Authors Books

If you are looking for a quasi--non fiction biography that elicits the eccentric, theatrical and heartfelt this is it. It's full of encounters with known "characters" and divine locations...i.e. Paris, London and New York......a story of a southern boy who ventures far from home and lives well ......without much of an income per say but his charm and talent pays the rent. The subject of the story is a sweetheart...and in the end you'll feel you've enjoyed a treat.

What you won't understand, reading this book, (at least I didn't), is that while Eugene may have always been in touch with his "monkey" side, he was seriously intelligent and a master of many genres. Otherwise, he would not have written the brilliant, and prescient, (wrong word, but as close as I can come), preservationist story, JENNIE THE WATERCRESS GIRL, nor, well, ANY of his work. (His poetry, too, is superb!). Whatever Eugene lent his hand to became magical; even his SOUTHERN COOKING, part of the Time-Life Series of cookbooks. That was how I discovered Eugene. I somehow knew the writer of this book was extraordinary, and so sought him out.

No. Eugene Walter as artist, writer, gardener, gourmand, et al, was no lightweight. Although he was a great storyteller, this is only 1/10th the man.

I rather despise both George Plimpton and Katherine Clark's introductions to MILKING THE MOON, though I have to be very grateful to her for writing it. I find their comments condescending.

My sense of Eugene Walter is that he was consumately alone in this life. And lonely. That he suffered a very hard childhood. And, that because he didn't "make it rich", those who are able to turn a name into a NAME, scorned him. But that's my take on E.W. You must have your own.

And Eugene Walter turns up everywhere, for example, turning up in Ronni Lundy's fine cookbook, BUTTER BEANS TO BLACKBERRIES ...Recipes from the Southern Garden, and, much to my supreme delight, in Joan Marble's NOTES FROM AN ITALIAN GARDEN. I cannot wait to see where Eugene will turn up next!

Someone has to release all the tapes Clark made, unedited. I want them. And, someone is missing out on making a fascinating movie.

"As-told-to" scribe Katherine Clark preserves Eugene Walter's voice in the memoir of this "character," as we call folks like him down South. Imagine Truman Capote without the best-selling books and TV fame. This is how Walter comes across in this memoir-autobiography-oral history transcript. He is a Southern Zelig, always showing up in pivotal moments in the development of literature and arts during the mid-20th century. Recalling his days in late 1940s New York, 1950s Paris and 1950s-60s Rome, he drops more names than the New York City phone book. From Greta Garbo to Judy Garland to Frederico Fellini, he hangs out with them all. The best-written portions of the book deal with his native Mobile, however. But who is he? He's the ultimate fly-on-the-wall. He writes some, acts some, translates movie scripts, throws cheap yet creative parties and plays the part of Southern eccentric in Europe. Who is he? He seems like an early 1970s Dick Cavett Show guest: an obscure bon vivant who shows up with George Plimpton to discuss a new Martha Graham dance or to cook a Southern meal. I ran across a mention of the book in an Oxford American magazine article and got a copy after reading a couple of very positive reviews by critics like Jonathan Yardly of the Washington Post. The book also received a 2001 National Book Critics Circle award nomination for biography. It's not for everyone. And I'm probably in that group. But it is intriguing and engaging and, at time, humorous. And at all times, like its subject, unique.

I completely fell under the spell of Eugene Walter but must pay homage to author Katherine Clark for seamlessly allowing us to believe we are spending hour after hour with Eugene as he spins fascinating story after fascinating story about his southern childhood, his friends, both famous and obscure, and what it was like to work in every capacity on Fellini movies. Recently I saw a friend from Mobile and said, "I'm just going to say two words to you. EUGENE WALTER. It was so satisfying to see her face light up and hear her squeal, "I LOVE EUGENE WALTER!!!!"

I suppose I was one of the fortunate few who had a chance to meet Eugene before he died. The people I was working for back in the mid-nineties were friends of his and, therefore, I had the chance to be around him.

Eugene was the consummate storyteller. One of those who never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn. His idea was to make you enjoy where you were and who you were. To inject a little wonderousness into the world. Although based in truth, nothing he told was strictly true.

This book captures him almost perfectly. Although it cannot convey his gestures and antics and voice, it does convey his mind and gift for gab. Pour yourself a glass of port and read with the voice of an eccentric Southern uncle in your head and Eugene starts to come out. It's not quite the same as being there, but this book is as close as any of us will ever be again.

i am not a novel fan but this (trilogy) really got me, i can't stop reading them, one after another. so wicked and facinating especially the ending. who likes intense plot should read the books.

As other reviewers have noted the plot well and carefully, my only comment to add here is that this book is as confounding as life itself: the scene that is always continous is never the same twice. It is rewritten over again and again..the characters are the same, or are they?
It is a different novel depending on what level you read it..a war novel, a novel about love and friendship, a novel about truth and lie, a novel about memory and forgetting: it is a cross between the kind of novel Gunter Grass has written, and also the kind of novel Kundera wrote..quite amazing.

This is probably the best book you will read this year. Her writing is incredible, the plot fascinating in its historic and geographic absurdity (where are we? East Germany? Hungary?), the details vivid and unforgettable. Why are her other books not translated?

Mathias is a boy whose life has so many imperfections. He is troubled with looking like an ogre being born deformed. The doctors said that he will be like that for the rest of his life. His mother left him to go live in the big city and his father, who is also his mother's father, is in jail or maybe even dead.

Left to the care of Lucas, Mathias lives out his life from an intelectual stand point. Lucas taught him that while other children would grow big and strong, so would he. Mathias corrected Lucas knowing damn well the sadness of the truth. Lucas explained that he would work hard on his mind a grow an ever strong unsderstanding of the world around him. Sure enough, Mathias did just that and was the envy of all his classmates for always having the right answers.

Lucas loved Mathias very much, but was only a boy himself when he took on the responsibility of raising him. Lucas is a very unikely Father being one with such a disturbed past and shady presence. He goes around the city making money at night by playing his harmonica in bars and by selling produce by day. His relationships are very odd including the priest of the town who he plays chess with on a nightly basis. Lucas himself does not believe in God, but the priest takes the role of a father figure for him in the story. He also has relations of a more intimate kind with 2 women and a man in the story.

I first read "The Notebook" when I was in High School. A Video Game known as "Earhtbound 64" (never released) had led me to read this story. ONe character from that game would have been based from this story. I had no idea what I was about to read. It definitely warped my mind as a youth and became an instant favorite. Now 5 years later I read "The Proof" and remembered why it is I had enjoyed "The Notebook" so much tp begin with.

This story is definitely not for the weak at stomach. It is can become pretty disturbing and downright sickening at some points of the story. It is, however, very well written and leaves feeling emotions the characters must have felt when they were going through the events in their lives.

There aren't that many amazing books to read in the world. How often do you take a book and find that it lacks that something that keeps you awake at night or makes you wake up early (when you adore sleeping) just to read it? This is not a thriller (which can have the same effect but for different reasons). This is a monster itself, but in the best sense possible. You just can't miss it. For anything.

In this collection of short stories and sketches, Philip Shirley reveals himself to be an important new voice in the literature of the Deep South. He is blessed with a finely-tuned ear for both dialog and dialect, and writes his narrative passages within himself, giving these stories both confidence and verve. One can only hope not merely for more stories but for Shirley to use his remarkable talent in a full-length novel.

This author is really something special. I felt the emotions of his characters and pictured the settings of his stories perfectly. It seemed that I had met these people before, but had no idea of where they were taking me until it was too late to turn back. Their intensity and love of life, even in the midst of challenges and obstacles that came their way, is inspiring. 'Oh, Don't You Cry for Me' is a perfect title for this selection of short fiction that sees these characters making their ways in the world, maybe not always with grace and poise, but straightforward nevertheless.

Beau Morgan

The stories are well written and move quickly, which makes you want to keep right on reading. Unfortunately there are probably more of these characters out there than we all realize, and that is what scares me.

but, i do wonder at the author's remarkable insights into these southern women. Especially some of the sexual habits. Can I help on the research for the next story?

That anyone living in the South undoubtedly knows, or has witnessed characters fitting the rich descriptions in this collection is understood. What may come as a surprise is the consistently artful twist in almost every one of the stories. Dark humor, tough compassion, and cutting to the bone honesty make this a mindful, satisfying read.

I was surprised how much I liked this book. Its a collection of 10 stories that all have the same character, a woman named Elly. Usually I don't really like short stories or a book comprised of a collection of stories. Its just by the time I get to know & enjoy the characters, background, and the plot, the story ends. They're just too short! Hence the definition of a short story.

I liked how some stories centered around Elly and in some stories Elly was a secondary character. My two favorite stories were "Praire Dogs and "Other Fish in the Sea." I liked the character "Praire Dogs" focused on, a young artist named Lydia. I think it would be neat if the author decided to write another book similar to this one but use the character of Lydia as the common thread connecting all the short stories.

Other Fish in the Sea not only brings back memories of my 20's but the journey involved in discovering contentment and possibly the love of our life.

I love the creative way author Lisa Kusel incorporates a series of short stories all interconnected with one character, a young woman who experiences the anguish of love, heartache, and pain. Kusel's writing suggests the possibilities of affecting the lives of those around us, even in situations where we're merely bystanders or have no personal or frequent contact with that individual.

Kusel is a talented and up and coming author. Her humor, attention to detail, and insight into the grooves of relationships is remarkable. I recommend this book to all of the hopeless romantics and look forward to reading her future novels. It's a great read. You won't be dissapointed.

I wasn't greatly happy with these stories when I first started the book, but it becomes apparent that the character building is weak initially because it's all filled in with the other stories in the book. They're all connected, in that they are stories from random times in the life of the "main" character, Elly, who is a woman in one unsuccessful relationship after another. She's a little crazy, a little neurotic, sometimes trying to hard, sometimes not caring enough, but it's all pretty interesting.
She actually mentions my alma mater, Wake Forest, in one of the stories, and it makes me wonder if the meeting with that student in Europe in one of the stories is based on any real life event.

I found this book by chance. I was intrigued by the title. I could not put it down. I was laughing, crying and watching Elly grow. It was cool how you got to see her through her own eyes and through other people's perspectives. That was my favorite part. I was so happy with the ending. I never saw it coming. I read this book in about a day. I hope to see more from Lisa Kusel if she keeps writing like this. This is a book that any woman can relate to in some way. It is just that incredible.

as a 40-year old male, I found this book an excellent ride.

Funny, insightful, and a clever use of personal letters to say so much about a character without having to come right out and say it.

Travel, strange dreams, and love in a dentist chair -- what more does a book need? Oh yeah, good creative writing and it has that, too!

I'm looking forward to another dozen hours of fun with Lisa Kusel's next book.

These are among the most amazing short stories ever written. Some could be stereotypically described as poetic; others are more straightforward and prosaic. Some focus on brief moments; others traverse entire lives. Other reviewers have added a note of caution, but my suggestion is instead to jump right in. If you don't like one story, try a few more. The mystery and grace of these stories, the fullness of the emptiness surrounding their intensity and concision, and their range in time, content, and form will continue to astonish throughout one's life.

Yes, I'm serious about the title of this review. Nobel Prize winner Kawabata's "Palm-of-the-Hand Stories", a collection of 70 mostly 1-4 page stories makes for excellent toilet reading, reading of the highest order. Don't lie to yourselves, we all do it - even the ladies. So instead of reading some junky magazine or playing a hand-held video game while on the throne, read this book; its stories are of the perfect duration. The stories range from slight observations to deep expositions on human nature. Coincidentally, one of the stronger stories in the book is titled 'Lavatory Buddhahood'. Go figure. So whether you take my advice as to where this book is best read or not, it's worth reading.

I hate the actual physical cover of this book,
the front and back cover are both very much curling outward,
so its hard to insert the book in a bookshelf.
This has nothing to do with the content of the book,
but it is very annoying nevertheless.

If you like Sudden Fiction as a genre but not the usual silliness which accompanies it, this is the perfect union of very short fiction, craftsmanship and seriousness. Not always serious in tone but in effort. For the most part they are tender stories of rememberance, loss and the betterments of life. They are brief and dream-worthy, almost as if they were prose acting as poetry:

"Startled by a sharp pain, as if her hair were being pulled out, she woke up three or four times. But when she realized that a skein of her black hair was wound around the neck of her lover, she smiled to herself. In the morning, she would say, "My hair is this long now. When we sleep together, it truly grows longer."

Quietly she closed her eyes.

"I don't want to sleep. Why do we have to sleep? Even though we are lovers, to have to go to sleep, of all things!" On nights when it was all right for her to stay with him, she would say this, as if it were a mystery to her." from Sleeping Habit

Even when the stories are harsh they aren't beleagured with excess, but consequential life and its misgivings with some ironic humor interjected amongst the living ghosts. The same can be said for the norm: lush stories that are kindly felt but never over-sentimentalizations and mush. A great bed-side companion to make you dream better and wake a little more human.

House of the Sleeping Beauties is one of my favorite anthologies, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on another book from this brilliant author. The stories in Palm of the Hand are full of poetic and philosophical undertones and magical realism. My favorite one is "Bamboo-Leaf Boats," a poignant tale about a woman who grieves the loss of her fiance. The pain the protagonist goes through moved me. The other stories are beautiful as well. I suggest you read this wonderful book...

I loved the women in this book. They're the kind of girls you want to spend a few hours and a few bottles of chianti with. It's a fun, entertaining read with some real literary chops to boot. I loved the Poe mystery and how the author wove it so seamlessly into the plot. The setting was magical, it made me long for my NYU days!

One of the things that turns acquaintances into close friends is the sharing of a common bond between them. The Professors' Wives' Club revolves around four women, so different from one another that they might even appear unlikely as friends. But they share the unique connection of living in faculty housing (three of them faculty wives) at the fictional Manhattan U, a thinly disguised version of New York University.

In this breakout first novel, Joanne Rendell creates powerful characters struggling to define their roles as women and an engaging plot that keeps you glued until the end. The alternating chapters introduce the reader to Mary, Ashleigh, Sofia and Hannah whose individual stories touch upon a wide range of women's issues, such as infidelity, domestic abuse, intergenerational friendship, homosexuality, and work-life balance.

The commonality that brings these four women together is that the beautiful little garden adjacent to their University Housing, which has become their sanctuary and meeting place, The space is threatened with demolition (slated to become a parking lot) by a greedy, self-promoting Dean, a husband to one of the women.

In devising a plan to save the garden (in keeping with NYU's reputation as a hotbed of protests), they accomplish far more than they ever hoped: They develop a sisterhood that enables each woman to bravely pursue her dreams and live her life more fully. They evolve into far more than appendages to their accomplished husbands.

In the genre of The Wednesday Sisters and The Friday Night Knitting Club, the book portrays a circle of friendship that women crave and need, no matter what their role or station in life.

I really enjoyed this book - the characters are intriguing and I really felt like they were real, fully-dimensional people. However, this book is rooted in fact when it comes to the destructive tendencies of Manhattan University (a thinly-disguised New York University). NYU really DID tear down Edgar Allan Poe's last Manhattan home, and their expansionist plans continue to wreck havoc in Greenwich Village. Considering that Ms. Rendell's husband is a member of the NYU faculty, writing this book was a very gutsy thing to do, and I want to extend a personal thank you to her, because I was one of the locals fighting to save the Poe House back in 2001.

"The Professors' Wives' Club" tells the story of four strong yet very different women, in alternating chapters and perspectives. These women start off as strangers but their common appreciation for their faculty housing's garden unites them in a mission to save it from the hands of the `evil' Dean Jack Havemeyer. At the start of the book we learn that the dean's wife Mary is an outspoken author and professor who transforms into a shrinking violet in the presence of her husband. Sofia, once a successful Hollywood agent, is dealing with the consequences of leaving her career to raise her children fulltime. Hannah has left her modeling career to pursue her artwork but much to her frustration, her husband refuses to take her new passion seriously. Ashleigh is working hard in her family's law firm while trying to keep her true identity a secret from them.

What I loved most about the book was that Joanne Rendell created characters who, despite some mistakes made along the way, still remained great role models until the very end. These women devote their lives to their families and careers and yet always strive to remain true to themselves and what they believe in. Women's fiction too often features women who obsess too much over their materialistic woes and triumphs and so this story was quite refreshing. There are a number of complex issues that the women must face throughout the novel, such as spousal abuse and infidelity, which test the women's strength and will power. As individuals, their stories are equally enjoyable to read about, however I would have loved for the women's friendships and connections to have been examined further. The amount of intimate interaction among the women is relatively minimal, although this does give readers the opportunity to peer into their respective lives more thoroughly.

This was my first time reading a novel that explored the inner workings of university life and the lives of the professors' wives. The unique subject matter made this book an interesting read, right off the bat. Though this book revolves around a fictitious Manhattan University, I enjoyed seeing the politics of academia play out and much of the action was easy to envision. This is probably largely due to the fact that Joanne Rendell is the recipient of a PhD and a professor's wife herself, making her story as credible as it is entertaining!

Look out for Joanne Rendell's next book "Crossing Washington Square", to be released in summer 2009, which explores the inner world of Manhattan University and academia in greater detail!

[...]

In Joanne Rendell's debut novel, four very different women unite to fight an evil dean determined to destroy their beloved garden. The women's stories are as individual as they are: we meet a firebrand mother, a prize-winning author in an abusive marriage, a lesbian yet to come out to her parents, and an artist trying to be true to herself. Each character is equally compelling and could easily be the subject of a stand-alone novel. The story moves along briskly, and the writing is intelligent and engaging - a wonderful book for anyone looking for a fun and stimulating read.

I learned so much from these books. (I have all 3) They are amazing! Very easy to read and understand, just great!

While these volumes are now online, I love having them in print because I can't read for long periods of time in an electronic format. These books are great for every day real questions that people ask about the Catholic Church, from the most common to the most absurd. The two fathers always answer in a frank and honest manner - they do not mince words, but they are charitable. Well in the top 100 Catholic books.

These books are probably the best resource available for someone wishing to learn about Catholicism and faith in general. The authors respond to the toughest questions posed by Protestants, Agnostics, Atheists, and other non-Catholics. The answers are simple, brief, and logical. The only downfall is the fact that they pre-date the Vatican II council; otherwise this set captures the faith quite well, and is indexed by topic. If you are a Catholic looking to expand your knowledge of your religion, or are questioning the beliefs of the Church, I challenge you to read these books. Also, I challenge any Protestant to read the responses of the authors on any doctrine you find difficulty believing. Every question has a strong and complete answer. These books are a must-have!

I covered Volumes One and Two under those listings, so this is about Volume Three. As the series progresses, the questions get harder. Volume Three covers Church dogma and morals in great detail. In particular, the sixty year-old commentary on morals is eerily, sadly prophetic. The consequences of a drift toward complete moral relativism are described as a nightmare scenario, yet how much of it has come to pass--steadily rising divorce, abortion, alienation, violence, division into smaller and smaller groups dedicated only to the advancement of some self-proclaimed social imperative. Undoubtedly, to a non-believer, the prophetic quality of the arguments is the strongest point in their favor. It is not hard to see the moral quagmire we live in (if one only bothers to look), but to see it so clearly when it was just forming--that requires a true vision, a true perspective. For the believer, the truth of the Fathers' arguments is self-evident, for it is simply the Word of God.

This three-volume set is considered a classic text of Catholic apologetics. The writing is clear, concise, and relentlessly logical. The arguments put forth are a remarkable combination of common sense, logic, and Scriptural reference. Not only does the book give Protestants, agnostics, humanists, and atheists a lot to think about, it is a fantastic resource for Catholics who desire a full understanding of our religious beliefs and practices, top to bottom. The big difference between Volumes 1 and 2 is that the latter responds to far more challenging questions, delving deeper into the same general topics covered in Volume 1.

Ooo la la - this book is hot. You will get burned touching it. This will appeal to anyone that wants to be enticed by some serious erotica. Zane has put together quite an ensemble of short stories by various authors that will make you... well you know!! Read it and feel the burn!!!

SUCCULENT: CHOCOLATE FLAVA II, the Eroticanoir.com anthology, is more vintage Zane-esque erotica and you know what that means. Hotter than hot stories, unique storylines and undeniable entertainment. Stories like Curiosity Stirred My Cat, which features a curious love triangle, and Emma's Triangle, which puts yet another sultry spin on love triangles, had me turning the pages and fanning myself. Likewise, 'Til Death Do Us Part, was both touching and sizzling, and definitely in the running for favorite status.

Page for page, it doesn't get any sexier than this. So if you've got a sweet tooth for in-your-face erotica, this anthology doesn't disappoint. ZANE keeps bringing it, harder and hotter, and she always manages to round-up talented authors to help her pull it off. This one is worth adding to your collection.

Reviewed by T. Shelly B
of The RAWSISTAZ(tm) Reviewers

Once again, Zane keeps it BLAZING HOT! I thank her for introducing us to an array of talented authors from Tigress Healy, Ms. Lovelie Ladie, B. F. Redd and then not letting us forget who the master is by saving herself for last! Absolute favorite stories were Emma's Triangle, An Arresting, Intoxicating Situation, Cougar, Come See Me & Trisexuality. Please keep em' CUMMING :-)

I've satisfied my sweet tooth and any other cravings with this one for awhile! I especially enjoyed the story with the older woman accepting his wife's pregnant mistress, the friend going home with his boy for the holidays and getting lucky with the mother and the daughter, Riding the Friendly Skies was another favorite with it's engaging storyline that offered you something more than a sex scene was on point. Now the mile high club sounds like my kinda of place. Where do i sign up so i can ride the friendly skies?

Overall this book is a scorcher and deserves it's due. So if you want that itch scracthed or that sweet tooth satisfied then this is your book!

If you love chocolate like I do then you'll love Succulent. Be aroused as you read this erotic treat! LeBlanc author of "Characters of Lust" in stores now. Click here Characters of Lust

very good,worth reading,written by various people.....
enjoyable,gets you thinking,nice photographs too.
As you may or may not know African coyly hair is quite unique in vision, texture, behaviour and probably in chemical make up too. Coily haired women around the world, go to the most extremes in terms of spending.
(Spending time, spending pain and the spending price to have African coily hair styled)
A hairstyle that we believe looks good or will help us to become socially and economically advanced.
Or maybe for our own self-esteem and maybe to attract the charms of a love interest. Either way your hair is a reflection of the state of your consciousness, your internal beliefs and your relationship with the world.

This book is like having group therapy or interviewing other women,but it is not all black women's views.I am reviewng it because I think it is worth a read.

As you may or may not know African coily hair is quite unique in vision, texture, behaviour and probably in chemical make up too. Coily haired women around the world, go to the most extremes in terms of spending.
(Spending time, spending pain and the spending price to have African coily hair styled)
A hairstyle that we believe looks good or will help us to become socially and economically advanced.
Or maybe for our own self-esteem and maybe to attract the charms of a love interest.
Either way, psychologically and philosophically I believe that your hair is a reflection of the state of your consciousness, your internal beliefs and your relationship with the world.
What about exploring physics through african hair?
For example how much pressure, gravity and tension and tearing do we put our hair through by combing it?
let alone excessive harsh combing.
Mathematically speaking how many of you readers can tell me how many curls/coils per inch your hair has, and does it vary in coil and moisture?
Next question:When does the nature of the hair change and why?
(i know it does!)
It seems to me all these books on afro hair are good and I welcome it, but we still need to be more informed and they all seem to need better editing, just like Black American beauty magazines.I must campaign for better grammar and less air brushed photos!!!
It is as if we like to see ourselves falsely rather than the reality of what we are...
Black women need to demand more scientific reasoning from our books and be less competitive over black men which only fuels their egos and as a result probably creates more baby-mothers!!!
Sorry but I had to vent out my opinions.

I give this book four stars for the effort and time invested as a writer I know it takes time...
I maintain that it is still worth reading,more than any carcinogenic chemical so called hair treatment that you pay for.

Anyway what do I know I am a black african british woman!!!!
Most of you Americans think we in Britain have no trains or any kind of progressive development!!!
Anyway if I wrote my book answering my questions that I put to you how many of you would buy it?

This is a wonderful book for anyone who would like to explore the issues that Black women face vis a vis our hair from a variety of viewpoints; not just the "politicaly correct" ones.

The book was all that, very positive, and at times emotional (I'm thinking of the passage where a father is trying to figure out how to braid his daughter's hair since her mother is across the country. His trying, and eventually getting it right, turned into bonding sessions for them. It was beautiful.) Of course the book had my favorite culture critic, bell hooks, and as usual she gave me a new persepective: to look at the whole "perm" phenomena as initiation into womanhood. Just about any Black woman who was on the brink of adolescence and was dying to get a perm should relate to that. I did. That's what this book does, it helps Black women to see just how similar our trials have been with our hair; and it's not just a generational thing. Black women from 50 to 80 years ago had the same issues and thoughts Black teenagers have today. Everyone remembers hot combs and Goody pink rollers and Royal Crown grease. Looking back many women had feelings of remembered pain, and not just from the burns on the tips of their ears and on their scalps, but inside their hearts for our collective struggle with an unattainable beauty standard.
What I also admired about this book was that it touched on the subject of hair and erotic intimacy. There was a whole section devoted to hearing the responses of Black women and men when confronted with the bedroom question: Can I run my fingers through your hair? It showed a depraved relation to our hair. In order to get and keep that salon fresh look, sleek and shiny, it must not be touched (by you and most especially your lover). Hair does not bring pleasure in the sense of us luxuriating in how it feels. How can you when it's not even yours? Weave. A woman tells the story of a young man with whom she was getting intimate with, and he wanted to run his fingers through her seemingly long shiny tresses. The moment was interrupted when he felt the hard tracks on her scalp before she could effectively slap his touch away. "You have to train these men early," another woman admonishes, "not to touch the hair." A man married for over 20 years complains of his wife's hair roller pins always poking him when she's "going down on him." He also hates, but has gotten used to, her wearing a head scarf anytime they make love. It is described in the book as Black folks having perpetual menege trios, he, she, and the head scarf. Another man wakes up to his girlfriend's "100% Korean Hair" all over the bed and floor after an especially heated night; he later ends up paying $200 dollars to have it all put back in again. The women speak of not even wanting to touch their own hair, refering to it being "hard as a rock" from gels and hair sprays. It's all in the name of a certain look, the processed one. (It's this look that lured their mates in the first place right?) It's sad that Black women talk about orchestrating certain sex positions around not messing up their fresh 'do. "You don't even think about it after while." They compensate not allowing their men to touch their hair with confidence and boldness in their performance, "It's so good he won't even be thinking about touching my hair."

I love this book. It isn't just politics or just us behind closed doors. Every possible reference to what is done to our hair is mentioned, even going bald. A Muslim woman opened my eyes to how not showing her hair takes away from having to compete for attentions based on beauty standards of hair, by being above them. It reminds us that as women, we shouldn't let physical beauty define us, even though most times it does, and we let it. "Ms. Strand" tells her tale with humor, cultural criticism, African storytelling, and 'round tha way truthfulness, barring nothing from the conversation. Truly, Tenderheaded should not be passed over.

I expected to really enjoy this book, but was disappointed. Some of the stories/essays were very good, but some of them were poorly written and/or could have done with some serious editing. It might have been better if some of them had been omitted: the book would probably have been half as long, but the overall quality would have been significantly improved.

I was also disappointed by the way the book was laid out. It seemed jumbled and poorly conceived. Photos, illustrations and cartoons/comics were seemingly thrown in randomly, with little context or relation to the surrounding content. The graphic content of the book was good, but the layout just did not display it to full advantage.

The idea behind this book was a good one, but the execution could have been a little bit better.

This is a very unique book. I have to say I LOVED IT! My being a young black woman, all the stories hit close to home. This book gave a non-bias look at black women's hair, and black culture all around the world including here in America. It gave many view points, from men women, blacks and even whites. I recommed this book to anyone who is confused about their hair and themselves. Nappy is defiantly Happy!!!! Peace.

Dean's use of language is indicative of a modern American classic. Her characters are rich and multifaceted and her grasp of tragedy from a child's perspective is superb. The historical backdrop is intense and memorable and perfectly captures the feel of the time.

I bought this book because I was attracted by the combination of the Challenger disaster and the coming-of-age story of the main character, 13-year-old Dolores. I am a big fan of space flight and exploration and remember very well the sad day of the Challenger explossion, which changed the lifes of so many families. It is this kind of tragic event that shapes the way we see things and how we deal with technology. The author narrates very honestly and nicely the growing-up problems of Dolores; her new school, her boyfriend, her parents quiet separation ... And at the same time explains with full detail what happened to the Challenger during the previous months before the disaster and, of course, after the disaster. So for those curious of the Space Shuttle Challenger this book is fantastic as it provides a lot of true information. I had no expectations, good or bad, when I bought the book. But I must say that I really liked it a lot and found it most entertaining. It is brilliantly written.

THE TIME IT TAKES TO FALL

I spotted this book on the library new shelf and was drawn to it simply by the cover -- loved the picture of the space shuttle with all the hand-drawn stars surrounding it. Sometimes, you CAN judge a book by its cover and this is one of them!!

Such a great read. It is the l980's and we meet Dolores, a young teenage girl living in THE NASA town in Florida. Practically everyone in town has some connection with NASA and the space program. Dolores dreams of becoming an astronaut.

I loved how the author combined Dolores life and the 1986 CHALLENGER tragedy into a story of fiction. While the CHALLENGER is sadly true, it is wonderfully blended into the fictional life of Dolores.

Told from Dolores' narrative, this book is well written and moves along well. We meet Dolores' family -- her insecure mom, her dad, who works for NASA, and her younger sister. Such a good, typical family, full of love, but also full of problems. Dolores wants to fit in at school with the popular crowd. She has a friend in Eric who attends her school. Although he is a little odd and not popular, Dolores is drawn to Eric. His father is a big shot at NASA, and their families and their lives become intertwined.

The book does tell a lot of facts {many, many that were unknown to me} about the space program and the CHALLENGER disaster. However, the NASA programs and space shuttle details do not take over the book or read like a text. All the information regarding NASA was written in a very informative and interesting way that I did not find boring. I was 35 years old when the CHALLENGER blew up and that day still is clear as a bell to me. Like, where were you and what were you doing when this happened back in l986. What a horrible day.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to everyone. It deals with many issues and many problems of every day life. It also opened my eyes -- when the shuttle blew up, all I truly thought about was the tragedy and the loss of the astronauts lives and THEIR families. I never really considered how this disaster affected ALL the NASA employees, their jobs, their families, their careers, their entire being.

If you like good fiction with history thrown in, this book is for you.

Thank you!!

Pam

It's hard to believe that THE TIME IT TAKES TO FALL is Ms. Dean's debut novel. She writes like a seasoned author. I loved everything about this book. It brought back so many memories and I learned facts about NASA and the space shuttle program that I never knew. The way she intertwines the family dynamics with the Challenger tragedy is quite compelling.

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a coming of age story with a little learning thrown into the mix. This novel is for everyone and I am anxiously waiting for her next amazing story. Way to go, Ms. Dean!!

By the 1980s everyone who lives in the towns that make up Florida's "Space Coast" understands that NASA is the prime employee. All working adults either are employed by NASA or provide services to NASA's employees. Most of the young like preadolescent student Dolores Gray dream of becoming astronauts or space engineers.

Delores' father moved here in 1965, but insists the space exploration ended abruptly in 1972 as Nixon had no vision. By late 1985 in spite of her dad's negativity and that most of her peers admired teacher in space astronaut Christa McAuliffe, Delores wants to one day be just like her heroine mission specialist Judith Resnick. However, funding is cut for the agency as another no visionary sits in the White House; NASA has to RIF employees like Delores' dad, which propels her parents' marriage into a tailspin until her mom leaves. Then on 28 January 1986, the Challenger explodes.

An interesting coming of age tale; what keeps THE TIME IT TAKES TO FALL entertaining is 1980s NASA Florida vividly described with a royal pyramidal hierarchy while rocket science is made simple and comprehensible without dumbing it down. The family crisis pales next to space science and space disaster. Still Margaret Lazarus Dean provides a fascinating look at Space Coast Florida circa 1985-86.

Harriet Klausner