White Books

The first few pages were rather slow, but as you continue reading, the plot falls together. I really enjoyed this book, becasue it focused on the age difference between the two main characters and how they both helped each other discover love again. I read the book and then I re-read certain parts that reminded me why I enjoyed the book so much. You won't be disappointed reading this book.

I really enjoyed reading this book and it was nice to see that older/younger relationships can work. I was impressed with the fact that he took special care in helping her overcome her fears from the accident and that no matter what her family and friends thought, she pursued the relationship. I would really love to see a sequel to Tango.

Ms. White's book explore the complexities of an "age difference relationship". It is also a manual to the "brothers" on how to make that someone special really know and feel that they are special. A work like this deserves a sequel. I can hardly wait to read her newest work. Keep it up.

I am a fan of Ms. White's and couldn't wait to read more of her work. I was not disappointed. Captain Joseph Stewart is hot! I was pulling for him and Kendall to get together from the first time he saw her. I can't wait for Ms. White's next book. Keep them coming.

Jerri Mills is unusual on at least four counts.

First, she is a physician who has developed her own healing gifts and uses them in her practice of obstetrics and gynecology. Mills initially studied shamanic and Native American healing, then Reiki, and found that the healing would "turn on" automatically as she ministered to the women in labor and delivery at her hospital. This came naturally to her, as she describes herself as being a "hands-on" person, who intuitively comforts people with ordinary touch (in addition to touch required for medical examinations). Women who were in pain and who had difficult labors would find their problems rapidly eased with the healing. Being a physician, her observations on the effects of healing are more understandable and authoritative than most non-physician healing reports.

Second, Mills was a veterinarian prior to studying medicine, so she also shares reports of successful healing with animals.

Third, she has had the courage to speak openly to her colleagues and to write about her experiences. Her colleagues have responded with mixed reactions, ranging from warmly approving her use of a modality that markedly benefits her patients, through surprised questioning to learn more about healing, to questioning whether she should be doing this.

Fourth, she writes clearly and convincingly about approaches to using healing and its benefits.

This book is warmly recommended to anyone interested in how healing can be integrated in a medical practice.

I have read dozens of reiki books since learning this profound healing technique five years ago. I would rate this as one of the best books on the subject, because it is one of the only books to show how reiki can be integrated into mainstream medicine, and used in conjunction with allopathic medical treatments. It also does a good job at demonstrating the limitations of traditional western medicine. You don't need to spend thousands of dollars on conventional treatments, since reiki can achieve similar, if not better results, without any invasive treatments. Please buy this book if you are thinking of trying reiki. You won't be disappointed.

Marc S. Cwik
Reiki Practitioner
Las Vegas, Nevada

Not since janeAnne Narrin's book, One Degree Beyond, A Reiki Journey Into Energy Medicine has there been a book with such heart. Here (in the heart of the writer) you can find the very essence of what Reiki is all about.

Having read numerous books on Reiki and a student of metaphysics for over 30 years I encourage anyone who is interested in self healing and healing others to read Dr. Mill's book. Dr. Mills writes with a style that many authors never acheive. The ability to write for both the novice and Reiki Master. Reading this book may be the best thing that has ever happened to you.

This book takes you through a journey of a man's life in his service to God. From the first page, you're introduced to Robert Tharp, son of a missionary in China. Slowly, you're taken through a concise narrative of the daily routine in Manchuria, detailing events as broad as the various warlords who entered the city to as detailed as how the local mastrigate ate plumbs.

The pictures in the book add to the book by showing what people did. Rarely are there books with such quantity of pictures.

There are wonderful anecdotes of everyday life and experiences Bob had. He has an entire section devoted to chinese humor, which are incredibally difficult to translate, but he does it with style.

Anyone with interest in what life in China was like, this book is a must read.

As a former student of Robert Tharp, I was interested in his new book, "They Called Us White Chinese". The title seems a little bit funny until I learned that due to the fact that he and his wife, Eva, were interned by the Japanese during WWII they lost all their identity papers, and when they came to the US, immigration officials stamped on their visa that they were, "White Chinese". Thus brings to an end their saga that comprises of almost 900 pages of the most beautiful coffee-table book I have ever seen. This book should cost three times as much. Contemporary Chinese history has never been explained as well as through the eyes of a "Westerner" born and raised in China. A Must Buy!

They Called Us White Chinese is an autobiography of the late Robert N. Tharp, missionary to China in the early 1900's. I read the book cover to cover. It is extraordinarily well written, detailed, and full of interesting stories. It covers his boyhood which details Chinese construction techniques, social/cultural aspects of village life, provincial wars and his life and adventures in general. His capture during WWII and take over of the Communists follows. The trials of him and his wife in escaping the country are almost incredible. Mr. Tharp had a long career in linguistics in the U.S. working for military and intelligence services, which he describes in the latter third of the book. The book is anything but overedited and Mr. Tharp may carefully describe a particular adventure in vivid detail so that it becomes a short story in itself. I also appreciate the almost complete lack of "self-analysis" or abstract social commentary etc... This book is also a great aid to understanding Chinese history and culture. Highly recommended.

I should note that in 1994 when I first bought this book I was amazed and delighted to find myself mentioned in it (on page 751.) I was one of Bob Tharp's USAF Chinese students, recruited out of basic training in the summer of 1955. Years later, after finishing my Air Force tour (in Korea, using everything I'd been taught at Yale's Institute of Far Eastern Languages by Bob Tharp and his colleagues)and finishing college and law school, I found myself back at Yale, assisting Bob in the same USAF program while I took a correspondence course for the Michigan bar exam.

I wish that I had known just a portion of the information that's in this great work of a book about Bob's early life when I first met him - I would have held him in even higher regard, if that's possible.

This book paints an amazing picture of a tumultuous time in Chinese (and American) history, and the latter portions show clearly the contributions that Bob and Eva Tharp and their colleagues made to US security. He trained hundreds of air intelligence specialists, and many of them, like myself, found our lives forever changed and enhanced by our exposure to Chinese language and culture.

No need to go into the story, because if you've found this review then chances are you've already seen Jules Dassin's dark classic THIEVES' HIGHWAY which was based on this novel. What you do need to know is A. I. Bezzerides' novel is even better than the movie. So go ahead and buy a copy. It's darker (pretty much pitch black), more violent, there's foul language, it's gritty, brutal, nasty and most importantly Bezzerides is an amazing writer. His naturalist style here is like a mixture of Zola's "Germinal" and Steinbeck's "In Dubious Battle". I can't think of any higher praise than that!

It's a horrible shame that none of Bezzerides' other books are in print. If I was rich I would buy the rights to all of his novels and publish them. I wouldn't care if I made a profit or not.

This is a totally awesome book about the small produce truckers who brought food to market in post-WWII California. In very straigtforward plain prose, the book tells the story of Nick, the son of Greek immigrants. When his father dies after a long life of just squeaking by, Nick is determined he won't fall into the same cycle, and enters the cutthroat world of independent trucking. The bulk of the book concerns the trials he and his mentor Ed encounter in finding and selling their first load. The writing clearly comes from intimate personal knowledge of the life and the swindles that were a constant part of it. It's a brilliant and fascinating piece of noir literature.

An absolutely great book about the Bad Old Days of trucking. This work is more than just a dark tale about double dealing and violence in a troubled trade. It just has that ring of truth by an author that lived the life. So many of the scenarios he describes bring to mind stories I personally have heard from the old timers in my chosen profession of trucking. A great read that perfectly recreates a place and time.

After getting burnt out on contemporary fiction and finding no pleasure in my reading, after putting down yet another book that fizzled after 100 pages, I picked this gem off my shelf where it's sat for over a year. The prose, the images, the timeless energy of the story and writing got my reading muscles working again. Since I live in Oakland and work in SF, the images of those cities written 50 years ago give a fresh, vibrant perspective. Characters come alive, flawed and real. A plot that pulsates.

I really loved the book because it really hit home for it talked about many things I have experienced in my life. The Three Stages Of Sex is truely a eye opening book for all people to relate to. It passes and breaks down all racial barriers and any other type of barriers or hang up's a person might have about their relationship, marriage, etc.

When I first saw this book I thought it would be just another book about sex. The title gives a whole new concept and view on the 3 most misunderstood things about sex, and love. Thank you Eugene White for your views on this subject.

This book is a good guide about what we can do to make sure we don't fall into certaintraps , when it comes to love. Great ideas . Great literature.

I think mr. white's book gives a clear look at our roles in relationship's. It provides a guide to many, who might often confuse sex, and lust with Love.

I have admired other books illustrated by Sheila Samton. 'A Tree for Me' is particularly magical, and the repeating refain in Nancy Van Laan's poem works hand-in-hand with the drawings to great effect. I'm an architect, so the drawings have always been a big attraction - but one that the children in my life seem to enjoy too!

I'm a huge fan of Sheila White Sampon's books. Not only do my kids love them, but I adore reading them to my kids. There's a beautiful and simple quality to the words and pictures, and this makes for easy and fun reading and looking. But under her seemingly simple stories and pictures is a mastery that shows her deep understanding of kids and life.

When I ask my kids which book they want me to read, they often pick up one of Sheila White Sampon's. Her books are harmonious and life-affirming. It's my great pleasure to read them often to my kids. Bravo to Ms. Sampon!!

The words flow so melodically and with such varied rhythms, that reading this is like singing a song. Nancy Van Laan, author of the defiantly slangy "Possum Comes a Knockin,'" once again shows her keen sense of sound in this very fun picture book for infants and toddlers. It's a simple story that, in someone else's hands, could have seemed formulaic and predictable. Van Laan, however, turns this into a frolicking poem that begs for dramatic oral expression. You're the conductor here-speed up and slow down your voice, turn the volume up and down, register surprise, disappointment, and delight, as you read this out loud. Sheila White Samton's unique collage-style pictures will also captivate your audience.

The simple story tells of a (briefly seen) boy and his dog looking for a certain tree. Instead, they find trees inhabited by friendly looking animals including frogs, possums (!), grasshoppers, worms, and squirrels. SPOILER: Our heroes eventually find the cozy tree house they were searching for!Nicely produced by Borzoi Books for Knopf, "A Tree for Me" has 28 beautifully illustrated pages. Although a few of the words are difficult (e.g., squirrels, dangling), the repeating words in Van Laan's poem may make this an appropriate book for the beginning reader as well as the small fry hearing it from you.

I am an art critic and curator. This book is a delightful poem with incantatory repetitions that kids love. The illustrations are enchanting -- witty, engaging, and wonderfully colored. Samton's images add another layer of meaning to van Laan's amusing rhymes. Both text and illustrations stand up to repeated reading and close looking.

Author James Cash takes a fresh look at Ohio's presidents. Much maligned and always rated near the bottom of presidential rankings, these leaders, Cash believes, deserve a second look. His book, Unsung Heros, makes the case that they should be seen in a more favorable light. The stories and insights Cash provides about Ohio's presidents make for an entertaining read that will appeal to both the casual and serious historian.

This is a superb, well-rounded historical picture of our Buckeye State Presidents and their families. This book should be required reading for all elementary students help better understand the shaping of our country. Rate this book an 11 on a scale of 1-10.

This is a very readable, entertaining, and enlightening book about eight men Ohio claims as native son presidents -- William Henry Harrison, Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B.Hayes, James Garfield, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, and Warren G. Harding. The author makes a convincing case that they are not rated as highly as they should be. All, for example, stood more for civil rights for African-Americans they other candidates and presidents of their eras who are commonly rated as better presidents. Another theme is the heroism of several of them in the Civil War. Another is their humble demeanor, in marked contrast to such self-promoters as Theodore Roosevelt. This is a well-written revisionist look at Ohio's presidents, written for lay readers with interest in history. Also, it contains many "human interest" facts and anectodes about these presidents, who should not be forgotten.

Author James Cash takes a fresh look at Ohio's presidents. Much maligned and always rated near the bottom of presidential rankings, these leaders, Cash believes, deserve a second look. His book, Unsung Heros, makes the case that they should be seen in a more favorable light. The stories and insights Cash provides about Ohio's presidents make for an entertaining read that will appeal to both the casual and serious historian.

JB West's book "Upstairs at the White House" is a gold mine of interesting facts and anecdotes that is sure to capture the interest of anyone who picks it up. The easy, conversational style that West uses in telling of his experiences while employed at the White House gives an even more intimate quality to the already familial nature of the subject matter. Always respectful of those under which he served, West none the less shows us the faults as well as merits of those families that occupied the President's house during his approximately thirty year tenure. This is history that accomplishes so much of what good historical writing should: it is engaging, informative without being dry or long winded, and simply fun to read, enough so that this reviewer has gone back for another look more than once! If you want to know more about the White House lives of the first families from FDR to the early months of the Nixon administration, as well as fascinating stuff on the running of the mansion, this book is for you. Don't miss it!!

J.B. West, the former Chief Usher at The White House, gives us an insider's view of America's most famous mansion. But this is hardly a boring house tour. Mr. West - in a dignified but very readable account - focuses on the Presidents, First Ladies, and their children, all who made this house on Pennsylvania Avenue a home. With great empathy and appreciation, he recalls the experience of working for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry and Bess Truman, Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower, John and Jacqueline Kennedy, and Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson.

Each family had their own style that the White House staff had to adjust to, from the reserved Roosevelts, to the refined young Kennedys, to the big-as-Texas style of Lyndon Baines Johnson which was in contrast with Lady Bird, his considerate and composed wife.

His portrayals of the First Families are not condescending, yet they are still very respectful. In his position, Mr. West worked closely with the First Ladies and each one had personal qualities that he grew to admire.

The accounts of ceremonies, dinners and banquets, remodelings, sudden changes, and visits by various dignitaries are all compelling reading in themselves. But we get an even more significant historical viewpoint through the description of the events that took place in The White House during crises, such as FDR's death, the attempted shooting of Truman, the Kennedy assasination, LBJ's announcement that he would not seek another term.

Surely, there were frustrations, and many of them are recorded in the book while others were avoided. For instance, I'm sure that Mr. West knew about some of JFK's White House trysts but chose not to write about them. If he would have, the book would have been even more successful than it was.

But Mr. West takes the high road, and we get to enjoy the view with him.

Well done, Mr. Chief Usher.

I have been an avid collector of president/first lady/white house books since I was a child. I have read the same facts about the first families over and over. Then I found Upstairs At the White House by J.B. West, and it immediately became a favorite. Mr. West worked with the first families from the Franklin Roosevelts to the Richard Nixons on a daily basis. He was privy to "insider information" that most people never heard about. His approach to the divulgence of his knowledge is always in good taste and respectful of the families he served. Yet, this book is packed with anecdotes and information that I had never read in any other volume. Since my first reading of Upstairs At the White House, I have found Mr. West quoted by a number of other presidential writers. I can certainly understand why -- Mr. West gave the world a wonderful window into the lives of several of our nation's first families and made them come alive for us.

I have been an avid collector of president/first lady/white house books since I was a child. I have read the same facts about the first families over and over. Then I found Upstairs At the White House by J.B. West, and it immediately became a favorite. Mr. West worked with the first families from the Franklin Roosevelts to the Richard Nixons on a daily basis. He was privy to "insider information" that most people never heard about. His approach to the divulgence of his knowledge is always in good taste and respectful of the families he served. Yet, this book is packed with anecdotes and information that I had never read in any other volume. Since my first reading of Upstairs At the White House, I have found Mr. West quoted by a number of other presidential writers. I can certainly understand why -- Mr. West gave the world a wonderful window into the lives of several of our nation's first families and made them come alive for us.

Francesconi captures dreamy, lush, stylized images of women loving women. The over 70 duo tone photographs of mostly couples, many nude, in this collection are quite lovely, and the narrative is equally romantic. If you are familiar with the photographer, Judy Francesconi's work, then Visual Sonnets will not be a total surprise. Although most images don't seem to have been published, there are some that have appeared in her calendars, as cards, etc. Francesconi's subjects are beautiful and her photographs really do have the feel of sonnets; carefully composed images within a particular style designed to communicate to the viewer. These celebratory images communicate a sensuous, even intimate delight to the eye.

It is the nature of "coffee table" books to be expensive. Sonnets is within the typical range for such art books; however, it is disappointing that it's not a hardcover book for the price. Still if you are someone who revels in Francesconi's work, you'll enjoy this volume.

In studying the photographs and the subtle but meaningful thoughts that accompanied the majority of them, I felt as if I was there in the moment with the women... an intruder witnessing very private moments. The black and white medium used was not only totally effective but enhanced the beauty and intensity of the experience.

This book is amazingly beautiful. I can't begin to describe the power of these photographs, erotic but tasteful. The power of the female body in all it's wonderous glory.

This work is beautiful. The photographs are wonderful. They explore the beauty of the female form with lesbian tones.

Anagarika Govinda's book The Way of the White Clouds is among the most beautiful travel books ever written. It gives a lyrical picture of Tibet before the destruction of virtually everything by the Chinese. Somewhat melodramatic in its descriptive power, Lama Govinda (1898-1985) and his Persian wife, Li Gotami, wrote, drew, and photographed unknown (and often abandoned) temples, met amazing people, and generally coursed in a mystical reverie during their time there. The reader is magically transported with them back to a time when no one in the West knew much, if anything, about Tibet, Tibetans, or its religion. That he might have got some details wrong isn't the point. This is a seminal work in its field (together with Marco Pallis and Alexandra David-Neel). Govinda's writing, and photographs are better than theirs, however.

This book is a beautiful introduction to Tibetan culture and landscape and Buddhist beliefs and practices. It's left me longing to see Mount Kailas and the other sacred places he lovingly describes. I've since bought the author's more recent book, "Buddhist Reflections."

The author, Lama Anagarika Govinda, is an erudite and sophisticated buddhist who brings to life a land and a people who will hardly exist in their native Tibet much longer. For someone who wants to have a westener
explain the history, geography, art ,etc. of the "roof of the world" prior to the Chinese genocide, this is a wonderful guide. Of course there is a terrific description of buddhism in general and the specfic variety practised in Tibet. However, this may not be the best place to start. At least a basic knowledge of Tibet would be helpful, otherwise one could get mired down in so many strange names and concepts.

This is a wonderful insightful book on Tibet and Buddhism. It opened my mind even more to a different way of thinking and being.