New York Books

I Just returned from 1 week business/pleasure visit to New York and I found this guide full of good recommendations and descriptions were accurate. Better than Lonely Planet or Time Out's, which I also bought. Quite a useful guide with plentiful restaurant, watering hole and sight-seeing suggestions. It's replete with valuable information about attractions, hotels, eateries, shops, spas, etc. Beyond this, however, the layout is terrific, and the book is remarkably easy to use as a result. The maps, in particular, are helpful.I'd definintely purchase an Avant Guide guidebook again. I am happy to say that this book was by far the best single-city guide I used.

I am a big fan of the Avant-Guides. I used this book almost exclusively for a trip to NYC in the spring of 2002--thus some of the information had changed. Otherwise I would have rated it at a 5 star. The information on the museums and where to get the best deal on theater ticket was very helpful. I have since ordered the guides for Las Vegas, New Orleans and Toronto in hopes of finding the same cool, underground type of information provided for NYC. PLEASE--do guides for Montreal, Washington D.C. and Seattle.

I love to travel and I love guidebooks. This one is the best series Ive seen. it makes me laugh, has a great senseability about the places I like and really feels like it was written by a friend. I never write these reviews, but Im inspired to write this one because the book is so good.

Honestly, I've been living in New York for the past two years, and I think I have a reasonably fair grasp on its nighlife, restaurants, whathaveyou. Not only did this book have a listing of some of my favorite spots, but it talked about some places I wish I'd known about earlier. Some good stuff here.

when we first scanned this guide we thought perhaps we were too old to appreciate it {my husband and I are in our fifties]. However, we loved every bit of it and were especially helped in terms of what not to do or where not to eat.

Ms. Sheridan really brought this book into my heart. She knew exactly how to make me feel for these brave men and after I was done reading I really wanted to know more because I truly felt connected with them. Excellent book and I do recommend anyone wanting to read a book about the FDNY to read this book first!!!!!

This is a truly heart-wrenching story of the pipers and drummers pf the FDNY pipe band. Written in a strong journalistic style, the suthor really conveys the strength of these men and their close relationships.

While she gets a few details of uniform (shawls for piper's plaids) and piping (puffing on their pipes) wrong, she's really captured the feelings of these men who face danger and death on a daily basis.

From the first page, I was hooked. I felt like I was living that day all over again. This time, I wasn't sitting in my home in Seattle in shock and horror, I was in New York with an emotional connection to the families mentioned in the book and those not mentioned. I have a new found respect for all fire fighters. I already have a great deal of respect for those who put there lives on the line for any job but now it's impossible to put into words the level of respect I have for them.

This book WILL take you on an amazing emotional journey.

This book is very powerful. I picked this book up and thought it would be an interesting read then I could not believe how moved I would become. It is well written and allows the reader to get close to the men and their families. The readers anxiety grows as the date of September 11 approaches. I had to put the book aside a few times and remind myself of the gratitude I feel toward the brave men who gave their lives to save others and inspiration from those who survived and went back to look for family members, friends and complete strangers in order for those who were murdered to be laid to rest properly. The unity and brotherhood of the elite group of bagpipe players is inspirational. Thank you to the author for allowing readers to gain a new perspective of the days following September 11 and what the FDNY suffered. I felt as though I knew these men personally.

Bagpipe Brothers: The FDNY Band's True Story Of Tragedy, Mourning, And Recovery is the true story New York City's Emerald Society Bagpipe Band, who used their instruments to mourn in the and show their respect at the funerals for the victims of the 9/11 attacks, including the 343 firefighters who died and those who were unearthed from the rubble at ground zero. The band itself lost one of its own from the attacks, as well as the brother of a member; Bagpipe Brothers recounts in vivid detail the emotions, experiences, terrible grief and striving to help any way one can in the wake of tragedy. A profound and powerful tribute to both the lost and the survivors struggling to cope.

Battling For Souls: The Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee In Post-War Europe by academician and historian Alex Grobman tells the story of the men, women, and rabbinical leaders of the Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee, who strived to keep and nourish the spark of Jewish spirit in the hearts of survivors in the wake of the unspeakable atrocities of the Holocaust. A mission that sustained itself despite lack of funds and even in the face of open hostility, from both local populations and other Jewish organizations, The Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee battled tirelessly for nothing less than Jewish souls. An eye-opening true story of group dedication, determination and purpose.

In all the sectarian arguments about who did what after the Nazi assault on the Jews, Alex Grobman has written a book guided by truth. He tells it as it is, and we are all in his debt.

Rabbi Nisson Wolpin, Editor, The Jewish Observer, official English-language publication of the Agudath Israel World Organization, New York, NY.



Battling for Souls gives us a new perspective on the history of the post-WWII period and the activities of Orthodox Jewry in America and in Europe. Dr. Grobman's research reveals new aspects of the Vaad Hatzala's activities and those of other relief organizations that have never been available to historians before. This unprecedented presentation helps us understand some of the residual misgivings different populations have about each other in today's Jewish community. These misgivings were based on conclusions from false assumptions. This book clears the air.

Dr. Grobman has written an incisive book on the little known and, until now, much maligned role of the Vaad Hatzala in the rescue of Jews in the dark days of the Shoah and subsequently. Battling for Souls is a riveting exposition of the emotional and spiritual damage-control effort of a small group of selfless people determined to return to the surviving victims that which was ripped from them by the Nazi beasts; their faith and religious self-esteem. For the first time in print, Grobman documents the yeoman efforts of the Vaad to provide spiritual sustenance to the survivors, something that was "overlooked" by other rescue organizations.

Rabbi Yale B. Butler

In this fascinating and well-written book, Alex Grobman chronicles the important work of the Vaad Hatzala during the Holocaust and its assistance to Jewish survivors after Liberation, in particular the DP Camps in the American Zone in Germany. As a small child, who was raised as a religious Zionist and survived the Holocaust, I passed through several DP camps including the Neue Freimann DP Camp, where I experienced first-hand the religious support that the Vaad gave to surviving children and adults. Alex Grobman brings to life the Vaad's main activists and presents the chronology of important events, important locations, and numerous photos.

tao lin's bed is prolific in a way that separates him from the traditional style of today's modern contemporary authors. his loosely structured almost stream of conscious syntax and innovative diction emphasize the jaded apathy of his generation, characters who have at young ages resigned all hope of finding passion, and seem to exist only in the perpetual motion of living. they are accepting but child-like and seeking consolation in the seemingly insignificant, barren corners of insipid daily routine. with just the right balance of sardonic humor, numbness, and melancholy, tao lin's bed speaks to the beginning of a new literary movement.

Bed is NOT a hospital bed, it is much much more than that. The goal it has tried to achieved is the usefullness of an adjustable bed coupled with the luxury of a top quality mattress. Bed is powered using the latest in German technology. What this means is Bed is very quiet when adjusting to it. Bed can be adjusted to for any number of purposes, I suppose people with medical conditions are in mind, but that said Bed would be ideal if you like to use your laptop in bed. Bed features two seperately adjustable single mattresses combined into one frame. This means you can adjust to Bed in one position while your partner can have it in another.

I feel like a jerk for being surprised that such a young writer could do what Tao Lin does. The beginnings of the stories in Bed make me feel like I am an ant being picked up and dropped in a swimming pool in New Jersey. The middles and ends of the stories in Bed make me feel like I am an ant not quite dying for some reason, in a swimming pool in New Jersey, hearing muzak being piped in from underwater speakers. They are all slightly different from one another. They are all good.

I was looking for the garden, but I guess since I am here I will tell you about this book. This book is unbridled imagination. If imagination were a horse, this book would be a pretty white horse in the middle of Mall of America, shy and blushing a little, alone and unable to handle the existential anxiety of free will. The horse would headbutt a Jamba Juice stand, then apologize, then accidentally do something beautiful, then listen to sarcastic punk music (almost like that Vandals song, People Who Are Going to Hell) until the horse's brain is a calm white sphere with red dots.

I heard there were tomatoes in the garden. Where is the garden? Thank you.

i enjoyed this book. buy this book as a present for another person or yourself. buy it, do it, do it. you will feel good and surprised, maybe, to have it arrive in the mail. to feel really good you ought to buy it from an independent publisher because then you'll help decrease suffering, i think. this book makes me want to be nice to everyone, especially people who i think i don't like, which is silly because not liking other people is like not liking yourself, which is also possible but self-defeatist, um why does not being self-defeatist matter, uh i feel confused right now.

This book and its sequel, "Between the Woods and the Water," is truly a classic of the personal odyssey genre. Together they are the report by the English author of a diary he wrote between the ages of 19 and 22 while he walked from Holland to Istanbul. But he writes his report after a lengthy career in military service and, among other things, in journalism. The result combines the enthusiasm of a young student with the measured and spare prose of a seasoned and skilled veteran. The author as student is amazingly well schooled, even though thrown out of his public school. His reflections on what he sees are both erudite and almost poetic. (Read, e.g., the chapter, Prague Under Snow.) They don't serve as a normal travel guide, but they'll introduce you to the lands he traverses in a way that will make your own visit unusually well informed.

This is the continuation of, "A Time of Gifts." The English youth continues his walk across Europe to Constantinople. He picks up now in Austria, on to Hungary following the Danube valley. I wanted to quit reading this - page after page of allusions to east European history from Roman and pre-Roman times, Hungarian geography, reflections on Slavic languages. Esoterics I cannot appreciate. Still, they lured me and challenged me. These are places and these are people - Magyars and Gypsies - we seldom find in writing. We are introduced just as an era is about to end and everything is to change. It can be a book to go to bed with.

I got this book before Amazon existed and I've bought multiple copies since then.
Buy this and treasure it, give it to your friends.

`Between the Woods and the Water' is a delightful travelogue, even though the sites and sounds are long gone. Fermor paints a picture of the life every young man wants to lead - well-funded itinerant travel, nearly effortless sociability, and a seemingly endless nightlife. This is the ultimate "Wish You Were Here" card, well worth the read for anyone interested in travel, history, and tales of pre-war social frivolity in Eastern Europe.

The narrative structure took me by surprise. Almost every region receives a minor academic treatment prior to Fermor's personal tales: history, language, architecture, nature, fun and games, repeat. I found myself skimming past descriptions of birds and trees, but fascinated by the author's insights into the interplay of geography, language development, and regional history. And, of course, it is impossible not to be won over by the author's late nights, fleeting loves, and brief stays with forgotten royalty.

My father often told me that `On the Road' had a profound effect on him as a youth. `Between the Woods and the Water' has a similar effect on me, only later in life. After the reading the story I was offered a brief trip to Hungary which I could not pass up. Far from Fermor's experience, I was greeted with mindless business meetings, post-communism industrial architecture, a robbery, and small-scale street riots. In the end, my disappointment with reality deepened my appreciation of the book - a memorializing tale of a geography and way of life that no longer exists.

The title above is German for "Absolutely nothing!", Fermor's droll reply to "What are you studying?" when visiting a scholar with his newfound Transylvanian friend Istvan, who laughs about such blasphemy all the way back from the visit. The polymathic Fermor had contemplated his answer a few moments before answering-"Languages? Art? Geography? Folklore? Literature? None of them seemed to fit." The truth is, of course, as anyone who has read of anything of Fermor's knows full well, that Fermor has been studying all of these things, but with his own assiduous, unacademic zeal. This time he spent in Transylvania (The country's name meaning, as any first year Latinist would know, "Across the Woods") is by far my favourite: His escapades with Istvan, the fleeting amour with Angela, the effortless historical erudition about the region all make it exemplary of the book as a whole - which is not to slight the rest of it at all!

I disagree profoundly with the reviewers who take umbrage at Fermor's "esoteric" use of language and historic allusion. For the armchair traveler, these qualities make the book just that much more fun - Diving into the OED and various encyclopedias to thresh out some of the references.

The overall effect of this book, as with A Time of Gifts, is best likened to a friendly punch in the gut by an old chum. It takes you at unawares but leaves you invigorated and happy to be alive in the world. Yes, there are sadnesses to the book, not the least of which is that the beautiful View of the Danube near Regensburg on the cover of the NYRB edition is now underwater, lost forever; But as Fermor contemplates as his time with Angela draws to a close, "There are hours in life worth more than diamonds." This book is full of them!


And all these youths chain-smoking cigarettes! Perhaps the Surgeon General should put a warning label on the book lest a youth of today discover the vibrant meaning of carpe diem!

somebody told it like it is...The judicial system is not balanced and it never will be. Thanks judge for telling the truth!

As a New Yorker, I remember Judge Bruce Wright well. He was dubbed: "Cut 'em loose Bruce", because he often released arrested citizens without their having to post bail money. Mr. Wright upheld the law that bail is not to be used as a punishment, but only as a guarantee that the accused party return to court to face the charges against he/she. This infuriated the "powers-that-be". The fact that Judge Wright is a Black man, and many of those who came before him were also Black people, swayed the media to portray his actions as racially motivated, as opposed to his acknowledgement of the law. His book superbly reflects the blatant inequitableness of the criminal justice system and how it is purposely designed to work against Blacks and other people of color. His personal experiences, as a sitting judge, lend great credence to his analogy and conclusions concerning the legal system. Wright fearlessly gives names and elaborates on instances wherein he witnessed and experienced bias in the system. This book is not written in "textbook" fashion, provides some humorous irony and is very informative. Add it to your library.

I'm still reading this book. First time reading a book like this.This is one of the greatest. I recommend this book to be added to your library. It's gives truthful information of the legal system concerning the racism of blacks in the court system.

This book is an eye opener. It give you the truth behind the justice system from the perpective of a Sumpreme Court Judge who exposed the racism in the court system in New York. I never heard of Bruce Wright and happen I purchased this book. I have a lot of respect for the author.

somebody told it like it is...The judicial system is not balanced and it never will be. Thanks judge for telling the truth!

This was one of the few books that I have read in one sitting. The story and the characters come together to create one of the most exciting, intense, and provocative books that I have ever read. I cant wait till the movie comes out.

This is an exciting story of great success and great failure. The stories are fun and should be adopted into a movie!
Not as much blood as one would think but the heists they pulled: pretty interesting. Overall a decent read for a weekend. Enjoy

Very interesting topic and very interesting characters. I can't get over the fact that they are real characters.

I grew up in NY and had never heard of the Israeli mafia so I picked up this book out of curiosity.
Copeland does a fine job of relating the facts in the case of this violent organization that helped usher in the cocaine craze of the 1980s.
With the pen of a veteran reporter Copeland delivers a clear and fast paced narrative.

Thrilling and mesmerizing. Copeland tells the story of a fasinating character with remarkable attachment. Great Read!!!!

Carol von Pressentin Wright's BLUE GUIDE NEW YORK is a brilliant guide to the city and stands alone for historical perspective, cultural depth, and effective prose. Though I've lived in New York City for 12 years, this book serves as a constant companion, and I grab it nearly any time I walk out the door--every outing can now yield new layers of understanding of this, my adopted town. In the midst of a busy day, I might pass through, say, Union Square and take a moment to read the appropriate entry. Not only do I absorb details of architecture and city planning that previously eluded me, but also the whole checkered and colorful history of the place jumps to life.

Thus, I heartily recommend the book to all longer-term visitors and to those New York residents who yearn for a greater appreciation of home. Indeed, the richness of detail and comprehensive geographical coverage may actually render BLUE GUIDE less than ideal for the short-term visitor. (For those in need of a restaurant or hotel guide, there are more than enough lesser guides to fill the bill.)

One caveat. As an avid user of the 1991 2nd edition, I looked forward to the long overdue 2002 edition. With all due respect to the two new co-authors and their well-intentioned efforts, I believe that the newer, more user-friendly visual format actually decreases the book's effectiveness, as does the additional text, which lacks the consistently high critical standards of Wright's solo work. I recommend seeking out the 1991 edition (Amazon seems to offer several copies at reasonable prices). Whatever inconvenience is caused by the several outdated entries is outweighed by the ample rewards of the text.

Although Amazon lists only one author, the current edition of this book was actually revised and heavily rewritten by Stuart Miller and Sharon Seitz as a glance inside the book itself will reveal.

Co-authors of "The Other Islands of New York City" and individually authors of "Big Apple Safari for Families" (Seitz) and "Where Have All Our Giants Gone" (Miller), we streamlined many of the routes and shifted the emphasis of the book to add more on the boroughs outside of Manhattan and to add places that reflect previous oversights in terms of nature and of popular culture (places like CBGBs, for example).

All right, the most recent edition of the Blue Guide added CBGB's, an East Village rock, punk club that has now gone out of business. A few other establishments in the various editions of this fantastic guide are undoubtedly also no longer with us.

Having said that, even the oldest first and second editions (the latter, from 1991) are still incredibly useful, even timeless. For even they have listings of the most important sights in each of the city's five boroughs, a bevy of maps, lists of hotels and restaurants, sightseeing services, theaters, amusements, gardens, museums and so on.

But unlike the average, perfunctory city guide, this one (at least the 1991 edition) has more than 760 pages, including all the maps. And those pages also encompass a broad spectrum of architectural descriptions and historical events.

Not only buildings and the like are described here. So are whole parks, streets and districts, along with detailed pointers on all the exterior and interior trivia one could ever want to know while on a walking tour.

I can't attest to the value of any of the other 40-plus Blue Guide titles. But if you forget every other guide book while in New York, it will be okay, so long as you bring along at least some version of this one.

--Alyssa A. Lappen

Because I note that the existing reviews on this site refer to the previous edition, this New Yorker recommends the Blue Guide as the only NY guidebook you will need. I refer to mine again and again.
One caveat: the subway lines are now happily back to normal, again running to South Ferry, and the map included in this book, which went to press shortly after the World Trade Center disaster, is out of date. Updated maps are posted in every subway station and train, are available free at every subway change booth, and can be reviewed on the Web.

Carol von Pressentin Wright's "Blue Guide to New York" is probably the most comprehensive guidebook to the Big Apple available. Absolutely indispensable, it includes 41 detailed maps for all five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island, along with several black and white photographs. As a New Yorker, I cannot think of anything that has not been included here. I frequently use the book myself, especially when I have out-of-town visitors. It is also excellent, for New Yorkers and visitors alike, to use on walking tours. I have the 2002 edition.

In an extremely accessible format, "The Blue Guide" presents information on all NYC districts and important sights, including: practical information, lodgings, restaurants and eateries for every budget, transportation, museums and galleries, sports, performing arts, shopping, monuments, historic detail and districts, detailed walking tours and background information. As noted, there is a veritable plethora of clear and easy-to-follow maps, along with a large pull-out MTA map of the subway system, and bus, railroad and ferry connections.

From the posh shops on Madison and Fifth Avenues to the funky Lower East Side, from the streets of Greenwich Village and Soho to the brownstones of Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope, this is the one and only guide you will need to navigate through this fabulous city, and to find fascinating out-of-the-way places most tourests never discover. There are myriad cultures here: Little Odessa in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, Little Italy, Chinatown, a thriving Greek community in Astoria, Queens, Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn where Arabic is heard on the street and wares from all over the Middle East are sold. Almost every country in the world is represented here and you can visit them all easily with the Blue Guide in hand. I hope you enjoy the city I love!
JANA

When I first saw this book and gave it a brief thumbing through in the bookstore I was put off by the fact that the title is really a bit of a misnomer because this book is not a comprehensive overview of the entire history of the Yankees and there are a number of leaps in chronology (from 1980 to the 2000 World Series just to name the most obvious one) but once you settle down and realize what this book is trying to do, you'll be hooked all the way. Lally, who wrote the fine overview of Yankee seasons from 1965-1982 in his 1983 book "Pinstriped Summers", sets out to try and tell stories about moments in Yankee history through the years that have not been told before by going back to the surviving players both Yankee and opponent alike who are still able to give their version of events. As a result, we get introduced to a large number of fresh and fascinating stories such as Cincinnati stealing signs in the 1961 World Series, and there is a postscript to the recent revelation of the 1951 Giants stealing signs in the pennant race as we learn that Leo Durocher refused to do that in the 51 World Series against the Yankees, fearing he would get caught.

No Yankee fan should be without this!

As a big Yankee fan growing up in the 1950s and 1960s this is certainly material that interests me and brings back many memories. Lally does some narration to set up the interviews. But the inside stuff is the interviews with players and managers involved in the games. He goes all the way back to Babe Ruth's called home run in the 1932 World Series and covers a lot of controversial plays and events including the Phil Linz harmonica incident in 1964 (mostly a media build-up. But was it a turning point for the Yankees?
It was interesting to learn how the Giants stole signs in 1951 to make their comeback against the Dodgers but refused to use this proven system in the World Series against the Yankees because Durocher was afraid of being caught.

On the other hand Lally relates how the 1961 Reds stole the Yankee signs in the Series. But that did them no good at all!

I remember how nervous I was when Terry was pitching to McCovey with the tieing run at third and the winning run at second in the 1962 series. I was watching the game with my parents but couldn't stand it when the Giants appeared capable of pulling out a dramatic victory in the ninth inning of the seventh game. So I ran to my room to watch by myself with the sound off. Before I could be alarmed by the line shot he hit, I could see Richardson holding on to the ball.

It was a great surprise to me to hear that Clete Boyer was so scared of what might happen if the ball were hit to him that he was glad when they decided to pitch to McCovey. This meant that the ball would not likely be hit to him! If they walk McCovey to pitch to Cepeda the pressure would definitely be on the third baseman. This revelation was amazing comong from one of the all-time great fielding third basemen.

This is the flavor of the book which follows the history of the Yankees in roughly chronological order. Lally reused some interviews he had gotten from an earlier book with some revision by discussants such as Jim Bouton.

I give it 4 stars because I was a little disappointed with the coverage of the 1996-2001 Yankees. With five World Series to cover, Lally chose a long discussion of the 2000 Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets and said nothing about the 1996, 1998, 1999 or 2001 series. I can understand neglecting the unexciting 1998 sweep of San Diego but the others had their dramatic moments especially Torre's first win in 1996. There was no more drama than the 2001 series with two dramatic Yankee wins and that horrifying ninth inning loss in game seven.

Since I wrote this the Yanks missed the World Series in 2002 and lost to the Marlins in 2003 and then that unthinkable loss of 4 straight to the Red Sox in the 2004 championship series after winning the first three. With playoff losses in 2005, 2006 and 2007 Torre has elected to go to the Dodgers and Joe Girardi will take the helm in New York. Steinbrenner gave the free agents what they wanted and so Posada, Rivera and Rodriguez are still Yankees with the hope of a 2008 World Championship that would finally be their 27th and last in the original Yankee Stadium.

As a big Yankee fan growing up in the 1950s and 1960s this is certainly material that interests me and brings back many memories. Lally does some narration to set up the interviews. But the inside stuff is the interviews with players and managers involved in the games. He goes all the way back to Babe Ruth's called home run in the 1932 World Series and covers a lot of controversial plays and events including the Phil Linz harmonica incident in 1964 (mostly a media build-up. But was it a turning point for the Yankees?

It was interesting to learn how the Giants stole signs in 1951 to make their comeback against the Dodgers but refused to use this proven system in the World Series against the Yankees because Durocher was afraid of being caught.

On the other hand Lally relates how the 1961 Reds stole the Yankee signs in the Series. But that did them no good at all!

I remember how nervous I was when Terry was pitching to McCovey with the tieing run at third and the winning run at second in the 1962 series. I was watching the game with my parents but couldn't stand it when the Giants appeared capable of pulling out a dramatic victory in the ninth inning of the seventh game. So I ran to my room to watch by myself with the sound off. Before I could be alarmed by the line shot he hit, I could see Richardson holding on to the ball.

It was a great surprise to me to hear that Clete Boyer was so scared of what might happen if the ball were hit to him that he was glad when they decided to pitch to McCovey. This meant that the ball would not likely be hit to him! If they walk McCovey to pitch to Cepeda the pressure would definitely be on the third baseman. This revelation was amazing comong from one of the all-time great fielding third basemen.

This is the flavor of the book which follows the history of the Yankees in roughly chronological order. Lally reused some interviews he had gotten from an earlier book with some revision by discussants such as Jim Bouton.

I give it 4 stars because I was a little disappointed with the coverage of the 1996-2001 Yankees. With five World Series to cover, Lally chose a long discussion fo the 2000 Subway Series between the Yankees and Mets and said nothing about the 1996, 1998, 1999 or 2001 series. I can understand neglecting the unexciting 1998 sweep of San Diego but the others had their dramatic moments especially Torre's first win in 1996. There was no more drama than the 2001 series with two dramtic Yankee wins and that horrifying ninth inning loss in game seven.

"Bombers: An Oral History of the New York Yankees" does not cover the entire history of baseball's most storied franchise. Richard Lally is limited to living voices, which is why this book begins with Babe Ruth's "Called Shot" in the 1932 World Series. It ends with a look at the 2000 Subway Series between the Yankees and the Mets, but there is a giant gap between that section and the previous way, which is about the Kansas City Royals winning the 1980 League Championship Series. "Bombers" features oral testimony from more than a hundred people, most of them Yankee players, but some of the better ones come from some of their opponents. Whether you have heard of some of these great moments in Yankee history or not, you will enjoy the insights these players bring.

However, be forewarned that periodically Lally sets up these oral histories with introductions in which he writes with exaggerated rhetorical flourishes. For one excessive example, Lally writes about the 1939 Cincinnati Reds "they made mental errors about as often as Dorothy Parker flubbed bon mots." Rule #1 for the editor of an oral history should be not to get in the way of the people doing the actual talking about history. I would rather hear what Lonny Frey (major-league infielder, 1933-48; second baseman, 1939 Cincinnati Reds) has to say about being swept by the Yankees in the World Series a lot more than anything Frey has to say beyond setting up the historical context. But Lally is so determined to wax poetic that it becomes quite oppressive at times.

But despite his sporadic linguistic excesses, Lally does have his moments, the best of which is "Blackballed," a concise indictment of the refusal of Yankee management to bring black baseball players to the club, ignoring Ernie Banks, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and others to sign Artie Wilson, Luis Marquez, and Frank Austin (i.e., ignore future Hall of Famers to go after lesser talent that would not last longer than a season in the minor leagues but give the team window-dressing regarding possible integration). This is one of Lally's longest pieces and it introduces one of the longest testimonies, from Vic Power. Reading about what the Yankee management did just infuriated me and just proved once again that racism makes people stupid. Lally also does a nice job of editing some of the oral histories together to create a seamless narrative, like the beginning of Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.

This book will appeal to baseball fans, not just Yankee fans. In fact, the character who most caught my interest was Elden Auker, a submarine pitcher who was told by both Ruth and DiMaggio that they could not really pick up his pitches. Auker's recollections are sprinkled throughout the first part of the book and, as he points out himself, he came close to being the man who ended the two most famous streaks in baseball history: Gehrig's consecutive games played and DiMaggio's consecutive games with a hit. Ultimately, the point is that listening to what baseball players have to say about playing the game is worthwhile, even if the team they played for was the St. Louis Browns. There is something bascially compelling about these first person accounts. Hopefully fans of other teams will put together similar volumes for us to enjoy as well.

This book was quite an interesting read. I would most definitely recommend it to any die-hard Yankee fan or even someone who would like to learn more about the most successful sports franchise in history. It gives a nice background of most of the Yankees history.

If you do not understand or like baseball I would suggest if you would like to read this book do so with some caution. It goes into some detail about the games and may be confusing to someone green to the sport. But if you do read it you may find a new love for the game of baseball and the greatest sport's franchises ever.If you are a Yankee fan or even just a baseball fan you will absolutely adore this book

Unlike other baseball books I have read this one didn't seem like just a history but an actual story that although I knew the outcome wanted to read more about. No baseball library would be complete without this gem.

What an amazingly well written book! I have never read a more true account of what it means to be the parent of a child with special needs. The Kehl family has been marked for generations by muscular dystrophy. Anyone who wants to understand how it really feels to deal with such a legacy should read this. The power of denial was so powerfully shown by how long the author was able to keep up the idea that her son was "just having trouble with the bus stairs", and when she finally did get a diagnosis, I found it the most amazing analogy to say that being able to handle a child with special needs is like deciding you are going camping, knowing nothing about it and having none of the equipment, and then finding your closet is filled with a tent, campfire dishes, flashlights, etc---you already have what you need to handle it, and you never knew. The effects of a child's sickness on a strong marriage are also so truthfully shown here---how you can blame and yell and say horrible things and still love each other and the child so much. It is hard to believe this author has not written many best selling books already, as this book is just astonishing. It came to me at a time when I really needed it, when I am dealing with the possibility of a serious diagnosis for my child, and I am so thankful it did.

This book is not your ordinary story, it is the blood, sweat and tears of a brave family suffering from generation to generation with Muscular Dystrophy. Christine O'Hagan should be proud of how elloquently she is able to share her losses from her brother Richie to the ultimate loss of her own precious son Jamie.
She shares so much in this book, you can't help but wonder how she was able to sit all those long hours and re-live so much sorrow. But don't be fooled. Christine knows just how to tell her story with her very fine sense of humor which has always been
her strong tool through her struggles.A book to read not only for the journey of her life, but also for what it gives the reader.... The true meaning of what live is about. God Bless you Chrissie.

Christine Kehl O'Hagan, born in Queens in 1950 carried a tragic secret. Duchenne's Muscular Dystophy (DMD), which is an X-linked trait runs rampant throughout her family. DMD claimed several male relatives throughout the generations in her family. Females are born carriers of this tragic condition and every male born in a family where this trait is present is at risk for developing it at some point in life.

As much as I enjoyed this book, there were two things that irked me: the constant references to sneakers and being Irish. Even the tablecloth was made of Irish lace! The O'Hagans' beagle was named Finney! Sharing the traditions of Irish heritage was all well and good, but the constant references to being Irish did seem a bit excessive at points. As for the sneakers, the symbol of mobility and childhood play and sports, the message could not have been made more plain.

Christine's younger brother Richie Jr., born in 1957 showed signs of MDM early. Poor coordination and balance and difficulty managing stairs were the tip-offs to his having MDM. By 1966 Richie was no longer able to walk and remained confined to a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. He died in July of 1979 at the age of 22.

Some very touching anecdotes are shared; in 1961, Christine, then 11 would take her 4-year-old brother to the neighborhood church and pray for him. That was really heartwarming. I also liked it when the neighborhood boys took Richie under their wing and would hang off the back of his wheelchair, including him in their games. I loved it when Richie would sing the Beatles' songs from 1967's "Sgt. Pepper" in 1967-68. The Kehl children's Aunt Nelly's bizarrely quaint expressions involving hygiene and bathroom usage are sure to bring a smile; the unfamiliar term "kitty murphies" was made quite clear in the context and feline reference.

Christine and younger sister Pam (born 1953) both had sons with DMD. Christine's younger son, Jamie was diagnosed at age 7 on October 16, 1980. He was tested in the hospital for DMD in December of 1980. Her older son, born in August of 1971 did not inherit the condition. Sadly, Jamie died on May 20, 1998 at the age of 24, one year after his maternal grandmother died.

Pam's two sons, born in 1976 and 1977 also had DMD which ultimately confined them to wheelchairs as well. I especially liked the descriptions of Queens in the 1950s and 1960s and the parts about family interaction and the way Jamie's brother went to bat for him and that they owned a beagle, although I disagree with the author's finding that the hound was homely. Beagles are beautiful little hounds. Luckily, during the roughest points and bleakest moments the family stayed together. Christine's friends, Ruth and Tony sounded like genuine angels.

The book ends on an upbeat note with the 1999 birth of Christine's granddaughter, Alanna Nicole.

A book you can't put down - that's the way I would describe Mrs. O'Hagan's The Book of Kehls. You get the feeling that you grew up with her in the way she draws the reader into the most intimate part of her life in dealing with her parents, her siblings and her disabled son, Jamie. This book is about an Irish family and how they deal with a disease that affected everyone in their family. It is about a mother who is above all human, unashamedly sharing her emotions that run the gamut from being frustrated to being hilarious. Above all, this book shows Mrs. O'Hagan's strength and unending love in letting her son know that it is okay to stop fighting and to find peace. A must read.

The Book Of Kehls is a memoir that is honestly and bravely written. The author probes her deepest feelings about coming from a family smitten with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and shares her candid insights with depth as well as with humor.

The book also provides education about the disease to those that are unfamiliar with the ravaging toll it takes on its victims and their families. It helps the reader to understand the horror that living with this disease can bring, and provides insight into how families cope both effectively and ineffectively with chronic illness.

Ms. O'Hagan also gives us a glimpse of the past as she shares her childhood growing up in the 50's and 60's and in many instances with great nostalgia. This was quite enjoyable to read.

The layout of the book is very well created and the themes excellently threaded throughout. The beginning is extremely powerful as is the ending, leaving the reader to ponder life, its personal meaning and the necessity of gratitude for what many of us take for granted.

For me, the book was a quick read because it was so interesting that I couldn't stop......The cover was a beautiful, the title wonderful and the picture of the children so poignantly presented. I highly recommend The Book of Kehls for its message of love and spirit.