White Books

This book is a documentary about the abuse,torture,and murder of a three year adopted child in the small town of White Bear Lake,Minnesota in the year 1965.

The prosecution of this unthinkable crime was sparked by the birth-mother's search for the first born son that was taken from her in 1961. 19 years later she discovers not only that he died at three years of age,but that there were multiple bruises on his body.

What's hard to understand is the fact that many of the Jurgens' family members and neighbors witnessed the abuse and turned a blind eye or "minded their own business". There were a few heroes in the book though, the young woman who reported the abuse to social services, the neighbor who aided the children from Kentucky when they fled the Jurgens, and most of all the adopted brother who testified at the trial of Lois Jurgens.

There a lot of questions surrounding the murder case of little Dennis Jurgens. How was Lois Jurgens allowed to not only adopt Dennis,but later the Jurgens were allowed to adopt four more children after the murder!
How could Harold Jurgens as a father allow the abuse and torture that inevitably led to the murder?

Barry Siegel has written a gripping,detailed account of a case that is sure to leave an impression on any reader.

The 1960's were a different time. A murder case required a witness or a "smoking gun". Battered Child Syndrome was a term that was still just an idea in someone's mind. These two facts meant that justice might never come for a three-year-old boy named Dennis Jurgens.

"Death in White Bear Lake" is a meticulously researched story of Dennis Jurgens. Dennis was adopted at the age of one and placed with a seemingly average family in White Bear Lake, Minnesota. Despite scattered clues that the Jurgens' family may be unsuitable to have children, Dennis was placed in their apparently warm and loving home. The decision proved fatal after Dennis fell down a flight of stairs leading to the basement.

But is that what really happened? The book does an excellent job telling the horrific story of how the system failed Dennis, as well as five other children adopted by this family. It also tells of how politics in a small town as well as the way the laws worked in the 1960's almost prevented Dennis from ever getting justice as well as how people turned a blind eye to child abuse rather than standing up for the defenseless victims. Finally, it tells the story of Jerry Sherwood, the natural mother of Dennis who has not seen him on over 20 years, only to find out he was allowed to die by the society who felt she could not provide the life that Dennis deserved.

The book is meticulously researched and well written. The book is so detailed that it seems that it was written as a movie script rather than a novel. Sometimes the book felt more like reading a long news article. I found the beginning of the book rather slow reading, to the point where I actually put the book down for awhile.

I'd highly recommend the book to people interested in a sad story of true crime. I am not sure if the paperback version contains the photographs in the center, but I would recommend not looking at the pictures until finishing the book. The pictures actually will give away the ending of the book.

This is a very well written book. It is a very sad true story of child abuse by adoptive parents. At the time of 3-year-old Dennis Jurgens' death, most child abuse cases were not prosecuted. Barry Siegel skillfully tells the story of how Dennis' birth mother stirred up interest in his death, just when people were becoming more aware of child abuse cases and physical abuse started to be prosecuted. The story of the town of White Bear Lake is intrinsic to the story. The adoptive parents, Harold and Lois Jurgens, got married in the small town after WWII, in a community of young families geared toward the mother staying home and raising kids. In the postwar suburban world of mom and apple pie, a woman abusing her kids was unimaginable. Lois' brother was a force to be reckoned with in the City Police. He managed to intimidate many who knew the bad things that went on in the suburban home of Harold and Lois. The Jurgens could not have children of their own, but managed to adopt in spite of Lois' history of mental problems. Reading about the hell the adopted children went through is very difficult and affecting. The first child the Jurgens adopted grew up to be a police officer, and his role in the story is very interesting. This is a very sad, very well-written book, one you won't be able to put down.

Incredible book. I could scarcely put it down, and since it's a mighty thick book, I found myself bringing it with me everywhere to read it at any free moment. I was disappointed that I couldn't find any other non-fiction work by Barry Siegel. He has a real gift for writing in this genre.

I found this book to be quite disturbing, it was well written, chock full of information and research. I never knew that before the 60's most people were never charged with child abuse most of the time, because most believed that a parent could never do that to their own child. What I found most horrific was that most of the relative's were aware of the abuse of dennis and turned a blind eye toward that evil woman, lois. And her husband Harold? what a loser! he deserved jail time for his complicity in the crime.

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.

Even if this book was selling for retail, I'd still suggest heading out and buying a copy as soon as possible. It's THE book that can lead a potential entrepreneur from a vague feeling of "I need to start a business" to actually overseeing a successful venture. There are no theoretical Harvard Business School theories here. These techniques work, and are explained in a way that anyone with an average intelligence can understand. Further, it encourages excitement, and stimulates motivation so that dreamers can bring their ideas to light.

I can't recommend this book enough. I'd give it seven stars if I could.

I stumbled across this book shortly after starting my 3rd company (1991). This baby is chock-full of truly interesting, readable prose.
Invaluable references.
"Real Life" examples of entrepreneur's in the trenches.
VC's at the bargaining table.

Lessons such as "The Okie Mechanic", "Establish Your Mini-Incomes", "The 40-Inch Hardboiled Egg" and others are as applicable today as they were back in '77. Replace "manufacturing plant" with "web development team" and you'll never know the difference.

Richard White and his band of 17+ consultants, VC's and company founders (primarily Silicon Valley but the stories are from all over the map) made this book happen. How Chilton got hold of it, and why they have not wrapped a complete business program around it is beyond me.

At times, you cannot find this book anywhere on the used market. Ocassionally booksellers show a few dozen copies. Either way, get yourself a copy, and pick up 3 for your closest friends, business partners and your kids.

You won't regret it.

I've used this as a sound guide in consulting to hundreds of clients. it never ceases to bring forth some associative wisdom and true-stories from the client... and leads the way in solving many an issue.

Oh, and for those who have loaned it out never to see it again?

Good. Get yourself another copy to give away.
I believe I'm on number 34 or 35.

Mark Alan Effinger
RichContent.com

P.S. Another winner is Mark Paul's "How To Attract More Customers in Good TImes and Bad". Highly recommended for getting clarity in your customer acquisition process and pricing models.

31 years later and on my second copy, this is STILL the one I keep coming back to when it's time to start up something very special. Written by someone who's been there - done that and is willing to tell all. Unlike most business books that claim so much yet deliver so little, this one comes through in spades. Want to fire up a new company --- the right way --- the first time --- and do it with others you can motivate all along the way? If so, then look no further. Definately aging well.

The Entrepreneur's Manual came highly recommended, so I tracked down a copy. I'm glad I did -- it's very good. Don't judge this book by its cover. Or by the old-fashioned printing fonts and style. This book's contents hold up very well for their age. In fact, I have nothing as good on my shelf even today.

Much like Dale Carnegie's books, Richard White's book stands the test of time. Anyone starting up a new company will have plenty of advice. But good advice? That is rare. You will find good advice here. Better, on the topics it covers, than you will find anywhere else.

One of the best, if not THE Best, Business Start-Up book...

Rich White died some years back, he was working on the updated version of EM. The complete revision was nearing completion when he took sick. To the best of my knowledge the revision was never submitted to Chilton.

Rich was a close and dear friend, we sent many a hour *brainstorming* and sometimes *barnstorming* new ideas....

I spoke to him 3 days before he died.

He was exactly as he sounds in his book...

His friends do indeed miss him...

04-23-2007

I live on a small rural island in the Pacific Northwest, home to fewer than a thousand people in the winter, so I have a deep understanding of what E. B. White means when he writes: "Feeling ran so high that some people stopped speaking to each other--which is a form of discourse."

Lately, I felt the need for something calming in my life and, for the first time in years, I picked up a collection of E. B. White's essays. Reading him is like lighting a fire on a cold and windy evening. This man can write a sentence and create a sense of life as well as anyone I've ever read.

And no one ever wrote more heartfelt prose about barnyard geese.

Reading these essays which span more than two decades (early 50s to mid-70s), I am struck both by their craft and their antiquity. E.B. White wrote the book on writing, literally, with William Strunk; THE ELEMENTS OF STYLE remains the most useful and concise rule book for modern English exposition yet written, and White's CHARLOTTE'S WEB remains a childhood favorite for many. White was a master of the essay form, sparking a reader's interest in the subject at hand and cajoling further attention to the tangents and digressions which are an essayists stock in trade. He easily wends narratives which include broody geese, nuclear power stations, old dogs, oil tankers and mortality. His voice is plainspoken -- the viewpoint that of a person with deerhunters for neighbors, who enjoys the occasional venison steak, who roots for the deer in hunting season, and yet admits to shooting the foxes who kill his chickens. At the same time, his writing feels dated, rooted in an era when feelings were less admissible than ideas. His writing seems honest, but guarded, particularly after my recent immersion in Ann Lamott, a decidedly unguarded and modernist chronicler. Thus, I emerge from White's work impressed with his grace, language and fluidity, but disappointed in the gut. There are tales untold between these lines and I am left hungry. Old-school excellence, but aging fast.

What do you expect of tomorrow? "THE WORLD OF TOMORROW", perhaps the best known essay among his essay collactiond,"Essa of E.B. White". It contains thirty other essays organozed into seven sections.

The scene of "THE WORLD OF TOMORROW" is in New York in May 1939. White mentions "Tomorrow" remembering the World's Fair held there. The Fair's theme was also "THE WORLD OF TOMORROW", and there were the white ball and spire named the Tylon and Perisphere which were two landmark monumental buildings in the fair. Actually White had to visit there with a box of Kleenex...

At first, the road to the World's Fair is refered as the road to "Tomorrow". Through the street, he arrived at "the very threshold of Tomorrow". At the Fair, he made a few notes about what you may expext of tomorrow--In tomorrow, most sounds aren't these themselves, and we can't tallk back.

The New York World's Fair was filled with man's dream, and it's held 66 years ago! The more I read this book, the more I can be into White's world. His way to use metaphor is brilliant, and it makes me feel more comfortable. So, I really recommend you not only this essay but also his another collection.

This is such a marvelous book.

The sentences are simply perfect and the sense of wonder he creates makes this a text you will want to go back to over and over. A great gift for any literate person in your life.

Really great.

Twenty two of the essays appeared in THE NEW YORKER. White had candor. His piece on the death of his pig is masterful. He examined his own feelings and community reaction. The role of his dachshund, Fred, is described amusingly. It is no wonder White wrote so winningly for children.

In 1954 when he had no television he was looked upon as an eccentric. During Hurricane Edna radio worked people up to an incredible state of alarm. It seemed that no wick was available for the Whites' kerosene lamp. White has some gentle fun with mistakes of the exhausted radio announcers. Battered down was said instead of battened down, and unindated for inundated. There are two stages in the country of a storm. There is the period when phones and lights are still going, and then there is the stage when these cease to work. The storm itself did not seem long in comparison to the radio vigil.

He came to feel that living in New England in the winter was a full time job in itself. Another use of his time was having an enemy, the fox. Darkness was more insistent than the cold. Farming, even the kind pursued by the author, is infinitely complex. When the snow arrived early in 1971 White was cut short. The usual things were not done. It got so there was no place to put the snow after it was plowed.

In the city section of the essays it is noted that New York City bestows the gift of loneliness and privacy. In 1939 there were eight million people in the five boroughs. In Florida it appears that the sun and the lizard maintain the same schedule. The tiny spots of the fiddler crab's body enlarge during the daytime hours. To have a pointsettia plant at Christmastime in
Florida seems faintly ridiculous. Pointsettias bloom naturally in the yards. A small chameleon arrives with the Whites' tropical substitute for a Christmas tree much to Mrs. White's delight.

In 1923 the author kept a diary of his trip to Alaska. A ship, docking at Seattle, was to go on a journey for forty days. He had only forty dollars, enough to traverse the inner passage to Skagway, and so he went. The Buford, for some of the passengers, became a high class floating jail because although food and scenery were good, there was no escape. Youthful, White absorbed the vast scene of Alaska. This was a trip promoted by the Chamber of Commerce, but White's roommate was another odd man to the enterprise, a Laplander. He was a reindeer butcher, going to a job in Nome. When the boat reached Skagway White's ticket ran out. The captain came up with the idea of putting him on as a night saloonsman. His metamorphosis took the passengers by surprise.

WALDEN is not a well-liked book among White's acquaintances. Thoreau was torn by two desires, to enjoy the world and to set the world straight. He tended to write in sentences, and WALDEN is a collection of certified sentences. I have tried to give the prospective reader some notion of the enjoyment to be obtained from reading White's essays.

As a first year Japanese student I knew flash cards would be helpful and i spent so much time making my own that i realized i should just buy some! These are much sturdier than the paper index cards I was using they stay clean don't bend easy and really help with memorization, The pictures are a REAL help, best way to learn Hiragana/Katakana is the "looks like a. . . " method. At least for everyone in my class. Plus you get some good vocabulary. I even hole punched the katakana set and put them on a ring, so i could take them with me.
Great great product for any Japanese student!

I read the reviews before buying this product and I agree with most reviews--I love these cards. However, I am a little suprised that not that many people commented on how useful the mneumonics are.

(By "mneumonics" I mean the memory tricks like on the product picture--the symbol for "ki" looks sort of like a key.)

Admittedly, some of these are a bit of a stretch, but I would have never sat down and thought up cute tricks like this myself, neither would I have guessed how strongly they improve memory retention. Huge difference! At a very leisurely pace I was able to recognize both Hiragana and Katakana after only a week. Regurgitating the symbols from the romanized syllables will of course take longer.

Great product.

These cards have been invaluable in getting me started on the right path to learning the Japanese language. I am a beginner student...very beginner. I've picked up the Pimsleur program and Rosetta Stone, and am trudging through the first few lessons. However, these flash cards provided the solid foundation which I am now building upon with these other programs.

Learning the Hiragana and Katakana characters takes perhaps an hour (each) with these cards. Once you have them figured out, it's only a matter of repetition to ensure you learn them in long-term memory. My method for using these cards was simple: pick up the first 5 cards, and flash them until you have those cards memorized. Then add 5 more cards and flash all 10. Keep adding cards in sets of 5 until you have the whole deck of either Hiragana or Katakana memorized. While doing this, I think it's important that you speak each character out loud, rather than in your head. Ultimately, if you are learning Japanese you are probably learning to speak it, and speaking each character now will make learning and speaking full words much easier. Kana are the building blocks of Japanese vocabulary, and I have found it much easier to pick up new words once I had these characters mastered.

You may need to find a source online to find the proper sounds for each character. While the examples provided on the cards work in most cases, I find them a little sketchy sometimes. I think this may be because of differences in how some words may be read in different English dialects. I suggest finding a secondary (audio) source online to provide the correct pronunciation of each character. Taking the effort now to get these sounds correct will prevent any possible problems later, such as incorrectly learning a sound and having to relearn it (along with every word which uses it!).

If you are self-teaching the Japanese language, these cards are a necessary first step.

No joke, taught myself to read hiragana and katakana in a week - and that on a ten minute subway ride to and from work! If you are visual learner, this set will teach you to read the kana quickly. Simple as that. Very impressed by White Rabbit Press.

Covering all hiragana and katakana, these flash cards are an inexpensive and highly effective learning device for memorization of the Japanese kana.

With entertaining mnemonics provided by Michael Rowley, it only took me about one week of going through the cards for 20-30min a day to memorize all the kana... permanently. Each card includes four alternate style writings of the kana (very helpful for beginners), five sample words using that kana (translated on back), and stroke order. The cards themselves are high quality, easy to shuffle, and come in a robust two compartment box.

I do not normally write product reviews, but well-executed products like this deserve special treatment. If you have a desire to learn Japanese, do not yet have the kana memorized, and learn well by mnemonics, then these are the flash cards for you.

This is my first Franklin White novel and what a ride!! This book opens up with West, regular joe, who opens up his own auto repair shop to better his community. He has to serve on jury duty and he finds that the defendant Frank Rossi, was a black guy trapped in a white guy's body. He was handsome, talked smooth like silk, and wore expensive threads. Rossi stole 300,000 of the city's money but they can't prove it and the crooked Detective Stallings wants his head because Stalling has his hand in the city's pot of crack, and he wants his piece of pie back. West teams up with Lauren, another juror, to cut a deal with Rossi to split the 3 G's three ways in exchange for a not guilty verdict and everyone goes home happy. After they convince the jury to vote not guilty, Rossi disappears right along with West's prized Caddy.Then on top of that, West's girlfriend Tammy ends up dead and Stallings is put on the case. This book is a thriller with all kinds of twists and turns that will leave you hanging off the edge of your seat. Who has the money? Who killed West's girlfriend? You have to cop this read to find out!!

Highly recommended - This book was a refreshing read. I was hooked from the opening sentence. It read almost like a good movie. For all the bad West got himself in to, strangely to me he was a hero for all the good in his heart. I was fascinated. This was a deep thriller and shocking beyond words. Franklin White will always get my vote.

Franklin White has always shown that us that he can give the good, the bad, and the ugly of relationships with engaging dialogue and realistic settings but now he has brought a new flavor to the urban thriller. White can do it all! This is the kind of book that will have you talking out loud to the characters, anxious to turn the page and will wake you up in the middle of the night worrying about what will happen next. I won't give away the plot but let's just say people will do anything and everything for that money!

Franklin White's latest literary offering, MONEY FOR GOOD, takes the reader on a wild and crazy thrill ride. The main character, West Owens, has finally achieved his dream of becoming an entrepreneur when he opens his own garage, but he stands to lose it all when he has to close up shop to serve on jury duty. While performing his civic duty, he meets and befriends Lauren Richards, a resourceful woman who has a "get rich quick" scheme. West joins forces with Lauren to convince the jury to free defendant Pete Rossi in exchange for a considerable amount of money. Little does West know that he is about to have the experience of a lifetime in his quest to have money for good.

Franklin White has written a page-turner that draws the reader in from the very first page and does not let up until the last page is turned. Filled with action, adventure, murder, deceit, police corruption, and laced with a hint of romance, MONEY FOR GOOD aims to satisfy. Kudos to Franklin White for a job well done, and I hope to see more of West Owens and his associates in White's future novels.

Reviewed by Latoya Carter-Qawiyy
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I loved this book. I thought the author did a really good job mixing all the characters together since they all came from different backgrounds. Rossi and West played off of oneanother perfectly then when they started to work together along with Mrs. Bullock it was like watching a movie. I would have given this book 5 stars and I still probably should but I was mad at Lex for what happened to her baby-that part in the book really touched me because it happens much too often. You wont go wrong with this novel you will really enjoy it.

Jim Tooney, is certifiable. This was excellent. The characters are all so memorable and completely well rounded. Thx.

I bought this book for my Dad as a birthday present because he loved this comic. I read it before I gave it to him, but I had to stop several times because I was paralyzed with laughter! This is definitely the funniest book I have ever read. After I read it, I immediately went out and bought the first book Ate That, What's Next. I was quite dissappointed in it. Then, I reread it about a month later and was in tears again! The simple reason: it's a great book, but this one is absolutely the best and I was expecting too much. Ate That was hysterical too, though just not as funny as Poodle: The Other White Meat. You should probably read Ate That first. Both books are great, and I can't wait to read the new third one, The Illustrated Guide to Shark Ettiquette!

My wife's favorite current comic strip, Sherman's Lagoon, has another anthology collection out, and this is it. We get to see Sherman visit Venice, disguise himself as a human to rescue a friend, and deal with a military drill. No sidesplitters but definitely entertaining.

This book by J.P. Tommey is very witty and very funny. I reccomend this book to people who like to laugh.

This second collection offers us another look at the adventures of the funniest sea-dwellers known to man. There are several hilarious storylines here, including invasion from Navy Seals, Hawthorne's adventures off-island, Fillmore's trip, once again, to Ascension Island, the gang raising a baby sea turtle they call Clayton, the return of sun-loving polar bear Thornton, Sherman and Ernest's trip to Atlantis and, of course, Sherman's attempts to impress his girlfriend Megan. This is a great work of art and writing that anyone can enjoy, not just fans. It is always funny, often hilarious, and I am proud to own it. I'm sure you would be too. Thanks for another great book, Mr. Toomey!

The book was recieved in fine condition took a little longer than I figured on to arrive. It has been informative filled with great Westy advice. I have delt with many breeds working for a veterinarian, and managing kennels, but the Westy is new to me. It is always good to get expert advice. Dee of NY

This book is an excellent resource to the westie fan. You will get something out of it whether you have had westies for years, or are just deciding on getting one. A lot of detail is covered that is easy to understand. Would recommend to anyone.

If you are serious about Westies, you absolutely MUST have this book. Faherty has a writing style that's humorous and informative, and she gives the nitty-gritty on the mysterious art of handstripping. No other resource out there gives this much detail. I've taken the plunge and am stripping my own Westie, and Faherty's comprehensive chapter on grooming has been a tremendous help. This book is really geared for Westie connoisseurs, who have an interest in showing their dogs. In addition to the grooming chapter, several sections are devoted to the art of showing your dog as well as breeding. This may be too dense a book for a general pet owner and the more general Westie books may be more appropriate. However, if you are looking for THE resource on Westies, buy this book!

Westies:From Head to Tail 2nd Edition is a most readible, comprehensive treatment of all topics of concern to both Westie breeders and neophytes to the breed. No serious Westie enthusiast should be without this attractive volume.

Every dog enthusiast, westie lover or not, should read this book, because even though it talks about westies, one can learn a lot about dogs in general. I have more than 15 years of experience in showing dogs and more than 12 years of professional grooming experience and I still learned a lot from this well written, very detailed and comprehensive book.

These pop-ups are just amazing! I love to see the new ones he creates almost every year!

Beautiful pop-up book; so much fun.Winter in White: A Mini Pop-up Treat (Classic Collectible Pop-Up)Robert Sabuda lives up to his outstanding reputation as an incredible artist. This book will be well loved in our household.

Love it! Love it! Love it! This little book is a pop-up treat!
I was very surprised at how pretty a bunch of white pop-ups could be.
I was really pleased with this book, & so were my young granddaughters.
Money well spent.

We collect these pop-up books and continue to be amazed at the skill and talent it must take to create them. This mini pop-up is a treasure. You can pick it up time after time and find something new. It is a joy to share with others. These are definitely 'adult' that would not stand up to little hands, but can be shared with the child one-on-one. Everything we have gotten from Robert Sabuda has been amazing!

This is a beautiful book with wintry scenes for small folks with someone to help them read it -- without ripping it apart. I purchased it for my toddler grandson. Only caveat, it's not the only book of its type, so check before buying that a similar book is not already owned.

Edmund White writes beautifully and this narrative is flowing, interesting, and compelling. White writes as if he is developing a 1980 memoire about the 1960s. But at the core of this novel is a dilemma that is never fully answered in the novel and is probably never really answered in the lives of gay men and women. Other reviews and reviewers do an excellent job of telling the narrative details of this novel, but underneath this narrative is a question regarding identify and identity development.

The basic question is whether gay men are born gay and thus they come out through a process of ever more intense and meaningful gay experiences and friendships and relationships with a broad cast of characters or whether gay men learn to be gay and take on a gay identity through emersion into various relationships with significant persons who teach the youth how to be gay. The brilliance of The Beautiful Room is Empty is that White is able to weave both of these concepts together into a whole cloth of experience, never fully answering whether the power of the instinctual sexual identity is paramount and is revealed in a series of vignetts and character studies with friends and lovers or whether the passion and identity are more diffuse and coagulate around core external experiences where gay identity is learned and reinforced. Both are deterministic models, whether it be a biological determinism or a social structural determinism. Internal reality is always checked against external reality in White's narrative. The drive to sexual expression is the impetus toward self discovery in much of the book, rather than a less sophisticated approach wereby sexual expression is taken as just one component of a series of relationships.

Overall the book is a very good read, shocking in some parts as public bathroom sex is described, but always about an unfolding reality that is heavily influenced by events and relationships.

A continuation of A Boy's Own Story, this book is no less well written and no less brilliant. It is no wonder that White is considered--by the worthy, literate critics, at least--the finest gay writer in America. I would modify that to say he is one of the finest writers (gay or otherwise) in the world today. This book cronicles the life of ABOS from shortly after that book leaves off through the Stonewall riots in New York in June of 1969. The narrator's growth is evident from the end of the last novel through the end of this one. This is one of the most important works by one of our most important writers; White is the nearest writer to Proust to write since, though minus the cork-lined apartment and with quite a few more social graces.

White is clearly one of the finest prosaists in the last half of the 20th C. America. His mellifluous writing and lucid exposition have earned him the wide respect that he deserves.

"The Beautiful Room is Empty" is a sequel to his earlier "A Boy's Own Story," the evolving process of coming-out gay in the Sixties. The first novel scouts the adolescent years; this novel covers early adulthood. Much has changed in the way that people come-out today, versus the time when being gay was stigmatized by everybody. Curing homosexuality was seen as viable by both the queer himself and by the anti-queer establishment. Fortunately, while coming-out may still be a demanding process, it is far less traumatic than a few score ago, because of these earlier pioneers.

In an almost plotless chronicle of coming-out, the focus is on the author's first-person's introspection of dealing with himself and the gay world as it was then. The ways in which people connected were far more convoluted, clandestine, and often illegal. It wasn't much of a life, until the Stonewall riots liberated gays from their false imprisonment. It not only opened new avenues by which to meet and socialize, but it also rejected the premise that gays should be neither heard nor seen. The toll these older restrictions had on men and women must have been truly appalling, causing much externalized homophobia to turn inward.

To see how far the GLBT community has come in the past 40 years is itself a witness to these earlier pioneers. We owe it to them to hear their story, especially when it's this well-told.

The Beautiful Room is Empty is extemely poetic, and it is deeply moving. i love this book, and cannot express how well i related to the character. granted, i would suggest that you read the first autobiographical book A Boy's Own Story first, because it will enable you to feel for the characters better.

Edmund White's 'Beautiful Room' is a moving, wonderful story, crafted around the late teens to late twenties of the narrator, known only as 'Bunny' to his friend Lou, one of the many lively, memorable characters encountered along the way, as well as Tex, a flaboyant bookstore owner, who gives 'Bunny' his earliest education in 'gay slang.'

'Bunny', at the beginning of the novel, is a prep-school student coming to terms with his homosexuality, by engaging in anonymous sexual encounter after encounter in the boy's bathrooms, where his lovers are seen only from waistline to knees. He dresses and plays the part of the dutiful prep school student by day, but once class is out, he drifts toward the bohemians, gracing the coffee shops of their 1950's and 60's lives, watching them paint, sharing their surrealist literature and poetry, and secretly lusting after the males. A child of divorced parents, his father determined to make a man out of him, his mother convinced that all he needs is a cure, the narrator carries us along on his ride, meeting many notable characters along the way, that shape and influence his gradual acceptance that he is gay.

Following his school years, when he enters the work force and the real world, the words of a school-friend come back to haunt him, that 'some day he will have too much freedom,' freedom to choose where he goes, what he does, and who he is. He drifts along from job to job, from lover to lover, Lou, Fred, and the frequent pick-ups from Christoper Street, until he meets Sean, a closeted young man who leads 'Bunny' to question his own identity as they both enter group therapy to try and overcome their 'illness' and go straight, with very different results.

Culminating at the famous Stonewall site, Edmund White provides readers with a grand tour-de-force of growing up gay in the 50's and 60's in Chicago and New York.

Sometimes poignant, sometimes emotional, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, 'Beautiful Room' is a beautiful book, with a beautiful story to tell. The narrator, presumably White himself, as the book is supposed to be autobiographical, slips from identity to identity as he tries to find his own. Young and unsure of himself, he tries to be what everyone else wants him to be until he finds himself.

Although this story centers on a gay man, the book speaks volumes to anyone struggling to find their own identity, and the choices and mistakes we all make along the way.