United States Books

Inspired by a potato on her kitchen table, Esmé Raji Codell wrote this book to let parents know that just as a potato is "plentiful and versatile" (p 3) so too is children's literature. She states that this is a "recipe book" to give parents ideas for how to incorporate children's literature into their child's life, whether it be as a "main course or a sustaining side dish" (p 3).

The book is divided into nine main parts. The first part is an overview for parents of why reading is important. Codell uses research, theorists, and practical first-hand experience to give parents an understanding of the importance of reading and a basic knowledge of some of the lingo that educators use when discussing reading. She then moves on in parts two through eight to share ideas for how to incorporate reading into your child's life in a variety of different formats and using different types of literature. The ninth part, "Storytime Central", shares lists of recommended books for a variety of different topics not previously mentioned.

Looking through parts 2-8, you will find ideas for encouraging children to read both with a parent and on their own. Using humor and personal anecdotes, Codell shares a plethora of ideas ranging from simple (sit down and read a book) to complex (organize a "parade of books' for your community). For each idea she gives examples or tips for how to actually do the activity. These ideas are coupled with lists of recommended book titles. Pictures of actual book covers are found throughout each section, enticing the reader to go find a copy and flip through the pages for themselves. Also found throughout are sidebars and boxes containing book reviews and "Dear Madame Esme" questions and answers.

The main strength of this book is its lists of book titles. The lists of books in each part are a resource that can be utilized by parents and educators alike when searching for quality children's literature. Codell covers a wide range of topics such as math, history, science, folk tales, breakfast, mysteries, and baseball. In addition to these topical lists, there is a list of all of the Newbery and Caldecott award winners among the appendices at the back of the book. Also at the end are detailed indices that are broken up by author, title, and subject which allow for ease in finding information among all of these lists.

This book is not an exhaustive list of all of the quality literature available today, but it is definitely a huge springboard for launching into the wonderful world of children's literature. Codell encourages reading as often as possible beginning from the day children are born. By reading with children she says that you are doing something for them "that is not only fun, but essential, important, and lasting" (343).

This book is loaded with great ideas! I school my children at home and love to find any type of book activities to encourage reading. There is so much in this book. I was checking this out at the library and renewing it until I reached my limit on renewals so I would take it back and then request it online again. I finally bought it.

This book is packed with great ideas, methods, and resources to inspire children and parents for reading activities. My family enjoyed it very much. It clearly brought up my son's reading interest. Day after day, he has read a lot and has become one the best readers in his class from below average. He often ranks high in the Beestar weekly reading program (a nice web site http://www.beestar.org). I'm very happy with this book. I highly recommend it.

I thought it was a book on how to get my child to read, to enjoy reading. The title is deceptive. Instead, its a book advertising other books and it doesn't even tell you what the books are about or for what age group. A total waste of money!!!

I am very pleased with this purchase and found it to be a great value. I didn't realize what a huge book I would receive and I am thrilled with the information crammed inside. There are so many wonderful ideas with book lists galore. I have actually carried this book around my public library looking up different recommended titles! This is a wonderful book for both parents and teachers and makes a perfect gift!

(HUNGRY) is a humorous and motivating book about living life in the fat lane. Allen Zadoff's fast-paced, witty, yet poignant writing style gives any overweight person an honest look into themselves. It's a diet tool that will inspire the reader to reach the same success level that Zadoff did in learning to control the urge to eat, compulsively! Every overweight person should read this book!

As the author says more than once, not everyone will relate to his particular story with food. I think anyone with eating issues would find something in this book to be of help. I could relate all too well, and appreciate the author's candor at revealing things about himself, and his thoughts, that were of help to my own situation.

How is everyone doing in conquering this:
~*weight loss battle*~?
It really is a WAR against those excess pounds, isn't it?

After reading HUNGRY by Allen Zadoff, I decided not to call it a 'diet' because it is not suppose to be a reducing diet but a healthy way of eating.

This book gives you some ammunition to WIN that war!
(Although you will always have to be 'on guard' for the rest of your life!)

It was a worthwhile book to read...It had short one or two pages chapters. None of that recipe filler pages.

One of our 'assignments' was to try and figure out WHY
we over-eat and make ourselves over-weight.
There is a reason. He suggested maybe it is an addiction
or a disease we need to treat not just cover up with a 'diet'?

He lost 150 lbs...The way he did it was to analyze his feelings and
then to not eat foods that are trigger foods. He had us make a list
of red, yellow and green foods....red meaning those
that we just can't stop eating once we start (like sweets)
yellow meaning those that sometimes cause over-eating problems, and
green are those that are OK and good for us; never lead
to a binge. (Like a traffic light, red STOP, yellow CAUTION and green GO.

He didn't tell us what to eat because everyone's list would be
different.
Allen reminded me of my nephew that also lost a great deal of weight.

For instance, how when Allen was at a normal weight, after weighing 360 lbs. (And having only one pair of pants that fit that were worn out in the crouch.)
It was difficult to think like a normal weight person. (Like how to react when a pretty girl flirted with him.)

This is the suggestion that I am going to have to do since I am
an evening nibbler. Only eat 3 meals each day...(From the green list.)
"Three delicious, abundant meals made up of foods I can handle."Zadoff.

It sounds so sensible yet I haven't done that in a long long time.
I need to stop this mindless evening snacking...that mouth hungry not
stomach hungry HABIT! It is very very hard to break these bad eating habits!

If you can get the book, I highly recommend it.

Allen's final statement:
"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can
start from now and make a brand new ending." Carl Bard

I really enjoyed this book. In clear, no nonsense language Allen Zadoff managed to convey to the reader the pain of being very over weight with no self pity, no real excuses. He ate too much at one time. Period. Then, somehow after reaching 300+ pounds, he looked inside of himself and accepted a truth. He needed to eat less. So - no more dieting for him. He decided to establish a traffic light of an idea. Red light for dangerous food, yellow light for foods that need to be approached with caution and green food - the kind one can eat lots of and manage to stay slim. I loved this idea. I don't have a huge weight problem, but I do eat too much at times for a variety of reasons. I swear - as soon as I did what Zadoff said, wrote down my red, yellow and green foods, I began to eat less. And I began to lose weight. Wow. Thanks, Mr. Zadoff. You did a great job. I hope everyone who has ever struggled with weight reads this book. It's short but the message is clear. Look at what you eat. Identify problem foods. Approach them with caution. I guess he said it all.

I can't believe such a terrible book can be reviewed so highly. I think he didn't say anything everyone who has a problem with food doesn't know. IN fact he doesn't really reveal himself at all. He uses thumor to hide behind rather than tell the truth. How does such a skimpy book get published?. He hints O.A is the only answer to overeating. He never explains what home problems kept his addiction active. I find it cruel to give hope to others with one method while telling us nothing else works. Everyone is differet and what works is different. This book is not quite a memoir, not quite a self help book,not quite a book. It is said to be a non diet book but I felt like I had been put on a skimpy diet with this badly written book. sorry. but I could write a more truthful book in my sleep and I have kept off sixty pounds. Hey, let me write a book. Save your money and time on this one. I felt cheated.

It doesn't matter how many home runs Berry Bond's or anyone of this aera of Baseball, what Hank AAron endured and the racial hatred he went through only proves that he is the BEST. These modern day players could not survive what he and others went through.

I've been a fan from age seven, which is where I was in life when Henry hit number 715. His recounting of his life in baseball is captivating and highly educational.

Mr Aaron is one of the most skilled players in baseball history, and his telling of his story explains that he is much more than that. Mr Aaron is a man of dignity and class, his success through clouds of racist hate provides a shining example of what a man can be under extreme circumstances. Thank you Henry, for your marvelous career in baseball, and for your open, honest sharing of the story.

The athletic proficiency of Hank Aaron is probably the greatest in the history of baseball if not all sports. He is a man of dignity, grace and the stuff legends are made of. This is an endearing and absorbing biography. This biography has captivated the legend of the man for me. It is well written with true fervor and endearment. One of the best.

"I Had A Hammer" is a wonderfully written autobiography about the struggles and the triumphs of one Henry(aka Hank) "The Hammer" Aaron, the career home run record holder, and one of the last of the "Negro League" players to make it big. Aaron describes his upbringing in Mobile well, and shows us the different levels of racism in the Deep South. The book reveals that Aaron fought against segregation in the minor leagues, helping to end "white-only" minor league teams, and shows us Aaron's love affair with the city of Milwaukee and it's long-gone Braves team, and the tense relationship between Aaron and Atlanta, which had the first Deep South major league team. This is recommended for lovers of baseball as well as those who want to know more about civil rights heroes. Atlanta is not cast in a good light in this book, but Aaron harbors little bitterness towards the city or the racism and death threats he had to endure while trying to break Babe Ruth's record.

In this baseball season where my favorite team is floundering in the cellar, and every good story(compelling divisional races) is counterbalanced by the bad (steroids), I have been trying to maintain interest by re-reading some baseball books that I have read over the years. After re-reading "I Had A Hammer", I remember why it remains one of the best biographies/autobiographies that I have ever read.

The sports genre in books is much harder than one would think to keep up interest in. There are very few gems in any sporting subject; mostly it's very mediocre to terribly vapid. Usually a fan becomes disappointed in their sports "heroes" when they read a biography about them, because the writing can be so bad. Fortunately, for a ballplayer as great as Hank Aaron, the work lives up to the character and legend of the man.

Mr. Aaron does a splendid job of taking the reader through his life in Alabama, his discovering the game of baseball, and - of course - his remarkable career. His writing style provides enough description to allow the reader to get a true mental "picture" of what his life was like without getting bogged down in minutiae. Throughout the book, I had the feeling like I really was there watching his career unfold.

Of course, that brings us to the real core - and most important part - of his life story. That is, what Mr. Aaron experienced as he neared and eclipsed Babe Ruth's home run record. Most celebrities or sports figures would relate this in that sensational, "woe-is-me", tabloid-tell-all sort of way. Not Mr. Aaron. He shares many of the truly hateful and despicable letters he received from people across the nation who saw the idea of an African-American breaking the record of a white man as egregious. Mr. Aaron relates how this inundation of hate mail affected him, but he manages to avoid expressing any hate towards the senders of those letters. One obviously gets the sense that Mr. Aaron steeled himself against those attacks with grace and dignity, allowing himself to still play the game the way it was supposed to be played, and to do it with class and personal enjoyment.

It is striking to return to Mr. Aaron's autobiography after the events in baseball over the past decade. We as a fan base in general express outrage over the strike, the steroids (and questions about those players that broke records), outrageous salaries, and the like. It seems to always elicit a response demanding a return to the "innocence" of baseball seasons and players gone by. However, Mr. Aaron's experience demonstrates that there was controversy in almost every era of the game. In his case, it was a despicable form of racial hatred expressed by a very vocal minority in this country.

Again, "I Had A Hammer" stands out as one of the great books in the sports genre, and stands out as one of my favorite biographies/autobiographies. I rate it the full five stars, and encourage readers of all interests to give this one their attention.

One of the best books I have read for someone who has experienced the death of someone dear to them especially for grieving the death of a child. Wolterstorff's honesty and ability to articulate the worst loss is exceptional. His wound is deep but he expresses hope in the faith that he has in God.

The author really captures his feelings in words. He brings spirituality to real life circumstances. My best friends just lost their 16 year old son very unexpectedly and I bought this book for them. Very relatable.

This book is such a comfort for anyone who has lost a loved one. I'd recommend it to anyone grieving and their close friends and relatives. The theology and prayer in this book is uplifting.

I have not lost a child. In fact, I'm not a parent. So, admittedly, much of the power of this book, as expressed by other reviewers, is simply lost on me. I cannot empathize with the author's experience in any way.

However, I am still glad to have read this compact book. Though one reviewer suggests that it is too academic, it is no such thing. Intelligently written? Yes. Academic? No. Instead, it is a strikingly authentic expression of the pain and suffering that the author experienced immediately after and further past the event of losing his 25-year-old son to a mountain climbing accident.

The greatest asset of this book is the author's brutal honesty. All Christians would do well to follow his example of opening our emotional landscape for God and others to see, rather than somehow trying to stuff our most "unChristian" feelings behind some facade of strength. When things hurt, I am confident that God allows His people to hurt. In fact, Wolterstorff suggests that God hurts with us.

This book is not filled with Christians platitudes, so spiritual sounding but ultimately so silly, that we often offer to each other to try to help with despair. Instead, it sits in that grief, analyzes that grief, admits the brokenness, and still reaches for the comforting hand of a loving God. Especially for those who have lost a child but even for any Christian who wants to learn how to honestly grieve, I recommend this book as worthwhile.

This book was recommended to me by a wonderful lady by the name of Mary who owns a bookstore in Sandwich, MA on the Cape. I was curious as to how it would fare due to how thin it was but I began reading it immediately. I could NOT put it down. I read it in one sitting as it's very easy to read due to it's journal style. Nicholas Wolterstorff is a master at writing about all the feelings one goes through after a loss. Feelings that leave you scratching your head and wondering how you arrived at them and yet mange to still function as part of society. Feelings that leave you numb and wounded from the heavy burden and pain. Feelings that if you wanted to capture you would struggle to form concise sentences from the sheer overwhelming nature of them. Nicholas manages all of the above and more. He will touch you with his heart-wrenching understanding of grief. I cried, I nodded my head, I marveled at just how much my pain was not only recognized but acknowledged and validated. My pain is still with me, you will never be rid of it nor should you want to be (a notion mentioned in the book) but I have a feeling of peace more so than before I read it. This peace I think comes from not being alone in my pain. And while I wouldn't wish the loss of a child on anyone, I'm so blessed to have had the chance to read Lament for a Son because it has allowed me to feel part of a community of mourners. A community where I am allowed to suffer and grieve, but also clearly be aware of why I suffer and that is because I LOVE. Sadly in the real world we are made to feel we must 'get over' our loss and as a result are outcast in society. Through his words Nicholas Wolterstorff shows just how much of a force death and grief affect the loved ones left on earth. This book is a gift for those in pain from loss and is also a gift for those who want to help family or friends but don't know what to say. My son was stillborn and while this loss is diffeent from losing a 25 year old child, it is still a loss that has forever changed me. Lament for a Son has helped me in my grief, and I hope it helps your pain too.

The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada (California Academy of Sciences) (California Academy of Sciences) (California Academy of Sciences)
This is an excellent field guide packed with accurate, hand drawn colored illustrations of everything you can imagine, from mushrooms to insects to reptiles.

This is an incredible book on the Sierra Nevada, written and illustrated entirely by Jack Laws, a fantastic naturalist.

We purchased this field guide to take on dayhikes and camping trips in the Sierra's with our 5 yr old daughter. We have thoroughly enjoyed it! It is very easy to use. I looked at many field guides and this one is by far the easiest to use. Small children can become bored easily on a hike. The field guide has made hiking more interesting for our 5 yr old. She finds it great fun to identify new flowers,plants,birds,ect. It delays the inevitable, "Are we there yet?" !

The detail drawing make it easy to identify the plants and wild life.
A great way to learn.

I have at least 10 books specifically on Sierra wildflowers and several field guides. This is the best all-in-one book. It's not too heavy for me to carry on a day hike.

Janice
in the Sierra

Lee: The Last Years

This is a wonderful book about a wonderful man. Although Robert E. Lee is most remembered as a General, for most of his adult life, he was an engineer and educator (although in the army). Mr. Lee could have become very wealthy after the war by simply allowing his name to be used commercially. However, he wanted to make a contribution and did so by accepting the position as President of Washington College. He seldom spoke of the war and brought no military flavor to the College.

There is an argument that Robert E. Lee is responsible for more American dead than any other single individual. The difficult part of this book is tying to tie that Robert E. Lee to the man he was in his last five (5) years. He played Santa at Christmas, broke up a lynching, stroked the ego of his horse Traveller, was a good family man, looked out for the under dog and took care of his students, even when they were in trouble. How he handled all these situations, often minor by standards of the war, brings out the essence of the man including his character, values, wit and subtle humor.

I have read/studied history and biography for 40 years. I have spent more time on Robert E. Lee than any other individual and this book someway brings all my study of Mr. Lee together and puts it in perspective. I highly recommend this book to anyone with any interest in American History. Thanks Mr. Flood.

Outstanding biography of the man. Much has been written about the general, this book brings the humble father, husband and Christian man to life.

I've long considered myself a student of Southern history and the Civil War. Heck, I've been a historian at museums so I think I have a pretty good knowledge of the Civil War era. Furthermore, I live in Virginia and have been to the campus of Washington and Lee University. However, nearly every page of Charles Bracelen Flood's work on Robert E. Lee's post-war years is full of information I've never heard about. Flood has used many differing sources to pull together a wonderful, highly readable account of Lee's years after the war, how he came to be President of Washington College, and his role in the reconstruction of this country. What jumps out off the pages is that for as much as Lee has been studied and idolized for his exploits on the battlefield, his postwar years as President of the college should get just as much press. While Lee did not think defending his native state was wrong, he did wish for both North and South to reconcile as quickly as possible. After reading the book, I still do not think Lee is the god that some people hold him up to be, but he does stand out as a good man who wanted to bring the nation back together while also helping his fellow Southerners get back on their feet. While Flood's writing can be unimaginative at times and I thought he threw in little stories and vignettes that he didn't need too, the book is excellent overall and should be a must read for anyone interested in Lee. However, the book is such an easy, good read that I think almost anyone should pick it up.

Bracelen Flood clearly does extensive research in order to render this intimate and engrossing portrayal of Lee.

Lee: The Last Years was well worth reading. A must for anyone who wants to know a little more of the Rest of The Story about a fine American, though much misunderstood.

"Lest We Forget" is a totally unique book. As the subtitle suggests, it is a three-dimensional, interactive book on the history of African Americans from capture to emancipation. With photographs and documents from the Black Holocaust Exhibit, it provides a tactile, touch and feel, show and tell sense that no other book can offer. It is like a visit to a museum in your own home.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction , Soul Physicians, and Spiritual Friends.

My neice got this book as a present from her mother-in-law and after viewing it I just had to get myself a copy. If you are from the Caribbean and especially if you are black you must get a copy of this book. It's good for young ones for history and it is not boring, very interactive with replicas of the slave ship, etc.

It's a wonderful piece for the coffee table as a conversational starter.

I ordered this book because I am very proud to be of African decent, and want to make sure that this story is shared with generations to come. I feel that it is important for our children and their children to have a historical reference to connect them to our heritage.

This is truly a piece of living history. As a 5th grade teacher I know the value of primary sources. The artifacts in this excellently crafted book bring to life the black experience in the early history of this nation. My students don't only read about the past but can actually touch it, read it, experience it.

I particularly enjoyed Ms. Thomas' use of the terms 'my people' and 'my ancestors'. I too am African-American. The book treats those enslaved as individual people rather than a mass to be studied. The photographs and documents in the book address the individual and group experience in slavery. The three dimensional maps, slave ship, and documents bring history to life. I recommend this book for every African-American family, particularly those with children still at home or for their grandchildren.

AWESOME! Stories and illustrations are top rate! Even my Dad (a die hard fan) would approve.

If you've never read (or wanted to read) Uncle Scrooge stories, thinking they're just funny animal comics, take a look at this book. You'll be surprised. This is an epic. The detail Rosa puts into these stories and illustrations is incredible. I find myself going mad, staring at covers and splash pages, seeking out the cleverly hidden D.U.C.K.s. The stories are enhanced by Rosa's "director's notes" after each story. I've never read much Uncle Scrooge before, but I'm going to seek out as much Rosa (and Barks) as I can, now.

I was fasinated by the way Don Rosa treated Carl Barks' story and yet put his own stamp on both the Duck, the clientele and history, even details of geografy like in Dawson. So it may be excused that Mississippi and Ohio are mixed a bit. All in all, if you care for Scrooge McDuck, the book is a must. If you do not care about him, be careful not to read it, you just might become a follower.

My kids love this book! I love this book! The only reason I give it a 4 star rating instead of a 5 is because the binding is terrible. I bought 2 of these books and after a few times of handling the book, the binding pops off the cover and individual pages start falling out. Very frustrating.

(this review encompasses both The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck and the Life and Times Companion--I highly recommend reading the two in conjunction)

I know I'm not the only duck fan who refuses to read any non-Carl Barks stories--unless they're by Don Rosa. Rosa seems to be the only one who really understands and respects Barks' work; unlike the great mass of European duck writers, he builds upon it while not dragging it off in overly cartoonish, Disney-esque directions. His best stories rival those of the master--and the work under consideration can definitely be put in that category. That he was able to synthesize so many off-hand Barks references into a coherent narrative--let alone one that astounds and delights the way this does--is really pretty incredible.

The Life and Times has its flaws, as perhaps do ALL great literary works (yes! I said it). The fact that Rosa had to work within a fairly tight framework with a specific goal in mind means that some of the stories, especially the earlier ones, can feel a little forced. The final installment, although necessary, feels a little bit pat. And--although this may be just a matter of personal preference--I feel like Scrooge's initial encounter with Flintheart Glomgold in the African section gives ol' Flinty short shrift. In Barks' stories--the first two, at least--he's a more complex character than he's given credit for here.

That said, however, this does a LOT more right than it does wrong. Rosa has worked before to expand Scrooge's character (see the absolutely essential "Last Sled to Dawson," readily available in several collections), but here he really takes it to another level. The first half of this narrative is more or less straight adventure stories (rousing adventure stories!), but things become considerably more interesting in the latter half, for several reasons. Firstly, there are the Yukon stories with Scrooge's lost love Glittering Goldie. These are particularly popular with fans, and for good reason: I don't really imagine that Barks had any notion when he introduced the character that the two of them would have had so much history, but Rosa handles it beautifully. He's SUCH a hopeless romantic when it comes to the two of them. I love it. Furthermore! "Prisoner of White Agony Creek" features an implied sex scene! Much to everyone's delight! Barks couldn't have gotten away with something like that. And if you never imagined that a duck comic could break your heart, you haven't read "Hearts of the Yukon."

Secondly, Rosa doesn't shy away from showing the less appealing aspects of Scrooge's character. In the latter part of the series, we see him gradually losing his ability to take in natural beauty for anything other than its potential for exploitation for monetary gain; we also see him being increasingly vicious and inequitable in his business dealings. "The Sharpie of the Culebra Cut"* even touches on something you wouldn't necessarily have expected; namely, the vague unease that some fans (like me) feel at the fact that Barks' archeological expeditions always involve Scrooge profiting from ancient treasures while disregarding their historical and cultural value.

The climax of the second half of the narrative comes in part eleven, though. Scrooge's highly self-satisfied account of his exploitation of African natives in Barks' "Voodoo Hoodoo" is an uncomfortable moment for duck fans; Rosa, to his credit, does not disregard this incident but confronts it head-on and makes it emblematic of Scrooge's moral downfall (of course, the fact that in Barks' story--after his alleged repentance--he's still gleeful about it doesn't make much sense, but I don't suppose there was much that could be done about that). Scrooge's return to Duckburg and subsequent abandonment by his sisters at the end of the story is quite powerfully dark. I almost wish the story had ended there--but, of course, that wouldn't have been appropriate, given the universe in which Rosa is operating.

Rosa also provides commentary on each story, which is fascinating to read. His love of and respect for this material is always apparent. It's inconceivable to me that, tasked with chronicling Scrooge's life, any other writer could have done as well. The book wouldn't exist without Barks' classic comics as a foundation, of course, but I'm going to go out on a blasphemous limb (the worst kind of limb!) and say that The Life and Times surpasses any of Barks' work. I can't read regular Scrooge comics in quite the same way since finishing it.

*Since Rosa is such a stickler for getting historical details correct, I have to be obnoxious and point out that he made a pretty big mistake here: Scrooge claims to be able to read Mayan glyphs, which is pretty impressive, since they hadn't even been deciphered at the time of the story.

the author brings us back to april 1865 during the last days of lincoln administation and to the death of the president and the hunt for the people who plotted and carried this horrible deed. the focus is mainly on jonh w. booth. his captured and death and soldiers and regular people who accomplished this mission are brought to life like it just happened, not over 140 years ago. excellent writing made to book an easy read.

This has to be one of the most fascinating ,interesting ,and probably the most factual treatment of the trial and execution of the assassins of President Lincoln.
There are several reasons that this book is so outstanding.It's large size,9 1/2 X 12 inches is required to do the photographs justice.The paper, quality,printing ,color reproduction and overall construction are supurb.The two authors are outstanding in their knowledge and long time interest in the subject.It has a selected bibliography that must be as good as one will find on the subject.The organization of the book makes it a clear ,concise and easily absorbed chronology of events that was probably even more captivating in its day than the period after the Assassination of President Kennedy.
The book also shows, as a besides, the difference in the art of photography in 1865 compared to what we have come to take for granted today or in the time of Kennedy's assassination. The fact that newspapers did not even have the ability to print a photograph. Photographs were not even available until several days after taken,and forget about color photography then. Come the advances in 100 years and we watched events live and in our living rooms with the assassination of JFK.
Compare this advancement in recording and speedy dissipating of information with the regression of and the drawn out, convoluting that takes place in the legal and justice that has become the norm today. Absolutely amazing in both cases.A few weeks and negligable expense in the case of Lincoln and years and untold millions with Kennedy.There has been great advances in the information processes and just the opposite in the legal and justice process.
Getting back to how the assassination is covered in this book. The authors have been able to make the reader feel that they were living at the time the event took place and convey what it might have felt to witness those great events taking place.There have been many books on the subject,and it was complicated;but the authors have boiled it down to the essentials.The hundreds of photographs,illustrations,reproductions and illustrations are a real treasure trove that have been collected and assembled in a way that obviously must have talen taken lot of time ,knowledge and contacts.
If you want a book that details the capture,trial and execution of President Lincoln,in a clear,concise way;look no further --this is the book you are looking for.

James Swanson has done a super job at presenting Lincoln's assassins thru the the use of pictures of the individuals as well as documents of the time. An excellent source for teachers dealing with the capture, trial, and execution of those associated with Lincoln's assassination.

I saw James Swanson giving a speech about his other book "Manhunt" and found him fascinating to listen to. he knew facts that I had never heard before and could describe them with such detail I felt like I was watching it happen. I read "Manhunt" and was thrilled to have the details of those twelve days come to life. When I saw this book I snatched it up as quickly as I could. It is the perfect book for both the avid reader and for those who like to look at artifacts and photographs of the era. This is by far my new favorite Civil War book (and I have many). James and Daniel did an excellent job of laying out the story then showing artifacts and pictures from the event. I've looked at this book for hours and am only through the second chapter! Not that it's hard to get through, just fun to look at and read.

This text dovetails nicely with Swanson's recent effort "Manhunt", but more from an artifact perspective than a written one. Many of the pictures are one-of-a-kind, especially Alexander Gardner's entire collection from the courtyard at the D.C. prison where the conspirators were hung. Again, this is not a complete text (nor does it aspire to be), but a great addition to any historical collection regarding the Lincoln assasination.

If you like gymnastics you'll love this book! It tells about the lives of the seven gymnasts on the 1996 gold medal winning U.S. Olympic gymnastics team, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Kerri Strug, Dominque Dawes, Jaycie Phelps, Amanda Borden, and Amy Chow. There are pictures of each girl from their very young life to the 1996 Olympics.

After the Magnifecent Seven's wonderful performance at the '96 Olympic Games, I decided to read this book to find out more about these talented young women. I thought it was terrific! There are biographies of each of the seven members along with really cool pictures. This book was awesome. These seven are really magnificint and it shows!

The book was pretty good for writing a book. Gave good information but it was a hard book to just sit down and read but I would for sure buy the book!

A must read with lots of good pictures. Gives good info. on all the athletes, with quotes.

This book is what really got me interested in gymnastics.

I had gotten introduced to gymnastics through a book about Mary Lou Retton I had picked up at a thrift store, but I didn't become too interested until I saw a picture of Kim Zmeskal in an Encyclopedia Annual. I looked her up on the Internet, and the rest they say is history.

Through the Internet I discovered the Magnificent Seven, and I found this book at our library. I couldn't have been more satisfied!

The Magnificent Seven was a team of US girls that consisted of Amanda Borden, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu and Kerri Strug. These talented gymnasts won the very first Olympic Gold team medal in US. Gymnastic history.

This book has very informative biographies about each girl, complete with full color photos. It is very well written, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Magnificent Seven, or just want to see some great pictures about them.