Turner Books

Very interesting and great recipes

Every recipe I've tried from this cookbook has gotten raves, and considering the source, many of these recipes are terrifically easy (no specialized knowledge or equipment required). O'Connell has no fear of cream, butter, and salt, so this isn't everyday fare, but for special occasions, holidays, birthdays, and nights when you really want to impress, this book is indispensable. The Amazon price is excellent too, and the book's worth every penny. Definitely destined to become one of my favorite cookbooks (it's coffee-table pretty, but my copy is already smeared with butter and dusted with flour).

This beautifully photographed book was a vivid reminder of the unique dining experience we had at the Inn. Recipes are easy to follow and results have been great. I especially liked the "pantry" section at the back of the book. Thank You!

Not only gorgeous, but absolutley oen of the mouth taste titillating cookbooks I've ever seen (along with their first book, Inn at Little Washington Cookbook)... and everything is do-able!!

I've bought this book a few weeks ago. Prior to start selecting the recipes I usually read any cooking book like any other book. I just found out that I was putting marks in all of the pages, so I stopped doing it and instead, I started cooking each one of the recipes, choosing whether I wanted fish or meat.
Even if you replace or adjust some of the ingredients, the result it's absolutely amazing.
Try the recipe that has a picture in the cover, and you will see what you get from your family, friends, or even for your self. Don't skip the decoration, it's easy to prepare and looks stunning.
This book was for sure a very important addition to my small library of cooking books. I have slightly more than 200 cooking books.
MT-Japan

There is no other way to describe this book. It will leave you wanting more. From the very first chapter you get a sense of Ms. Turner's creative genius. As a Senior Executive I can tell you I have used some of these idea's myself. Don't re-create the world, use what has already been successful. I recomend this book to anyone who wants to Wow their customers and thier employees.

I was initially intrigued to read Tattoo by Rebecca Turner for its cover. As I turned the pages of this well written book, I was pleasantly surprised of an old idea but new way of looking at customer service. I quickly began to think of ways on how to implement some of Tattoo's ideas.

Similar to how Tattoo tells of providing great customer service that they not only tell their friends, but they insist that they try your product or patronize your establishment; I immediately demanded my friends and colleagues to read Tattoo...

It has been over a year since I first picked up Tattoo, and I have found myself on numerous occasions' re-reading some of the highlights and notes that I left on the note pages provided.

Looking forward for Turner's next book.

Tattoo is a quick weekend read and well worth your time. Turner takes us on a deep dive into what inspires a customer/client to recommend your product/service.

Prior to reading this book I had not considered writing a formal customer service policy or a credo that formalizes how I feel about my clients but I now see that these things matter. They matter because how you treat your clients matters every bit as much as the product/service you offer.

Finally, if you are a quote junkie like me you'll REALLY enjoy this book - she has found some ringers that will make your heart soar, for example: "Try not to become a person of success but rather a person of value." Albert Einstein. Awesome!

If you're looking for a book that simplifies the mystique of branding and how to use it to achieve success, read Tattoo. Turner explores success stories from the likes of Starbucks to local retailers and how they achieve loyalty for their customer dollars. Easy to ready and chock full of useful information. You'll want to keep it handy!

As an advocate for customer service and author, I have found Rebecca's insights to be right on the money!

Her thoughts especially those involving the imporance of having a "story" for companies, make the difference between success and failure.

Great work and must read!

So glad I bought this book and can think of several people it would make a great gift for. I plan to use it as the basis of a few tours of New York (though at this point in my life, I'll only be sipping water at the later stops). What a fun thing to do with out-of-town guests--and the book will make you an excellent tour guide, as it contains so many great stories. You can tell that the author, Jef Klein, is a former bartender and somebody who knows and loves New York. Her passion for these places is contagious--it makes you want to visit them...or maybe head to your neighborhood bar and become part of the lore. The photos by Cary Hazlegrove are also incredible, and one of the great things is that they're in black and white, which is so fitting for the book's sense of history.

Mr. Klein has done a remarkable job of bringing to life some of the most well known bars and restaurants of New York to life in this photographic collection. Revisit the glory days of historic New York with this title. Each bar or restaurant has its own individual chapter, detailing the history of the location through pictures and antidotes. This form allows a more intimate introduction for the reader, especially if you are not terribly familiar with the business.

This is a must have for anyone's personal collection, would make a beautiful gift for those that enjoy a leisurely stroll through history with entertaining captions along with a healthy dose of beautifully taken photographs. This is one title I highly recommend.

Jef Klein sure knows how to put the reader in the story-or bar in this case - I thoroughly enjoyed "touring" the old glory days as well as the existing booths at some of the most interesting places NYC has to offer. I've made a list of which ones I plan to visit first- most notably the places with deep carpets, mood music, thick leather seats, soft lighting,and perhaps a celebrity or two (just for atmosphere). Thanks JK for a lovely evening! -RG

I've only been to New York one time and that was for a short stay on business so I didn't have a lot of time to experience the nightlife in the "city that never sleeps." But, when I do go back, I will be armed and ready with a great reference tool, "Best Bars of New York", by Turner Publishing Group. This is a gorgeous, hardcover book, loaded with great photography along with stories and histories about some of the top nightspots in the Big Apple. The locations in this book aren't the trendy, here today-gone tomorrow type places, but rather the long-established businesses that are often off the beaten track and known only to the locals...but not anymore thanks to Jef Klein's fascinating research.

Klein interviewed people at over 50 locations in preparation for his book, and the stories are truly mesmerizing. As a history buff who loves to visit local historical spots when I travel, Klein's book is the perfect offering, presenting clubs, taverns, and bars that have been around for decades, sometimes centuries! Klein doesn't give you just listings of establishments with notes on fare and prices...it's not a traveller's guide per se. Rather, Klein gives readers and inside and intimate look at the thirty bars that made the cut. You'll learn about the history of each one, and hear stories as if you were sitting barside, talking to the chatty barkeep.

Liquor has been dispensed at 279 Water St since 1794. The site on the waterfront is now the Bridge Café. The site has a history that is colorful to say the least. It was formerly the site of a bordello in the 1850's. When it was purchased in 1979 by the current owners, basement excavation turned up artifacts dating to not long after the revolutionary War period! Today, the café is romantic and elegant, perhaps haunted by a ghost or two, but much more quite than it was a couple of hundred years ago.

Chumley's is one of the more unique bars in the book...a former speakeasy, it has no name outside to identify itself, only the number "86" on the door...one of two doors with the same number, often leading to embarrassing mistakes. The bar had secret exits so its patrons could get out quickly during prohibition-era police raids. The bar was a popular spot among literary figures and the likes of Hemingway, Kerouac, Faulkner, Mailer, Steinbeck, and many others, all tipped a drink there.

The building that is now home to the Corner Bistro has been there since 1827. It's become a West Village establishment that has been frequented by the famous including James Baldwin, Bobby Timmons, Miles Davis. Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro.

In all, thirty bars are covered, from meeting places of the rich and powerful, to neighborhood hangouts, Jef Klein brings you all of their unique tales. Take this book with you on your next trip to New York and start your journey to all of these bars!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

I had already heard these stories about the usual suspects ("21". King Cole Bar. Fraunces Tavern. The Algonquin Hotel.)... I was looking for other bars that aren't in every other book about famous NYC bars. Basically there are no bars here that are less than 20 years old. Which is sad, because these are amazing too, and have not been done to death. Where is Red Rock West Saloon in Chelsea, which is an amazing and gorgeous place to photograph (with fire-breathing barmaids)? Flute (W. 54th St location) which at one time was owned by Texas Guinan and was a speakeasy? The Ava Lounge, an art deco masterpiece on top of the Dream Hotel?

Basically, this is a pretty good book if you want to read about bars you already know about, but it doesn't take any chances with the "new" generation of what, I think, are the real "Best Bars of New York" around.

I read this book when it first came out some years ago. It was a watershed event in my understanding of Hitler's rise to power (and of history generally). I'd read many accounts before, and have read many since, of Hitler's rise to power. But this book put paid to much sociological claptrap about "impersonal forces" and showed the tremendous contingency in Hitler's rise to power. Not only wasn't it inevitable, it wasn't even remotely probable -- until it happened. It took many circumstances and events with which Hitler had little or nothing to do, and numerous actions by people who were contemptuous of Hitler, who had no intention of helping him, and who lacked any inkling of the ferocity and speed with which Hitler and the Nazis would act upon obtaining power, to put him there. The fact that many small and seemingly inconsequential decisions resulted in one of the great catastrophes of history is a far more chilling and disheartening story than the notion that it was the inevitable product of historical forces.

In the book Hitler's Thirty Days to Power, Henry A. Turner argues that Adolf Hitler's rise to power is most evidently illustrated by examining the last thirty days before his appointment to chancellor of Germany in January 1933. Prior to reading Hitler's Thirty Days to Power I had been under the impression that Hitler had a much more active role in securing his position as chancellor of Germany before ascending to Fuhrer. Turner by taking the microscopic approach of only analyzing these thirty days clearly demonstrated that this was not the case. According to the author, Hitler's rise to power was the result of luck, the egos of other political figures, as well as the belief that he could be used simply as a pawn to gain favor of his dwindling amount of supporters. Had any one of these differentiate Hitler would not have been successful in securing the position as chancellor. Turner substantiates his claims through a variety of resources ranging from personal memoirs and newspaper articles from the period to journal publications of modern historians. The information he presented was mostly-well known to the scholarly world, however, the manner in which it manifested was innovative. By using a magnifying glass-like method to examine the month leading up to Hitler's establishment in power rather than the all encompassing approach, Turner gives the generally educated reader, such as me, a better insight to the schematics of Hitler's rise.

Furthermore, the individuals of the text come to life through an intense focus on what propelled them to reach conclusions that allowed Hitler power. The personalities of people like Franz von Papen and Paul von Hindenburg are revealed through these decisions. Turner does not simple state the events that occurred, but rather allowed his reader to envision internal turmoil that was suffered by these individuals in coming to their resolutions. An example of this would be the German President Paul von Hindenburg. Originally he vowed that Hitler would never gain the position of chancellorship. However, numerous overtures made by Papen, a good friend and former chancellor under Hindenburg, combined with the encouragement by his son Otto the President was convinced to allow Hitler the position he so coveted. Turner illustrates throughout the book the difficultly Hindenburg faced in reaching this conclusion. The narration permits the book a novel-like reading often reserved for fiction rather than history. Many other texts compel the audience to feel as if they had read solely the outcome of the events leading up to January 1933 instead of getting a vivid understanding of its cause. Hitler's Thirty Days to Power answers the problem of how Hitler came to power in a compelling and easy read. The narrative and the individuals engage the audience regardless of any negative or positive connotations surrounding them.

The only major flaw that I see with Hitler's Thirty Days to Power is the last chapter of the text. This chapter, "Determinacy, Contingency, and Responsibility," attempts mainly to answer two questions: Should anyone, other than Hitler, be held accountable for the atrocities of his reign because of their involvement in his rise to power and what would have happened had Hitler's reign not existed? The author answers the first charge with the assertion that "although impersonal forces may make events possible, people make events happen." Unforeseeable events might have occurred, but it is individuals like Papen and Hindenburg who are ultimately responsible for Hitler's reign regardless of their original intent. Although others like Hindenburg's son Otto might played a lesser role they still had a significant part therefore they are also to blame. I agree with these assertions, however, I they led me to disagree with Turner's assessment of the public. Turner sees the German public only at fault because of their lack of understand of the importance of their ability to replace their government figures. After WWI, Kaiser Wilhelm II abdicated the throne at the demand and revolt by the general public. At this moment the power the people held was not failed to be recognized. I have a difficult time believing that less than twenty years later this power had all but been forgotten. Instead after reading Turner's text I have come to the conclusion that much like Hindenburg and Papen, the German public underestimated Hitler. Turner asserts that responsibility for Hitler's reign rests on those like Hindenburg and Papen for their underestimation of Hitler, than the general German public should also share the blame.

In addition, Turner's answering the question of what would have happened had Hitler not come to power seems unreasonable. The author suggests that had Hitler not come to power a military coup would have overtaken the government and the atrocities of WWII would have been avoided. It is difficult to make assumptions of what might had happened if Hindenburg or other resisted Hitler's rise to power. No one can say for certain the fate of the government at the end of the Weimer Republic had alternate approaches been taken. In addition, it is difficult to say that the atrocities of WWII would have been completely avoided. There had been for some times a growing resentment for both communism and the Jews. Perhaps, these crimes might have been on a lesser scale in which all of Europe was not involved. However, these atrocities regardless of their extent seemed destined to be committed because of the complacency of the German republic.

Overall Henry Ashby Tuner's Hitler's Thirty Days to Power was an excellent text. It provided a microscopic look into the last thirty days before Hitler obtained chancellorship which eventually led to his dictatorship. This approach was helpful in understanding how Hitler's rise to power. It allowed his audience to witness the key figures involved and their reasoning for being a part of the scheme. In addition, the reader also is provided with the sense that there were several opportunities to prevent Hitler's reign yet they were pushed aside. Furthermore, Turner showed the audience that although Hitler took advantage of the conflict between several key figures in government, it is these individuals like Papen and Hindenburg that are responsible for Hitler. They underestimated Hitler and their large egos led them to believe that they could ultimately control him. Turner's text is valuable to not only the study of history but also as a study for the future. The book teaches the world's governments that we should not underestimate those seeking or holding power. Most importantly, when an individual claims or even more brazenly writes a book on their political goals, like Hitler did with [...], perhaps we should see these claims or writings as absolute truths. Goals which people like Hitler intend to reach.

This well written book is a case study of how luck, personalities, and even simple spite can have major effects. At the end of 1932, the Nazi party seemed to be on the threshold of decline. Its fraction of the electorate was slipping, its finances were in disarray, and there was considerable dissent from both rank and file and leaders of the party. Many were dissatisfied with Hitler's strategy of pursuing supremacy through electoral politics. Some sectors of the party wanted to pursue revolutionary violence, others, like the influential organizer Gregor Strasser, thought that Hitler was throwing away great opportunities by insisting on the Chancellorship instead of accepting important cabinet posts in right wing coalition governments. At the end of January, 1933, Hitler was ensconced as Chancellor, some of his loyal lieutenants, like Goring, occupied crucial cabinet posts, and Hitler was able to initiate the 'back door' revolution that resulted in the Nazi domination of Germany.
Hitler obtained the Chancellorship, in part, because of his obdurate refusal to accept anything less as the price of participation in a governing coalition, a product of his messianic self-confidence. Turner shows well that Hitler was handed the Chancellorship as a result of a series of backstairs plotting involving former Chancellor Papen and members of President Hindenberg's circle, notably his son Oskar. Hitler was greatly underestimated by these individuals, and was underestimated just as greatly by the then Chancellor, General von Schleicher. Hitler does deserve credit for his persistence and his ability to hold his party together but as Turner shows very well, he was phenomenally fortunate and was gifted the Chancellorship because of court politics motivated to a great extent by spite and petty jealousy.
Turner concludes with a nice and concise discussion of a counterfactual alternative to Hitler's ascent to power. As Turner points out, when democracy failed in the inter-war period, and it did so frequently, the usual result was an authoritarian state dominated by traditional conservatives and the military. Fascist movements were present in some of these countries and were incorporated into these regimes as traditional conservatives sought to draw on the popular support mobilized by fascist movements, but in Hungary, Romania, and Spain, the more traditional right/military remained in control. With more capable right wing leadership in Germany, this would have been the probable outcome. The result would have been an authoritarian but not totalitarian state, one that was anti-Semitic but not genocidal. The German state would certainly have rearmed and Turner suggests that the most likely outcome would have been a more limited war with Poland. His speculations are reasonable.

This is a well-written and extensive explanation on the behind the scenes machinations, impelled by personal foibles and vendettas, that led to Hitler's being awarded the Chancellorship of Germany despite his party's never achieving a majority in or at the polls.

The book sets to rest many myths about how German industrialists finagled Hitler's ascension to power and exposes the inner workings and interactions of the multiple parties, politicians, and political hacks that actually, and often inadvertently, coalesced to create the power vacuum which Hitler filled. The book also explains why the Nazis were so interested in obtaining control of Prussia and its security forces. (The reason is that although there were 19 separate federal political entities in the Weimar Republic, by far the strongest political entity was Prussia, which contained 60% of both the total population and land in the country. In addition, the federal government's security forces were almost non-existent but Prussia had a force of some 50,000 men [half the size of the 100,000 man German army] that came under the control of whoever became the Ministry of the Interior in Prussia [who turned out to be Hermann Goering when Hitler gained power]. Not only that but Goering, as Ministry of the Interior of Prussia, then had the authority to deputize tens of thousands of Nazis as auxiliary police to carry out Hitler's goals.)

Perhaps the only real drawback to the book is that the introductory material on the Weimar Republic and its political processes is incomplete, making the transition to the core of the book a bit harsh.

Most people who have some knowledge of the climb to power of the Nazis think Hitler enjoyed an unbroken rise from the Beer Hall Putsch to the Chancellorship.

While true in the main, author Henry Turner in "Thirty Days, January 1933" describes how Hitler's party was waning in Germany and widely believed to have peaked with the last most recent elections in 1932. A good case can be made that it was ready to fall dramatically in terms of popular support and strength in the Reichstag if another election had been called to again try and form a workable governing coalition in Germany at the end of 1932. The Nazi Party's finances were in disarray. They had been seen as a protest vote by significant numbers in the July 1932 election and things had not gotten better under their expanding influence. In the November 1932 election, they lost 32 seats. Local Nazi organizations were in disarray, dispirited and some in rebellion over Hitler's refusal to participate in the government in any role except that of Chancellor. Dues were not coming in and the party could not have afforded another national election. In addition, there was a split at the top of the Nazi Party between Hitler and the administrative head, Gregor Starssor.

Germany was chaotic. No elected chancellor could govern with a majority in the Reichstag. The government was placed in the hands of a presidentially appointed chancellor (Kurt Schleicher) by President Hindenburg. The author compellingly chronicles the thirty day period in which Hitler and the Nazi's political fortunes were saved by: 1. the ineptness of Chancellor Schleicher; 2. the scheming of recent Chancellor Franz von Pappen; and, 3. The age and weakness of national figure President Paul von Hindenburg. Aiding the Nazi's also was Hitler's single-minded pursuit of the top spot of chancellor as well as a fortuitous minor state election which the Nazi's went all out for and were able to spin as an electoral comeback.

The bottom line is that an incredible line-up of weak politicians and unbelievable luck paved the way for Hitler to be named Chancellor by Hindenburg at the end of January, 1933. It is tragic to comprehend how Hitler could have been prevented; arguably should have been prevented by the operation of any kind of normal political environment. That he was able to ride incredible good luck and the stupid machinations of a handful of top politicians who thought they could control Hitler and bend him to their purposes is an interesting story.

This book is likely to appeal students of the Nazi period and will probably not interest the general reader. It literally focuses on the thirty day period with only a general overview of the growth of the Nazi Party in the 1920's and early 30's and a brief "what happened to the players after" section (most murdered by the Nazi state). Still, if you are interested in the subject, this book is pretty good.

I plowed through this thought provoking book in one sitting! Great, intriguing read - I couldn't put it down.

This is a thriller with non-stop action. The writing is choppy and the transitions are not so smooth but what it lacks in artistry it makes up in the importance of the questions raised. What is "freedom?" when do you know you are free? Can a society impose its will on members if an overwhelming majority of other members concur? When is it permissible to use force to ensure compliance with norms? Who has the right to determine norms and how?


These are highly relevant questions to consider in a post 9/11 world.

Thriller, science fiction, satire, plea for human dignity and liberty,
mysticism, novel about families: you can answer All Of The Above, but
you can't stop turning the pages. Again and again as I read this book,
I said to myself, This could never happen here. But each time it was
with less conviction, until I was left asking, How close are we
already to losing the freedoms that matter above all else?

I got this book in the evening and was finished by lunch the following day - I just couldn't put it down! Really well written, the plot, characters, and pacing of the story really drew me in. And the message about freedom, that one of us is not free, then none of us is, really struck a chord, and applies to so much of what is going on in this world... Am waiting for the next one from this author, for sure!

An all-to-real political thriller that transports today's government
into the future as they place societal desires over individual rights.
If you think government has a legitimate role to redistribute our
wealth and property as they do today, then why not the rest of your
assets, why not your intellect. Maymin portrays a future where medical
technology allows government into your brain where they can
redistribute intelligence to those less fortunate. Don't worry, the
government says it won't hurt and they won't take more than they need.

This book got an award from the American Horticultural Society, and at first read, it deserves it. While a little heavy for a backpacking trip, it would easily fit into a day-pack for a trip to a high mountain meadow or other heavily flowered location. It is well organized, and the flower photos are detailed enough to be useful. Of the various flower guides I have, it comes the closest to covering mountain flowers in Washington -- while omitting most of the flowers that would never appear in this environment. It seems as though that should be an easy and obvious thing to do ... but I have at least 3 other flower guides that don't quite pull it off.

Our kindergarten student is interested in wildflowers. We live in the Northeast part of the State of Washington. While most wildflower books pretty much ignore us this author has taken great pains to include our area.

This book is so good that our child's older brother, who is in the third grade, carries the book with him on the family's weekly hike where the entire family, including the kindergarten student, identifies flowers.

The author has a website http://www.pnwflowers.com/ that has pictures (of fine quality) of all the flowers in the book. We plan to let the kindergarten student download the pictures of the flowers he has found locally, make comments about the flower and where he found it, and make his own little wildflower book of Northeast Washington. (I expect the older brother and parent may help some.) He may even start his own little wildflower garden next year.

We found one flower that is supposed to only be on the west side of the state but because we have such sandy soil it is doing just fine.

It is especially important, and useful, that the author is willing to answer questions submitted by email and is even available to return your phone call. The author does not have much extra time so the conversation is kept right on target but he fully answered all the questions I had.

We bought this for our daughter who lives in Seattle. She walks often out in the wild, camera in hand, and many things in the west are different from here in Michigan. When she got this last Friday, she was thrilled. Photos are lovely and information is very helpful.

Bought this for my Daughter's birthday. Wish I had one for myself. Very useful book if a person like gardening and lives in the Pacific Northwest.

Mark Turner's books has become my bible for wildflower hunting in the Pacific Northwest. Not only is it jam-packed with most species, his photos are great and he offers great details for each plant. I have just about every wildflower book published for flowers throughout this region and Turner's is by far the best and first one I grab when heading out the door in search of flowers.

Well done!! My kids could not put this down. Now they have a million questions about the Civil War and about Lincoln. It is a nice change from "Mom, where can I get a radioactive spider bite" kind of questions.
This is a good concept. I hope the publishers expand on it. I would like to suggest that they start from the beginning of North American European settlements in the 16th century and continue chronologically down to present day.

I also read the review from the School Library Journal. That guy should be fired!! He is either a complete idiot or has never seen a real child. I do not understand what his beef with this book is. It is educational and fun for kids. This book is not for him. It is for kids. We need to encourage more quality books like this.

Side note: My kids asked a lot of questions about topics that were related to the book. A little research may be required to answer those questions.

This graphic novel caught my eye when doing a search for
teaching supplements for my grade schoolers. It's such an
amazing yet simple concept-- using graphic novels to teach!
The graphic novel provides a great insight into President Lincoln's accomplishments during his presidency and the Civil War. Not only does the book bring out the varied reasons for the Civil War such as State rights and slavery-- it also presents Lincoln in a unique perspective as a father and human being.

I love using it as a reading supplement for my students -- the illustrations are amazingly detailed and captivating and helps get children interested in reading and learning more!

This graphic novel caught my eye when doing a search for
teaching supplements for my grade schoolers. It's such an
amazing yet simple concept-- using graphic novels to teach!

The graphic novel provides a great insight into President Lincoln's accomplishments during his presidency and the Civil War. Not only does the book bring out the varied reasons for the Civil War such as State rights and slavery-- it also presents Lincoln in a unique perspective as a father and human being.

I love using it as a reading supplement for my students -- the illustrations are amazingly detailed and captivating and helps get children interested in reading and learning more!

Also available in a hardcover edition (097425021X, [...]), Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President is about President Abraham Lincoln, his dog Fido, and the American Civil War as told in a "graphic novel" format by author Ginger Turner and animation illustrator Saral Tiwari. From Lincoln's path to the presidency, to the Battle of Gettysburg, to the Emancipation Proclamation, to the tragic assassination of President Lincoln, the attention to historical detail is as impressive as the collaborative storytelling abilities of Turner and Tiwari who combine text and illustration to present actual historic events that will engage readers ages 8 through adult from beginning to end because the graphic novel format is especially suited to bringing history alive in the minds and imaginations of the readers. It should be noted for school and community librarians, that Abraham Lincoln: The Civil War President is carefully mapped to the U.S. Department of Education's National Standards for teaching American History.

Rarely does a book combine great art, education, and history like this one. Immediately I see my students pick up on the brillant color illustrations, which really depict the complex emotions of the characters without seeming overly comic-like. Yet I am also impressed by how well-researched the story is. In the future, I will give this to my 4th graders instead of the textbook section on Lincoln.

Gave this book as a gift to a child who aspires to become a police officer. He just loved it and keeps it on his nightstand next to his bed so he can read it every night.

My young cousin, whom I'm raising, has wanted to be a police officer since he could talk. After reading THIS book, he wants to be a K-9 Officer. I had to get him a second copy, for him to keep at school. My neighbour owns a day care centre, and has three or four copies for the children; she says that they're fascinated by the book, and it's a great spur to reading.

The photography is outstanding, and Officer Matsik makes for a terrific representative of the Shaker Heights Police Dept. A very positive book, which should be in the library of every child.

This book has given my daughter an understanding of the job I do as a K-9 handler in a way that makes reading fun for her. I have chosen this book for our donations to area school that I visit to enhance their library.

A wonderful `grandfather' book. My younger grandchildren want me to read it over and over. I enjoy the well written story and the photographs are excellent. Actually, all ages can appreciate this quality book.

Enjoyed the book so much that I bought two extra
copies and donated them to my neigbhorhood public
library and elementary school....two places that
always have tight budgets. Buy one for Christmas,
your kids will love you.

Herald Loomis says this to his estranged wife in the final scene of this play, set in a 1911 Pittsburgh boarding house.

The play was first performed in 1986, and it is part of August Wilson's ten-play tetracycle about African-Americans in Pittsburgh during each decade of the 20th century.

Charles S. Dutton and Delroy Lindo played the role of Herald Loomis in the early productions of this play. Loomis is a 32 year old man who is looking for his wife, whom he lost touch with after he was put on Joe Turner's chain gain in Memphis for seven years.

Seth Holly is the 50 year old owner of the boarding house in which Loomis and his daughter stay (along with Holly's wife and a number of other residents). Seth is both practical and skeptical (of people, banks and society): "Anybody liable to do anything far as I'm concerned." (2.1)

It's a story about identity and relationships. Bynum, the 60 year old mystic who lives in the house, sums it up well: "Seem like everybody looking for something."

Herald Loomis is looking for himself.

We lost a great playwright when August Wilson died a few years ago. And the greatest contribution to theatre was the chronology of 10 socially critical plays. August Wilson's plays contained a lot of dialogue, with great monologues, that drove the plight of African Americans.

As Joe Turner is from the second decade of storytelling, you can begin with "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" which takes you to the world of black musicians in the 20s. Explore the chronology of August Wilson.

Joe Turner's Come and Gone is about the disconnect from slavery and the search for their identity and place in America.

The setting for "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" takes place in a boarding house where owners Seth and his wife operate with strict rules for the many transients. Joe Turner is NOT a character in the play, but a man who enslaved Harold Loomis, the main character, for years. Now Loomis tries to find his wife. This is a wonderful story with folklore, blues, spirituality, search and identity, which is metaphorically referred to as a "song". ......Rizzo

August Wilson, a Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright captures the essence of the African-American experience of slavery, migration, and the quest for an identity. These themes are part of the written slave narrative, from which the African-American literary tradition was born. In "Joe Turner's Come and Gone", Wilson brings the struggle of migration from the agricultural South to the Industrial North to light; set in the early 1900's when this great migration had just begun. The quest for self/an identity is one of the many scarring ramifications of slavery, and the result of namelessness. Wilson, is able to capture this central theme through religion, allegory, and music-Jazz/Blues. The quest for ones identity is rooted in the metaphorical use of the quest for a song. Songs mean different things for different people; they touch people in different ways. Why? Because each individual is unique, each individual has a song, an identity. With the historical culture of the African-American, and its connection to Music, this collaboration of rhythms and imagery proliferate the importance of this quest to life. Wilson, like Toni Morrison, offers his work as an illustration of the Blues Theory of Art-the idea that music has the ability to reach deep into the soul, and pull from it the raw feelings that may otherwise be unreachable. Music goes to the core of ones being, and helps the healing process. With Loomis, this was evident in the search for his song, his identity, it was all part of the restorative process, yet a consequence of America's greatest shame-Slavery. I must say that "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" in a wonderful way, using symbolism, folklore, and like Jazz, a non-written form of art, serves as an anchor and captures the heart of the African-American experience.

The title "Joe turner's Come & Gone symbolizes the American socialized system of oppression. Joe Turner is "the Man", Joe Turner is jail, and oppression. In this play, Herald Loomis has been detained by Joe Tuerner for seven years. Upon his release he searches to find his daughter and his wife while all along he has been searching for his inner self.
Bynum Walker is a "Rootworker", one who practices unconventional spiritual worship. He lives in the boarding house an tells a story of a shiny man who has the secrete of life. This secret that he refers to, the secret of life, symbliizes the meaning of all in existance and most impoprtantly the knowledge of self. Joe Turner, "the Man", "the system", and American society have stripped, robbed,and raped the African American of self. It is this quest for idenity that Herald Loomis searches for within himself. This same quest is also found in all of the other characters in the play as well. Those that come to the boarding house are unstable and have not found their true selves. Even Seth and Bertha, the owners of the house also quest for their idenity. They have a better financial system than the others, but they are stil timid when they encounter white America. Seth constantly states the rules of the boarding house. He proclaims to operate a clean, safe, and respectful house. He feels that any other behavior would call too much attention to him and his home. Resulting in white American society to take oppresive actions against his achievements.
Joe Turner's Come & Gone is an excellent concept that spiritually looks at the concept of knowing ones-self. August Willson's use of quest for idenity among all his characters allows the reader to unmistakenly find a connection with their own secret song to sing.

"Joe Turner's Come & Gone" is the first play of Wilson's that I've read. I finished the play the week before his death. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, many have obviously already recognized the quality of Wilson's work. "Joe Turner's Come & Gone" won the Tony Award for Best Play in 1988 with L. Scott Campbell winning the Tony as Best Featured Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Bertha Holly. Set in a Pittsburgh boardinghouse in 1911, the play is part of Wilson's cycle of plays. Seth Holly is a no-nonsense man who does not allow any shenanigans. His wife Bertha cooks and tries to soften Seth's hard edges. Seth makes dustpans and coffeepots out of metal for travelling salesman Rutherford Selig, who is the lone Caucasian in the show. The show is populated by a series of characters including Jeremy Farlow who is a young guitar player who longs for a girl. Molly Cunningham and Mattie Campbell fill the bill. Herald Loomis is an ex-convict who was incarcerated because of Joe Turner. He got out of prison and found his daughter Zonia. (I think I remember the character was named after Wilson's mother.) Herald, as his name might imply, has a spiritual mission to locate his wife. Loomis employs the peddler Selig who makes extra money by finding people whose names he records as he makes his rounds selling his wares. Angela Bassett played Martha Pentecost who has changed her name from Martha Loomis and is eventually reunited with Zonia. Bynum Walker is also a mystical character who has stories of the shiny man. The play's action flows together organically with great tension and humor. The otherworldly mystical elements imply both spirituality and superstition. The play is an interesting reading experience that makes you wish you'd been able to attend one of the 105 Broadway performances! Enjoy!

This is a timely, no-holds barred story of what happens when a mother, because of the circumstances of her life, must give up her children to adoption and of her lifelong need to find them. The author speaks from experience, which gives her book an authentic ring. It was one she had to write in order to come to terms with her life experience. Her readers are happy she did, especially all those who have undergone a similar experience.

A true story of the hidden contrasting emotions at the heart of the adoption process. This account goes beyond the sweetness of media hype. It touches the depths of reality. It deciphers the varied consequences of knowing and understanding that something has been missing in a precious life.

The author shows real talent and courage in this true story about and by a birthmother who found her two children later in life. This bittersweet, honest, and touching tale is a poignant read for anyone who has ever dealt with adoption... either as a parent, or a child

The subtitle of this book does, indeed, provide a telling introduction to the author's story: "A loving, helping, caring gift for one mother's adopted out lives." The two children she adopted out were both conceived in love. They never left her heart.

Ms. VanLydegraf most assuredly had a lot of love to give if only life had turned in her favor. But both "princes" she loved and dreamed about as husbands turned out not to be so charming. It was the early 1960's when her youth and naievete got in the way of better judgement. The era of flower power and free love, in her case, was anything but free. She found herself young, pregnant, abandoned, and short on options in those days. What support her parents might have offered was limited by debilitating disease.

In this true story, the author bluntly and honestly details the tragedy of unmarried pregnancy and the adoption process, what leads up to it as well as what haunts all parties afterwards for decades. The reunion with both adopted out sons is joyous, but remains bittersweet around the edges. Her heart and spirit were changed by life experience. She will never be the same, despite establishing relationships with both the sons she gave up in her teens. That is the poignant message delivered in Notes From Nobody. Mother Love cannot always conquer all, but it keeps trying no matter what.

"Notes from Nobody," written by Claudia (Balch) Turner Vanlydegraf is a courageous review of the authors life and her emotions after giving up two sons for adoption. Readers experience the author's pain at that period in her life. We also share in her joy at being reunited with both within a few weeks. Positive read for any one involved in the adoption process. Beverly J Scott author of "Righteous Revenge."