Stuart Books

I purchased a hardcover version of this book for my children about twenty years ago. It is so amusing and full of Santa's life at the North Pole. Santa's favourite cookies recipe is yummy - these had to be made every Christmas. I totally recommend this book for anyone young at heart.

I've had this book so long, and read it so often, that I'm shocked it's still in one piece. Alden Perkes, a master storyteller, presents an 'inside look' of the North Pole, the reindeer and elves, and-- of course-- Santa himself in such a convincing manner, this almost-30-year-old wants to believe all over again. So glad I can share it with my kids now, and that the magic continues...

I received this book for my first Christmas (1983) and spent many Christmases after that reading it under our Christmas tree. This book is full of imaginative, fun, and hilarious stories and characters. I cannot imagine a Christmas without it and recommend this book to everyone, young and old. I hope to share my copy with my children and help create the memories that it inspired in my youth.

I always remember this book being around our house every Christmas, and I would read it over and over- poring over it for hours. Alden's presentation of research was so "scientific" and official-looking that I believed way after all the other kids my age! In fact, when other kids would tell me they didn't believe anymore, I would tell them they were wrong and their parents had lied- Santa Claus IS real, I have the book!

Santa gave me this book when I was still a baby, and I've had it ever since. I'm 21 now and I still think this is the greatest book to read during the holidays. It makes you smile because the way it's written is just really heartwarming and really puts you in the holiday spirit. My mom calls me every year to tell me she got 'the Santa Book' out because I think she loves it more than I do! haha.

I took the book to the beach and couldn't put it down. I was riveted from the very first sentence. The author led us with such skill to the character Reb Michael Klimrod that you are hooked immediately.

Paul-Loup Sulitzer is a master storyteller. His skill and thought provoking insight into this complex character gave us an entirely different prospective into this tragic time. He lifts your soul and fires your imagination with imagery that has you holding your breath in anticipation of what comes next. This book will make you stop whining about your life and look outside yourself to the possibilities available. I'm not a person that likes to read a book more than once but with The Green King I find myself reading it once a year and feeling like it is the first time every time.

Do you have a teen that feels life is boring or that you know needs to be challenged? This book has the power to bring on a change in thinking. I read several novels weekly but this is a book you will want to read slowly and savor every word.

Movie Makers Take Notice - the world needs a thought provoking movie and this is it!

The green King is without any doubt one of the best tales ever told, about the life of a person with so much to give to the world, and so much to do and explore.For me it was amazing from the beginning, the tall blonde boy with the anger and pain of the concetration camp to the nearly end, Reb the one of the richest man alive fighting for a good cause. Read it love it, please someone do a movie about this extraordinary Man.

i read The Green King in its Russian translation 12 years ago and it remains my most favorite book... i still keep it and it is much beaten up by now... i can definetely say that the power of this Sulitzer musterpiece was a major factor in shaping my adolesent character... now i am grown up and unfortunately find it impossible to have a strong figure in my life who i would want to be like, but there is something in The Green King that will make you either rediscover the feeling or help find it for a first time....

I found a copy of the hardback English translation at a "friends of the library" sale. The tale of Reb Michael Klimrod is an improbable one, although riveting. With the start of the book with Klimrod rescued from Mauthausen concentration camps during the war, he survives amid a sea of bodies, pulling on some inner strength and self-image that allows himself to function in horrendous circumstances without letting it attack his spirit. He then goes on an adventure to find what happened to his family and their wealth, makes connections in cigarette black market trade that finance his eventual stalking down of the Nazi who tortured, filmed and killed his father.

From that tale of vengeance the book propels us into the Amazon, where Klimrod again survives a hostile environment and develops a bond with the natives in Amazonia. After emerging from there, he heads to New York where he again flourishes in the hostile environment of big business, using powers of persuasion and an incredible memory to create a number of businesses in a short amount of time and surround himself with loyal followers that become known as "the Black Dogs."

Klimrod falls in love with the unstable Charmian whose ups & downs captivate him. The scene on the boat where she actually shoots him is a profound chapter on the power of love.

Having amassed billions, Reb turns his attentions to Amazonia, creating a culture in the heart of the jungle. The secrecy and silent attraction of others to Reb make him an enigmatic lead character, one that holds our interest until the end. The ending at the United Nations where Reb, the unknown billionaire, is going to try to "come out" against boarders and nations is foiled and the novels seems to dissipate as much as climax. Denise Raab Jacobs' translation from the French reads and flows well. All in all, this is a memorable story, one that grabs you in the first few pages and takes you in numerous unpredictable directions. Enjoy!

The Green King is my all-time favorite book. I read it for the first time when on vacation in Aruba in '85 and have read it at least three times since. I found a first print in hardcover and it is the jewel of my book collection.

Reb Michael Klimrod's journey from a nazi death camp to the richest man in the world without anyone knowing him is remarkable. The detail that Sulitzer maintains in his book of the men that kept this secret is breath taking; the web of financial companies and transactions is exhilarating. This is a great book for anyone that enjoys high finance and a desire to fulfill a dream. 5 Stars are not enough for this book.

As a history of Stuart's epic ride, this book has no peer. As even-handed historiography of the critical aftermath, echoing for well over a century, it also no peer. I have two trivial criticisms: 1) the title isn't quite accurate, I think -- however many people were in the decision loop during those critical days, Stuart surely must have realized, at some point, that he had brought his command far from where it should have been; and, 2) the authors interrupt their clear narrative flow with repeated biographical digressions that should have been drastically curtailed or relegated to the endnotes (or both). The authors make the all-important point that Lee and his corps commanders marching into Pennsylvania had sufficient cavalry available for their purposes in the four brigades left behind by Stuart, but they failed to utilize these brigades properly and the brigade commanders themselves demonstrated little initiative. The biggest problem was not the absence of Stuart's three cavalry brigades but of Stuart himself, with his intuitive flair for scouting and delivering accurate reports to Lee.

Lets face it Lee lost the battle of Gettysburg. He admitted it himself, but he did have a co-conspirator. Due to his criticism of Lee, the fact that he wasnot your typical chivarlous southerner and becoming a Republican after the war Longstreet had been pick for that role. Everyone of the confederate corp commanders made mistakes. Cocky Hill letting Pettigrew go to Gettyburg with no idea of what was in front of him. Indecisive Ewell failing to attack Cenetery Hill when even Hancock admitted later that it could have been taken with a timely southern attack. And then there was Longstreet or what i like to call "The little train that couldnt" who whether right about not attacking the union postition or not certainly had a hand in that failure with his sulkying and perhaps even self fullfilling prophecy due to his lethargy and slowness. The mistakes these corp commanders made did not win the battle but only two if you want to discount that the federals won it lost the battle. Lee's ofder of pickett's charge and his incompetence in not properly overseeing Longstreets diligence in overseeing the attack especially Hill's corp lost the battle. Staurt was co-conspirator for these reason's. Would Hill have stumbled into a general engagement if Staurt's cavalry would have been there to report that it was federal cavalry and not militia in Gettysburg. There has been claims that there was sufficent cavalry left to Lee yet Stuart took every exceptional commander with him on his ride. What if he had left Wade Hampton to oversee that cavalry. As for Ewell he was getting reports that federal infantry was advancing up the Baltimore Pike It was confederate skirmishers and he was told that but how much did that and his ignorance of what federal forces were coming up because Stuart was not there to tell him contributed to Ewell hesitation. Not even Stuart can be blamed for Ewell not occupying an unoccupied Culps Hill. As for Longstreet and his suggested small flanking movement around the round tops and his larger one of putting the Condeferate force between Meade and Washington on defensible ground forcing Meade to attack. How feasible would they have been if Stuart would have been there to tell Lee where the federal forces were. Everyone of the corp commanders mistakes has the hand of Staurt on them. As for Picketts charge that was Lee's and Lee's alone so dont get the idea that this review is in anyway an attempt to exonerat him. Malvern Hill and Picketts charge showed he could perhaps be too audacious. Regarding this book hopefully it is the beginning of a movement that those Lee adoletors if they want to scapegoat Lee's failure at least it will go to the proper person. Stuart not Longstreet. I dont care about his brillance before and after the battle, i dont care that he died for his country. I dont care if he represented true southern chilavry. Jeb Staut made a monumental mistake in how he choose to obey Lee's orders by choosing a route that he could have foreseen the union army blocking his way north and his total lack of urgency in getting to Lee by chasing a wagon train half way to Washington. I have read Lee's order and while it may have given Stuart discretion in how he got there one thing was very clear in Lee's order. He wanted constant and up to date information about the whereabouts of the union army and he wanted him on Ewell flank protecting the army as SOON AS POSSIBLE and ladies and gentlemen him arriving on JULY SECOND just didnt cut it. So you Longstreet haters ease up and you Lee lovers if you have to blame someone i hope this book has at least given you the proper target.

No matter what you may think you know about Jeb Stuart's ride, you have to read this book. Its that good!!

Lots of questions answered regarding what Gen stuart did or didn't do at Gettysburg. Definitely added lots of light to dissipate the tons of heat present in the myths, rumors and inuendo surrounding Lees loss of the Battle of Gettysburg and who truly shared the blame for the loss--including rafts of evidence supporting the what and why of the blame. Gen Jeb Stuart comes off well--he was certainly not the villain of the loss.

As the last of George Pickett's men limped off the battlefield on the evening of July 3rd, 1863 it was clear the Confederate Army, after three days of fighting, had been defeated. General Lee, as the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, accepted all responsibility for the loss, but many, after the battle, blamed General J.E.B. Stuart instead. It has been 145 years since the Confederate defeat at Gettysburg, and the controversy over who is to blame for the loss has never abated.

Eric J. Wittenberg and J. David Petruzzi have brought the case to trial in their book, "Plenty Of Blame To Go Around: Jeb Stuart's Controversial Ride to Gettysburg." The first half of the book is an inquiry into the facts of the case, as the authors present General Lee's orders to Stuart as exhibits. Their careful and diligent research has turned up many witnesses, both Union and Confederate, who add their testimony, and together, they form a narrative of the events following Stuart's departure with his cavalry, their ride around the Federal Army and their arrival on the battlefield of Gettysburg on July 2nd.

The second half of the book enters the historiography of Stuart's ride into evidence, and breaks it down into three phases. In the first phase, immediately after the battle and war, those immediately involved in the Confederate high command, and those involved in the ride, begin the finger pointing and placing of blame. In the second, the controversy continues, and heats up, during the post war years, as the participants continue quarreling with one another. Finally, after the passing of the participants, the debate continued into the 20th & 21st centuries, when the historians took up the argument. In all three phases, JEB Stuart had his supporters and detractors. The authors have done a fine job, presenting the evidence and arguments on both sides of this complicated issue.

Was the infallible Robert E. Lee at fault for issuing vague orders to Stuart? Did Stuart disobey, either willfully or unintentionally, Lee's orders? The authors, in their conclusion, deliver their verdict and find there is no one single person entirely to blame for the Confederate loss at Gettysburg. There is enough fault for every one. Or, in other words, there's "plenty of blame to go around."

"Plenty Of Blame To Go Around" is the definitive history of Jeb Stuart's ride to Gettysburg. Eric J. Wittenberg and J. David Petruzzi's outstanding research has produced a book that is truly a joy to read.

I've used a lot of ideas from the book. I really enjoyed the section on getting endorsements for your book. And I contacted my local library after reading this book as well.

My copy of Carmen's book is dog-eared, underlined, highlighted and battered. I go back to it time after time for fresh ideas, as my first novel has just been issued and I need all the promotional tools I can get. Though some reviewers felt this book is "only for the self-published," they're wrong. These days, traditional publishers leave a LOT of the promotion up to the author. Don't fool yourself -- you'll need this stuff! In addition, there are so many great marketing ideas in the book and they can be used to make your next book proposal to a publisher really shine. They want authors who are willing to promote and who have concrete ideas how to do so. It could mean the difference between a contract and just another piece of wallpaper for your Rejection wall. I highly recommend it.

If I were self-publishing my book, I would give this book five stars. Only because I'm seeking a publisher I give it two. The book is well-written and full of ideas. I've met the author and she is sophisticated and experienced in self-publishing. I recommend it to anyone who publishes his own book.

You Can Market Your Book is designed to help you understand basic book marketing principles. No matter how your book was published, unless you are a superstar author, you are the main salesperson. Yes, you might be responsible for your own book distribution or with a traditional publisher, you might even have a publicist for a brief time, but ultimately it's up to the author. You need to be as aggressive as possible if you want to reclaim your garage or closets from the boxes of unsold books, or if you expect a royalty check from your publisher. Add this book to your marketing arsenal.

I sat down to read Carmen's book with a highlighter and legal pad in hand; from glancing through the book I knew I'd be writing down lots of great ideas for publicizing and promoting my new book. I was absolutely thrilled when, on page 23, I read, "As Christians, the first step in our marketing plan must be prayer." I've been praying for God's guidance throughout the planning and writing of my book, and was so happy to find that Carmen shared my Christian viewpoint and beliefs. She urges us to seek His will at all stages of book writing and promoting and marketing, and with everything we do. Godly encouragement is sprinkled through the book, and provided me with some much-needed encouragment.

At the end of every chapter you'll find very helpful resources, including author websites and references for more information about the subject of that chapter. Carmen covers a comprehensive range of topics throughout the book, taking the reader step-by-step through marketing tools like reviews, promotion, etc. Many/most of the ideas are inexpensive and simple, but I know will be effective.

By the time I finished the book there were pages dog-eared, sticky notes sticking out of various pages, and almost a legal pad full of ideas I will be using to market my previous books, as well as the one coming out next.

This book is a must have for any author!

While as comprehensive and extraordinarily detailed as a college text, and as fully annotated, this is a great example of a 'popular' history at the top of its game. The enormous amount of (often grueling) material is nicely organized across time, place, and category, the many significant characters are well-delineated, and there is a sense of narrative flow and pretty steady momentum to this highly readable book.

This is a excellent, outstanding and informative book, that every patriotic american should read. These men are real American Heroes, I needn"t say more.

Definitely one of the best books I every read. It's amazing what a man will do for honor, to protect the life and dignity of another, at his own peril. There are scores of examples of this in this book. On the down side, what men bent on tyranny and oppression will do to break the will of another. However, light truly shines through darkness. If you think you have it rough, read this book.

This is a lengthy but well written book. If you are looking for an excellent history of the POW's from the Vietnam war, this is the one to get. If you are interested in history or the human aspects of the Vietnam POW's this would be very valuable. I have read a number of books on POW's and this is by far the best of the lot.

This observer has followed the POW situation since 1972, when he was still on active duty. He is familiar with many POW memoirs, so the men in Messer's. Kiley and Rochester's voluminous work are no strangers. Most of the prominent POWs are well known to many and they are certainly all here: Ernest Brace, Robinson Risner, James Stockdale, Jeremiah Denton, Frank Anton and Everett Alvarez-plus many more. If this reviewer had to choose a favorite memoir, it would be Anton's "Why Didn't You Get Me Out?" Honorable mention certainly goes to "A Code to Keep" by Mr. Brace. HB goes into far deeper detail than do individual stories, yet necessarily lacks the personal touch folks like those two gentlemen provide. Those in the amazon community who have read no POW tales and are satisfied with one big picture have the perfect book in HB. The back cover noted that HB "combines rigorous scholarly analysis with moving narrative". That it certainly does, in fullest detail. All the torture, all the mind games, all the coming and going and transfers, all the gripping boredom and fear, all the gruesome details of prison life are here. It will be clear that the POWs were anything but one big happy family. Disagreements abounded, especially that nebulous subject regarding compliance with the Code of Conduct. Some favored active resistance, some a "cooperate-graduate" approach. The authors also do an excellent choreographing of the release of the Spring of 1973. They were not repatriated on one fleet of C-141s but came home in stages. We learn that a handful of guys were released through Saigon and 2 through Hong Kong (!). There are some caveats attached to this review: HB cannot be skim read. It demands attention and a substantial investment of time upfront. Casual readers are in the wrong place! They won't appreciate the 88 pages of appendices and notes/footnotes. HB also concentrates on prisoners held in the major North Vietnam detention centers. The missing in Cambodia, Laos and even China are outside the scope of HB. But HB is also silent on the fate of the discrepancy cases of those lost in the 4 countries. One hopes that the authors, writing a book that admits to being "an official publication of the Department of Defense", are not attempting a "Case Closed" on the 1,783 still unaccounted for. This observer will give the authors the benefit of the doubt here. Still. FAR more disturbing is a gratuitous remark on Page 589 that those who continue to press for a fullest accounting of the missing are "a swarm of polemicists and opportunists". This reviewer is one of them! He belongs to neither of those species! Since it is most likely that no offense was intended, none is taken but that comment demands an explanation! It certainly merits an unfortunate reduction in rank to 4 stars. That there even is a page 589 is the essence of HB. This one is not for those with a passing fancy on the Indochina War. A final note: There is a new, voluminous publication available on amazon-"An Enormous Crime". That particular 566 page volume-in small type no less-claims to be the "definitive account of American POWs abandoned in Southeast Asia". The different scope of EC should encompass what HB did not. Maybe these 1,000+ combined pages of text will shed a final light on the thorny question of POWs/MIAs in Indochina. Congressman King (R-NY) is also attempting to convene new hearings on the same subject. This painful matter will be with us for a while. The bottom line to "Honor Bound" is the headline above. This is indeed a great work of military scholarship and for that the authors deserve their due.

Lessons of the Game is truly an amazing book. Although a non-avid reader, I recently picked up this book and read it within two days. Derek's writing style is very easy to understand. His choice of words to describe things made me know exactly where he was coming from and what it was like at points in Derek's life. I found myself laughing out loud several times as he described scenes as well as almost shedding a tear. This book gives the reader an inside look into Derek's life and true test of character. I believe this book is for the young, old, athletes, non-athletes, or anyone who is ready for an excellent book to read! It is a must read and won't be put down until finished!!!

Hello,
I just finished this book and found it very interesting being as how i just finished my first season as a high school quarterback, and i have many of the same aspirations to do what he dreamed of doing. I was wondering though how much of a sugarcoat was put on derek in this book. it played out looking like everyone else were the bad guys. I wondered if one of the so called bad guys were to write a book stating his side who would you belive. But anyhow it was an exelent book and i encourage every one to give this book a try!!!

I would highly recommend this book for all young athletes who aspire to compete at a higher level. It is an excellent example of how a young athlete can be convinced he is immune to the rules of the game. As a former high school athlete and coach it also serves as a warning for parents and coaches on how their own behavior can have devasting effects on a young athlete's career and life.

I became a fan of Derek Sparks after hearing him speak at the YMCA Apple Cup Rally Benefit Dinner. He was amazing! Today, a month later, I can still feel the power of the GAMETIME message. I am 33 years old and Derek helped me examine myself and my life . I have a renewed spirit and confidence in the days ahead. I applaud Derek for his work with youth and his courage to make a difference.

His life story is sad and heart wrenching, but at the same time refreshing to know that we all can survive the Lessons of Life and live to tell the good news.

The book, Lessons of the game by Derek Sparks tells about something that parents and many high school students do not even know about. Derek Sparks who wrote about his life growing up through high school; he lived a life far diverse than the average teenager. While other kids and students are working hard to keep good grades by staying in class and studying; nothing like that applied to Derek in high school. Everything was taken care of and it did not really matter who was doing all of this. While other normal families struggle with money, Derek had money shoved into his pocket, and if he desired food or any thing like that there was always someone who would go out and get it for him. He did not have an existent Dad as he walked out on him and he left his Mother who lives in Texas to play high school football in California. Derek did not go out to California by himself as his Uncle Jay brought him out there and tried to do what was best for him. As he could not live with his Uncle Jay, each high school had plenty to offer Derek including living in his own home or apartment near the school with all the expenses being taken care of.
You follow Derek on and off the field and learn how people would sell him out and not protect him from what he should not have to deal with as a young kid. Not only would people not do what was best for him but also they would do what ever they could to have him on their team or make money out of him because of being a "star" athlete and having the ability of becoming a professional. This is a great book and a must read for any one who is interested in sports. Even if you are not, I would recommend Lessons of the Game by Derek Sparks because once you start reading, you will not want to put it down.

I got this book from my adopted parents when I was close to five years old. I am almost 30 now and still have this book. Love love love it!

It is so interesting how many adoptees there are on here who are my age and raving about the book. I am 24, and I was adopted as a baby. I grew up reading this book and always understood that I was adopted. This book was SUCH a comfort to me and I would read it over and over. I came on here to buy one for friends who are adopting, in hopes that it will be of comfort to their little one. I definitly recommend this book, it was a great help to me.

I'm 23, my younger sister is 20. We are both adopted from seperate birthparents.
I don't remember not knowing I was adopted. I remember reading this book a lot though. My cousin and I would read it out loud to each other and laugh at the pictures. When my sister was old enough, two or three I think, I started reading it to her. This book is something that will always be a good memory. It helped me understand who I was and what it meant to be adopted.

As an adoptee, I remember reading and re-reading this book many times with my parents. This book was always on my bookshelf and did much to help me understand adoption, babies, family and most importantly the love my parents have for me. Like a reviewer before me, my original copy has been lost, lent with love to another family who had adopted a child. Now I can't wait to pass this on to another family, my friends who have recently adopted their own child. I know reading this book together will help strengthen their bond as she grows.

An earlier review criticized this book's readability and appropriateness for children. As a child who owned it, I do not believe that is an accurate assesment.

As a 25 year old adoptee, I have tremendously strong and positive memories of this book. Like other reviewers here, I can't remember the first time I read it... it was always a part of my reading life as a child.

I adored this book back then. I must have read it quite literally hundreds of times; enough so that at one point my mom had to sew the spine back on.

Once, I brought it to school for show and tell. I used it to show the other kids that I was pretty special, because there were books written about me! It just made me feel that my history as an adoptee was valuable.

I recommend this book to any families with adopted children, absolutely. Of course, open discussion about adoption should first and foremost come from the parents themselves... but as long as that is accomplished, I really believe that many adopted children will cherish this book as much as I did.

these books are a delight to read. i first read them to our sons (the oldest is now 40). this set is for my grandson. charming, well written stories, all with an underlying moral.

Louis is the main character and he is a swan. He can't talk to other swans. Sam Beaver, a boy takes Louis to school, where he learns to read and write. But this isn't work to other swans and actually Louis was in love with the beautiful swan, Serena, and she spurns hin because he was defective. And Louis's father, the old cob, does a difficult thing. He stoles a trumpet so his son would be able to win his love. Louis wins on his love and pay the trumpet money.

These books are classics. I bought them for myself, but plan to read them to my children as they grow older. I had read "Charlotte's Web" in grade school. It was a pleasure to read the others!

So many kids books are written so poorly, and with such poor structure and weak story lines, they make it hard to convey any sense of flow or emotion to your kids. To pick up these classics reminds one of the golden age when authors wrote stories with meaning and impact. Glowing descriptions, scene setting introductions to chapters, polite conversations recorded in proper English, all this is the heritage of EB White and these books. Highly, highly recommended - your kids will not want to stop reading and listening...makes bedtime each night a joy because they can't wait to find out what happens next.

My 6-year-old daughter and I throughly enjoyed all three stories.

Most Creative Story: The "Trumpet Swan" because of the way White takes the reader to different places and settings through the eyes of Louis the Swan.

Most Profound Story: "Charlotte's web". Of all my years of education it took this simple book to grasp a real appreciation of nature and the web of life.

Funniest Story: "Stuart Little". Most of us have on more than one occassion laughed ourselves to tears upon reading, hearing, or watching some funny event. My last time occurred when reading about the trials and tribulations that Stuart had to endure in order to wash himslef in the morning (Picturing him swinging a mallot to turn on the hot water was for me hysterically funny!). I found the Stuart Little of this book much more cute and amusing than the one in a recent movie with the same title.

I found myself laughing out loud when I read this book. I love Stuart and the way he handles his family and life in general - a very good read!

I bought the book as a gift for a friend, and was thoroughly satisfied with it. It is really funny and I was really happy with my purchase.

I think it really would have helped. This book is supposed to be daily affirmations, but basically is Stuart's year long diary. He is a member of several 12 step programs, and has really learned a lot from them, and has made friends who also attend them. One thing he hasn't learned from these meetings is leave his extremely dysfunctional family alone and quit trying to solve their problems for them. What I like about his book:
Let go of the result.
If you're scared to do something, go ahead and do it, and you'll wish you'd done it a lot sooner.

What I thought was improbable:
Stuart taking multiple plane flights to visit his family.
Stuart going to bed for weeks at a time with Oreos, Hydrox, etc.
Stuart never has any day-to-day problems that the rest of us have.
His friends always have plenty of time on their hands to try to get him to get out of his bed and open up his door.
Andrea losing 140 lbs in about 10 months.

But other than that, this book has a lot to say. Franken is quite knowledgeable about codependency. It's worth reading, but you must have a sense of humour.

When Stuart Smalley first came out I didn't quite see the appeal. Now with 5 years in The Program, I finally get the joke. I have lent this book to a lot of folks in my home group and we all agree that it's pretty impossible not to laugh out loud while reading it. What a funny, smart insightful man. Seriously one of the funniest books I've ever read, though I might not have "gotten it" without my familiarity with 12 step programs.

I have read all of Al Franken's books up to this point with the exception of this one. I had been a fan of Franken since his days of Saturday Night Live, particularly his Stuart Smalley character. This book further demonstrates the depth and intelligence of his humor.

The book is very similar to the movie based on it (Stuart Saves His Family). Having already seen the movie, I was anticipating certain events in the book once I started reading. Despite my previous knowledge, I found the book to be laugh out loud funny. The humor of the Stuart Smalley character is based in him trying to help out others, yet being a mess himself as is demonstrated by his membership in several support groups.

Even people passing through my home who picked this book up from my coffee table and read a few pages have enjoyed what they read. It is not hard to get the joke. This is a easy, but fun read.