will make a great movie or mini series for television. Richard Kiel and Pamela Wallace tell the life story of Cassius Clay with passion, romance and intrigue. I started reading this on my flight from California to Texas and could not put it down. The history that was researched for this book is truly amazing. It's a great story of a great american hero.

Kentucky Lion: The True Story of Cassius Clay
This is an amazing book about one man who would not give up his fight for something that he believed in, despite many things being thrown in his path. Once you start reading it, you will not be able to put it down. I had never heard the name 'Cassius Clay' before reading this book, and now I will never forget him or the story of his life. It's definitely a book that everyone will find interesting given the many aspects of his life that are brought to life throughout the pages of the book.

A definite MUST READ!

Dorothy Morrison knows her stuff. This book is chock full of down to earth usable advice. A nice break from the new-age garbage that's recently been flooding the market! A must read for anyone wishing to clean up their life and find a mate!

I loved this book! It was a nice addition to my collection. Worth the money.

Even if you don't practice magik, this book is full of good practical advice for finding a great partner but also for being a great partner. However, I have myself found the spells included to be extremely effective as I have with all of Dorothy Morrison's work.

This is a great book. The rituals really work. One little quibble, though -- in the second ritual, she says to throw your stuff (including clothes) away and bury it. Why not advise donating it to the homeless instead? There's enough garbage in landfills.

I don't think that donating your useable stuff to a charity would make the ritual any less effective. In fact, it might even make you feel better about yourself, which is the whole point of the ritual anyway.

Within reading five pages of this book it was very obvious to me that Dorothy had obviously reached inside my head, jerked out every thought, idea, and opinion on love I've ever had, then proceeded to scribble them down on paper. I was honestly amazed at how much our views are similar.

Whether anyone is searching for their perfect love or not, I would definitely recommend this to anyone and everyone, if only to give them a chance to recognize how propoganda from society has affected us, but also, to combat it, which will hopefully make you a healthier and happier person in the long run.

She doesn't come across as a preachy "Here's my advice!" type of author. She actually gives practical advice, but also ways to use it and take an active role in your love life. These aren't just pretty words and philosophies on paper, but a working book for those who wish to work towards a life filled with love, of all kinds.

Her experiences have clearly not been great in love in the past, which is perfect since who wants to take advice from someone who hasn't had a rocky love life? She's been there, I've been there, through this book she will definitely attempt to get you through the maddness that is love to a place where you can be at peace and content with a successful love life.

I happen to know C++ and this book is quite useful for learning Java, or at least understanding any given Java program. For each Java construct, the book tells what the equivalent C++ construct is or whether it exists at all. In some cases, it also goes the other way -- for each C++ construct, the Java equivalent.

It also covers some Java libraries and briefly outlays applets. There does not seem to be any coverage of servlets or server-side programming.

As good a reference as it is, it seems to be missing some things, most notably initializations. There are pieces of Java code I've seen something like:

subr1(new Foobar {blah(){foo;} blah1(){bar;}});

i.e., a class (Foobar) is being initialized dynamically before calling a function subr1(). The exact circumstances of initialization of variables and dynamic classes are not covered at all in this book.

Other than that, this book is great.

I picked up this book on a whim, thinking it wouldn't be as good as Java in a Nutshell or Core Java, both of which are excellent books in and of themselves. Surprisingly, this contains a condensed version of most of the information of the above mentioned books. It lacks the extended examples of Core Java, but to a good student and intelligent reader, missing out on a few examples won't break your education.

And like JIAN, there is a good amount of reference material in this book, not with the extended detail of JIAN, but enough to get by most of the stumbling stones one encounters while programming.

As a student, I can only carry so many books in my backpack; when I'm programming in the university labs, I want concise and useful as my qualities. At home, I have my Java reference library (CJ, JIAN, etc.), which I consult when I'm at a quandary; for portability and my lab work, this book is the Swiss Army knife of references, one that I carry regularly, and one that can solve about 75-80% of Java problems I encounter.

I picked up this book on a whim, thinking it wouldn't be as good as Java in a Nutshell or Core Java, both of which are excellent books in and of themselves. Surprisingly, this contains a condensed version of most of the information of the above mentioned books. It lacks the extended examples of Core Java, but to a good student and intelligent reader, missing out on a few examples won't break your education.

And like JIAN, there is a good amount of reference material in this book, not with the extended detail of JIAN, but enough to get by most of the stumbling stones one encounters while programming.

As a student, I can only carry so many books in my backpack; when I'm programming in the university labs, I want concise and useful as my qualities. At home, I have my Java reference library (CJ, JIAN, etc.), which I consult when I'm at a quandary; for portability and my lab work, this book is the Swiss Army knife of references, one that I carry regularly, and one that can solve about 75-80% of Java problems I encounter.

I picked up this book on a whim, thinking it wouldn't be as good as Java in a Nutshell or Core Java, both of which are excellent books in and of themselves. Surprisingly, this contains a condensed version of most of the information of the above mentioned books. It lacks the extended examples of Core Java, but to a good student and intelligent reader, missing out on a few examples won't break your education.

And like JIAN, there is a good amount of reference material in this book, not with the extended detail of JIAN, but enough to get by most of the stumbling stones one encounters while programming.

As a student, I can only carry so many books in my backpack; when I'm programming in the university labs, I want concise and useful as my qualities. At home, I have my Java reference library (CJ, JIAN, etc.), which I consult when I'm at a quandary; for portability and my lab work, this book is the Swiss Army knife of references, one that I carry regularly, and one that can solve about 75-80% of Java problems I encounter.

I picked up this book on a whim, thinking it wouldn't be as good as Java in a Nutshell or Core Java, both of which are excellent books in and of themselves. Surprisingly, this contains a condensed version of most of the information of the above mentioned books. It lacks the extended examples of Core Java, but to a good student and intelligent reader, missing out on a few examples won't break your education.

And like JIAN, there is a good amount of reference material in this book, not with the extended detail of JIAN, but enough to get by most of the stumbling stones one encounters while programming.

As a student, I can only carry so many books in my backpack; when I'm programming in the university labs, I want concise and useful as my qualities. At home, I have my Java reference library (CJ, JIAN, etc.), which I consult when I'm at a quandary; for portability and my lab work, this book is the Swiss Army knife of references, one that I carry regularly, and one that can solve about 75-80% of Java problems I encounter.

I love Scott Morrison's writings. I have found him to be truly committed to living in the now and manifesting Unconditional Love. I learned a lot fomr reading this thin volume.

On the other hand, I myself find it difficult just to "let go" by telling myself to "let go." Telling myself to be committed to living in the present moment has not caused it to happen in my life so far. In that sense, this book might either be:

A) An introduction to where you want to go i.e. creating your destination
or
B) The last step in the journey - when you are the precipice of arrival.

On first reading, I did not see any point in the book. This prompted me to read it again, to take a second look. This time I appreciated its content, and the continuity of thread of thought.

I felt that the title did not truly reflect the content. There was not much which takes or directs one to the Now, as grand as the title sounds.

There are no new ideas. The treatment of various topics is more basic. 'Clarity of Motive', 'Clarity or onepointedness of mind', and 'Clarity of View' i.e 'go ahead and be what you already are' - form the main analysis and prescription of the author.

Page 39: " True love is, in fact, what you discover you are, the instant you cease to be preoccupied with yourself as a separate entity with its endless ambitions, problems and worries."

Page 44: "To be enlightened is to be unconditionally intimate with this moment. There is no other time or place to give yourself, totally, to all that is."

Page 45: "If you are willing, completely willing, to let go of every thing you think of as "yourself" and "your life", to bring it all to an absolute STOP, right now, then something profoundly sensitive and beautiful will be free to reveal itself."

Page 51: "If you completely abandon your compulsive preoccupation with your mental/emotional versions of yourself, with their endless ambitions and the constant flow of problems that arise because of them, it's an absolute shock !"

Page 58: "The way of Realization is not difficult. All you have to do is open your eyes ! If you allow yourself to see things as they actually are, without confusing yourself with prior opinions, every thing will be clear and freedom will be everywhere."

Page 75: "Question to the core this fundamental assumption: that there is a separate "you", as pictured or heard or fantasized or remembered in your mind, and that "he" needs to be improved, because he is somehow incomplete or unacceptable."

Page 76: "If you are willing to accept yourself and your life so thoroughly, such that "you" are no longer an issue, all seeking, all searching, all longing will cease. (And even if it arises again, it will be seen for the sham that it is.)"

. . . is all the help one gets about the practice/technique for Realization.

The chapter on 'How delusion works' is a helpful tool to understand the mental prosess of individual self.

In a way, the book teaches the same conventional do good and be good lesson, and some vertically typed lines - what people call as poetry. It only says that without taking things for granted, please see every thing afresh, and you will discover 'something'.

I happened to read 'As It Is' by Tony Parsons, just before this book. I read it twice and hope to read it several times more. 'As it is' seems to be more helpful teaching, as it seems to present some conclusions and techniques directly. Also, 'Consciousness Speaks' by Ramesh Balsekar will make a better reading. Probably one can read "There is only now" as a preliminary preparation to "Consciousness Speaks" or "As it is".

This book is an intellectual discourse on someone's view of religion but a guide for people having personal spiritual experiences. I loved the book. I would also recommend the book An Encounter With A Prophet for the same reasons I appreciated this book

This book is as warm as the sun on a hot summer's day and as refreshing as a breath of fresh air. Finding peace, happiness and balance in one's life is not easy these days, but this author has brought some very important messages to the forefront and written a book that both inspires and teaches. The thoughts and words will cause readers to do some serious soul searching about who they are and where they are proceeding on life's path. "There Is Only Now" is a book well worth reading and definitely worth a five-star-plus rating.

I imagine that it must be so difficult to write a book about how to live in the present moment because the mere act of trying to live in the present moment takes us away from it. Despite this difficulty, this book does an admirable job in helping people understand this and eventually "know" this in their hearts. I must admit that just reading the book was incredibly soothing to me. This is a great book if you feel like you could use some help on your path to the spiritual goldmine many people talk about. The book that I presently like the most on this subject is "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone truly interested in personal growth and happiness.

A very interesting look at the Washington D.C. music scene of the late 1950's early 1960's with memories shared by those that knew a young Jim Morrison.

I've read a number of Doors books and whenever they talk about his school yrs I often wondered if anyone would investigate it. This book covers Jim's High School yrs from 1959 to 61 graduation. Some of these stories make sense to a number of antics Jim has later done as a rock star. I remember reading that Jim would just leave The Doors for days & no one would know where he ventured. Jim as a 17 yr old done this as well. Plus talking to his high school friends about faking his death. No one ever remembers Jim even talking about forming a band or shown any interest in rock music. Besides influences of philosopher Nietzsche, French poet Rimbaud, British Poet/artist William Blake I liked the chapter that talks about Jim's books and favorite authors like Kafka, James Joyce, Camus, and the Beat Generation Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg to name a few. They also list some the of titles w/ a brief discription. Very interesting to see where Jim got his influences.

WOW! Mark Opsasnick's new book "The Lizard King Was Here..." is by far the
most scholarly and erudite book on Jim Morrison yet! So much factual
never before released information on Jim's life and times in Alexandria,
Virginia that it boggles the reader's mind. One on one interviews with
dozens of Jim's former high school classmates and exhaustive research has
opened a whole new wonderful vista on Jim Morrison's life before he turned
his attention to the west and LA and his cofounding The Doors in 1965.
If you are a Doors fan or not this book is required reading! Puts to shame
all the other efforts by dubious authors to get to the psyche of The
REAL Jim Morrison. If you read this book you will come away knowing a lot
more about Jim than you ever thought you would. The book is packed full of
details about Jim and his Alexandria milieu that will keep you turning the
pages for more and more. This is a FUN book! Rare photos too! Add it to
your library today! This IS the real deal!! I'm on my 3rd reading!!
-Richard Castleton,VA.

Many of Jim Morrison's influences have been well documented: the French symbolists, James Joyce, the Beat writers, and the 1960s Los Angeles scene. Still, there are gaps in understanding his terrifying genius and talented rage.

Mark Opsasnick highlights the influences of one of the most misunderstood periods in Morrison's brief life, his high school years in the once-sleepy town of Alexandria, Virginia--right outside of Washington, DC. Opsasnick documents these influences with plenty of cultural history and numerous, skillful interviews with people who knew Morrison, or perhaps knew him as well as anyone did.

Unlike some other accounts of the band, the author's scholarship and attention to historical detail are simply exceptional. He is thorough, though never pedantic. Opsasnick, a talented cultural historian, makes these languid years return, alive again in all of their strangling proventialism. Yet he does this without bowing to cheap nostalgia or contemporary cultural haughtiness. He writes like someone who is intensely interested in his topic, the times, and his town. Maybe this is why this book book is so hard to put down.

Opsanick does not try to solve the mystery of who Jim Morrison "really was". (In fact, he lets the reader ponder a delightful new enigma as an epilogue.) Instead, he describes a key developmental period of a petulant introvert, who would later reinvent himself and shock the world. And in doing so, the author wrote an immensely enjoyable book for anyone with even a casual interest in the Doors, the DC area, or the cultural hollowness of the late 1950s.

First, I echo the comments from all the other 5-star reviews; they put it best.

Second, I have lived in Arlington/Alexandria since 1989 (with a short detour in the Army) and I am amazed to find that I have been to some of the same places that Jim inhabited while he was here. I never realized that I used to live just a few blocks from his high school, and used to walk through the same tunnel that was shot in his "PINMAN" movie.

More than just a story about Jim Morrison, the book is a story of DC/Northern Virginia in the 60s, and would give anyone (even a non-Doors fan) an informative cultural history of how our hometown has changed in the last 40 years. How did teens and young adults live before the Metro? What did they do for fun before they had the City Paper and the Internet to tell them what to do?

Some of the places described in the book (Harrigans Restaurant for example) sound like such treasured venues it's a shame that they're gone. I almost wish I never learned they existed, because DC lacks the lustre it once had.

If you are a Doors fan, you should buy this book. If you are a Doors fan from DC, you MUST buy this book.

I was dubious about buying this book, but I decided to go ahead and get it since I'm familiar with the author. I knew it wasn't something I would like myself, but figured my boyfriend would so it wouldn't be a waste.
After I got it I flipped through a few pages before my giving it to my boyfriend. Well why did I do that! I was hooked from the very first page.
This is really and truly one of the best books I've ever read.
It tells the story of Bumpy Johnson, the gangster who ran Harlem after fighting it out with the Mafia in the thirties. I had seen the movie Hoodlum, so I knew Bumpy was a colorful character, but the movie didn't tell the half of it. This books tells Bumpy's early life, how he turned to a life of crime, and the principles he had while in the life. He wasn't like the thugs they have out here now. He was tougher than any alive, for one. But also, as tough as he was (and he was tough!) he still was a good man in a lot of ways. That's why he was so loved.
The book tells about Bumpy's childhood in Charleston, his arrival in Harlem in 1919, and how he got started as a gangster. We also learn about a lot of the other colorful characters he ran with like Bub Hewlett and Madame Queen who were also portrayed in the movie Hoodlum, and also what eventually happened to them.
It also tells about Bumpy's time in prison, and how he raised so much hell there the wardens were trying to figure out how to get him the heck out of prison. Can you imagine that?
The book also tells about other Harlem characters who've never been written about. Like Dickie Wells, who was a gigilo who romanced white movie stars and got rich doing so, and then spent all his money uptown in Harlem, treating black women to a good time. He was a gigilo who never took a dime from a black woman but bilked white ones for all they had.
And the book also talks about Red Dillard Morrison, who was almost (but only almost) as colorful as Bumpy.
And the book gives an interesting history of Harlem that I never knew, and how the black people had to hire people like Bub Hewlett and Bumpy Johnson (they called them the Harlem Bad Men) to protect them from the whites who would come up from Hells Kitchen and try to break black heads. Bub really put a stop to that!
There's also great stories about Bill Bojangles Robinson, Lena Horne and others. And I didn't know that Bumpy was godfather to Sydney Poitier's oldest daughter. But with all that, Bumpy was still a bad man, and a colorful one that you can't help taking a liking too. He didn't smoke or curse around women he didn't know, but he would still shoot or cut a man in a minute.
Like another reviewer already said, the book reads like a novel, and a really good one. Even though it's more than 200 pages I flew through it and then was mad when I was finished because it was so good I didn't want to stop reading it.
I can't say enough about this book. Like I already said, it's one of the best I've ever read. I really, really, really recommend it to everyone!

This book is GREAT!. I love the way Bumpy Johnson's story is told from his wife's point of view without the book being all about her. Ms. Quinones-Miller is such an excellent writer that you forget while reading it that it is a non-fiction book. I read this book from the moment I got it until I finnished and I was not dissapointed at all. I suggest this book to anybody who loves BIOGRAPHIES AND URBAN FICTION. It is the best!!!

I really loved this Book.. After spending years searching for any information on Bumpy Johnson, I was excited to find that this book would be published. When I recieved my copy I read it in two days, and was very happy to learn about the "Real Bumpy Johnson". He was some man... The movie couldn't get it right, but this book certainly has... Congratulations to the author on a job well done...

Imagine sitting around on the living room floor in your grandmother's house, listening carefully as your grandmother recaps your family history. That is the feeling I got while reading Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson by Mayme Johnson and Karen E Quinones Miller.

Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was already making a name for himself. His parents, worrying about his safety, send him to live with his older sister, Mabel, in Harlem. This was the beginning of a new sheriff in town, and he meant business.

If loyalty is what you wanted; Bumpy was the man to find. Anything happening in Harlem had to be approved by him as well, and he never ever backed downed. Especially when he knew he was right. Though his main business was numbers running and protection, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison, on a drug trafficking charge. Something he did not see coming, for all of Harlem knew the type of man he was.

Mayme Johnson wanted to set the record straight about the type of man, her husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, was. The type of people he kept company with and how he dealt with those who thought they could bring him down. At 93 years-old her memories of the things which took place, from the time Bumpy was young all the way up until the day of his death, was impressive. Though she met Bumpy in 1948, he along with his true friends shared the events of his earlier days with her, as well as things that took place when she was not there.

Mayme Johnson and Karen E Quinones Miller cleared up a lot of falsified information in Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson. Sometimes they flipped back and forth within the timeline, but it was not hard to keep up with. The main thing I had a concern about was the lack of proper editing. There were numerous errors of all sorts. The binding was also an issue for me. I found it hard to hold the book comfortably. All and all I still recommend Harlem Godfather: The Rap on my Husband, Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson to anyone wanting to know the truth about the real American gangster.

Jennifer Coissiere
APOOO BookClub

Thank You Mrs. Johnson for sharing this true to heart story about Bumpy Johnson with alot of history intertwined. I looked at American Gangster and Hollywood have it all wrong. From reading this book about Bumpy's life, I feel that he helped pave the way and made Harlem what it is to this day, and his legend still lives thru Harlem. This story was told from his childhood years until his last days. I felt I truly knew Bumpy Johnson when I read the book, but while reading, I wished I had not only knew Mr. Johnson, but I wished only for a glimpse of The Harlem Godfather. This book is told thru his wife's voice, and it was no fairy tale, but it was told from the heart of a woman who loved him the most. I not only learned about Bumpy, but I learned about others such as Lena Horne, Bill "Bojangles", Lucky Luciano, Flash Walker (who Frank Lucas so wanted his life to be) and Billie Holiday. I was the most amazed at how a young little boy from the south that came to Harlem and took over. I also have to give Bumpy his credit whatever he went thru or did, he still loved his people and did his time like a true man and snitching wasn't even in his vocabulary.

Thanks Mrs. Mayme Johnson and Karen E. Quinones from setting the record straight for all of America. Thanks for educating me on a part of American History of Bumpy Johnson, and telling me a story that I will will always know who the real Bumpy Johnson really was from his start until that last tear from my eyes to the end of the book!! Bumpy Johnson, Harlem's and America's True Gangster R.I.P. !!

Jian Ping's memoir of growing up during the Cultural Revolution emerges from the beating heart of Jian, the youngest among 20th century Chinese story-tellers. As readers we shrink to the size of a speck of a child caught within a gigantic world of political tyranny and terror, uncertainty and helplessness. Jian does not let go of her reading listeners until they arrive at the other end of the Cultural Revolution, safe within her staggering story of survival.

A real page-turner...I couldn't put it down, I wanted to know what happens next. I knew nothing about the Cultural Revolution but now I feel like I beared witness to an extraordinary time and an extraordinary family.

A must read for those curious about what it was like to grow up in a Communist family and--surprise!---one that may shake some U. S. preconceptions. This is a compelling tale about growing up in a turbulent time in a family with strong bonds and values. This book will be enjoyed by young readers who likely will identify with the spunky main character/author and her questions about conformity and dealing with authority.

Jian Ping has provided to today's readers another remarkable and deeply moving account of a child's life in turbulent political times, an age in which innocence is routinely ignored and customarily battered, in which the child is witness to the cruelties and injustices of the world. The author is one of many talented writers who have become a chorus telling us what happened to them and to their families in China during the Cultural Revolution. This is not easy to read; the raw truth from a child often hurts the reader. The language here is simple and direct. Short declarative sentences, often stark along with pedestrian imagery add authenticity to the writer's tale. Yet Jian Ping's work is a labor also of love -- love for her self as a child, her parents, her friends, her generation. Her memoir is now available as an inspiration, a warning and a lament. I brought away from the narrative a certification for my own concerns and a feelings of how lucky I have been -- we in America have been -- in not seeing and feeling what Jian Ping saw and felt in her youth. I hope this is the first of many tales that will follow quickly from this writer. And yet if there is only this story from her, it will be sufficient. Mulberry Child should be read aloud to others and then read again silently to one's self. If should be read slowly so the words sink in. If should be read by the old and the young and by those in between. This is a remarkable and important account that artfully unfolds and seeps into the soul of the reader.

And it's a childhood most western readers could never imagine. Growing up in China's Cultural Revolution was an exercise in endurance, hardship, betrayal, and cruelty, but there's also a sense of adventure here, as seen through a child's eyes. Jian Ping is a born storyteller, building word pictures with simple, direct language and an eye for the telling detail. Her characters, including herself, are sometimes courageous, sometimes less than that, but they're always three dimensional human beings trying to cope with a world that has gone completely mad.