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S Books sorted by Average customer review: high to low .

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I Married Wyatt Earp: The Recollections of Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp
Published in Paperback by University of Arizona Press (1976-08)
Author: Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp
List price: $24.95
New price: $23.35
Used price: $11.05
Collectible price: $24.95

Average review score:

Glenn Boyer tells Josie's story as she would have had it!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-23
I think what strikes me most about this book is the author's honesty. I suspect that there is more to this story (and certainly the woman behind it) and only hope there may be a revised edition some day. Many "versions" of the truth have been circulated in years' past by many authors.

Fabulous job, Mr. Boyer, on telling the story the way Josie would like her life with Wyatt remembered. If it weren't for your years of research and sincere dedication to this effort, the world may never have known that the Earp's were real people too. Thank you for your years of service to help preserve western history.

Very good reading
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-29
I enjoyed this book, very interesting for people who love the old west. Great Quality

What a great read!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-22
I recently went to Tombstone, AZ. for the 1st time in my life even though I'm an AZ native. I loved it so much I have been 2 times in a month. I learned there about Wyatt Earp and Josephine and their love romance. It had me wanting to know more. I got the book and started reading and couldn't put it down. I loved hearing of all the adventures Josephine and Wyatt went on together through out their whole life together. What an amazing couple they were. I highly recommend reading this book. Lots of history and how the old times were.

Fresh perspective on Wyatt Earps Life
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2008-03-25
The so-called controversy around this book has been discussed to exhaustion in my opinion. For those who cant seem to understand the how and why of this book, I offer this suggestion: Move on and let it go. There's no need for me to defend a book that needs no defense. For those seeking to learn some truths about Wyatt Earp and to view his life from the angle of someone close to him, this is an excellent source. Not only is the book informative, it is a good read. A great chance for the historically interested mind to find out more about the Earp's life, before, during, and after Tombstone. If you read this, don't miss out on the interesting notes in the back of the book. You may wish to go back and look at them at the end of the chapter later to avoid disrupting the flow of the story, or you may read them as you go. Either way, some interesting footnotes and commentary by the author, Glenn Boyer. I am awaiting one of his other books, "Tombstone Vendetta" and am looking forward to reading it. Highly recommended, a must for any student of Earp history. D. Lindley

I Married Wyatt Earp
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 3 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-30
I found this book very interesting, due to the fact that I have always been interested about the life and times of the Wild West. Reading this book has helped my research for a story that I am working on. Josephine Sarah Marcus Earp was a women before her time. I found her as a strong spirit, intelligent, and fascinating. Her recollections of her life and time with Wyatt Earp as her true soul mate that one can share and find in a life time.I imagine her life with out him was a great loss. Wyatt Earp was a true man of his time, who dodge bullets and live to see the turn of the century. And also very handsome.


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Little Bear (I Can Read S)
Published in Board book by World's Work (1965-09)
Author: Else Holmelund Minarik
List price:

Average review score:

Two boys' review: Mama Bear, Papa Bear, Little Bear, family stories
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-31
My two sons (5-year old and 4-year old) have enjoyed this book for a couple years now. They imagine themselves as "little bears" and enjoy adding their own imagination to the book's different stories.

I really liked the "Birthday Soup" chapter best and have used it to teach my sons that no matter how little you have, you always have enough to share.

The book is a classic and you can add it to your storybook collection with Amazon's 4-for-3 special offer. I suggest you pick up "Little Bear's Friend" (see my review), too.

Childhood favorite
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-07
This is a warm, nurturing view of childhood. My children and many others have loved it for years.

Little Bear (An I Can Read Book)
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-05
I purchased the Little Bear (An I Can Read Book) for a first grader that I mentor and she had asked for this book. I have given her other books and can't wait to give her this one

Playful stories about a little bear cub
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-02
Little Bear, first published in 1957, is a true classic in children's literature. The book is about a bear cub who is a good friend to Owl, Cat, Hen, Duck and Emily, the little girl who visits in the summer. Elsa Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak teamed up to create these stories. The stories are filled with quiet humor, affection and imagination as Little Bear and his friends celebrate birthdays, play games, meet new friends and explore their neighborhood.

The first of five classic Little Bear books, written for beginning readers, Little Bear contains several stories. In one story, "Birthday Soup," Little Bear can't find his mother and thinks she's forgotten his birthday so he sets out to make birthday soup for his friends only to find out his mother hasn't forgotten his birthday. In "Little Bear Goes to the Moon," Little Bear decides that he'll fly to the moon and Mother Bear lets him as long as he's back by lunch.

This book and the others will delight young readers, and encourage them to keep reading.

Charming, cheerful readers for little ones
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-10
My kids and I came to know Little Bear through the cartoons on TV first. Perhaps part of the appeal of the books for my kids is that they know these stories well from the cartoon, but the books are much more engaging!

Best of all, unlike the cartoons, you have the amazing illustrations of Maurice Sendak. They give the books a timeless appeal.

Perfect to read to little ones, and an excellent reader for K-2.

Other titles in the Level 1 - Beginning Reading series are:

- "Father Bear Comes Home"

- "A Kiss For Little Bear"

- "Little Bear's Friend"

- "Little Bear's Visit"

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P. S. I Love You
Published in Paperback by Bantam Books (1981)
Author: Barbara Conklin
List price:
Used price: $8.08

Average review score:

A good quality teen romance novel
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-02
I read this one when I was about 13. I cried when I read it then and shared with all of my classmates. At 26 now, I can still read it again. I still own the battered copy of the book and know that it will bring me to tears if I read it again. If your teen is considering reading books from the Sweet Dreams series, this one is a must. A poignant, touching and sweet love story.

Memorable book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-01
I read this book more than a decade ago. It belonged to my cousin and I would raid her bookshelf ever time I went to her house.

I've read several Sweet Dreams series book, but this is the only one whose title I remember. It's a tear-jerker, and even though at 9 years old I was too young to know about boyfriends and girlfriends and those types of relationships, I could still empathize with Mariah's pain.

I wish I had a copy of this book. It's very memorable.

This is a great book!!!
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-04-15
I am surprised by all of the reviews of this book by people who read it several years ago. I thought I was being silly by coming on amazon to find this book that I read when I was [...] (13 years ago), but now I see that I am not the only one that this book had an impact on. I highly recommend P.S. I love You to anyone.

An all-time favourite
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2006-03-02
This was one of the most treasured books I have ever read. As it was also the very first teenage romance I read (over twenty years ago), the ending of the book was a huge surprise. It is impossible for anyone reading a review to apppreciate how beautiful this book is, you simply HAVE to read it. This book is timeless. I also loved the sequal "Falling in Love Again."

Bittersweet & Poignant
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2006-12-13
I have read other SD books before coming across this one and after finishing it, I had to double check to make sure it is part of the SD series and triple check it when I realized this is the first book in the whole series.

*** SPOILER***
Because the hero dies. And no matter how many times I've read it knowing how the ending will turn out, I'm still mourning for Paul. Mariah and her family housesit a mansion in Palm Springs during the summer holidays. There she meets Paul who, unfortunately, has been diagnosed with cancer. The book reads like a teenager's journal who can write. Conklin really knows how to put the reader in the character's shoes with such descriptive language and little trivial details thrown here and there to make you feel like you're in the book. Mariah is a very likable character. Unlike many characters in the SD series, it makes no mention of her status in school and she comes across as very sensitive and insightful. I also like how Conklin doesn't describe Paul Strobe as your token hot hero and we are brought to attention to his skinny legs from the start. Mariah and Paul's story is unlike any of the SD series - very poignant, sensitive, bittersweet and reflective. Sadly, the sequel to this one, Falling In Love Again, could not compare.

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The Qur'an (Oxford World's Classics Hardcovers)
Published in Hardcover by Oxford University Press, USA (2004-07-01)
Author:
List price: $24.03
New price: $17.64
Used price: $11.61

Average review score:

great book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-24
It is just what I expect from Oxford press very well writen and a qulity product.

The Qu'ran
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-28
This is an excellent translation of the Qu'ran. It is easy to read and comprehend. It explains about the previous messengers and makes clear the message that Muhammad brought to the world.

An excellent translation
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-15
The Qur'an can be daunting for those unfamiliar with its style, construction, and language. And truly no translation can convey either the poetic beauty of the original Arabic or the complex meanings embedded in the Arabic grammar. However, Haleem has succeeded in making a very comprehensible and flowing English translation.

The language is contemporary, eliminating the need to puzzle over awkwardly translated idioms or outdated English phrasing. For all its accessibility, Haleem does not skimp on poetics; the language moves easily and wonderfully, retaining some of the grace of the Arabic original. Moreover, concise footnotes regarding matters of context, translation, and grammar illuminate aspects of the text that might not be obvious to those unfamiliar with the Qur'an. The number and verse system also make it easy to find a given piece of the text, provided you know what you're looking for beforehand.

I would also recommend this as a companion to Arberry's The Koran Interpreted. Arberry's English, while not contemporary, is truly masterful, and his translations accurate. However, his translation lacks grammatical/contextual notes, and somewhat cryptic at times. A reading and understanding of Haleem's translation does much to clarify some of the cloudier bits of Arberry's translation, making it seem a fuller text.

Superb Modern English Translation
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-08-31
Several features of this translation make it unique. First, the text is broken into useful paragraphs rather than a complete run-on as is the case in the original Arabic. Second, numbering has been assigned to make references much simpler to find. In other words, it reads much like the standard English Bible. Abdel Haleem is an expert in Arabic and Islamic studies. It is obvious that he has taken great care with a heartfelt effort to make this translation as true to the original as possible while still being understandable by an average English reader. Further, he has published a book titled Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style, which tackles significant areas of the Qur'an versus Biblical episodes and attempts to explain the beauty of the rhyming Arabic in the original Qur'an. Together, these two books with a biography of Muhammad will give any non-Muslim a very good knowledge of Islam.

Excellent
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-14
M.A.S. Abdel Haleem has given us a superb, easy to read translation of the Holy Qur'an. Those who are new to Islam will be relieved to learn how well Haleem's introduction prepares the reader for the actual text. Without the intro, many readers would have a hard time making their way through the rest of the book.

Haleem's translation is replete with footnotes providing some much needed clarification on points of history and etymology. The notes are helpful without bogging the reader down in too much detail.

This is the translation to get if you are new to the Qur'an. I think, upon reading it, Westerners might feel a little more comfortable with this holy book than the one with which they are already acquainted. The Qur'an is 100x more readable than the Bible. Many people, I think, get discouraged when they look for spiritual sustenance in the Bible - very few people have read the book cover to cover. The Qur'an may have what a lot of people are looking for. Haleem's translation is easy to read and the Qur'an itself is an incredible source of spiritual sustenance. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Islam.

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The Space Trilogy
Published in Paperback by Scribner Paper Fiction (1975-05-01)
Author: C.S. Lewis
List price: $11.95
New price: $47.93
Used price: $12.72
Collectible price: $39.99

Average review score:

Philosophical Sci-fi
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-20
I find this a very provocative science fiction trilogy. Lewis' view of cosmology and theology is neat, and the story, though somewhat dated, is interesting.

Got me hooked on sci-fi
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-10-04
I absolutely LOVED this series. My science fiction loving father recommended it and now I have become a sci-fi junkie because of it. A great story that shows our history and future in interesting ideas. Fantastic read.

Books to Change One's Life
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-08-14
Books such as these cannot fail to change you. There have been many books in my life which I could say that about, but short of the Bible, I think these surpass them all (Tolkien's Lord of the Rings or G.K. Chesterton's Man Who Was Thursday being the only serious competition).
I cannot speak about these books without a tone of awe, it would be absolutely useless to try and explain why. Please trust me - read these, and many times, too.

Soak It Up
Helpful Votes: 5 out of 5 total.
Review Date: 2007-02-13
Sometimes learning is like sunbathing. You soak up wisdom like you soak up rays--changing, even though you can't pinpoint every little drop that touched you.

I say that because today I completed the second book in C. S. Lewis' Space Trilogy. True, I can't name one thing I learned (and this series is much more about exploring concepts than telling a story), but I feel very wise. Before you laugh too hard, let me say that my spirit is quiet right now. It's still. Rested. Open. In awe. Ready to receive.

Today I will continue resting, listening. Tomorrow I'll go back over the pages and remind myself what I learned. (And then I'll start the third book.)

I highly recommend these book, but read them only when you have lots of time to reflect.

Excellent Series
Helpful Votes: 8 out of 8 total.
Review Date: 2006-09-11
Out of the Silent Planet
C.S. Lewis
Scribner Paperback
ISBN 0684823802

This is the first book in C.S. Lewis's amazing Space Trilogy. These books are far less known than Lewis's Narnia series or even his Mere Christianity or The Screwtape Letters, yet it is just as good as any of those writings and goes to show the versatility of Lewis as an author.

This first book begins with our hero, Dr. Ransom, out for a walking tour in the countryside, dressed in that shabby way for which professors are renowned. His foes are his former schoolmates Devine and Weston. These men believe they need a human sacrifice, and by capturing Ransom they have their victim, for they have made a spaceship and are taking Ransom to Malacandra the red planet.

Once on Mars, Ransom escapes his captors, meets many species, and finds out that on Mars there has been no `Fall' and Ransom from Earth or the Silent Planet is a bit of an oddity. People from earth are considered to be `bent' in nature, from the original sin of the fall.

Follow Ransom as he treks across a strange world, and must find the courage to risk it all to save not only an alien race, but also, possibly his own soul.

This is a first book in an amazing series. Try it - you won't be disappointed.

Perelandra
C.S. Lewis
Scribner Paperback
ISBN 0684823829

This is the second book in C.S. Lewis's amazing Space Trilogy. This book was written as a sequel to the immensely popular Out of the Silent Planet but Lewis also wrote it so that the story can stand on its own. So if you haven't read the first you can start here.

This book takes place some time after the first, but we are not sure how long. Ransom has received a summons to Venus, a planet that is just beginning its inhabited life. This planet's `Adam' and `Eve' are on the planet and they must choose to obey God or to reject his law and face a `fall' as has happened on earth.

Ransom must face his old foe Weston, and try to save a planet from great evil. Can he navigate this watery planet; can he negotiate the intricacies of human weakness, temptation and corruption? Can he conquer himself and help others to learn obedience?

This is a great creation story. Try it - you won't be disappointed.

That Hideous Strength
C.S. Lewis
Scribner Paperback
ISBN 0684823853

This is the third and final book in C.S. Lewis's amazing Space Trilogy. This book was written as a sequel to the immensely popular Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra but Lewis also wrote it so that the story can stand on its own. So if you haven't read the first, you can start here.

That Hideous Strength, unlike the first 2 books in this series, where Ransom leaves earth and fights evil in space and on other planets, the battle in this book takes place on earth.

Ransom must lead a group of faithful believers against National Institute for Coordinated Experiments or N.I.C.E., an organization that believes that Science can solve all of humanity's problems. He must battle the people in this organization, super aliens trying to invade and control earth and use its population against other planets and against God.

On top of all of that, Merlin has arisen from his long sleep and has arisen in England's time of greatest need. But the question is, who will find him first - N.I.C.E. or Ransom and his team? The fate of the world, and possibly the universe, rests on this question.

Lewis called this story an adult's fairy-tale. It is a mix of sci-fi and fantasy, and a book that will keep your attention as you raptly turn the pages to find out where Lewis will lead you.

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America: The Last Best Hope Volumes I & II Box Set
Published in Hardcover by Thomas Nelson (2007-10-16)
Author: William J. Bennett
List price: $49.99
New price: $26.29
Used price: $31.76

Average review score:

Brilliant read --- Dr. Bennett is one of the brightest scholars of our decade.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-30
Dr. Bennett shares American history like no one else. He presents the good, the bad and the ugly of this wonderful tale of building the worlds first free democratic society. He makes you proud to be an American while recognizing that it comes at a very high cost. It is a wonderful review of how our culture developed and from whom it was developed. Soon these brilliantly written books will become High School History Books and that is a very welcoming idea!

American is good even if it could be better.
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-08
A very concise outline of American History - much of which too many seem to have forgotten or never learned. She has made mistakes but has always tried to do right and has succeeded far more than any other country ever.

A great book
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-04
Mr. Bennett has a gift for making history come alive. It is very interesting and enjoyable to read.

Dry American History?-Think Again
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-11
These 2 volumes manage to capture the drama and magic of "boring" history as few have. It has a very engaging and page-turning style that will promise to bring to life the American story for those who have become frustrated with all the names and dates that is the usual fare in history classes. It will fascinate all who will read it with fascinating sidelights, accomplished writing, and appreciated anecdotes. If one has been away from history for a spell, and feels that it would be drudgery getting back into it, you will treat yourself by engaging in these volumes. Bennett has given careful attention to historical accuracy and a short glance at the collected footnotes (Vol. 1 35 pages; Vol. 2 41 pages) will demonstrate that he has followed broad research. And I might add that it brings a refreshing antidote to many textbooks available in schools in this day. Every reader should thrill about this factual, readable, interesting, and emotive tribute to America as "The Last Best Hope."

For Your Family Library
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-14
I read these books and decided to donate this set to each of the four high schools in our area from our Federated Republican Women's Club Literacy Program. This is a set I suggest you buy for your family library. Written by William Bennett, former Secretary of Education and author of The Book of Virtues, it is our country's history in a brief and non boring form. It is a great starting point for anyone wanting to familiarize himself with events from our country's past. It's readable history written by a patriot.

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Americans
Published in Hardcover by Aperture Book (1978-11)
Author: Robert Frank
List price: $50.00
Used price: $47.24
Collectible price: $175.00

Average review score:

Robert Frank, not Jack Kerouac
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-31
contrary to what is listed, The Americans is by Robert Frank, the photographer. the photos are timeless and i still use them to teach photography to college students
jack kerouac only wrote the forward.
set the record straight for non-photographers.
thank you.

Black and White and Grey
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-27
Looking at this again after many years ( I first came across it about 25 years ago) the images are as poignant as ever. This is truly a great book of photographs and is perhaps the best photojournalist's collection ever published. The new edition has all the gravity and attention to detail that the work deserves.

iNTERESTING
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-24
Excellent print quality.. A glance at common people in random daily-life shots. It's a book worth a place in your hands

It's not by Jack K.
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-16
This book was not by Jack Kerouac. It's by Robert Frank. It's one of the seminal books in the history of photography. Many see it as a hate letter to America, but that's a shallow reading of the book. It's some of the best documentary done by a non-documentarian of the American culture of the period. If you really want to see great photography with a point of view, this is a good start.

I find lots of listings get authorship wrong when the book is about a photographer's work. Amazon needs to fix this basic flaw in their system.

The definitive "The Americans"
Helpful Votes: 7 out of 7 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-28
We're lucky to have this edition. Robert Frank is an old man with health issues now. That he is healthy enough to oversee this work is wonderful. Everything about this edition - especially in comparison to the 2007 Delpine edition I purchased earlier this year - is first-rate. I wish I had known this was coming out!

The book is a little smaller than the Delpine, but that's the only real negative (if it is one) I can think of. The main thing to me is that the photos themselves are how Frank intended them to look. Gone are the overly-lightened faces that plague the Delpine book. This is a pet peeve of mine that kills many photos in this Photoshop age. This is very obvious in the New Orleans trolley photo. In the Delpine work, the faces of the white passengers are totally washed out, and the black faces are awkwardly lightened (someone apparently thought they were helping Frank's work). That's all corrected here. In this Steidl edition things are shown as they were intended. One can even see details in the face of the man at far left, even though it is partially obscured by a window reflection.

Also, on several photos more of the frame is visible. This was most noticeable to me in the Butte, Montana photo of the woman looking out the car window, with several children in the back seat. A good portion of the left side of the photo is now visible, along with more shown on the top and bottom. The new crop just seems more "right." Not too mention that the face of the child in the middle of the photo is too light in the older edition.

Simply put, comparing the two editions is an eye opener. I first saw these photos years ago in a much earlier edition (I believe it was the 1969 Aperture work) and I still marvel at the depth of the images in that printing. I don't have that edition in hand, so I can't do a direct comparison, but I believe the Steidl images are much closer to that ideal. Franks prefers his images a little on the flat, low-key side. Another difference is that the photos are now printed on a non-glossy paper. I was surprised at this at first, but now I believe it works much better for this book.

In short, if you want an accurate, lovingly-printed edition of The Americans at a reasonable price, this is the one. Highly recommended.

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Bound for Canaan
Published in Kindle Edition by HarperCollins e-books (2007-09-25)
Author: Fergus, Bordewich
List price: $11.95
New price: $9.56

Average review score:

Audio version: Fast-paced and fascinating history
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2007-09-10
I listened to the abridged audio version on CD and thoroughly enjoyed it. Read by the author, it is in interesting study that contains a number of riveting stories.

I have two minor complaints about this audio version. One is that the author's voice sometimes drops into a range that can be inaudible if you are listening in a vehicle with traffic noise around you. The other is that maps are not included in the CD set. Fortunately my public library had a copy of the book so that I was able to examine the maps and various illustrations. The maps were of interest to me since a couple of my great-great-grandfathers supposedly sheltered escaped slaves, one near the Ohio River and another in Philadelphia.

Overall, this is an enjoyable and inspiring book that raises questions about civil disobedience that we must ponder in order to understand the complexity of our history. I wholeheartedly recommend the audio version to those who like audiobooks. It is as exciting as an adventure novel, and you can supplement it with a hardcopy if you want.

A MUST READ FOR ALL AMERICANS
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-05-17
BOUND FOR CANAAN should be required reading for every American! Every American! This is one of the most important books about our history and who we are and where we came from.

Wonderful book
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-04-18
Bound for Canaan is a fascinating, engaging, book on the "Underground RR" written from primary sources. It describes in vivid, first hand detail the flight of slaves from the south and the changing attitudes of the northern and southern states on the slave issue from the 1820's to the eve of the civil war. Wonderful book.

More than Harriet Tubman
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-01-14
Harriet Tubman was a great lady, and she did not simply help the slaves to freedom -- she helped move America to a better place. Growing up, whenever I heard or read of the Underground Railroad, Ms. Tubman's name came up again and again. This book expands the vision of the Undergound Railroad and shows it as a part of something much bigger in our history.

First, the book does discuss the railroad and how it works. The reader gets an idea of the perils involved and the logistics behind helping a slave to freedom. This was no easy task, and this books shows the reader not just how brave the conductors were, but how brave the "passengers" were.

Second, the book discusses the fortitude and determination of the different people who tried to make America better by fighting the injustices of slavery. We learn of the battles of the press as well as the battle of the gun. This was a dark time in our history, and the author does a good job in illuminating us to the various people that tried to illuminate their time.

Lastly, the book explains what else happened. In school, we learned that the Underground Railroad helped slaves to freedom. That was about it. There is more to the story, and the author explains this to us. We also see that just getting to the North didn't make things better. There were still things that needed to happen to help the slaves create their new life.

In all, I would highly recommend reading this book. It brings a much more enlightened perspective to this part of American history.

A Great Book, Could Have Used a Little Editing
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-10-04
I really enjoyed this book, which fleshes out for the first time, based on significant new research, the numerous heroes and participants who risked their lives for freedom from slavery. A few insights in the book were new to me:

1. I had no idea how crippling and discriminatory the laws were against blacks who lived in "free states." Most of the time they could not vote, own property, needed affidavits in order to move or get a job, were subject to kidnapping by freelance slave catchers -- it was pretty horrible.

2. I did not realize the critical role that radical, truth-to-power religion, in particular but not exclusively the Quakers, played in ending the evil practice of slavery. These folks risked financial ruin, stonings, beatings, and criminal charges to put in practice their moral view -- based on their faith -- that slavery in all forms must end. They deserve our thanks and praise, and we should remember them as we are faced with current moral conflicts that call out for action based on our beliefs.

3. I found especially interesting the debates in Congress in the 1850s in support of the federal Fugitive Slave Act, and the justifications used by supporters of slavery to denigrate the abolitionists. Indeed, Mr. Bordewich makes the point that even in "free" states, a measure of your worth as a politician was how "tough" you were on abolitionists, in the same sense that today politicians are expected to be "tough" on communism.

But what was interesting to me was that slave supporters like Daniel Webster justified the practice based on the Bible (cherry picking quotes that supposedly support the practice); science (blacks were intellectually inferior and like animals who require our feeding and care); inalienable property rights (the slaves were chattel and were necessary in order for owners to make productive use of their land); and also anti-Europe prejudice (the abolitionists are getting all of their crazy ideas from Europe). These concepts are still being used today to justify social policies that may in the distant future seem equally morally bankrupt.

I did think, however, the book could have used a little editing. I found it a bit difficult to keep up with so many historical figures, and perhaps some of their activities could have been trimmed in the interests of narrative flow.

But in all, a highly readable book and a substantial step forward in terms of historical scholarship.

S
The Children
Published in Paperback by Ballantine Books (1999-03-30)
Author: David Halberstam
List price: $18.95
New price: $9.63
Used price: $2.02
Collectible price: $18.95

Average review score:

Every School kid should read this book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2007-04-24
A staggering book on the heroism of people who stood up for the rights of basic human dignity. This book should be required reading in every school in America.

Great Audio Book!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2005-12-22
This takes you through the civil rights movement. It is very interesting and proves to be an inspiring historical journey. This is a great audio book. The reader was exceptional.

The People Who Made "The Movement"
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-06-18
The Children is David Halberstam's look at the college students who helped make the Civil Rights movement a success. The book is fascinating; Halberstam sweeps you along as events unfold. It is difficult to believe that things were so different just a few years ago. Even at 700+ pages, The Children is difficult to put down.

To me, the best part of The Children is its characters. Halberstam has a gift for making his characters come alive; you feel that you know these young people, warts and all. One of the most fascinating aspects of these biographies is what happened to the characters as the Civil Rights movement ended; some of them were quite successful, others could never find anything as fulfilling. (It is interesting to read Halberstam's take on James Bevel, given that Bevel has been convicted of incest since The Children's publication).

The dust jacket of The Children notes that it is Halberstam's "most personal" book. I think that this works for and against the book. Certainly, Halberstam has a great grasp on "what happened when" and he took the time to get to know each of the Civil Rights workers on a deep level. In other ways, Halberstam's passions work against him. Too often, Halberstam falls for the easy out of caricaturing people he does not like; he cavalierly characterizes Ralph David Abernathy, rival journalists, politicians, college professors, religious leaders, and numerous others as nothing more than one-dimensional simpletons.

Halberstam's opinionated prose reminded me of a review I once read; it stated that Halberstam's gift for narrative can obscure the fact that his approach isn't always 100% solid as history. Given that Halberstam states his opinions as established facts, I think that's a fair synopsis of The Children as well.

On the whole, however, The Children is quite an accomplishment. It tells the story of how a few seemingly-ordinary people helped create a more just society - and Halberstam tells that story in a way that entertains and fascinates the reader.

An amazing work
Helpful Votes: 2 out of 2 total.
Review Date: 2006-07-23
David Halberstam has written so many great works, but THE CHILDREN may be his greatest achievement. From the outset, this book takes readers on a journey through the civil rights movement through the eyes of both the courageous young people who had decided that our society had to change and the adults who helped them to bring this needed change to America. The book captures readers from the beginning as Halberstam gives a very intimate look at the fear Diane Nash experienced as one of the leaders of Nashville's sit-in movement. The first chapter gives readers a window through which to see the conflicting forces that collided in the heart and mind of Ms. Nash as she contemplated the enormity of what she was doing: changing the south against the wishes of many who, if they had their way, would just as soon hang her as look at her.

The chapters of this work flow so well, and the reader is introduced to so many who made the civil rights movement what it was: Diane Nash, John Lewis, Bernard Lafayette, Jim Lawson, James Bevel, C.T. Vivian, etc. etc. etc. The book, a work of historical non-fiction reads almost like a novel. Readers are drawn in by the stories of these heroes, and their triumphs and tragedies take readers on a roller-coaster ride of emotion as they are thrust into this amazing struggle.

Halberstam tells a great story, but the story he tells in this book tops them all. I have read many, many books on the movement, and this is my favorite. I had the tremendous honor to meet John Lewis last summer, and as we talked about much of what he experienced during this period, he asked me "Have you read THE CHILDREN?" When I told them that I had, he commented about what a great book he thought it was and how Halberstam had perfectly captured, as much as possible, what that time was like for those of us who weren't there. John Lewis is a personal hero of mine, and I can think of no better praise for this book. On that note, I would also highly recommend Mr. Lewis' book WALKING WITH THE WIND for those who haven't read it and want another good civil rights title.

Fast Pace Read
Helpful Votes: 4 out of 4 total.
Review Date: 2004-11-16
David Halberstam's publication "The Children" is an exciting overview of the Civil Rights Movement from an enamored journalist through the eyes of Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. (SNCC) The author focuses on the major players such as Diane Nash, James Bevel, Jim Lewis, Curtis Murphy, Bernard Lafayette and James Lawson, with heavy emphasis on the Nashville Sit-In Movement and Freedom Rides. The strength of his work is that it reads much more like a fast paced novel than an academic analysis. He does however at the same time provide plenty of background material and socio-economic, political and cultural variables within his work. Halberstam also revisits these former SNCC workers after the "high" of the movement and even much later in life. It's quite obvious the work of a journalist within the pages.

This is a good overview of Civil Rights through the eyes of SNCC rather than a broader based examination of the movement. Halberstam's book is quite impressive, and what I admire is the length of information he was able to attain from the vast interviews he received, largely because he had already covered and had known many of the players as a journalist covering the Civil Rights Movement. If you are just starting out or have little knowledge of the Civil Rights Movement this book would be a good starting point. Journalists make great writers because they simply know how to tell a story. Well done!

S
Drug Info Handbk Int Ed 10/E HB
Published in Hardcover by Lexi-Comp,U.S. (2002-12-01)
Author: LACY
List price:

Average review score:

Very Pleased
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-11-02
This book was in excellent condtion and arrived very quickly. I am very pleased with the service and will shop again!

Great classic pharmacy reference!
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-10-14
This book is great. It's too large to carry in your white coat, but as a desktop reference it's unbeatable. I am a student pharmacist on rotations and it has already helped me immensely. I don't have a PDA, so this book is great for looking up quick details. The new features (drug names in red, larger size, reference charts in the back) make this much better than previous editions. Usually I just buy books "to have" and never really use them, but I've used this countless times in the first month I've had it.

good pharmacy reference
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-09-26
just that, a good pharmacy reference. It's a good addition to my other resources and is easy to use.

drg information handbook
Helpful Votes: 0 out of 0 total.
Review Date: 2008-02-13
A great quick guide on drug information, perhaps, the best one. Full monographs of almost all of the drugs, including interactions. Much necessary to the pharmacists and other health professionals.

wait, there's more
Helpful Votes: 1 out of 1 total.
Review Date: 2008-07-10
Lexi-Comp's Drug Information Handbook is the bomb. No nagging adds like the PDR; just the facts, ma'am. More eye friendly than previous editions, and still packed with about a gillion tables in the appendix. Drug names are now in red. This is the cat's meow; I probably use it once a day in patient care. Shipping and price are much better through Amazon than through the publisher.


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