Richard Books

This is an excellent text. Written with the passionate convictions that little "is more important to the health... of the Church than a firm grasp of [Scripture's] message," and "that every local [church] needs someone dedicated to studying and to communicating [that] message," this is invaluable for the individual called to Christian ministry.

Through a very readable text, light-hearted humor, and English translations of the Greek, the author relates numerous means by which the beginning exegete can delve into the original context of a passage, and thereby gain a much greater understanding of its life-changing relevance within the present.
A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Exegesis: Taking the Fear Out of Critical Method

Rich Erickson has provided beginning students of Exegetical Method a more digestible way of understanding how to unlock what was divinely inspired in the New Testament. His book invites a beginning exegete into this complex method of study yet through his step by step process takes the fear out of learning the techniques required to thouroughly exegete passages of scripture. His creative writing style not only is humorous at times but some of his analogies help the beginner remember valuable techniques of exegesis. He also masterfully takes the beginning exegete from feelings of trepidation to feelings that exegeting scripture is a journey that requires each of us to relax and continue on. It is not simply something we do once and put the books away after a class is over, it is something we do for a life time if we want to grasp the divine-human intention of scripture.

Rich Erickson is one of those wonderfully creative writers whose work might easily have given Michael Crichton a run for his money had he chosen to invest his life in that world. Thank God he didn't! Instead of choosing fiction, Rich has chosen to invest his life in truth, to help ministry students learn how to read and interpret the Word of God. As a disciple, he understands what's at stake in mastering this discipline. As a pastor, he knows how deep the fear can go in the heart of the beginner. As a teacher, he knows how challenging it can be to overcome these fears long enough to learn something unavoidably, irrevocably "foreign." Hammered out in the classroom over decades, A Beginner's Guide to New Testament Exegesis may be the best tool available to help students learn how to take off their fears long enough to put on the Word.

Rich Erickson's book does a fantastic job of bringing the task of biblical exegesis within the grasp of even beginning biblical scholars. The tools and skills of biblical exegesis are presented in a thorough manner with many encouragements and suggestions along the way to bite off only what you can chew. Exegesis is an exciting, lifelong journey he says! Don't be discouraged by what you CAN'T do, celebrate what you CAN and be amazed at the insights you gain!

As one who has taught New Testament courses for over 20 years now, I am so grateful to Rich Erickson for writing this book. This is the guide that all of us, teachers and students, have been waiting for someone to write. I have no doubt it will become the standard guide to New Testament interpretation and exegesis for years to come. It is amazingly comprehensive and very thorough BUT at the same time it is written in a conversational style that is engaging and communicates clearly and simply with its reader. Thanks Rich for writing a book that I will use in my classes and recommend over and over again to all my friends and students.

This biography of the generally forgotten acting dynasty, the Bennetts, is a tour de force. While father Richard Bennett is long forgotten, daughters Constance and Joan Bennett are still accessible through a number of classic films ("What Price Hollywood" and "Topper" for Constance and "Scarlet Street" and "The Woman in the Window" for Joan, among others).

The author has captured the personalities of each Bennett. So many biographers fall into the trap of providing superficial detail around a chronology of the subject's life, but not so Mr Kellow. He has managed to bring alive the autocratic Richard Bennett and his 3 daughters, the troubled alcoholic Barbara, the mercurial, opportunistic Constance and the refined but passionate Joan. The book moves between each of their lives and Kellow benefited from the co-operation of many surviving members of the family. He has also created a vivid sense of the period in which the story is evolving from the girls rebellious behaviour in the roaring twenties, through career highs for Constance in Hollywood in the thirties and Joan's emergence as a femme fatale in the forties to both actresses move to the stage in the fifties as film work dried up. They were much married and all the details about their stormy relationships are vividly recreated, not in a gossipy tone but creating portraits of intelligent woman who were not afraid to take risks, particularly Constance.

This is a very clever well written book.

At long last, someone has tackled the fascinating story of the Bennett family. The result was well worth the wait. Kellow's book is enthralling, nicely balanced, objective, and well-researched. Anyone interested in Joan or Constance Bennett or even in film history will enjoy this book.

For anyone interested in Hollywood's golden era, this book is a must! Far superior than The Bennett Playbill which was published in the 1970's with Joan and a ghost writer, this book is exhaustively researched and provides a much fuller picture of father Richard and daughters Constance, Joan and the ill fated Barbara. Fans of the tv show Dark Shadows will remember Joan, but probably a lot fewer remember Constance who was one of the top film stars in the early 30's only to be washed up in films by the end of the decade. Joan had a much longer film career, though it took awhile for hers to catch fire. All the marriages, scandals and career highs and lows are covered in depth and Kellow provides a critical evalution of their many film roles. The narrative does skip back and forth between family members, but Kellow does a good job keeping the narrative flowing and after a few chapters the reader will adjust to it. The Bennetts may not have ranked as high as the Barrymores, but they rank right up there with other Hollywood dynasties.

Brian Kellow has done a wonderful job in telling the personal and professional stories of the acting Bennett Sisters and their father theatrical legend Richard Bennett. This book really fills a gap and is so well done that it would be difficult to imagine a better book about the Bennetts unless there were individual books on Constance, Joan, Barbara, and Richard Bennett. I would have liked a listing of the various plays that particularly Constance Bennett starred in. This versatile and glamorous star appeared in the Cole Porter musical "Silk Stockings" and this was not discussed in the excellent text. This is a small complaint and I think this book is a must for fans of Joan and Constance Bennett and for great books about show business. There are also some wonderful photographs and that alone should induce the reader to buy this book!

This well researched and presented book is a fine addition to anyone's library of books about Classic Hollywood or about the Broadway stage. The Bennett family were hard-working and talented performers, extremely famous in their day, but not as well-remembered today as they deserve. Their stories are full of human drama and Brian Kellow tells them in detail, without any wiff of the snide, nasty edge far too many show business books have today. He's honest about the faults of his subjects, yet compassionate about their humanity.

"The year's steamiest most thought-provoking gay sex writing...¶ The best-selling gay erotica series in America! ¶ 'In sex, I can communicate dreams, fears, and parts of myself that I cannot fully express any other way. Sex is the closest experience we have to sharing consciousness, becoming united, and experiencing the essence of someone else. Much like writing.'--D. Travers Scott"--© zebraz

Being only a casual reader of gay erotica over the years, I was surprised to be taken in by such a strong anthology. I commend Scott and Labonte for highlighting indie literature, particularly the excerpt taken from Henry Flesh's "Massage." This excerpt provoked me to read the novel, which I haven't put down since. It's nice to see Scott and Labonte provide a breath of fresh air to an increasingly stale genre by providing a platform for new writers and smaller presses. I look forward with renewed interest to the next Best Gay Erotica.

I'd gotten pretty burned out on gay anthologies, erotic orotherwise, but this one really renewed my faith. Scott and Labontehave put together a diverse collection of top-notch writers, both familiar and new. The book has many fresh voices and unusal narratives, something I can't say for many gay anthologies. High quality and consistently surprising.

If elegant can be used to describe erotica, then it can fit more than well, in describing this latest selection of passionate writing from the more than skillful editorship of Richard Labonte. From reclaiming homoeroticism during the frontier life of America in Michael Jensen's first novel excerpt, to the Ferd Eggan's durge "About Rapture" and Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite's written grievous angel like drawl in "Bonehead", we have not only slow, careful and attentive seductions and yearnings but a glimpse of the future of homosexualism in literature. The stories often center themselves in the place of the working-class and empower the voices and desires of a class of masculinity often ignored or exploited for fetish sake. Along with these patient recollections are crisp and metred tales from Ishmael Houston-Jones and Andy Quan. Not only is the word elegant more than appropriate for this collection but the title has never been more fitting. It truly is the Best Gay Erotica 2000 (Cleis Press). It is an anthology which contains stories that go beyond gay or queer and take brave steps forward to capture the subtly of masculine gestures of pleasure, if not masculinity itself, for a new millennium.

Labonte and Scott have brought together an impressive range of voices by including writers from beyond the mainstream gay press. Most notably, from the alternative press, Henry FLesh's selection from his novel "Massage" is strong stuff. Since this was my favorite novel of the year, I was very glad to see it included here. Labonte's and Scott's adventurous and risky selection is the most interesting anthology of its kind I have seen.

John Bellairs is a master of children's horror that I'm afraid the world has forgotten in the Harry Potter rush. As much as I love all that good stuff, nothing beats Bellairs' aura on a little town in 1940's Michigan where anything spooky can happen.

The three novels in this volume ("The House with a Clock in its Walls", "The Figure in the Shadows", and "The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring") focus on a orphan boy named Lewis who has come to the town of New Zebedee to live with his eccentric uncle who just so happens to be a wizard. What proceeds is various dippings into the supernatural.

And these are not the "cute" supernatural, at least in the usual sense. Sure, Stephen King and Anne Rice would probably consider these adventures kid stuff, but they are they are perfectly creative enough for kids; honestly, I think they're more creative than most of the adult horror out there. Bellairs deals with necromancy, Biblical prophecy, possession, the whole nine yards, but all very tastefully done to be suitable to this age group.

Besides the horror, these are books about what it's like to be a kid. Bellairs gets into the heads of his characters with their thoughts and worries and hopes like few do whilst balancing another subject.

His writing is also absolutely enchanting. Without being flowery, he is a master of description with exellent pacing and a storytelling voice that just draws you in.

I know these are a couple decades old, but I adored this mans' works as a kid, and even now I can't think of many things better to do than curl up with these stories.

Good product, prompt service. John really writes for much younger readers (I'm 83) but is a comfortable read anyway.

I read these books years ago, found them creepy, and forgot about them until recently. These are aimed at a young adult reader, but they're atmospheric and well written, and definitely make enjoyable adult reading. Check out the pages on the individual books for more info, but the three books in one edition is a great deal. These are also excellent for pre-teens and older who enjoy books on the supernatural. They do deal with themes of witchcraft and magic, but otherwise, contain no objectionable content.

This volume contains:

The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973)
The Figure in the Shadows (1975)
The Letter, the Witch and the Ring (1976)

I have not read all of Bellairs' novels, so I cannot say whether these three are really his "best". But the grouping is appropriate for other reasons: These are in fact the first three of Bellair's supernatural horror novels for kids; each is a sequel to the last; and all three feature the characters Lewis Barnavelt, Jonathan Van Olden Barnavelt, Mrs. Zimmerman, and (in the last two novels) Rose-Rita Pottinger. Moreover, the collection is more-or-less complete, since these are the only ones featuring these characters that were written entirely by Bellairs and published during his lifetime. The "next" in the series, entitled "The Ghost in the Mirror" was published posthumously after being completed by Brad Strickland in 1993 (after a gap of 17 years, during which Bellairs switched to writing about Johnny Dixon and Anthony Monday). Strickland has gone on to write his own adventures in the series (with what success I cannot say).

HOUSE WITH A CLOCK IN ITS WALLS begins with the orphaned Lewis Barnavelt, aged 10, being sent to live with his crazy Uncle Jonathan, and his batty neighbor Mrs. Zimmerman. The Uncle and the neighbor both turn out to be magicians (of the benevolent sort), and the grand old house they inhabit is filled with magical artifacts and mysteries, including a strange ticking sound reputed to come from a hidden clock. Matters get serious after the insecure Lewis, in an attempt to impress a friend, ignores his uncle's warning that he should never attempt magic. Creepy, scary fun ensues.

The next two novels in the series are just as well written, and every bit as creepy and scary as the original. However, the grimness becomes a little more unrelenting, and some kids may even find it depressing. One reason for this is that Bellairs seems to have somewhat regretted sending mixed messages in his first book, by his positive portrayal of magic as practiced by Mrs. Zimmerman and Uncle Jonathan. In the course of these volumes Mrs. Zimmerman is almost completely deprived of her powers. Bellairs continues to pay lip service to the idea that they are both benevolent minor magicians, but he ceases to show them using magic to positive effect. Magic use becomes, for all practical purposes, almost entirely associated with evil, and any dabbling therein leads only to horrific consequences.

I don't think Bellairs is necessarily wrong to want to discourage kids from seeking occult powers. However, it is a possibly unintended effect of this decision that the stories become increasingly and unrelentingly horrific. While the first volume made it seem as though there were powerful forces of Good to compete with those of Evil, the two sequels start to seem a bit like reading H.P. Lovecraft, wherein Evil has all the power.

This edition contains the original illustrations for all 3 books. This means we get Edward Gorey for the first novel, which is good. Unfortunately, other artists illustrated the 2 sequels. The latter pictures do not enhance the stories, which would be better off without them.

John Bellairs is best known as the author of sixteen gothic mystery novels for young adults comprising the Lewis Barnavelt, Anthony Monday, and Johnny Dixon series. The three stories in this book are the first three in the Lewis Barnavelt series, although the last has more to do with his friend, Rose Rita. The tales collected in this book are "The House with a Clock in Its Walls," "The Figure in the Shadows," and "The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring."

So far from what I've read of this author, his characters tend to be elderly eccentrics, or ordinary children (no superkids, here). Lewis is resourceful, but with a child's fears and limitations. Most especially, he is afraid that his uncle won't like him, that the kids in his new school will make fun of him, and that he'll never have a friend. His uncle, Jonathan and neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman are very likeable magicians. They play poker with Lewis and make him chocolate chip cookies and cocoa, and generally treat him as a small adult.

The House with a Clock in its Walls (1973) - illustrated by Edward Gorey

Lewis is a newly orphaned, plump ten-year-old, who wears "purple corduroy trousers, the kind that go `whip-whip' when you walk." The author often claimed that his imagination got stuck at ten, and here is Lewis, age ten, going to live with his Uncle Jonathan in New Zebedee, Michigan. The year is 1948, and New Zebedee bears a strong resemblance to Marshall, Michigan, where the author was born--- The Cronin House and the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) Hall still stand in Marshall, just as their counterparts do in New Zebedee.

The only thing Uncle Jonathan is reluctant to talk about with Lewis is the ticking noise within the walls of his old mansion, recently acquired from a deceased magician.

Lewis discovers that his uncle makes midnight excursions throughout the house, stopping and restarting all of the old clocks. He slowly gets involved in the mystery of an undiscovered clock. The wizardly Izzard couple who used to live in the house are both dead, but what did they leave behind and why?

There are some genuinely frightening scenes in "The House with a Clock in its Walls"---most especially when Lewis tries to impress a new friend by stealing one of his uncle's magic books and taking it to the graveyard at midnight on Halloween---but I don't want to spoil the story for you (Hint: there's a scene straight out of "Count Magnus" by M.R. James when the lock pops off of the crypt). Let me say that this is a truly scary book, and if the author's imagination got stuck at ten, he must lived an awesomely spooky tenth year.

"The Figure in the Shadows" (1975) - illustrated by Mercer Mayer

Lewis wants desperately to believe that an old coin belonging to his Great-Great-Grampa Barnavelt has magical powers. He is being bullied at school and starts to wear the old Civil War coin around his neck for protection. Finally Lewis turns on the bully and beats him up, but he soon learns that the coin has other, even darker powers.

When Lewis begins to see a shadowy figure in a long coat and starts to get scary messages, he asks his friend, Rose Rita to take the coin and throw it away. She wrestles the coin away from him, but instead of throwing it into the storm drain, she hides it.

The bully starts in on Lewis again, and he decides he'll do anything to get the coin back again, even steal it from Rose Rita.

This story has a very spooky climax that will scare even the grown-ups who are reading it to their children.

"The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring" (1976) - illustrated by Richard Egielski

Rose Rita is mad at the world. Her friend, Lewis Barnavelt is going to Boy Scout camp for the summer, and he is the only one who appreciates her for what she is: a tomboy with a great pitching arm who has no interest in growing up into the world of proms and pretty gowns. When Mrs. Zimmerman offers to take her on a trip to see the farm she just inherited from her cousin, Oley, Rose Rita jumps at the chance.

Unfortunately when Mrs. Zimmerman and Rose Rita arrive at the farmhouse up in the woods of Northern Michigan, it has been ransacked. The ring that Oley had found and believed to be magic has been stolen.

When Mrs. Zimmerman herself disappears, it is up to Rose Rita to solve the deepening mystery.

Don't expect milksop magic or easy solutions from this author. Rose Rita has to confront both interior and exterior demons, and comes very close to death before Bellairs winds down to his usual cocoa and cookies (well, roasted marshmallows in this story) ending.

It goes beyond talent. Stafford captures your heart as each shell he finds opens a new passage way for the reader to explore. Stories which cause us to question our beliefs, our thoughts of people, and our inner most feelings. I've read and reread this book and would highly recommend that you do as well.

Fifty years ago Anne Lindbergh inspired us by drawing analogies between found sea shells and the role of womanhood. Now, Richard Dobson Stafford has done the same for men. He reminds the reader that the world has changed for both men and women. This would make a great Father's Day gift. Wit and good sense! 50+ Magazine, Raleigh, North carolina

There is wit and good sense in what Stafford writes as he shares how his spirit was reawakened while examining his newly found shells. If there is one word to sum up this book it is "grace." This would make a splendid Father's Day gift, so forget agonizing over another tie or aftershave lotion. Women, too, will find the book to be compelling. A thought provoking book! It would make a good read for a book club. Mae Woods Bell- Rocky Mount Telegraph

This book offers a look into a man's life of whom we know nothing. It allows us to hear his life story through an interesting comparison of sea shells. This book is great for all ages, but especially good for moms and dads whose son(s) or daughter(s) is about to go to college. A definite "Must read" book for the whole family.

Looking for a new way of understanding your life? Beyond the Beach delivers a powerful message for every father, grandfather, and son. This is a wonderful companion piece for Anne Morrow Lindbergh's Gift from the Sea. A must for your summer reading...see you at the beach! Mike Fitsko, New Braunfels Herald New Braunfels, Texas

When I decided to learn about black bear hunting I purchased several current books on the subject including this one. Smith's book proved to be my favorite by far. Not only is Smith an experienced hunter, he is also a great writer. He writes clearly and concisely making "Black Bear Hunting" an easy and pleasurable read. The book is also beautifully published on high gloss paper with amazingly clear photographs compared to many other books on the subject. I learned tons about black bear hunting and consider this book my bible on the subject. My advice to you. Buy the book, you won't be disappointed.

This is easily the best black bear hunting book available. Mr. Smith has over 40 years of experience, the book is new (2007) and contains all you need to know about every type of black bear hunting. It's fun to read and informative at the same time. I highly recommend this book!

great book, richard smith knowledge about black bears on hunting, taught me a lot. a must, for the avid bear hunter.

Black Bear Hunting is an exceptional book for the hunter. Unlike most hunting titles that quickly turn into a list of rifles, cartridges and retread ballistics table, Black Bear Hunting dedicates only 10 of its 370 pages to a the selection of appropriate weapon; smokeless and blackpowder rifles and handguns as well as archery equipment. The remainder of the book, in exceptional detail and clarity, covers animal behavior, habits and habitat, specific locations of dense population and high hunting success rates, and many very specific approaches to hunting. In the latter parts there is, again, very detailed information on everything from field dressing to preparing a trophy animal.

Excellent author; great writing style, easy to follow, clear and logical presentation of information. The production quality of the book is excellent, including the photography that appears throughout the book. I'm glad I bought the book.

This is a "GREAT" book it covers it all. You cant find a better book on Bear hunting. Whether you are a beginner or well seasoned bear hunter I gaurantee you will learn alot from this book. This is by far the best book on bear hunting I have ever found. This book will help you learn to judge the size & sex of bear's, (I think they are the hardest animal to judge) Also shot placement is SO important its a must have book if you are interested in bear hunting.

My 8 year old daughter had a project on African American Women who have contributed in science; however, the Internet did not provided anything on Dr. Green who I truly admire. After we purchased this book which came righ on time (it took 3 days!!!!) we read it from end to end and found more information on Dr. Green then anywhere else. This book really helped us.

Jose

So little is known about African American women pioneers in the sciences. Otha Sullivan has written an illuminating book for young readers that will fill in the gaps. Every parent concerned with teaching their children more about pioneering women in American history should purchase this book. It is also a good resource for science, social studies, and history teachers.

So little is known about African American women pioneers in the sciences. Otha Sullivan has written an illuminating book for young readers that will fill in the gaps. Every parent concerned with teaching their children more about pioneering women in American history should purchase this book. It is also a good resource for science, social studies, and history teachers.

This is a wonderful book. Not only is it packed with interesting facts, but the interviews and writing style are so personal and intimate that one feels as if, for example, Mae Jemison is right in the room sharing her life story. The women are candid about the obstacles they met and overcame. I think a young adult of any race will find this book very inspiring...I know if it had been around when I was a kid, science and math would have been much more relevent to me!

This book is about African American women scientists and inventors, a rarity indeed.Reportedly African Americans in general comprise 4.5% of all science and engineering professionals today.So to read about the significant contributions of these pioneering women is both revealing and uplifting.Some of those profiled are somewhat well known;such as Madame C. J. Walker.She is known for her million dollar hair care business. Others are not so well known, such as Dr. Angela Furguson who joined with Dr. Ronald Scott in researching sickle cell anemia at Howard University.
Unfortunately the African American women scientists and inventors have been left out of mainstream history even as some African American men scientists have been included. Most of us are familiar with the contributions of George Washington Carver, who is credited with discovering 100 uses for the sweet potato and more than 300 uses for the common peanut in his lab at Tuskegee Institute. Also we are equally aware of Benjamin Banneker, who is widely hailed as inventing the first clock and assisting in the laying out of the design for the Nation's Capital, Washington, DC with Charles L'Enfant.
The author makes a laudable contribution for filling in existing historical omissions regarding African American women scientists. He brings to our attention warm inspiring stories along with factual historical information.
Teachers, other educators, parents and anyone else involved in the unending search to supplement traditional textbooks in order to ensure broader inclusion, will welcome this book. In doing so they too will expand their own knowledge and understanding of the subject. One does not need to be in the fields of science, engineering nor medicine to appreciate the message in African American Women Inventors. For the message transcends traditional borders or disciplines of study. The biographical descriptions of the featured women are of tremendous courage, high intellect and a lot of hard work. The stories in this book are exciting and geared to fostering a sense of empowerment to studenta and adults alike who read it. Students at all grade levels, genders and ethnic groups can readily relate to thses stories of personal triumph and achievement. However the author has written it to target ages 9 through 12 year olds.

Reading Bobby's Story aloud in a classroom or as a group is an excellent way to get kids to talk about intimidation and bullies and other issues that they might not be able to comfortably talk about. When discussing the events in the book, and what Bobby went through, these kids get to frame their thoughts using Bobby's experiences.

It is an amazing tool, written by a school principal, himself a victim of bullies when he was a child. He found a way to empower himself and the bully lost his control. It is an easy read for 4th-9th graders. The content is a compelling conversation starter.

Bobby's Story immediately engages the reader with characters who come alive and compel one to learn more about them. On his first day at a new school Bobby is dressed poorly and is the object of obvious derision by other students and Bobby soon becomes a victim of a notorious school bully. Bobby's adjustment to his new school might have continued to be difficult, but Bobby is smart and strong in character. He links up with other students who are tired of the bullying and with Bobby's leadership a plan to abolish all bullying in their school emerges.
The actions of Bobby and his friends are developed in a thoughtful, creative way that empowers students to stand up for what is right. With passivity there is an assumption that others accept or condone the bullying behavior. They found they were not aloe in longing for justice and respect in their school. They draw on their study of the Bill of Rights of the Constitution as a foundation for their principles of a safe, bully-free school experience. With the realization that they have the potential to stop bullying by joining together. Bobby's Story has a powerful, positive message for students and an emotional impact on the reader.

Great for the classroom!
As I read this story to my 4th grade students, they were completely engaged. This book is easy to read aloud, and my students hated it when we had to stop! As a teacher, I love the message it shares: bullying is NOT ok! This story really helps students understand what bullying does to another person.

Bobby is every-boy USA.

This should be used in bully-proofing programs everywhere!

by the school district of Santa Barbara.

Bobby's Story is an amazing story of one teen's courage, not only standing up to a bully, but empowering his classmates to do the same to end one bully's reign of fear.

It is a book that every student should read and the Santa Barbara school district is insightful enough to say so!

este libro de veras, trata este asunto desde la perspectiva de los dos lados en una manera unica y verdadera. Hasta la fecha no sé si haya un libro tan real, tan hasta al grano que, con una certeza y verdad brutal, ataca a los dos gobiernos y sus mafias malisimas.
Los datos sobre la familia Bush sobre todo, y como se han metido cizaña en los asuntos de todos sectores de la economia, hasta contratos con el sistema penal son verdaderamente asombrosos.
Si necesitas leer algo para tu clase en la universidad, o simplemente quieres un libro sobre las frontera, este es. Sin leer este libro no tendrás ninguna perspectiva adecuada.

If issues of the border, immigration or the prison system affect you, you need to read this book. Enjoy the book.
Half of the royalties for this book are going straight to legal costs for rainforest defense so that corporate developement can be stopped. Especially pristine coastal habitat like mangrove esturaries which are critical and endemic habitat areas for many species of wildlife. We don't need anymore of the coast to look like Cancun or Acupulco now do we?
Richard Alevizos

This was a very interesting book!! Much of the material presented was first-hand and anecdotal, and sometimes reads like a diary.. yet throughout the book, it also reads like a formal treatise on the subject at hand: our country's flagrant misuse of tax dollars, solely designed to administer unreasonable immigration control, and designed to uphold a clearly pork-barrel agenda to keep the lower classes lower and the upper classes upper.

As a staunch "centrist" who generally frowns on lefist conspiratorial blather, I was nontheless able to identify with the liberal slant of this book, for the simple reason that it mostly espouses simple truths about the matter at hand with regard to our prison system. In other words, after reading this novel, even a right-wing conservative has to admit: our prison system is completely out of hand. I was also impressed by the authors' knowledge of the hispanic culture(s?) and his general ability to capture the essense of our troubled lands "down south".

The author has lived a strange and particular tale, and unlike a vast majority of the prison populace, was able to put his experiences to paper, with the hopes that others might benefit from his ordeal. My only regret is that the book does not follow through on the ultimate outcomes of the authors' experiences as well as his subjects, and instead, leaves us all wondering, "what happens next"? A Great Read...

The border is an artificial construct designed to keep the rich rich and the poor poor. The simple fact that our companies can go down there and set up shop and destroy the environment and offer terrible wages to poor mexicans while screwing over people in this country is testimonial enough to the "border". And the fact that those who cross over it to get here become nothing more than the very economic slaves used to pick your kid's strawberries or trim the fat off your beef or pork at your friendly neighborhood rendering plant says it all. How about the economic slave getting your big maccie ready with the super size me it fries and corn syrup. And while the 65% obese U.S.A. complains that it can't get its goods cheap enough it also complains about poor workmanship or quality of product. I think it was those very same who not only weren't satisfied with John the Baptist running around the woods in a loin cloth eating off a leg of raw venison, but they weren't satisfied with Jesus in his fine clothes and decent food. Nothing can make them happy!
And so just like these self same people who complain about the quality of their goods and services, tomorrow they would compain if there was nobody there to serve their selfish obese(and overinflated) egotistical needs. And if they had the nerve to complain about the lack of service, at least they wouldn't be complaining about the quality, it wouldn't be an isse at that point. Because if tomorrow all those illegals went home for good, the U.S.A. would be on its knees and in no time at all it would be beggin for its shadow workers to come back. Heck if that happened, if all the illegal Mexicans went home, the U.S.A. would have to get rid of the border all together in an effort to entice those shadow workers to come back to their often dangerous low paying job so it could stimulate its "shadow" economy and save itself from "starving".

One could tell this book is as informed as anybody in any think tank in Washington D.C. or on Wall Street. The facts infused within the anecdotal dialogue combined with the author's common sense and street smart give a whole new twist to the immigration debate. Why are we listening to a bunch of strictly white guys on Wall Street? And everybody knows Washington D.C. is out of touch with thegeneral populace.
As one review indicates, it leaves you hanging with that sense of what is next, but it's message pressages the immediacy of a solution to this problem before it gets more out of hand and more wasteful. This should leave the reader with a sense of urgency to resolve this problem so that more of the money that gets wasted can be diverted to worthy causes, like disaster relief, true disaster relief.
Awesome book, somoebody should make a movie of it

Hilarious and too, too true. I learned to drive in and around Boston (took my driver's test at the Registry of Motor Vehicles near North Station), take pride in the dings in my car and consider driving in California a walk in the park compared to what I grew up with.

I especially appreciate the updates in this latest edition with respect to the Big Dig.

I'm not a Boston native, but moved here seven years ago. This book ... who wrote this? How did they KNOW? :)

I always thought of myself as a good Step 9 driver: granted, it took me two tries to get my license, but I've had exactly one parking ticket, I've been pulled over exactly once and got off with a warning, and every dent and ding I've put into the car has been below the deductible and couldn't be reported to the insurance company. After reading this book, it seems I am a bigger psychotic behind the wheel than I had known. I never thought that most of the manuevers listed here were borderline vehicular suicide, and I was even taught how to do the Boston Left Turn (you pull halfway out into the road, blocking the traffic on your left until a car coming from the right lets you go) in driver's ed. A lot of the diagrams are hilarious (you'll never make sense of Brighton intersection dynamics), and they also include the obligatory pedestrian scoring scale (you don't want to be Tom Menino or Mitt Romney). The best part is the epilogue describing the future of Boston driving--by the end of this century, it will become an Olympic sport, and the Central Artery Tunnel will become a pedestrian shopping mall.

This book is written to sound tongue-in-cheek, but having lived and driven in Boston for two years, I can assure you it's not. I've seen every manuever described in this book, some of them by the Boston and Cambridge PD. For anyone moving to Boston, this should be required reading. It will teach you how to make Boston Left Turns, how to park in Back Bay, even how to cross a street as a pedestrian. Yes, it's amusing, but it's also a survival manual. (Oh, also get your car licence changed before you try any of these--out of towners get ticketed for these moves. For in-staters, about the only way to get a moving violation is to hit a pedestrian voter.)

Driving in Vancouver can be a dicey affair, as many of the drivers here are very strange and don't appear to know what they're doing. It annoys my wife even more than it does me. When my wife and I were looking over a list of books to review, The Boston Driver's Handbook: The Almost Post Big Dig Edition jumped out at my wife. "That should be funny," she said. So I asked for it. Does it live up to its promise? One thing I do know. After reading this book, driving in Boston sounds even worse than driving here. And that takes some doing!

First, to explain the title (though readers in Boston will already be familiar with this). "The Big Dig" is a massive construction project that is intended to make the main artery of traffic through Boston go underground. It's been very expensive and it's tied up traffic since 1991. However, it's almost over. It's scheduled to be finished in 2005, which is why this is the "Almost Post Big Dig" edition. The authors, Ira Gershkoff and Richard Trachtman, wrote an earlier edition of this book which didn't include this information, though since it was written in 1994, I'm sure it had some information about the current state of construction at the time.

The book starts with a basic overview of driving in Boston. It tells us about the philosophy ("Commandment Number 1: Thou shalt reach thy destination as quickly as possible. Everyone and everything else be damned."). It talks about what kind of car you should drive. A sparkling new car is just an invitation to be hit, or at least bumped. The best kind of car is an old, beat-up car that already has plenty of bumps and paint scrapes. The authors then go into the street layout of Boston and how confusing it is. They say that there is no way that you can navigate by street signs. The streets twist and turn and confusing one-ways abound. The cool thing about this chapter is that they talk about every section of Boston, detailing the different traffic and parking problems that they present, like how street fairs in the North End can play havoc with basic navigation, sometimes absorbing drivers who are invited to join the fair and then never seen again. This was an extremely interesting section, especially for somebody who's completely unfamiliar with Boston. It may be even more so for the experienced Boston driver, forcing a nod of the head and an "amen, brothers!"

The third chapter is about the Big Dig, with the authors explaining just what is planned, what has happened so far, and what will happen once construction is complete. They tell how the Ted Williams tunnel is currently (or at least at the time of this book's writing) quite beautiful and relatively empty, but as people get wind of it, traffic patterns will adjust and it will become just as dirty and polluted as the other tunnels. One thing that just sounds horrifying is how the new Central Artery will only have three exits, while the old one had 27. I don't even have to live there to find that idea frightening. You don't have to be familiar with Boston to find this chapter interesting as an example of the lofty goals of major construction and how the reality of it usually doesn't quite fit. Again, the authors are quite detailed in telling how the construction has affected things, and they don't avoid giving the positives as well as the negatives here. They're just cynical, not unfair.

The rest of the book is full of the basic and more advanced maneuvers that the expert Boston Driver has to learn. There's the basic cut-off, where you cut in front of the car next to you in order to pass the car in front. There's the sidesqueeze, where you ease into the other lane until the car next to you brakes to avoid hitting you. You then cut them off and go on your way.

The authors also tell about entering the endless traffic circles, really confusing left turns (one of the diagrams in the book is an intersection where you're actually going into the oncoming lanes in order to actually make it through the intersection before the light turns), parking, and many others. Some of the information would be useful here in Vancouver as well as any other cities where traffic is a nightmare. However, a large part of the book is based on Boston Driving culture, such as going the wrong way on a one-way street being the only way to get to some places. Thus, it's funny to read about, but don't try this at home. I especially enjoy the suggestion that parking and driving on sidewalks is sometimes necessary, as long as you look out for pedestrians.

The book is written in an easy style that is entertaining and won't take you too long to read. It's also a short book, which helps as well. I found the information on Boston and its environs to be fascinating, and it almost makes me want to go there, though there's no way I'd want to drive there after reading this book. There's no way I'd survive! The book is marred only by the final chapter (before the final exam), which gives there ideas for how Boston Driving will evolve in the next 100 years. It tries hard to be funny, but usually falls flat.

If you're planning a trip to Boston or planning to move there, this book could prove invaluable. Even if you're not, it's a funny look at driving in the wild streets of a city, and it just may make you appreciate your local traffic a little bit more. Either way, it's a fun read.

David Roy