Literature Books

J.K. Rowlings never lets her readers down Harry's quest to be happy stays alive in this book. Also, he gets to meet the only family he has left which makes Harry very Happy at the end of this sequel!!!!

I read this book a few years ago, when the the thrill of Harry was in it's prime. I've seen the movie more times than I can count and I must say the movie is excellent but not as good as the book. I've just reread this book and can't beleive all I had forgotten. It's truly a page turner. From the start when Harry spots the Grim to when Mr Weasley warns Harry of Sirius Black's escape and hunt for Harry the reader is hooked. The Maurader's Map is a great addition to the Invisibility Cloak. The first 2 books were good, but you truly don't get into Harry until this book. Ron and Hermione's relationship is beginning to bud. Hermione is truly the goody goody in this installment. There were times I was mad at her with Ron and Harry. Getting the history of Harry's father's friends helped the story advance with background. This book also helps paint the picture of Snape and his hatered for Harry. The introduction of the Patronus is excellent. It's just as amazing in the book and the movie did a great job of reproducing it. All in all, I loved this book and recommend it to everyone who enjoys magic and fantasy reads.

This series is fun for kids and adults. My son and I are reading it together!

Good, solid storytelling. Ms. Rowling's third installment in the Harry Potter series continues to add interesting characters and create an even more appealing magical world for the reader to escape into. Each book has shown the gradual evolution of Harry from a neglected, abused child and mentored into a honorable young man. But the character-building journey is certainly a bumpy ride for young Potter. Moral messages and the complexities of the human condition abound as each new story has been introduced to the public. One of the underlying messages of the book is that most problems in life are not simply black and white, but more complicated. To convey this point in a fun, exciting manner is the sign of great writing. There's real heart to this series and deserves a wide readership.

I read this a long time ago and recently read it again. It is so good. I love the way that for once voldemort is not the center of this and I love the way you hear about the Marauders. I just have like, the perfect picture in my mind of them. This is one of my favorites in the whole series.

Since there's already thousands of reviews on Ella Enchanted, there's no need to go into detail. I'll just say that this book is fabulous and has everything I could want in a book. It's wonderfully written with action, adventure, humor, wit, and a beautiful love story that isn't too mushy. I like re-reading this book so much that this is the second time I've bought it; my first copy was misplaced. This one is definitely Gail Carson Levine's best.

It's getting harder to find what I feel is appropriate reading material for my 12yr old daughter. She's not interested in the fantasy and mythology type books, she's a little too old for the kid's fairytales and not yet ready for the high school romance and more grown up subject matter. Ella Enchanted was a great find. A modern day twist on the old Cinderella classic with much better and more detailed character development then I expect for this age of audience.

The fantasy fiction book I read this month is Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

This story is about a young girl named Ella. When Ella was an infant she was cursed with obedience by a fairy named Lucinda. Lucinda gives people gifts that will curse them forever. Later on in the story, Ella tells a girl named Hattie her secret. Hattie takes advantage of her and tells her what to do all the time. Ella's mother dies so all she has left is her father, Mandy, and Prince Char. Her father is always trading away from home, Mandy is her servant and fairy godmother, and Prince Char is her best friend. In this story Ella struggles with the curse while going through bad and good adventures.

I liked this book a lot because it tells of a young girl with all her challenges and how she solved them. I sometimes wonder what it would be like to be in her position. I think this book is suited for middle school students.

This book is seriously one of my all time favorites even though I read it back in middle school hahahah. But the story is really good and I recommend it to all my friends that are girls, no matter what the age is.

I have read Gail Carson Levine's Ella Enchanted three times now, and every time I do it gets even better. Ella Enchanted takes the classic tale of Cinderella and enlivens it with spunk, humor, and personality.

At Ella's birth, a rather overzealous fairy named Lucinda blesses her with the gift obedience. From then on, she must do what she is commanded, whether she must do her chores, eat her entire birthday cake, or even kill, Ella is powerless against the will of her "gift." When her mother suddenly dies, Ella is left to be cared for by many non-caring persons: her often-absent and greedy father, her voluptuous step-mother, and horse-faced and devious step-sisters. But Ella's tenacity keeps her fighting for her own free will as she searches for a way to relinquish Lucinda's gift.

Ella's adventurous and charming nature keeps you smiling for the entirety of the book as she challenges hungry ogres, tricks her evil-stepsisters, tracks fairies, slides down castle banisters, and falls for the dashing Prince Charmont.

Levine incorporates the iconic elements of the Cinderella tale, such as glass slippers, a pumpkin coach, and the infamous ball, while breathing life into the surrounding plot and characters. It is a novel that I could read again and again, and has instantly become one of my favorites.

The novel is an ideal young adult princess/fantasy book for girls around middle school age, and is completely appropriate and innocent. It is typically around 230 pages and is a fast and uncomplicated read that can be enjoyed by youth and adults.

Levine has written many other books as well. I have read Fairest. (Ella Enchanted is still my favorite and always will be.) Both books follow a similar theme and give a similar message: the quest of a female protagonist who must accept/discover her true identity and self-worth, and is rewarded for her high character and tenacity.

Ella Enchanted is a must-have for every girl/woman.

The first two books in this series are a good read for 6-9 graders (advertised for these grades) but the 3rd and 4th series have some serious moral issues for this group. Alanna sleeps with three different guys in the last two books. I don't want my 6th grader to read these.....

A tale of growing up and acceptance with a strong female lead who shows, without being ultra feminist, that girls can accomplish anything that boys can.

Admittedly a huge fan of the "women-warrior, disguised as a man" characters, I have been disappointed time and again by peoples take on them, but not this time. The take on magic, the involvement of the gods, and the world, which holds different morals, gave to a very interesting atmosphere for the books to be set in. Alanna is a character that I couldn't help cheering for, and identifying with.

Granted as others point out, this is very obviously a first novel that will kick-off a series. And while I did enjoy it, I do prefer to have series of novels have the ability to be stand-alones.

A terrific kick-off, to what I hope to be a wonderful series.

My Mom bought me the series 10 years ago when I was 13... Since then I have read them over and over and over... I find them impossible to tire of and once I start reading I don't want to put it back down... although by now I have half the books memorized.
I started reading these books when I was 13 years old and loved them... now at 23 years old- I still love to read this series.
The Immortals series is excellent as well.

I did not realize when I bought these books that they were for young adults, I still thoroughly enjoyed reading about Alanna's adventures, friends and family. Alanna proved to the men again and again that "anything you can do I can do better". A great message to put out there for young girls. And even though it took me 1 day to read each book I just couldn't stop until I was done!

My daughter started reading this book at age 12, and has had it for 2 years. She still loves to go back and read selections of love, hope, courage. Give your teenager something worth reading! :)

I bought this book as a gift for my 16yr old niece. The very next day, she told me how much she loved the book. She even cried reading it. I think it's nice to find reading materials that can move the minds and feelings of teenagers.

I skimmed through the book before I gave it to my granddaughter who just turned 13. I thought it had some well written stories that a teenager can relate to and a lot of food for thought. She was so happy to get it, since she had the one for pre-teens also and really liked it.

Once again, "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books has a hit. This is a wonderful gift for young teens with its easy read of short stories on pertinent topics and experiences teens face. Teens I have given it to as a gift have loved it and purchased the next in the teen series. Also a source of good talking points for those anxiety ridden moments or social issues teens face.

I am a teacher in two high schools and I like to read the stories of the book to my students from time to time to inspirate them and reinforce their teenage self esteem! I suggest it to all teacher to make the same with a nice calm background music.

Absolutely loved it! I have ordered two more books by this author and am sure it won't be the last.

Like Gone With the Wind, Lonesome Dove is a critically acclaimed Pulitzer-Prize winning commercially successful novel about family hardships during the end of an American era. It also compares with The Godfather and Shogun as a great epic story with many fascinating characters in life-and-death plots. This is not merely a cult favorite, but is widely admired by readers who love good literature.

In early 2003 I first read this tome after eighteen years of having wrongly scorned it as being JUST a cowboy Western. I re-read it in 2008. If you've not read this because it is set in the fabled American Old West, you're denying yourself a delicious reading experience. Readers used to rapid page-turning, short quick chapters, and simple concepts (not that there's anything wrong with that) may not find this to their taste, but as commercial literature for mature adults, this is excellent.

Like Tolstoy's War and Peace, this is a sprawling book, a mass of life, though all the structural elements of the traditional three-act drama are present. It was originally written as a feature film.

Reasonable minds may differ on a short summary. Objectively, this is a post Civil War story about a cowboy trail boss and his best friend, former Texas Rangers, who lead a team of men who drive three thousand cattle from Texas to Montana. Most of the story takes place on that difficult drive, which is filled with well-developed subplots. Only one of the two main characters survives it, so I'd classify this in retrospect as a tragedy.

But, reading it without knowing the end, this is a grand experience full of comedy, misery, and triumph as they decide to undertake the travel, go on the travel, and arrive at their fated destinations. The character that died had lived a full life with few big regrets; the other character had to go on living with his big regrets.

My regret is that I waited so long before reading this.

Put this one your reading list. This novel endures.
Robert Beattie

I was pretty disappointed with this book. Only a couple characters are actually interesting and almost all of them are one-dimensional. Their actions often do not make sense and are totally irrational. Maybe I do not know much about the west but it seems really easy to die on a cattle drive and whores are really well accepted. The deaths seem implausible and it is amazing how much these men cry. The request and quest at the end of the book were stupid and very annoying. Call, a main character, acts totally out of character at the end. All the characters seem to be at extremes, for example: extremely dumb or very smart. There are two types of men in this book: ones who fall instantly and hopelessly in love with every woman they see, and those who would never touch a woman. There are one two types of women: proffessional whores and then amateur ones.

It took a very long time to get to any meaningful part of the plot. It also seemed like there were only about 20 people living west of the Mississippi because the same characters constantly encountered each other after traveling long distances. The whole book seemed kind of pointless when I was done reading and like a waste of time. Maybe I missed some great message that McMurtry wrote into the book.

Though published in 1985, this classic reached its peak in the 1990's with the film. The movie in this case did not hurt the book, as it was well done, but as is often the case did not elicit the same response as reading the novel, chapter by chapter. A richer flavor of the west is seen through the eyes of the reader, whereas the film concentrates more on the characters relationships, perhaps for broader appeal outside the genre. Anyone that enjoys the old west with a touch of humor and pathos will identify with McMurtry's rich tale.
George E. Miller, author of The Lone War Cry

This is one of those rather rare books that can be classified as a "cross over book." That is, you really need not be a fan of the Western genre to appreciate and enjoy reading it. I fall into that category. While I have certainly read Westerns from time to time, I do not particularly like them nor do I seek them out. This work is quite different though. I have to admit that I have actually read this thing twice over the years and if I make it much longer, will probably read it again one of these days. I was that impressed with it.

The story or plot has been reviewed to death here, so I will not dwell on that aspect of the novel that much. Suffice to say the setting take place from Texas to the northern U.S. and points in between. It takes place during the latter part of our western expansion period. The tale centers around a cattle drive from Texas and then north. One of the beauties of this book though, is that McMurty has woven quite a number of tales, plots and subplots into this story but has done it in a way that there is not mass confusion for the reader and they all, i.e. the subplots are indeed linked in various ways.

For me though the story was almost secondary. The strength of this work lies in the characters the author has so well developed. From page one you absolutely become involved with each and ever individual McMurtry introduces, even the bad guys. The author has the ability to make the reader feel he is there with them, seeing what the characters see, feeling what the character feels. Secondly, the physical description of the country, area and location of this (or these) tales is second to none. I have had the opportunity to have either lived, visited or extensively travel in or through all the locations mentioned in this book and can attest to the fact that the author has nailed them perfectly. His vivid and accurate descriptions of the country are second to none. Third, I love McMurtry's humor. I actually found myself laughing out loud at some of his ploys. On the other hand, when the author records grim happenings, they are truly grim and you feel those as much as you do any other part of this story.

I truly feel this is one of the better novels written over the last 40 years or so and truly deserved a Pulitzer for it. I doubt that most readers, i.e. those that actually read the book, will not enjoy each and every word. As an added bonus, there has been a wonderful movie made of this story and unlike most instances, the movie is almost as enjoyable (not quite) as the book. I do recommend this work very highly. McMurtry is a natural story teller and has the wonderful ability to record his stories in the written word. If you have not already done so, give this one a read. I seriously doubt you will be sorry.

We only recently found out that all our copies of The Count of Monte Cristo were abridged. We checked this out of our local library and liked it so much we bought a copy for our home library. The type setting is very readable and best of all, it's not abridged.

The story is a classic and a great read. I recommend it for everyone.

I boutht this for my Grandson freshman class in World History. He enjoyed the book and recieved a good grade on his report

The book arrived in excellent condition and it has been a delightful book to read.

I've often heard of references to this book, but never had an occasion to read it. After reading "Lone Survivor", I was curious to read "The Count of Monte Cristo". Dumas certainly set the bar high for all those to follow in this genre. The intrigue and twists are exceptional. A classic which should be a "must read".

How does one review a classic? Especially one so noteworthy as to have demanded the creation of 11 or more film variations, numerous adaptations, and even television series? I long avoided reading this novel due mainly to it's daunting size, and the fear that it's translation would cause the reader more work than I was willing to put into it. However my burning desire to know the true tale of Edmond Dantes overruled my hesitation.

The story, for those of you who are unfamiliar, follows Edmond Dantes in his wrongful imprisonment at the hands of his friends, his 14 years in the Chateau D'If, his escape and rebirth as a self proclaimed hand of vengeance against those who had wronged him. If you have only seen the movies, the book, particularly the ending, is far different than what Hollywood has created. There are no dramatic duels, no massive swordfights with brigands, and not everyone who we believe should, lives happily ever after. This is instead a slow but genius work of Dantes methodically stripping away all that his enemies held dear to them, at whatever cost. None die by his hand, but are rather destroyed by his influence, and their own evil choices come back to haunt them.

The story itself is genius, interesting and very fun. The writing, particularly the translation that I read, is an often difficult and sometimes tedious work that one may need a notebook to keep straight. The cast of characters is very large and they are often referred to by different names, making it a bit more difficult to keep track of who is who without some sort of note taking. I was not smart enough to take notes, and thus had to spend quite a bit of time searching my brain to make sure I was thinking of the correct person as I read, particularly with some of the more minor story lines and the characters that weaved in and out of the story with multiple chapters between their appearances. Also, this book will probably be disappointing to those who are interested in the action that the movies provided. The Count of Monte Cristo, does not come in with guns blazing, but rather plays a very well thought out and disturbing game of mental chess against his opponents. As readers we hope for their downfall, but also wonder how far the Count will go... his years of imprisonment have left him hardened and disturbingly without remorse at the use of innocents to gain his vengeance. As he plays his pieces we wonder just who will be sacrificed, and who will have the chance to live happily ever after in this dark world of Dumas.

Readers of more modern novels may have trouble with this book because of the sheer volume of concurrent story lines, all of which are necessary for understanding the strings being pulled by the Count. But to remember the tale of the lovers, the orphan, the bandit, the banker, the ship builder, the assassin, the count, the princess, the steward, the military man, the lawyer, the cheating husband and wife, the lost love, the musician, the buried baby, the dying father, the paralyzed grandfather, the murderess, the thief, the countess, the emperor and all of their relations, can be quite a daunting task for any reader. Still each of these stories could be a book of their own, keeping the reader quite entertained, but Dumas has managed to weave them all together into one, brilliant and shining tale... if you can keep them straight through the end.

What surprised me most was the ending of this story. It was not what I wanted, or hoped for. True I loved Haidee, and wanted nothing but her happiness... but many seemed to be left in suffering that did not deserve the fate that they were bound to. I will not elaborate for fear of spoiling the ending... but this does not end on a Hollywood, "they all ride off into the sunset" ending. Perhaps the meaning of the story is not all about revenge, but rather what damage the hunt for vengeance can bring to not just those who have wronged you, but to all those that surround you. The downfall of selfishness; be it falsely imprisoning someone to gain what you may, to the selfishness of vengeance... there is so much meaning in this book, I can see why it is so often "required reading." Though I highly recommend this book, I would advise you attempt to read it with others either in a class or a reading group so that you can discuss all of the rich meaning behind Dumas's words.

I am going to make this simple. I read an old paperback copy of the original "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Having enjoyed reading the original, I found the "Ultimate" version in the discount section at Barnes and Noble. What a great buy for ten dollars.

Not all may like the series. For those that do, I highly recommend all additional books to the original. You will not be let down, as (the late) Mr. Adams continues to entertain again and again as things move on. Just about any science fiction fan with a sense of humor will love these books.

Great read, I didn't even know about the Zaphod short story (my own words) that was included in this book. Happy to have all of the stories all in one book and makes it easy for me to go back and reference parts from the earlier stories, especially since I enjoy noting the really good lines.

I've lost track of the number of times I've read the Guide novels over the years. This compilation of a 'trilogy in 5 parts' makes it nice and easy to read them all as one continuous story. I don't really need to elaborate on how good these stories are as those who have read them will already know. But to the uninitiated I strongly urge you to purchase a copy, prop yourself up against your towel, and eat plenty of peanuts. And most importantly, Don't Panic!

If finding out your house is about to be bulldozed to make way for a highway bypass is unnerving and life changing, imagine finding out the same is about to happen to your planet. Thus begin the adventures of human Arthur Dent in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams.

Of course Adams is not the first writer to use science fiction to satirize the foibles of the human race and its institutions and culture (including science fiction), but he does does so with a rare combination of sophistication, style, and humor. His description of why the bypass is being built and why Arthur doesn't know about it alone starts the series off on a scathing note. In the universe of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (the book within a book), people sometimes survive government and corporate bureaucracy and personal greed and thoughtlessness, but more often destruction and waste seem to result.

Throughout his post-Earth adventures with Ford Prefect, the two-headed Zaphod Beeblebrox, fellow human Trillian (Tricia McMillan), and Marvin the perpetually downcast robot who takes lows to new highs, Arthur is the proverbial Everyman, whose struggles to make tea (and thus achieve some sense of ordinariness) in his new life result in near-destruction. At one point, he happily serves as "Sandwich Maker" on a pre-technological world that views this skill with awe.

Adams is perhaps strongest in his numerous asides in which he talks about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, the publication for which Ford Prefect researches and writes, and the Encyclopedia Galactica; the nature of improbability; the humorously and seemingly invariable and inevitable tragic histories of various planets and races; and various theories surrounding such things as time, space, and infinity, almost always with a slyly serious wink about the absurdity of it all. These digressions allow his imagination and his intellect to soar and in many cases are more interesting than the story itself. This may go back to how The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy begins--that people want to move between Points A and B very fast, and that people at Point C in between (Everyman Arthur Dent) "often wish that people would just once and for all work out where the hell they wanted to be." There seem to be no Points A and B in Arthur's new universe; there are infinite points and lines and continuums, most of them absurd in one way or another.

With the exception of Trillian, Arthur's fellow travelers are well drawn. The most amusing is, sadly, Marvin, whose programmed depression is annoying and whose perception is accurate.

There are ingenious ideas scattered throughout the six stories, including the irony of a lorry driver who hates the perpetual rain that follows him no matter where he goes because, unbeknownst to him, he is a Rain God.

The problem is that many of these ideas, like life events, crop up randomly, play themselves out, and then seem to fall flat in the end. Undoubtedly, this is part of the universe as Adams sees it; it is made up of absurdity upon absurdity, which may not have neat Point A to Point B progressions. Some of this lack of cohesion also may be the result of transforming material written for episodic radio into book form; a certain sense and continuity may have been lost as the author diverts his tale to Points E, M, and T.

The first two books, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, are the best in the series. Life, the Universe and Everything is, almost as the title promises, too contorted and meandering. So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish, which takes place on Earth, lacks an engaging focal point, which makes it seem long and tedious at times. "Young Zaphod Plays It Safe" appears to be a throwaway story reflecting the author's views. Mostly Harmless, written at what Adams admitted was a bad time in his life, lacks the élan of the earliest books; it is more downbeat in attitude than its predecessors and borders on determined and grim. Marvin is long gone as comic relief; the weakest character, Tricia/Trillian, now moves to the forefront but without further development; and even Ford Prefect has sobered up, quite out of character. It as though Adams wanted his characters, most notably Random, to reflect his anger and depression and his universe to end without possibility of resurrection--in the same way that Arthur Conan Doyle tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes.

Underneath the satire, the humor, and the bitterness, The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide is imaginative and thought provoking, revealing a rare story-telling and writing gift that is brilliant both on the surface and in the depths.

As usual the movie can't live up to the book. This is a must-read -- one of those points of cultural brilliance that will still be read three hundred years from now. Be prepared for very dry humor, British-style...

Beautiful book, great going away present or changing life/adventure present. I find the book to be a realistic view on life, it doesn't sugar coat the turmoils of life's experience. However, it gives a great sense of when life doesn't go to plan everything will be good in the end and encourages us to embrace life's curve balls.

This book is great for ALL ages! I originally read this book when it was given to my dad by a friend as he was starting his own business. And now I read it to my 18-month old, who seems to love it. Maybe it's the rhymes and the pictures that my little one loves so much right now, but the message of the book is great for ALL ages.

This classic Dr. Seuss book is not just for kids. It's probably not even especially for kids. This classic book is the perfect gift for transitions: graduation, weddings, adoptions (my favorite paired with Dr. Seuss's "Horton Hatches An Egg"), new job, getting fired from a horrible job, ....)

And this deluxe edition is especially perfect for that gift at a special landmark occasion.

Ted Geisel might have crafted a book that gets shelved in the Children's Section in libraries and book stores, but he was writing especially to those of us who periodically forget, and want or need to remember, how magical and special every day of life can be.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! is a very good graduation gift, and my traditional gift for such occasions. But in regular bookstores, the cost usually averages at $18. Now, used books are great ideas, usually about $5, but not for graduation gifts. So when these $12 per arrived in perfect NEW condition I was thrilled. Go Amazon.

We use this book as a completion/graduation gift for a summer program for high school students that gives them experience in working at a university-level research project. The program is called SHARP. The book edition is hardback with a color-embossed jacket, so it will hold up as a keepsake, and the kids use it as they would a yearbook--collecting autographs and keep-in-touch messages from their friends and teachers.

Wonderful book for young preteen girls. My daughter loved the book and was excited to learn more about her body and ask me any questions that she had.

I bought this book for my 12 year old daughter and she loves it! She was so excited about this book, she shared it with one of her friends.

This book is exactly what we needed! My 8-year-old daughter and I just finished reading it together and it was a perfect way to introduce her to puberty and all it entails. It is written for young girls in a way that doesn't talk down to them but is also completely appropriate for girls 8 and up. I appreciated the discussions about the emotions and difficulties girls face during puberty, beyond just the "facts." My thanks to the authors! I will be recommending this to all of my mom friends who have girls.

This book is a great introduction for 8-9 year old girls on how their bodies work. I thought it had just the right amount of information for my 8 1/2 year old. She is not ready for, or interested in, detailed scientific descriptions about the "facts of life." The material is presented in a very straightforward way and covers a wide range of topics from dental care, to shaving, to menstruation. The book helped me introduce topics to my daughter in a very matter-of-fact way without embarassment or making a big deal out of it. I will be recommending it to my friends with young girls.

The Care & Keeping of You:
The Body Book for Girls

Where was this book when I was growing up? What a great book for girls.

As a mother of three girls and a grandmother of four girls, I give thumbs up to The Care & Keeping of You.

I began reading this book with my nine-year-old granddaughter, Autumn. She enjoyed learning about how to brush her hair, and her teeth. She loved the illustrations and the advice. We each took a turn reading.

When it came to the chapter about her period, she said, "Please don't make me read that part, right now. I want to read the rest of the book, but I want to wait until I'm around 12 to read that part."

I told her, "Sure, we can wait. But at least you know the book is here, if you need to know about it."

She is growing up in a home with a mom and two older sisters, and her mom as already had "the talk" with her.

The chapter about developing is great. All girls don't develop at the same rate. Some are uncomfortable because they aren't developing, while others are unhappily, developing too fast. It tells the girls that they are all different and that they have many other great things about them. They should focus on their smiles, or their talents, not what others think about them. Above all, hold their heads up and keep good posture.

I think a book that answers all the questions a girl will have, growing up, is a great idea. This book also encourages the girls to talk to their mothers or an adult they can trust.

Jill Ammon Vanderwood
Through the Rug
Through The Rug: Follow That Dog (Through the Rug)
Stowaway: The San Francisco Adventures of Sara, the Pineapple Cat

I appreciate getting the book at the great price. I'm really not complaining but the book was quite yellow and the jacket was torn in various places. It looked like it was on the shelf for quite a while........Maureen

A very profound, deeply insightful and moving experience! One of my two favorite books of all times. No matter how often you read it, you find something new, some new insight, some amazing revelation, some word of consolation, another stunning example of wordcraft. A masterpiece! Inspired! This book should not be on a book shelf in the library, office or study, but on the bedside table, and the audiobook -- on your Ipod.

I keep a copy of this book nearby at all times for quick reference, my personal copy home to numerous marks and marginal notes. Every line reads as the most delicate of poetry, honed and refined to the purest and most undeniable words of truth and wisdom.
This may be the height of human understanding, bringing a peace and solidarity which encompasses the many to make us all one.

This book is a sort of Hallmark Greeting card compilation of the type of vacuous garbage-thought that made the 1970s a cultural disaster. Are you a sentimental pacifist who thinks Gandhi was swell, but never heard of the Moriori? Do you think of love as some sort of emotional flatulence that comes and goes the way weather does? Do you think evil is only a result of people being insufficiently nice to one another? Are your views on child rearing that you should let the kids do what they want because they're individuals? Do you think business is evil and soul destroying, and hurts the world more than it helps? Do you think religion is bad, but spiiiiirituality is good? Do you think criminals shouldn't be punished, because it's not really their fault? Do you think a mindless pursuit of pleasure is necessary for a healthy life? Well, if you believe any of these things, and enjoy saccharine sweet sing-songey prose, this book is for you. It comes in an attractive hard cover, making it appear to be a very serious book, on the same level as Jonathan Livingston Seagull, but with more naked lady pictures inside. It will provide you with many prim moments of doltish piety in your cloud cuckoo land. You may even be able to use this tome to pick up on people who are as morally defective as you are.

Personally, I prefer my wisdom to be, you know, at least vaguely wise. If I want florid saccharine language, I'll go read some Browning or other Victorian poetry. You can pick up antique volumes of such stuff for cheap, since books which required effort to write or read are unfashionable these days. They also look nicer on your bookshelf. As a bonus, it might actually be good for you to read Browning, whereas reading Gibran is sort of like giving yourself a mental venereal disease.

Please, humanity, restore my faith in basic human decency: stop reading this book. This book destroys souls and stunts aesthetics. If you must give copies of the book to people, give it to people you don't like. Give this book in the same spirit the British sold Opium to the Chinese. The end result will be much the same if they take the precepts of this silly book seriously.

These days, Kahlil Gibran's "The Prophet" often gets dismissed as "hippie" literature. Yet, this book had been a bestseller LONG before the 1960s. Originally published in 1923, it almost instantly became a hit and even did well through the Great Depression. Today, Gibran's claim to fame is being the third best-selling poet of our time, behind Shakespeare and Lao Tzu... and pretty much entirely based on sales of this book. When his publisher, Alfred Knopf was asked who the audience for the book was, he flippantly dismissed the question. "It Must be a cult," he retorted.

Yet there is no such cult. What's incredible is that there's absolutely no marketing hype behind the success of this book. Gibran himself is long gone. There is no political, religious, or commercial enterprise attached to his name bent on winning souls and/or profits. The Gibran estate has merely been licensing copies year after year in response to the demand - a demand fueled pretty much entirely by word-of-mouth and chance discovery. The fact is, the twenty-six poems in this book have a surprising and suprassing relevance, insight and compassion. Broken down into several topics ("On Love", "On Work", "On Joy and Sorrow", etc.) the book itself recounts the sermons of a fictional poet leaving behind the gift of knowledge before he leaves his homeland.

I first found Gibran through a setting of his poem "On Children" by local Washington, D.C. singers Sweet Honey in the Rock on their album, "Breaths."

"Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you."

At the time I was about to leave for college and eighteen years of living under my parent's roof had made me restless for autonomy. That poem eloquently expressed everything I was yearning to say to them in my hours of frustration and adolescent angst. It later proved to be a reference to turn to in times where I needed confidence to live an independent and fulfilling life, while still maintaining respect and compassion towards the parents who had raised me.

I am not exaggerating when I say that the poems in this book have kept me grounded and sane throughout some of the most troubling times in my life. Our modern lives are ever hectic, stressful and busy - wrought with drama, frustration, depression, etc. The knowledge in these poems brings me back to a "middle ground" - there is a sage wisdom and clarity in the poems that has often been helpful for me in "unwinding" and coming back to earth. They bring me back to a place of clarity from whcih I can see my life from a wider perspective.

Though Gibran himself was a Christian and despite the title and conceit of the book, this is not really a religious book. The insight in this book would be applicable to your life even if you are an atheist. What's more, the poetry is mostly imagistic. Do not expect the academic poetics of Gibran's contemporaries Eliot or Pound or even Frost. They are written with the aim of being accessible and immediate to the reader and rely mostly on clear metaphors and vivid imagery.

Copies of "The Prophet" are not hard to come by. Perhaps check out the book's table of contexts either using Amazon's "Search Inside" feature or in your local bookstore and see if it addresses a problem or issue you are dealing with. That's a good a place as any to start with. Chances are, you will find something that speaks to you on some level.