Peter Books

THE ARK is one of the best books ever written. It has a gentle power to it that makes me glow when I read it and re-read it. It is a story of rebuilding, of finding a new home and a new place to belong. Hope is what this book is. Hope for the future. The Lechows make the best of less than desirable circumstances, finding goodness everywhere they can. The characters are well-developed and real. They take you with them on their emotional journeys and they stay with you after you read the final page. This is a book that deeply touched me. Simply put, it is just Beautiful.

This gently-paced novel is a bit of a sleeper, but charming in its homespun simplicity. The first portion of the book describes the difficult and painful existence of displaced German families--unwelcome refugees in their own country. THE ARK was written to enlighten American youth about the horrors of homelessness, separated families and unreasonable prejudice. This book contains no battle memories or war atrocities, but proves that German burocracy is second to none.

Since Mrs. Lechow, a small seamstress, has four children to house and feed, we are not sure for the first 100 pages which of them is the protagonist, as in modern YA novels. Gradually the activities focus on the older teens, Matthias and Margret, as they are weaned from their two upper rooms in Parsley Street to a farm with real animals and crops. The book particularly chronicles Margret's transformation from gawky teenager (privately mourning the death of her twin brother) into a capable farm woman like her mentor.

Before the War the German Railroad had offered old passengers cars for sale, which Mrs. Almut had purchased but not really used. Now it becomes the perfect place for the Lechow teens and is promptly christened, THE ARK. But how can it become a real home--which Margret is sure she will never have again--with half the family elsewhere--including their father, a POW in Russia? Will Margret learn to live with her personal loss, yet not be scarred for future happiness? This is an introspective gem for those who appreciate the importance of holding on to Family and learning how to release past Tragedy. So relax and savor the slower pace, the quiet humor, the cycles of the seasons for two years, and the ultimate time of harvest for the soul.

I couldn't agree more that this book should be reprinted. I resurrected my childhood copy for my middle-schooler in need of historical fiction for a book report. She says that if you like animals, this is the book for you. The reviews which pre-date mine are all very accurate (although I think the story begins in Oct. 1945, not '46 and the doctor was conscripted in '43 not '44 -- it does take some careful re-reading to pin the details down). The best endorsement of this book is that I have transported it through my various moves in the past 40 years, just recalling that I had made up my mind a long time ago to never part with it, one of a handful of books that attained such status (Mary Poppins another). I read The Ark many times as a youth, and enjoyed it immensely again with my daughter after having set it aside all those years. It is a wonderful teaching tool for Post-WWII Germany because you are forced to open an atlas, and to examine the shifting boundaries of Germany over the period pre-WWI through modern times. Hesse was in the American zone, but some of Mattias' friends originated in the Russian zone. The treatment of the bombing of cities is not too gorey to frighten sensitive young ones, but gets the point across. The Product Description currently indicates a Kindegarten reading level -- this is incorrect. This is 6th - 8th grade material, and enjoyable for adults, too.

"The Ark" has to be one of the three best YA novels ever written about the aftermath of World War II (and Benary-Isbert wrote the other two as well). The Lechow family were never Nazis, but they got they swept up in events beyond their control. The father, a doctor, was apparently drafted in 1943 and sent to the Russian Front, where he was captured and sent to Siberia. The rest of the family has been forced to flee their home in Pomerania--not because the region has been returned to the Poles (Dr. Lechow often treated the poorer citizens of that ethnicity free of charge), but because it has fallen under Russian control and they're of no mind to exchange one totalitarian government for another. So, after nine months of wandering, they have come, in October of 1946, to the province of Hesse, where the Housing Office sends them to live in the attic of Mrs. Verduz's home at No. 13 Parsley Street. Oldest son Matthias, 15 1/2, who yearns to be an astronomer, finds himself working construction--though the job does lead to a firm friendship with musician Dieter and his band, the Cellar Rats. Little Joey, going on seven, has his doubts about the prospect of school, but it brings him a very special friend, the orphan refugee Hans Ulrich, and their "treasure" hunting in the old ruin leads to surprising rewards. Andrea, not yet ten, is the most resilient of the band (except perhaps for their hard-working mother): when she gets a scholarship to the lycee, she's happy. Margret, who will be fourteen in December, is the most deeply affected by all the changes they've endured: she mourns the death of her twin brother Christian and the family Great Dane, Cosi, who were killed by what we assume were plundering Russian soldiers, and the loss of all opportunity to fulfill her dream of becoming a veterinarian. Yet it's her love for animals that not only opens a crack in Mrs. Verduz's defenses but also brings the family to a new life at Mrs. Almut's farm outside the neighboring village of Hellborn. The author sketches each family member and her other major characters--Dieter, Hans Ulrich, Mrs. Verduz, Mrs. Almut, Marri the old "bee-witch"--lightly yet with consummate skill, making each a distinct individual, and portrays vividly and affectingly the hardships, and the underlying revival of hope, in post-War West Germany. It's a crime that this excellent book has been allowed to fall out of print--and that so many libraries are weeding their copies out. Get one for yourself while you can. Like all the finest juveniles, it's equally as enjoyable by adults as by kids.

This classic children's book uses The Odyssey and post-World War II Germany as its basis. The Lechow family (Mother and four kids) have been forced from their family farm with the return of German land to Poland after World War II. With their father still lost in camps in Russia and the death of a fifth child still fresh in their minds, the Lechows have finally found a place to call a temporary home. They are sent to an elderly woman's home to take two rooms and at first fear that the older woman will not accept four children in their house. Luckily she grudgingly lets them stay the first night and never quite makes it to the housing office to force them out, eventually coming to love them. The family needs to find work or schooling for all, Margaret needs to find a place for herself alone now that her twin is dead, and Matthias aches to become an astronomer one day. The children's love for their parents and each other comes through clearly but without a lot of sentimentality.

In the thousands of books devoted to the German National Socialist movenment and rule, this one holds some very important clues to two questions that have gnawed at us like relentless dogs since the close of this tragic story. The first question is how did the Nazi movement gain such an allegiance among the German people who seemed as civilized and educated and cultured as any in Europe and the second question is what was really the goal of the National Socialist German Workers Party. Why can we even think a book on art can answer these questions ? If this were some text rich academic dissertation then that would be a hard sell. But the author, Peter Adam, has used the visual media extremely well, working off the blackground of a BBC documentary. The hundreds of black and white and color illustrations tell us a great deal especially when combined with extensive contemporaneous quotations, primarily from the Germans who promoted and controlled art in the Third Reich.

This book helps us address the question of how mentioned above in a number of ways. By covering painting, sculpture and architecture in one text we begin to see the outlines of the alternate reality the National Socialist movement tried to construct on top of the German nation and state. Other aspects of this alternate reality such as the imagery of Zepplins, Mercedes and Auto-Union race cars, swift new ocean liners, and proud new battleships are not covered in this book but fit together in a way that was uniquely intentional. Every proud imperialist nation state of the 19th and 20th centuries had some sort of imperial style seen in display in the capitals and colonial outposts of its empire. Normally these characteristics developed over a considerable period of time. But Art in the Third Reich makes it very clear that in a few short years, from 1933 to 1940, there was an intensive and directed effort to completely control the visual content of life on a scale and with a commitment that was more totalitarian than even the efforts to do the same in the early years of the Soviet Union. This was absolutely part and parcel of the entire approach to social control in the new state that the Nazi movement was constructing.

The key to the new visual art of the National Socialist movement is made clear in this book. It was not the creation of a new and unique style of art. It was rather the selection of certain tendencies and sytles as mandatory and all others as forbidden. Naturalistic and representational painting that illustrated a certain ideal view of life was all that was allowed. Some of this work was "good" work from an artistic point of view, and some of it was not. But all of it served a purpose and that is why it was allowed. The quotations from the leaders of this effort make that entirely clear. The sculpture chosen was initially no more than conventionally monumental but crossed over into the collosal and the un-natural depiction of force and proud brutality combined with duty driven nudity. The architecture started off in conventional enough neo-Classical style and then became incredibly grandiose and even grotesque. There is good coverage of the pioneering multimedia efforts of Speer and Reifenstahl. The good news here is that you can look at this work in this book and draw these conclusions for yourself.

This brings us to the second question I mentioned above. What was the purpose of all this? The words of Mein Kampf have been buried beneath the natural redaction that occours because of our knowledge of the historical outcome of the National Socialist process. In these works of art the truth of the purpose can perhaps strike us more directly. I think a great virtue of this book is that it does so strike us or at least it struck me. From looking at the images it seems that the purpose of the National Socialist movement was in essence to create a society of clones. I say, in essence, since the scientific process was unknown at the time. But the uniformity of image, the positive rejection of diversity and individuality, the endless repitition of themes, lead to the conclusion that the Nazi leaders actually wanted a population of folk who looked and thought alike. The theme of Ein Folk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer was not an idle throw away line as the idea of Oneness was truly the soul of National Socialism. This was the purpose, this was the goal. The New Order was only for some. The art was to show us who those some were.

In the end the National Socialist movement cannot be finally judged by its actions, awful as they were. The 20th century was a time of willfull death and destruction without precedent in history and the Nazis and the German people were not the only perpetrators or victims. An overall judgement has to take in account the goal of the movement. If you read this book and study it carefully, I think you will see what the goal was and your own sense of moral purpose in the universe will have to guide you to your conclusion about it.

Both in responce to popular revulsion against modern 'art' and following in the footsteps of the Soviet Union to manipulate the arts to a political purpose nazi Germany launched its massive arts program covered in this unique and most insightful book.

For those interested in this subject this unique book is a must read. Especially since no other books on the subject are on the market and a number of websites have been forced to shut down.

For thos interested this book covers the nazi arts program. Some of the art created by artists Adolf Zeigler and Ernst Liebermann and various others is actually quite good but these people would have succeeded without this program. Much however is quite bad like politically correct art today, often the work of mediocre artists.

If anything, this book proves that Government and Politics should not be supporting the arts as they do not inspire beutiful things but rubbish.

The reviewer immediately below has raised a very troubling but quite accurate issue in relation to National Socialist art: much of it - particularly the sculpture - is quite beautiful by the standards of classical/Renaissance aesthetics. Can we separate the appeal of some of this material from the political regime which operated the factories of death? I think that we can and we must. Adam's book opens the door onto a forbidden chapter of art history, but one with startling implications for modernism. This book is the only basic, english-language survey of its subject. Sadly, much of the art Adam discusses was destroyed or remains inaccessible. I have had the great priviledge to have seen some of the works reproduced in this book on travels to Germany, and it possesses an undeniable power. My only criticism of this book is Adam's decision to treat the art of 1930's Germany as an anomaly in the history of 20th century art - ignoring the fact that these artists were enormously popular in their day, and neglecting to offer a comparison with the distorted visions of Weimar art. No historical phenomenon is without context. Perhaps the rejection of modernism characteristic of this period is not solely the result of a society descending into barbarism, but is indicative of some flaw in modernist culture. If you buy this book, you will be able to judge for yourself.

This is a remarkable book; 300+ pages of wonderful art - much of it censored today (hidden away in DOD archives in Washington DC).

Some of the art is clearly the propaganda of a powerful government. And some (the chapter of "Degenrate Art") is the propaganda of modern American elites. But most of this artwork is truely fine - and of a type no longer allowed to be seen anywhere.

In our modern age - where art is subsidized by the government and reflects the taste of elites - this kind of art is priceless for this is the art of the people. I was touched to tears by the loving caress of working folk and farmers in the painting of Adolph Wissel, Leopold Schmutzler, and Fritz Mackensen.

Also remarkable is the celebration of the human body as nature in ways that are simply not seen in Judeo-Christian societies like modern America - particularly in the sculpture of Arno Breker and Fritz Klimsch. So also the nod to non-Judeo-Christian spirituality that simply could not exist in a modern European society.

The author - Peter Adams - makes the required politically correct, anti-German statements - without which this book could not have been published and would never be sold. Ignore the text - look at the art.

Unlike the propagandistic "Degenerate Art" exhibit of a decade ago, this art will not be traveling to a museum near you. For that reason you MUST get this book. It is pricey - but it is priceless.

ART OF THE THIRD REICH is a fascinating book for several reasons:

1. First, it addresses a subject (painting, sculpture, and architecture of Nazi Germany) that has yet to be objectively explored by scholars (just try finding anything else about it, much less a volume of this quality). The Nazi era still provokes such an emotional response that it has yet to be seen in any kind of historical perspective. However, as time marches on, studies such as this one will become more common, as students of history attempt to understand the perplexing Nazi phenomenon.

2. Art was arguably more important in Nazi Germany than in any other regime in history. In fact, some scholars have argued that the entire social structure was based on the pursuit of an aesthetic ideal (see the film "The Architecture of Doom" for a presentation of this thesis). In other words, rather than Nazi-approved art being a reflection of the culture, the culture sprang from the artistic ideals of its founders. Much of the events of 1933-45 can be seen to fit this paradigm, and this book provides valuable insight into how those events were orchestrated.

3. No regime in history has used propaganda as extensively as Nazi Germany. All aspects of media, art, cinema, and popular culture were channeled toward advancement of the government's objectives, to a degree never seen before. Hence, this book provides a window into the period that will be useful for anyone wishing to understand how images can be manipulated...something that occurs all around us every day.

4. Finally, there is a great deal of magnificent art in this book, which can be appreciated as a distinct phenomenon from the regime that created or condoned it...just as works such as "Alexander Nevsky" are hailed despite their obvious origin as Soviet propaganda. While it is true that totalitarian government-sanctioned art often dips into mediocrity, that is certainly not always the case here. The art of this era deserves to be viewed in the context of the larger evolution of art in the twentieth century, regardless of the political/social "baggage" associated with it.

If you like to travel the back roads this is the book for you. It has excellent information, along with maps, GPS and history. Well worth the money.

I've got a lot of Utah guides but this one is the best by far. Very good maps at different scales. Trail diagrams with loads of point of interest. Detailed trail logs with turn by turn directions, scenic ratings, difficulty ratings. A great historical section about the people and places of Utah. This one has it all. We leave in one week!!

Backcountry Adventures are the best guides of their kind out there. Odometer references, descriptive text, and (especially) GPS coordinates make these easy and foolproof to use. The map and index for the respective areas, Southeast, Central, etc., make planning your route easy as the different routes are color coded with their page numbers referenced. Good sampling of human interest content also, giving some history, flora and fauna, and geology information.

My only criticism is that these guides should be spiral bound, and pages removable. This would allow the book to lie flat and pages and/or sections could be removed to make it more concise for use on a motorcycle or bicycle. These guides are the size of a mid sized phone book and are too big and heavy for anything but automotive use.

I have found this title to be very interesting, and very informative at the same time. It provides a great deal of background information and historical facts for each of the trails it details. The book also provides some historical and other information on the state of Utah, including info on the types of wildlife and plantlife that can be found in the different climate of Utah.

It includes many trails, all over the state. As the title suggests, mosts of the trails are ones that give you an alternate route, or backcountry route, to or through a city/town. The only reason that I didn't give it five stars is that I would like to see some more maps of the smaller, shorter off road trails in Utah.

Overall, this is an excellent resource to have, and I have found it very enjoyable. There are great trails and wonderful details in the book. I would say it is worth the buy.

We have used this throughout central and southwest Utah. It's great for finding that little known unimproved road you've heard about, or planning your trip, and most importantly for knowing just what you are getting into when you go through that cattle gate that leads away from the beaten bath. The trail ratings are accurate, the instructions clear, it lets you know whether there is a way back out, or if you need to be looking for a turnaround, and unlike the dude at the gas station, doesn't forget that you might need 18 inch clearance or a winch on this one. I recommend it highly, it can make the difference between an exciting adventure and a frightening ordeal

This is a beautiful tale. It takes a little getting used to at first because the prose is somewhat stilted and obscure...and then you are taken in, and the characters and beauty and tragedy all unfold. A classic.

This short book is about Mattis, a bit of a simpleton that lives out in the woods with his sister; Hege. They've lived this way for many a year and they are both in their 40's by now. Mattis has a hard time getting a job and getting along with others in their modernizing society of rural Norway. Then one day a big bird flies over Mattis' cabin, and he knows in his contemplative mind that "everything is going to change now, the bird didn't fly over my house for no reason". And bit by bit we get to know Mattis and Hege, and their life in the small cabin of the woods.

The book is just great, and it should not be read as a novel that glorifies simpletons, but simply a book that asks us to slow down and find that we as Europeans are still a part of an omnipotent nature. We are surrounded by so much marvel, we need a "simpleton" like Mattis to remind us that we are a part of the great whole. Highly recommended!

(I read a different edition of the book)

This is one of the greatest novels I have ever read in my life. It is deeply human. It tells a simple story of a man and his sister living in the wilderness of Norway. The man is somewhat of a simpleton -- but he is sensitive and reflective all the same. His sister is lonely...until a woodsman comes....
This is a classic tale, and I loved every word.

A masterpiece of Norwegian literature. It's an exploration of the boundaries between madness and "normality", and the story of a young man's sacrifice on the altar of common sense and social unwritten rules. How much reality can we stand before loosing our mind? And how much nature, with its power that dances on our fears and on our weaknesses. It would be a great book to read in the language it was written: a bodily and full consistent Telemark dialect. Something goes lost in the traslation, though it couldn't have been otherwise and the trans-cultural re-codificatoion must have been a hard work. I suggest this book to everybody, especially to those who sometimes ask themselves questions about life.

This book is so tender and sensitive that I could not read more than a few pages in one sitting. It is very simple and easy to read at the same time, but it is important to be concentrated when reading it or else the beauty might be lost.
I have read this book twice now, and I am sure I will read it many more times in my life. I can not say that about any other book.

This is the FIRST graphic novel to be published for the Kindle, and if BIRTH is any indication of what's to come in portable e-comics, then great things await!!!

This story of two alien societies is the prequel that sets the stage for the Novo: The Birth of Novo, from what I've read. I'll be buying Novo: The Birth of Novo in the very near future.

The story moves at a steady, even pace, not rushed or slow, and the artwork is stunning. I've written two ebooks on the subject of Kindle graphics (Graphics on the Kindle (Book 1 of the "Graphics on the Kindle" Series) and Formatting Comics for the Kindle (Book 2 of the "Graphics on the Kindle" Series). I've worked with MANY different artists in the past few months helping them improve their images on the Kindle, and I have to stay that this is the BEST artwork I've ever seen on this device.

ALTERNA COMICS should take a bow for taking the chance to be the FIRST graphic novel available on the Kindle, and for releasing such a well-done publication as the first of their many future Kindle ebooks. Their example should inspire and motivate other indie comic creators to follow suit and explore this emerging method of publication and delivery.

M Burgos,
Author
Graphics on the Kindle (Book 1 of the "Graphics on the Kindle" Series)
Formatting Comics for the Kindle (Book 2 of the "Graphics on the Kindle" Series)

I ordered this book based on the author's artwork he had done in another book. This book sat on my shelf for a couple of weeks before I finally go to it... this should have been at the top of my to read list.

This book doesn't contain a lot of dialogue and relies heavily on the artwork to tell the story, and it does so beautifully. A hint of sci-fi element but a definite parallel to the human race and how we treat each other. Blaming one another for our own faults and never taking responsibility.

I cannot recommend this book enough.

I'm ordering the sequel, 'Novo', today and I'll write a review for that one later.

The ultimate cautionary anti-war fable, blending fantasy and sci-fi elements into something wholly its own. Bracco's art is jaw-dropping eye-candy, and the story is a fantastic mesh of text and visuals. This is a tale made to be a comic - it'd be extraordinarily expensive as a film, and perhaps overly didactic as pure text, but as the graphic novel BIRTH, it's pitch-perfect. It's got style, atmosphere and ambiance to spare. And it's very intelligent and imaginatively executed. A book worth your time and money, no doubt whatsoever.

FYI - while BIRTH is entirely stand-alone, it also serves as the prequel/prologue to the new ongoing grpahic novel series Novo Volume 1: The Birth of Novo, which is also one incredibly conceived comic. Bracco's the next Frank Miller, Erik Larsen, Doug TenNapel, etc. Mark those words.

I love the story, which relates to us all in some period of our lives. I love the artwork which details strong, confident lines, I look foward to the continuation which has endless possibilities. I thoroughly recommend this to everyone who can truly stomach real life, ok maybe real life in another dimension or world, but real life indeed. This is not your ordinary comic. Check it out!

i had so much to say about this amazing graphic novel, but lucky for me the two reviews already here sum up everything i was going to say! this book is different from anything i have seen in a long time, possibly ever, and i think it also bridges successfully that gap that usually lies between fantasy and sci-fi works! i think it would appeal to fans of both types of writing and art!

Thoshinsky executes a beautiful photo essay. Gritty, funny and remarkably touching. A brief and privileged glimpse into a world rarely experienced or understood by those outside law enforcement.

"The truth is most people don't like the police. They need 'em. They just don't like 'em." Peter Thoshinsky examines the delicate and brutal world of the San Francisco Police Department in his book, Blue in Black and White, sharing pictures he has taken over his 25-year tenure as a cop. These stark, graphic images show San Franciscans from all walks of life, fighting, demonstrating, and pleading to be released from their handcuffs, and always close by is the officer who has to deal with the civilian's actions. Each subject is treated with respect, no matter the crime or event shown, and Thoshinsky writes free verse and prose poems next to the shots explaining the unseen or unknown, giving the reader a window into a world few rarely see.

The subject is San Francisco and the boys and girls in blue who walk her streets, but the book transcends location. Market Street, 200 Leavenworth, Broadway, Union Square, North Beach, Candlestick Park, and McAllister Street all make appearances to remind us where the pictures were taken, yet the reader gets a sense that these images are everywhere, in each skid row alley of every great American city, and these are the men and women who risk their lives for their job. Capturing the mixed emotions most officers feel protecting citizens who also despise them for who they are, the book humanizes the police force for those who have never understood the weight that goes with the occupation.

Peter Thoshinsky investigates the realities of homelessness, mental illness, drugs, and cops' use of force with the integrity of someone who is there firsthand, and he wrestles with the truth and justice each officer tries to bring to a workday while trapped under a hot Kevlar vest, badge, radio, belt, and ammunition somewhere below the San Francisco skyline. He tells us that the police remind themselves every day, "That could be your brother, sister. Given a change of fortune, that could have been you." Thoshinsky reserves judgment of the characters he meets on his beats, and instead captures their portrait with a sense of anticipation, the reader left curious what happens next in the scene. Blue in Black and White educates with cop lingo like "B Caper," "Four Boys," and "Hondels" and memorializes fallen officers with a picture and a line or two in their honor.
This pictorial set in San Francisco shows the heart of the city and the people who live in it and protect it. It is accessible and moving for both officer and civilian, honestly examining the lives of the police as they move from the academy to the streets. The reader comes away knowing more about what it means to be in the line of duty performing a job no one wants to give credit for.

Blue in Black and White is a photography book of San Francisco's law enforcement officers, by police sergeant, experienced photographer, and native San Franciscan Peter Thoshinsky. Each two-page spread features a black-and-white, larger-than-life photograph of people keeping the peace on San Francisco's streets on the right, and a brief poem, caption, or insight on the left. A moving and unforgettable visual tribute, as well as a window into the daily routine of a difficult yet rewarding public duty.

Ever been curious about what it's like?...

Have a friend or family member who is one of 'them'?...

Think you already know what this calling is all about?...

It often seems impossible to express just exactly what it's like. With simple, stark and poinet photographs, as well as sparse, direct and accurate words, Pete Thoshinsky's, Blue in Black and White, comes about as close as one can.

Short of donning armor, girding weapons, and riding thanklessly into harms way in defense of others everyday, this is as close as you are going to get.

Thank you Pete,
Oro en Paz, Fierro en Guerra!

One of the most interesting things about loving books is that one never gets to the end of ideas for them. While there are indeed mountains and continents of sameness that can be safely ignored, one should never get blasé because someone will always find some way of surprising you and giving you something fresh to look at. I am not saying that in the history of printing there has never been a book like this one, but it is a very fresh look at something I have not seen.

And what is that? You say that it is just another book of pictures of cops? Well, it is a book of pictures of cops, but there is a big difference. This is a book of pictures of cops TAKEN by a cop. What difference does that make? Because we see the police officers the way a man who knows them and knows their job sees them rather than the way we usually see them depicted on TV and in the movies. We learn which assignments the cops like, which they don't, what some of the problems are, and even the tedium of the job.

Peter Thoshinsky was on the "Tenderloin Task Force" of the San Francisco Police Department. He shows us cops on the job and provides captions that help us appreciate the pictures. Some of the captions are merely informative, some are insightful, some are funny or ironic, and some are touching. And they all enhance the photographs.

I was particularly struck by the caption for "The Good Son"

Cop: "When was the last time you spoke with your father?"
Son: "Well, I call him every Sunday, `ya know, just to make sure he's ok."
Cop" "OK"
Son: ... "and so when he didn't answer the phone on Sunday, I thought something might be wrong".
Cop: "Yeah."
Son: "Yeah, so I come over and I found him dead just like that."
Cop: "So, when you called your dad on Sunday he didn't answer?"
Son: "Right."
Cop: "You must have been worried?"
Son: "Uh-huh."
Cop: "Today is Thursday."
Son: "Uh-huh."

Or the next picture of a female arm with wrist tattoos in handcuffs entitled "Tattoos and Bracelets".

Or: "The first rule of police work, the very first rule. Everyone lies. "I ain't got nothing officer, I swear it". See rule number one.

There are dozens of more like this. Fresh, insightful, and even touching. Not only for the cops (one picture is of an old women in a wheel chair flipping the bird to a cop), but also for the lost souls who are so lost they see the cops as the enemy rather than someone trying to help them (few people see being taken into custody as a help).

Very much worth having and lingering over.

A male calico so rare that most veterinarians have never seen one - "Cats are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics" is an examination of the strange and off biology of the feline species which work apparently quite a bit differently than that of the common pea. In a second edition, the first published sixteen years ago, is newly enhanced with a lengthy addendum covering all the new discoveries and advances in the study of feline genetics and so much more. "Cats are Not Peas: A Calico History of Genetics" is highly recommended to community library pets/wildlife shelves with a focus on animal biology and for anyone who may be interested in breeding cats or just a plain interest in cats period.

If you love cats, you will love this book, and want to share it with others. Laura Gould has written the charming, witty, delightful story of her male calico cat, George, and his feline pal Max in their California home. That alone would have been a wonderful book. But aren't all calico cats female? The vet turned pale upon seeing George, obviously male and obviously calico. Gould intersperses George's' life story with her own investigation into how he could have come to exist. This makes a gentle, funny, and accurate introduction to genetics, including side trips to libraries with insane librarians preventing the books from being used, to theories of sex before the discovery of genes and DNA, and to rare Japanese sources. Cat lore, history and science are beautifully balanced in this book. The second edition brings the genetics up to date, while keeping all the charm of George. A superb read!

"Cats are Not Peas" by Laura Gould is remarkably well written, and manages to be both very funny and very accurate. Laura discovered that George, one of the two cats she got from the animal shelter was both undeniably male and undeniably a calico. But calico cats are always female, according to legend and some vets. So how did George come to be? Laura's investigations began with the vet who turned pale, and included a charming series of adventures with cats, libraries (with the occasional librarian whose duty it was to prevent books being used), investigations into the history of genetics (thus giving the book its title), and Japanese newspaper archives. This is no dry scientific tome. In fact, Laura's search for an explanation for George is tightly interwoven with delightful stories of George (and his companion, Max) at home in the California hills, blistfully oblivious to their mistress' task, and coping in their delightfully feline way with their unusual environment. I've already bought 6 copies of this extraordinary book for friends and relatives...

I found this book quite by accident but it was exactly what I was looking for. Not only did this book share my love of cats and interest in calicos but gave a clear and easy to understand explanation of calico genetics.

Best explanation of the calico phenomenon I have ever read. SHe explains the basics and the history behind the rare male calico in a clear and enertaining way. The lessons on basic genetics as you go is a unique way of presenting things.

As a longtime Sampras fan, it was a delight to get my hands on this book. I could not put it down. Pete was -- and still is -- a class act. It was like a trip down memory lane reading about the matches I had watched so closely growing up. It was so nice after all these years to hear his thoughts on the game, his peers,and life in general. My only complaint? After reading this book, I was wishing I could turn on the tv and see him tearing it up on the court. How I miss the days when Sampras ruled tennis. To me, he'll always be the best tennis player of all time.

Pete Sampras was not just a great tennis player. He is one of the classiest athletes to ever compete in big-time professional sports. The fact that he was polite, soft spoken, and exceedingly decent probably reduced his overall fame and appeal in this strange upside-down celebrity culture of ours. We should all appreciate athletes like him when they come along.

I highly recommend this book, not just for tennis fans but for everyone. It offers a peek inside an amazing career that was not only high-pressure and often filled with glory but also totally dependant upon hard work.

Sampras may not have been flashy but he was the real deal, a talented player who worked harder than most of us can ever imagine. His reward is a legacy of both class and greatness.


--Guy P. Harrison, columnist and author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God

I have always been a Sampras fan and thought he got a bad rap as being "too dull" when how can excellence be dull? It was so good to be able to read something more personal about him as he lets us into his life, finally. He tells us what he was feeling and what it took to remain number one; things we could not know before, but he always seemed to realize how lucky he was to be able to be playing tennis. He lets us see how much more he is than a tennis player.

I cracked open the book on a transatlantic red-eye flight thinking that I would read a couple of chapters to put me to sleep. Boy, was I wrong! I finally slept but only after finishing the book.
I am a tennis nut but I thought the content would be appreciated even by people that aren't tennis nuts. He covers his career and key matches but there is a lot of coverage given to people, his relationships and what made him a champion. It is difficult to walk the fine line of sounding confident without coming across as arrogant but Pete Sampras does a good job of that throughout the book like he did/does in real life - he talks about the Gift and how he went about harnessing it. He has very candid commentary about a number of other fellow pros like McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Federer, etc. He talks about his relationships and competition with his generation of American players (Agassi, Courier and Chang) in a lot of detail as well as his relationship with his coaches through the years. All in all, if you are a tennis fan (or follow sports in general), this is a must read!

This book gives a clear picture of Sampras' personality which is pretty similiar to his game-straight forward, aggressive when necessary, and well rounded. Sampras tells of his parents' sacrifice so that he could become a champion, and his admiration of their values is evident throughout the book. He also tells of small sibling rivalries; helping his sister deal with Robert Landsorph, who seems to lose all of his students from Austin to Davenport to other coaches because of his belligerent demeanor; and the desinegration of his relationship with Pete Fisher after Fisher's arrest for child molestation. Tennis attracts a strange crowd, and the Sampras family may have found the strangest in Fisher who has taken more credit for Sampras' game than Pete gives him here. Who is to say which of the two is correct? In regard to his rivals, Sampras speaks in detail and honestly. His page or so that he gives to Connors is probably longer than any conversation between the two. Sampras also does a good job of showing the Jekyll and Hyde personality of McEnroe. He gives Lendl his due as an underated champion whose accomplishments are perhaps greater than Connors' or McEnroe's, a kind person, and someone who took time to help a future champion, Sampras at the age 17(Yes, the time with Lendl may have caused the bias). He also thoroughly analyzes the games, friendships, and rivalies with Agassi, Courier, Chang, and Martin. Finally, he nods to Federer as a worthy player to break his records, classy again. As far as romantic relationships, an important point to make is that unlike McEnroe, Sampras does not tell anything of his first girlfriend Delana Mulcahy who is substantially older than he and left Sampras for someone even younger or of his relationship with Kimberly Williams. For his not telling the dirt, he has certainly more class than McEnroe whose children will someday read what dad said about all the cokeheads he dated and the disturbing marriage to mom, Tatum O'Neal. Sampras does state that tennis took a priority and cost him until he met Bridgette Wilson. On a different note, one complaint-somebody needed to do a better job on the proofing. There are a number of cliches, and there seems to be no understanding about the difference between I and me, an English teacher's complaint. Regardless, Sampras' book reveals a champion and person of great character.

I bought this book to add to my collection of Greene Knowe Books that I read to my children when they were small. The stories kept the kids on the edge of their seats wondering what would happen next.

I almost had a fit when I saw this title, but with a little research learned that I already had it. The whole series is first rate.

Tolly has returned to Green Knowe and his Grandmother full of excitement at being there once more, but an unhappy surprise lies in wait for him: the portrait of the children Toby, Alexander and Linnet is missing from the wall. It would seem a small loss but for the fact that its absence means that the children's spirits are also not present in the house.

Grandmother Oldknow explains the painting's loss due to poor finances, though soon sparks hope in Tolly for its return due to the tale of the missing treasure of Green Knowe (which he vows to find), and stories of another family ancestor: Susan Oldknow. Born to a vain mother, a kind but absent father, a spoilt older brother Sefton, and an overly pious grandmother, Susan knows her blindness is a terrible blow to the family's pride: "I can't take her into society, she'll never be married, and I'll have her *always*!" her mother laments when the sad truth is revealed.

Smothered by a good-hearted but utterly disillusioned Nanny, Susan is not allowed to do a thing on her own, till her Captain father brings back a gift from his travels that shocks the entire family: a West Indian boy named Jacob to keep her company. Their extraordinary friendship can only be describe through L. M. Boston's beautiful prose, as when the two meet:

"'Who is it Papa?' Susan asked. Jacob answered for himself, in a voice whose smallest half-utterance she was never afterwards to mistake for any other. 'It's me, Missy.'"

As with Tolly's previous summer in the house, the line between past and present blurs, and he once again interacts with the older inhabitants of the house, though this time in a far more influential manner, going so far as to actively participate in the stories his Grandmother tells him each night. While other time-travelling stories leave me completely cross-eyed, the "Green Knowe" stories treat it as something utterly natural, and thus so do the readers.

As a sequel to "Children of Green Knowe", this second part (also published as "Chimneys of Green Knowe") is undoubtably superior to its predecessor. Though I missed Toby, Alexander and Linnet, their part in the first story was as whimsical spirits - Susan and Jacob have a definite story assigned to them, and interact with Tolly in a more important way, stirring events into being on both sides of the centuries.

Lucy Boston creates a sophisticated commentary on prejudice that still rings true today in her use of blind Susan and West Indian Jacob. As she comments, blind people were either poor and beggars, or rich and had servants to live for them, and Susan was certainly of the latter group. As such, the poor girl often finds herself strapped to a chair with her doll tied to its arm, disliked by her grandmother who thinks her condition a judgement for her mother's vain lifestyle, and punished for fingering things. Boston's descriptions of blindness in both Susan's life: "things stuck out of space like icebergs out of the sea", and Tolly's experiments (he discovers feet are more useful than hands in such an instance) are evocatively written, and so imaginatively told that it won't simply be children so have their minds expanded.

Second is Jacob, whose place in the story is still whilst England allowed slavery. This book was first published in 1958, and I was both impressed by Boston's distaste for slavery, and refreshed by the lack of extreme political correctness that so often clogs books on the subject written today. Boston presents the Slave Trade as a simple factuality, that could be neither explained nor excused, but simply a reality.

Truly, the "Green Knowe" stories are among the lost masterpieces of children's literature. Do everyone in your family a favour and read them - the house, the characters, the situations, and the sublime use of language that Lucy Boston uses is unforgettable.

I will never forget reading this book - and the others in this series - when I was in grade school. This was actually the first volume I read, although it's not chronologically the first in the group. It was one of those wonderful discoveries you sometimes make wandering aimlessly through the stacks in the local library - cracking a random volume, reading the first little bit, and realizing at once that you are beginning a literary love affair.

Then, as now, I was captivated by the magical "otherness" of L.M. Boston's Green Knowe and by the wonderful characterizations and tales within the tale. I couldn't put it down until I'd learned the fates of all the characters, and I wished that my suburban row house had even half the romance of the old manor house, and that my own prosaic grandma was a bit more mysterious.

Now that I'm much older (although not nearly as old as Grandmother Oldknow), I realize that the book is quite well-written - accessible for children but sophisticated enough to be enjoyed by anyone with a taste for the supernatural. And I've purchased a copy for my 11-year-old niece, who thankfully shares her auntie's interest in reading and love for stories with an otherworldly component. A must-read for book-lovers young and old.

It's the spring immediately following the events of "The Children of Green Knowe," and young Tolly Oldknow returns to the ancient manor of his family to stay with his great-grandmother over the Easter break. He barely steps through the door when he senses that something is wrong--and how horribly wrong it is: his ghost-friends, Toby, Alexander, and Linnet, have accompanied their portrait on loan-out to an exhibition, and may never return, for Mrs. Oldknow is desperate for money to make repairs to the house and has been offered a high price for the picture. Tolly resolves to search for the long-lost jewels of Maria Oldknow, the stylish wife of his 18th-century ancestor, which disappeared when the grand "new annex" of the manor burned down in a suspicious fire in 1798. Yet he soon finds that ghosts still lurk in Green Knowe--or perhaps not ghosts at all, since his blind ancestress Susan and her young black companion Jacob lived far beyond the ages at which they manifest to him. As is often the case at this house, time becomes a half-meaningless concept, past and present blend and communicate, and Mrs. Oldknow's stories of Susan and Jacob, Susan's vain and flighty mother and spoiled older brother Sefton, her young tutor Jonathan Morley (who, years later, she married), and the sinister manservant Caxton seem to draw these Georgians even closer to Now. Tolly himself finds that his modern-day actions resonate into the past and that--in one memorable sequence--he can even travel back to it and help Susan and Jacob conceal a young poacher from Caxton in a secret tunnel he has discovered. And in the end, even before those stories lead him to the hiding place of the jewels, the portrait is returned, and in a beautiful closing scene we get a hint of the possibility that Susan and Jacob may come to know Toby and his sibs as Tolly does. A worthy sequel to the first book and nearly as good.

The book arrived in a timely manner and was exactly as described. This title has great artwork.

I have found that the best way to learn about many subjects is to pick up a children's book from the library. In a good children's book, the facts are clearly and engagingly laid out, often with wonderful illustrations. You finish the book knowing that you have learned something you didn't already know, and it was explained so simply and clearly that you are not going to forget what you've learned. Cleopatra by Diane Stanley is that kind of book. While it is written "simply", it does not talk down to the child or to an adult reading the book. It just says what happened in a memorable way. Books like these teach history the way it ought to be taught. Highly recommended.

This book isn't a history or academic work. In fact, it's a picture book designed for children ages 7 and up. However, that should not suggest that it's not worth a read even for adults as an introduction to the life and times of Cleopatra, Antony, and the fall of the Roman Republic. The author presents a detailed, fact-based account of the queen's life, including pertinent and amazingly helpful references and quotations from Plutarch's histories. No fictional flourishes were added to richen the story, and though sometimes opinion slips in in a description of a descision or event, the story is very unassuming and true to historical evidence and generally accepted fact.
So, as a short academic text, this book lays out the basics of her life (her marriage and civil war with her brother Ptolemy, wishes for an empire combinging East and West, affairs and marriages to Caesar and Antony, defeat at Actium and suicide in Alexandria,) in an inviting, exciting manner. But, in this case, its more important role is as a picture book, a role that it magnificently fills and excels in. Stanley's illustrations are beautiful and lavish, scenes of the beautiful queen and the people of her life set among breathtaking scenery such as the Alexandrian palace and harbor, the streets of Rome, and flowing sea. One particular favorite of mine is the illustration of Cleopatra's vessel as she approaches Antony's encampment at Tarsus, in which she sits reclining, dressed as Venus, in all of her splendor upon the magnificent boat and splendid sea.
For the fledgling historian (particularly a child interested in history) this book is a must. I recommend it to anyone wanting a springboard from which to learn about the wonderful, tragic, and tumultous life of the last Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt, and the fall of the Ptolemaic empire.

Diane's Stanley's illustrations are masterful, incredibly detailed, and wonderfully expressive; every page (except for the two useful maps) is covered with either spreads that have been delicately painted to look like tile work, as can be seen on the marvelous cover, or has large and intricate paintings, with so much in its compositions that one can look at them repeatedly and find new things to admire.
Stanley's technique is superb, and her medium is gouache.

The history is fascinating and clearly written, and describes the times that Cleopatra lived in as well as what is known about her, which as Staley and Vennema point out, "Everything we know about Cleopatra was written by her enemies", and also, though we know what Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony and Octavian looked like, all we have of Cleopatra's image are crudely carved coins, as her statues were destroyed.
Though only 48 pages in length, each page has either information worth reading and learning (by both children and adults), or is graced by Stanley's beautiful work, making it weighty in content; as an artist and illustrator, I tip my hat to her creativity and skill.

My son borrowed this book from the school library and loved it so much we're buying it.