Richard Books

More diaries and personal accounts and glimpses into base life from the daughter of a 388th navigator

This book and its companion piece second volume are outstanding tributes to the heros of World War Two, and they couldn't come at a better time. The heros are dying and it's important that we remember who they were and what they did. As a vet myself, I can tell you that the 388th Anthology is one of the most complete histories of a bomb group I've ever seen, and the details of these stories are amazing. Not only are the stories exciting and moving, but the Anthology is an impressive historical work and I recommend it highly.

A friend gave me this book, and I read it in one weekend. It's unlike any WWII history I've ever seen. There are diaries, memoirs, public relations stories, reports from the 388th Bomb Group's headquarters - it really gives you the big picture of what life must have been for these airmen and their ground support. Some stories made me laugh; others made me cry. The epilogue really brought out the emotions. Read it cover to cover, or skip randomly through the individual stories. Either way you choose, I highly recommend it!

After a friend gave me a copy of 388th Anthology, Volume 1, I just knew I had to get this second volume as well. These are no ordinary histories of the air war in Europe; they are actually compilations of memoirs, diaries, articles from Stars & Stripes and other newspapers, and reports from the 388th Bomb Group's base at Knettishall, England between 1943 and 1945. For anyone who has wanted to understand the lives of the men who served in aerial combat, these books are "must" reading.

My father was a member of the 388th [Bombardment] Group and I have been searching for any information I can find about him and his crew and what they did and felt. I know and have met several of the people featured in the book which makes it even more exciting to me. My father was on many of the missions described in the book, so I can imagine his feelings. It is very personal to me. It is also the kind of book you can pick up and put down and skip around. I especially liked the daily newsletter and bulletins since I had never seen that sort of information.

The only problem I had with this story was that it ended too soon. This story about a Canadian Indian who was shanghied aboard a ship to France during the early colonial days was well written, historically accurate, and had some hysterically funny moments when the cukture of the "savage Indian" and the "cultured French" clashed. I would reccommend this book to everyone who enjoys a good story and look forward (hopefully) to the further adventures of Nutank, the Abenaki protagonist of this story.

This book holds a gift for the history buff and also for those who enjoy the outcome when two totally different cultures meet. I would like to have more depth to some of the major characters, and more detail about the everyday struggles in a newly settled land. An entertaining and fairly quick read, and a good book to share with friends.

My husband and I both read this book (we had 2 copies so we wouldn't fight over it). My husband is a history fanatic and was impressed with the historical accuracy of this book and found the Abenaki perspective an interesting addition to historical fiction. I wanted to keep reading this book to find out how the love story turned out, and I learned some historical information along the way. All in all, this book has something for everyone and I would recommend it to anyone whether into history or not. It will keep you reading!

I totally enjoyed Abenaki Autumn because of my interest in the background and legends of Indians. Mr. Clark truly carried me back in time to experience the reality of the French and Indian War as well as the Abenaki Indians themselves. His ability in phrasing and wordage conveyed the true essence of the royalty and their style of life, mannerisms, dress and pursuit of their dreams. I could sense the freshness of the mountains and the beauty of Canada, but I could also sense the frustration and hurt of the Indian people and all they went through. The love story sort of got lost in the adventure of Nutank and the war and soldiers, but it was sweet and innocent. Good job...looking forward to the next adventure. CAC

What a wonderful surprise! A little book with a great amount of historical information and colorful, descriptive scenes throughout the book fom Mrs. Duprey's kitchen to the anticipation of the soldiers as they await the charge of the English against the French. Don't want to forget the romance between Nutank and Suzanne. Great reading. Can't wait for the sequel and more.

I met Dick when he was eighteen years old just completing the darker years of his life, which dominate his autobiography. Being a qualified electronics expert - at least I thought I was until I met him - I was impressed then confounded by this child's (comparatively) uncanny grasp of broadcast electronics. He was also unusually literate, in my critical opinion, which was equally surprising - I was then as now unimpressed by the overall achievement level of the American educational system. I had taught, briefly, at DeVry, an electronics technical school in Chicago, and had dealt with students who had failed the FCC "first ticket" exams after two years of schooling with that goal in mind. Even though I had such a ticket, I was still impressed by an eighteen-year-old who had managed to get one without a formal course of study.

He was obviously a young man with what nowadays in social science circles would be called issues, but he also had obvious worth beyond the average. I sensed that his past might have included problems such as those he details in his book - after all, I was an orphan from the age of sixteen myself, and met a few unsympathetic people along the way to adulthood who wanted to build their ego at the expense of mine.

I give thanks to whatever instinct has led me, for the most part, to be helpful to others when I can. Those instincts have never been easier to obey or better rewarded than when I did what I could to ease Dick's survival and career forty years ago.

If you are interested in electronics, education, kids, governmental bureaucracy, recent American history, or just aggregate humanity - you should read this book. You will be better qualified to understand and relate to your fellow men, an eminently worthy goal.

Ray Dowell

This is a story of severe trials that took place in an earlier time and era, specifically the sixties. The author was classified as a "troubled" boy, rejected by his parents and placed in the juvenile system. At that time, it was not a pleasant experience; some of the facilities were run by sadistic pedophiles that terrorized the boys into being their sexual objects. Some of the abusers were men of the cloth, but given the recent revelations of the actions of many Catholic priests, that news is not surprising. What does surprise me is that the scandal has apparently not yet involved priests and ministers of other denominations. For the "men of god" who sexually abused the author were probably not Catholic.
Richard Johnson is an incredibly bright person, showing genius in both engineering and music. It was those qualities that were a major factor that allowed him to succeed in life despite the enormous odds. The other factor was the few people that he encountered that gave him a chance and showed him kindness. He speaks with great fondness of those people and rightly so. They went so far out of their way and against his reputation to let him do things. Those people are mentioned and should be commended.
The book is also a look back to a time in America that was quite different from the modern age. Johnson describes how the police would beat him whenever they thought they could get away with it. That attitude among the police was not isolated to the eastern Massachusetts area. My friends and relatives described being beaten at the hands of the local police for minor offences, but only when the police felt that there was no risk. Generally this meant that the one being beaten didn't have a respectable parent or other protector who would mount a fierce objection.
Young men were also thrown into a system that was really more a form of incarceration rather than assistance. They had little to no rights, judges could do what they wanted and any attempt at rehabilitation was a consequence of the initiative of individual people.
Fortunately, Johnson survived all of this, becoming successful and having the courage to write about it. He is to be commended for that, many people would have been content to simply be successful.

Read about a real survivor, not that phony stuff on TV. This book is about a boy who had such a childhood that any run-of-the-mill lawyer could get him off even if he nuked the universe. First his parents kicked him out of the house as soon as he became a teenager. Then he was sent to a work-farm where he worked as an indentured servant (read slave). Next, after he accidentally burns down a barn, the state of Massachusetts incarcerates him as an arsonist in the worst possible juvenile detention center where boys were being raped by the guards (masters) nightly. Surviving this, Johnson is sentenced to a reform school where, because of his horrible past, he thinks he really had a good time.

Johnson goes into great detail about the day-to-day activities at the reform school, the very first one in the United States. A true survivor, Johnson is paroled home after completing his sentence, only to return to the reformatory because his mother told his parole officer that he "stole" (now I'm not kidding here) some ice cream from her refrigerator.

You would think that a teenager's life couldn't get any worse that that, but it does! Eventually, after much trial and tribulation, Johnson moves to another institutional foster home in Boston where he starts to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it was a long hard pull crawling through. He even had a science fair project taken away because the government thought it violated national security. Undaunted, Johnson completes another project in about two weeks.

Anyway, the book has a nice ending. It's well written and a pleasure to read. Johnson is an expert stylist and his chapters are short with each headed by a picture. There are several remarkable poems and, at several places Johnson reflects upon an important metaphorical gateway, writing prose which reads like poetry.

One of Johnson's mentors, a chaplain at the reform school, writes the afterword of this book. This is also well written and quite uplifting.

Celebrity autobiographies rarely reveal any surprises. I once discovered that my next door neighbor was an (illegal) arms dealer who lived a fascinating life. Ordinary people who often aren't so ordinary are much more interesting. This book proves it.

I was raised in a fully functional family. To read about anyone who didn't have the same luxury always grabs my attention because it's so unfamiliar to me. I never got in trouble (boring life), so I'm always interested in how I should do it in the next life.

This is a fascinating story of a young boy going through the wringer of the Massachusetts juvenile "correctional" system and coming out the other end as an amazingly versatile adult. I won't tell you the ending, but just say that, if your kid is harder to handle than you'd like, have faith. You may have the makings of a Nobel prize winner on your hands.

This book is an amazing account of a child who survived the Massachusetts juvenile justice system in the fifties. Johnson writes about his early life, starting at about two years of age, he brings us through a foster-home-farm where young boys are forced to do farm-work to earn their keep, and some, including the author, are raped and abused. Johnson then recounts his encounter with the Massachusetts juvenile court system and the Youth Service Board in Roslindale. He recounts torture and rape at that institution where boys were warehoused without a trial until there was an opening at a juvenile penal institution. Later on, Johnson goes to the Lyman School for Boys, which was the nation's first reform school. The school was closed in the seventies.

Johnson tells about his stay at the Lyman School and goes into quite complete detail about the day-to-day activities at the school. Johnson thinks this institution was really quite good by comparison to other places he had been. Johnson then goes to another foster home, Charles Hayden Goodwill Inn, in Boston. While attending school in Roslindale, Johnson stumbles onto some missile secrets while preparing for the Science Fair. A federal judge took his Science Fair project away (no, he was not making a nuclear missile) when his high school teacher got him an audience with a military contractor. With only a couple weeks left, Johnson makes another project and wins well enough so that he gets to show his project in the state Science Fair and he gets another slap on the face.

Anyway, the book continues with Johnson encountering various challenges, which he faces and handles with true grit, an honest-to-goodness survivor. The book ends after Johnson enters the radio and television industry, gets a union job, and meets his first true love.

This is a book about success. It is well written and once you start it, you won't want to put it down. I like the fact that Johnson wastes little time in developing a story so you can read the book in a single sitting. Each chapter, except the last, begins with a picture that hints of the chapter content. I don't think this was an oversight. The last chapter doesn't have a picture because it hasn't ended yet. I think this book is excellent in all ways.

A great source of information for the true Francophile who loves Paris and like a great love wants to know her better !!

This is an excellent guide for the independent traveller. Its best use is for details on neighborhoods. I often "study" it before taking off for the day and get a much better feel for the neighborhood I am visiting. I also "study" it after spending time out for the day and clarify or confirm what I have seen. Used it for years.

I own Access Guides to San Francisco and Wine Country and found them to be very reliable sources of information on eating and shopping, so when I was planning a 5-week stay in Paris I purchased this guidebook. Overall, I'm quite pleased.

Access Paris is an excellent guide targeted at a cultured reader that prefers to consider him or herself a visitor to Paris rather than a tourist. The organization emphasizes neighborhoods rather than monuments, and offers excellent information on cafés, restaurants, bars, shops, and other neighborhood attractions. Restaurant listings include a range of prices for each district, though there are fewer budget options than, say, in the Time Out, Let's Go, and Lonely Planet guides. I've gone to a number of the listed restaurants, mostly those in St. Germain and the Bastille with one $ in the listing, and found them to be of high quality, though I was unable to find one or two. And I appreciate the memorable descriptions this book gives--one restaurant is characterized as right out of a Jean Rhys novel, for example--and the frankness of its evaluation of certain restaurants as overrated and overpriced traps for the well-read visitor.

The book's organization, with neighborhood maps followed by entries on each number that appears on the map, is very easy to use while wandering. The neighborhood maps omit metro stops, however, making it difficult to coordinate one's immediate location with the map of the metro that appears at the back of the guide. Also, the local maps don't indicate arrondissements, which makes the guide difficult to use in tandem with a more detailed map book.

This book covers the islands, the Latin Quarter, St-Germain, Eiffel Tower/Invalides, The Louvre and the Champs-Elysées, St-Honoré, Les Halles, the Marais, the Bastille, and Montmartre. These are all well-established eating and shopping districts in the arrodissements that are at the center of the city. There's also a brief section at the end with select attractions in other neighborhoods, as well as sidebars that discuss specific themes or types of sites (Paris in film, representations of Americans in Paris, flea markets, etc.). If you're mainly going to be in the central arrondissements, you'll probably be very happy with this guide. But if you're staying in an outlying arrondissement, or looking for information on offbeat neighborhoods, this may not be the guide for you--as it also may not be if it's your first time in Paris and you want a guidebook that emphasizes a tour of the monuments. I myself have already done the monuments and was looking for what this book has to offer, so I'm very pleased.

The author of the ninth edition offers more Paris travel tips at www.parisland.com

I must say, I am a big fan of all the ACCESS guides, and the one on Paris was no exception. I'm always disappointed when I go somewhere and there is no ACCESS guide for that city! One of the best things about the guides, Paris included, is that it allows you to break your trip down by neighborhood. While in Paris, we spent one day (or more) in each of the neighborhoods highlighted in the color code system. We had a great time, and the ACCESS guide played a big part in it (as it did in San Francisco and Montreal!). Highly recommended!

I am a special education teacher with many ADHD students. I found this book very helpful in the classroom setting. I also have a parent group for their ADHD children and this was our text used in the group. It is easy to read for parents and teachers.

This is the perfect book for counselors and other mental health professionals who want up to date information about ADD/ADHD. The way the book is written makes it an excellent referrence for parents and families who are living with a child, or children with ADHD. Parents and teachers can simply turn to the chapter or chapters that deal with pertinent information for their situation. Despite this format, the book is no less cohesive or interesting to read cover-to-cover. I recommend this book without reservation.

I loved the easy-to-read format and the breadth and depth of the information. A definite go-to handbook for parents of ADD children who are trying to get appropriate services for thier children. Loaded with insights and humor that help me understand and communicate effectively with my son AND his teachers. and my husband and the grandparents....highly recommended.

Practical advice for Parents and Teachers. Excellent ideas,fresh new approaches, and hope for exhausted Parents. I would strongly suggest that anyone who deals with an ADHD child read and keep this book as a handy desktop reference.

As a parent of an ADHD child I found this book to be very easy to read. It has a lot of suggestions that I use with my child at home. I especially like the Review and Tip section which let me look of suggestions quick and easy. This book was able to answer most of my questions that I struggle with including "What should I do if?" when raising my child.

Let's face it - nobody buys a textbook for fun. That being said, this book is well organized and thorough, which is substantially more than I can say for my professor

The book was exactly what I was looking for. Arrived earlier that I expected also.

This book was delivered promptly. I had it in time for class to start. Very easy to follow and understand.

The book came on time and in great condition. I am very happy with my purchase. Thank you!

This is a popular university textbook. I know this because I called several universities for recommendations before purchasing. I've used this book as a professional reference. It is very current on recent pronouncements. The book is well organized, has good examples and it includes many "real world" examples as well

In "Aging Defiantly" authors Peg and Dick Purdue offer fresh insights and sound advice to men and women who want to do more than merely cope with their senior years. In chapter after chapter, each based on obstacles they have faced and overcome,
they succeeded in convincing this 78-year-old that a defiant attitude can be a constructive one in meeting the many challenges of aging. Both practical and inspirational, this is a must read.

I was greatly impressed by this book. It has opened my horizons and gives me new hope for the future. The Purdues have laid out a road map on how to live longer and feel better. They point out that age is largely a state of mind and give advice on how to make adjustments so getting older is not a terrifying idea. Thanks a lot, Purdues!

Aging defiantly has improved my outlook on aging. Thanks to the two wonderful authors, I am in the best shape of my life. After reading this book, I got the courage to change my lifestyle for the better. If I can do it, so can you!

Stomp your feet and clap your hands! Finally, a book to make some noise about! This book addresses the most important issue of our lives-aging. Read it and be enlightened. Read it and live longer!

This is the real deal! Aging Defiantly tells it the way it should be. If you plan on living a long life-you'll need to read this book.

I'm an avid reader of all kinds of books including Christian fiction. Sad to say but that genre often disappoints me. Not so with "The Alabaster Cross." It's profound spiritual truths and insights into human nature come wrapped in a story of rare beauty. The author's prose is lyrical but never gets in the way of the story and his descriptions of the Amazon rain forests are so real I felt like I was there. The real strength of the book however is the characters. Eurico will steal your heart, Diane is unforgettable and Bryan's struggle to overcome his past and his ultimate triumph will inspire even the most cynical reader. If you're looking for a satisfying read with take away value I strongly recommend "The Alabaster Cross."

I have a distaste for reading fiction, about things that didn't really happen as opposed to things that really matter.

As a favor to a friend, I agreed to read the "The Alabaster Cross" and it totaly changed my attitude. Richard Exley drew me into the story before I could help myself and when I finished I felt like I had lived the scenes myself. This book is a real sleeper and if you don't read this story you will have missed the experience of a lifetime

As an avid reader, I read many different types of books (both Christian and non) I read everything from biographies to fiction, to non fiction. I came across this book in the local Christian bookstore. I am currently re-reading it.

The Alabaster Cross is compelling for a few different reasons. First, the scene. The setting in the Amazon Rainforest seems so real. It's easy to picture yourself there.

Second, the characters. There are no flat characters in this book! The characters have really struggles and flaws. They are far from perfect. They are human. They mess up. For this reason, the characters are highly likable, and even more importantly, easily relatable. This book describes Christians in the real world. You find yourself caring what happens to these characters. You also feel like they are real people. It is incredibly easy to forget this is a work of fiction.

3rd-the story. I feel the story moves at just the right pace. It's not too slow or too fast. I think this is one of those rare books that has something for everyone. There is drama, suspense, romance, adventure. It's all here.

This book also has a lot of real-life application. If you read it with an open heart, this book will change the way you think and there is a lot that can be applied to the life of the reader.

If you are looking for a great Christian novel, I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed.

Richard Exley paints such a compelling picture of what life in the Amazon rainforests is like. I love how he describes the scene down to the way the coffee is made! Beyond setting the scene, the story is beautifully written. One big thing I took away from this is the need to look deeper than surface appearances to find the heart of a person. As the son of a missing father, Bryan knows he must find out what happened to his father, lost long ago as a missionary in the Amazon. As he goes deeper into the past, he finds the multifaceted personality of who his father was as a person. This is a truly inpsiring novel - I highly recommend it!

In The Alabaster Cross, Richard Exley has written a compelling and exciting story of mystery, adventure and romance. A young man's passionate pursuit to discover the truth about his father's disappearance in the Amazon also leads him on a fascinating spiritual journey as he faces his own confusion, bitterness and grief. This is a beautifully written story of faith, perseverance, forgiveness and redemption. I was not only captivated by the adventure, I was also impacted in my own spiritual journey. It takes a great book to accomplish both of those.

I haven't been able to get my hands on the first Alfred Kropp book yet but after having read this book, I definitely will. This book has all the ingredients that makes a book exciting - adventure, danger and even some softer moments like when Alfred thinks of his dead mum or is compassionate towards his treatment of Kenny, the other foster child living at the Tuttles. A good book which I didn't want to put down!

After finding, and then losing, his father, Bernard Samson, a billionaire, then discovering himself as the last direct descendant of the famed knight, Sir Lancelot, retrieving King Arthur's sword, Excalibur, and, finally, surviving his own death in THE EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES OF ALFRED KROPP, Alfred, naturally, now finds life a tad dull.

Except for the new sport at school called "Kropping" -- a practice of daily harassment and humiliation recently adopted by his classmates -- his life has pretty much returned to normal. Boring. It seems his days of saving the world with OIPEP are over.

Until someone ordered his extraction and he is kidnapped. He awakens aboard a ship, foggy and disoriented. In no time, he's forced out of a plane over the Arabian Desert and is preparing to speed across the dunes on sand-foils at 150 miles per hour.

Their target? The Hyena, a terminated OIPEP agent who has stolen the Seals of Solomon. The Great Seal, a ring, and the Lesser Seal, also known as the Holy Vessel, must be intercepted before the Lesser Seal is broken, releasing evil the world has not seen for 3,000 years. But they are too late. They find the Lesser Seal has been compromised and once again Alfred is thrust into the role of unlikely hero.

I guarantee that once you start this book you will be unable to put it down. Rick Yancey is the master of cliffhanger chapter endings. His descriptions are at once gross and fascinating. Alfred is endearing and funny, and epitomizes the hero in all of us. Who doesn't have the childish dream to save the world and be a hero? Through Alfred Kropp, the reader can live that dream.

Rick Yancey has created an engaging character in Alfred. This reader eagerly awaits many more Alfred Kropp adventures!

Reviewed by: Cana Rensberger

If you liked the first Alfred Kropp story, you will love this one. It keeps you hooked from start to finish. I am hoping there will be at least a third in the series. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy it.

It's a hard cover, so it had to come in good shape.
I love Alfred Kropp, so I definitely like this book.

Great book! I love the storyline! This is a fun follow up to the author's first novel.

The textbook came in earlier than expected and was in excellent condition.

This is a decent Algebra II book. The examples are comprehensive and detailed, but sometimes I couldn't follow with the examples. The easy, medium, and hard problems are all excellent. I would recommend this book to future algebra students.

As a teacher of mathematics I have used a number of different algebra texts and evaluated many others. After an extensive search for a text that would meet the needs of students preparing for college-level mathematics, I decided that this book had no equal. The exposition is both clear and rigorous, and the problems are of real mathematical depth without being too difficult for most students. One of the best aspects of the book is the extensive drill on algebra skills included in every section.

I used this book (when it was written by Mary P. Dolciani) in 1973-74 as a junior in high school and loved it. The recent revisions continue the excellence of Dolciani and the series. The theory is sound and the examples are easy to follow. Especially important is the numerous exercises graded in difficulty that help the student master the material. This book actually makes students THINK and does not spoon feed the material.

I can't say enough great things about this text. My school district uses this text for the honors tract (9th/10th grades) but uses another text for the "regular" 11th grade Algebra II sequence. I feel this is unfortunate because all students can benefit from the rigors of this book.

Faithful to the highest standards of traditional math, this rigorous and thorough tour of algebra and trigonometry is presented with meticulous clarity. It is an invaluable tool in its own right, but is especially worthwhile in preparation for advancing to upper level math concepts. The sections dedicated to word problems have particularly relevant real world applications, addressing the "When are we ever gonna have to use this?" issue with convincing examples. The organization is intelligent, uncluttered, and methodical. As a resource, this volume represents an investment of substantial educational merit, and uncompromising quality.