Authors Books

We seem to have lost so much original and adventurous cuisine during the past 100 years. The recipes here are fascinating, and every page contains something delicious, something mysterious (Boiled Samp), and something just plain crazy (Peanut Meatose: a combination of peanut butter and tomato juice!) Would make a great gift for a foodie.

I purchased this book and it was a pleasant combination of history and cooking. I also like that the book was reprinted mistakes and all and it includes contextual information from the time and photographs.

Rufus Estes made a great accomplishment yet I first learned about him on Amazon when I purchased this book. This is a great look back into a turn of the century kitchen and the at the food served to a President and rich patrons on the Pullman line. I was married at the Hotel Florence(named in honor of Pullman's favorite daughter) in the Historic Pullman district in Chicago as I was reading this I could actually visualize his food being served there; who knows he may have cooked there.

A friend borrowed my copy and did a dinner from this book for Black History month and it was delicious. Great for history or cooks who like to bring historic recipes to life in the modern kitchen.

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Usually, I consider reading a cookbook somewhat like reading the telephone book. But not "Good Things to Eat". "Rufus" conveys his joy of cooking in a natural, matter-of-fact manner, lean of descriptive narration, lending eloquence to the food itself. Many of the dishes in his book seem quite exotic to us now - Salmi of Game, Orange Fool, Snippodoodles, Spawn and Milk, Pineapple Marshmallows ("This is a good confection for Thanksgiving.") - but the way Rufus puts them together makes them seem eminently doable.

D. J. Frienz should be commended for making "Good Things to Eat" more than just a list of recipes by way he has interspersed Rufus's writings with illustrations, placing in context Rufus Estes's service as a star Pullman attendant and chef during the Gilded Age, when dining in a private railroad car was considered the height of luxury. Rufus's was a state-of-the-art American cuisine, good enough for presidents and plutocrats, and to have this formidable gentleman of a bygone era commune with me through a medium we both love - good things to eat - is a special privilege. Hey, I'm getting hungry just writing this!

Thank you Jack Eadon for letting me share in your very personal journey of the sixties. Your honesty is captivating. You gave back to me memories of that era, the old neighborhood and people, which had long been forgotten. You made me smile. It took me days before I could pick up another book as I wanted more of "Got to Make It". Jack Eadon, you have truly made it.

Damn you Jack Eadon!! 'Got To Make It' kept me up until 2am for days until I finished it. I kept reading it in bed while trying not to wake up my wife with my booklight glowing through the darkness. Being in my early 30's I've only experienced the 60's as it probably wasn't: the TV-friendly Time-Life "Summer Of Love" packaged CD version, full of cliche'd images, shallow descriptions and dismissive attitudes towards the struggles of the era which are now illustrated through the words of someone who lived the political, social and music scene of the "60's" in 'Got To Make It'. This is a book that lays it all out there. The whole John Lennon sequence was literally a headtrip and a thrilling learning experience for me. You can just picture the scene all in white, just like in Lennon's music video for 'Imagine'! Now I always hear the "Hi" when I pop in "Sgt. Pepper's Reprise" in my CD player. I never did before. Wow, maybe he's saying Hi to all of us. This is a great story, full of tragedy, obstacles, small victories, innocent coming-of-age experiences that many of us never talk about, large defeats in life and love...and finally a huge victory that spans the globe and just makes you feel good. Sometimes with a little help from your friends....and sometimes not...you've got to make it.

I'll never forget Stanleys' mantra "It's all in the trying". There couldn't be an idea more important for every aspect of your life. And I'll never forget the philosophy that you and John Lennon shared: "to get 'it' out there...live your dream by doing it, getting thru the small failures, live thru the pain of being a true artist and don't be a fake...."

With 'Got To Make It' Jack Eadon reaches a new level as a writer. You've got to read it. Thanks, Jack!

Reading Jack's evocative book about striving to achieve his dream of making it as rock performer triggered a flood of memories for me about similar dreams, some pursued, some not. Jack's story is a must-read for anyone who shared his dream or had their own at that youthful stage when anything was possible. It's a wonderful narrative that brings back so many elements of growing up in the late 60s when everything seemed possible.

Emotional, entertaining and exceptionally evocative. Enjoy!

It still bugs me that I missed Woodstock.

I was only nine years old that summer, so I didn't fully realize what it was all about. Not until years later, after growing up with the music that had been introduced to me by my older brother, did I realize what an influential (and mind-bending)event that must have been. Looking back, I have always felt that I missed out on one of the defining moments of the '60s.

Fortunately, this book was written. After reading Got To Make It, there are now many more things I can understand, relate to, and appreciate more fully. With its personal, insightful perspective, the book speaks on behalf of those who lived through the turmoil of that decade -- and how it changed them and shaped them. The personal impact of events like the draft, the anti-war protests, and the hunger marches, and pivotal crises like the Kennedy and King assassinations and Kent State, are all brought home with a clear voice that sparks a direct connection, at a heart-to-heart level, between all those old rockers and their wide-eyed younger brothers (like me).

I now feel that I can better understand what my brother went through as we were growing up together in that tree-shaded, middle-class Vanilla World known as suburban Chicago. And why he always seemed a little bit smarter than me.

Jack Eadon pours out his heart and soul making himself vulnerable to the world and himself. He shows great insight on a universal level. True artists get lost in their medium; Jack's being the poetry. I see "Got to Make It!" as timeless. I was able to relate to the feeling of the 60's, paralleling the emotional environment today in our world. I found this book very thought provoking. I can't wait to hear the music!

This is the autobiography of John Bunyon and his life. It is about his life before and after Christ and the grace of God upon his life. John wrote this classic while in prison. He went to prison for preaching the gospel.

I've been looking forward to reading this book for years ever since I read Bunyan's classis Pilgrim's Progress, I've wanted to read Grace Abounding to learn more about his incredible man of faith. I also recently read The Hidden Smile of God by John Piper who introduces the reader to three incredible men of God including Bunyan. So actually reading the journey of Bunyan himself in his own words was thrilled...but difficult at the same time. Bunyan struggled greatly with the concept of grace; he wrestled with understanding how God's grace could be sufficient to save a sinner as great as he. Grace Abounding is a peering into the soul of Bunyan as he goes through this deep personal battle wanting to believe that God was able to cleanse him of all unrighteousness, but constantly confronted with the holiness of the divine.

Just over half way through the book, Bunyan surrenders to the will of God in his life. He finally and fully grasp that the grace of God was truly sufficient. Then his heart is set aflame to share this grace with others and he becomes one of the great preachers and writers of all time, even though he goes on to spend a dozen years confined to prison for preaching contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Personally, it was interesting to see the cultural battle Bunyan faced at the time looking back from my vantage 500 years later to see that America is the beneficiary of his great struggles with the prevailing church of the day. As Bunyan sat in prison, he wrote about the great journey from a metal worker to a pastor of the gospel of Christ - in allegory form for the Pilgrim's Progress and in autobiographical form in Grace Abounding.

I can understand why many believe this book is a classic - the thoughts and insights that Bunyan has into the Word of God were profound and significant. It was amazing to read how Scripture flowed through his mind irrigating every thought so that his life bore much fruit. I wouldn't recommend the book to a younger reader, it is a difficult read, but well worth the effort.

Grace Abounding....is an excellent autobiography of John Bunyan and his spiritual struggle to obtain assurance of his salvation in light if his belief that he had committed the unpardonable sin. Recommended to anyone who may be facing the same struggle with this question. Each paragraph of the text is numbered and, thus, it is easy to put the book down at any point and pick it back up later without losing train of thought. Since the book was written over 300 years ago, it is interesting to have insight into the thoughts of a Christian who lived during that time and to compare with current Christian thinking.

A lot of us are familiar with John Bunyan as the author of The Pilgrim's Progress, whose influence in Christendom is second to the Bible. Bunyan was a preacher, a prolific writer and a shining saint for God. However when we read this book we find out that he was an atheist and infidel in his youth, enjoying sin and rebellious towards God. Inwardly he suffered from tormented nightmares of demons and judgment, but outwardly he went on pretty much as any other sinner, taking delight in sin and being the ringleader of mischief. Several times he nearly lost his life, and even though there were several close calls, still he did not turn to God. After his marriage, he participated in religious activities, went through the motions of attending church and generally lived as he pleased, each time successfully shrugging off pangs of guilt. One day, after church, while playing a sport, a voice seemed to call out to him from heaven to his soul, which said, "Wilt thou leave thy sins and go to heaven, or have thy sins and go to hell?" Bunyan was convinced it was the Lord Jesus looking down on him in displeasure. What follows details his sinking into despair, his desparate attempts at working his way into God's good graces, and his struggles with temptation and doubt. In a strange sort of way, it is comforting to read about Bunyan's struggles and identify with them because you can see how he turned out so greatly used by God. He rationalized, made excuses and tried every way to justify himself. Bunyan did not try to gloss over his motivations but gave an honest account of his struggles from avowed sinner, to religious hypocrite before he was finally converted. He describes in great detail his doubts and despair, his yearning to be converted to Jesus Christ, and then being assured of his salvation by reading the Bible and praying. Reading this book will help you realize how God's grace can abound and save even the most wretched of sinners and gives us abounding hope.

I could scarcely imagine why this book turned up first on my page of recommendations from amazon. I checked the reasoning, using the convenient little clicker, and found that Bunyan was expected to appeal to me because I had reviewed "Gosta Berling's Saga." That, my friends, is firm evidence that computers are still short on intuition.

Fascinated, however, I read the eight reviews of this fairly obscure title, and found that they were all written by sincere believers in the strict Calvinist theology preached by John Bunyan in his lifetime, according to which we are all "sinners in the hands of an angry God" whose judgment passes our apprehension. According the Calvin and Bunyan, our 'works' and even our eagerness to be 'saved' is of no fundamnetal importance; as one reviewer writes, "we do not choose God; God chooses us." That's not a system of belief I find appealing, though I ought to be consoled by the idea that God might 'choose' me whether I like it or not.

Bunyan was a cogent writer, though his style takes acclimatization. This biography is a major document of English history, as sure a way to get a feel for bookish English Puritanism as the masques of Henry Purcell are for the other side, the party of the theater-loving Cavaliers. As such, it belongs on the shelf with other profound self-exposures - Augustine's, Cellini's, Rousseau's - but don't expect the man to be any more attractive than his fanatical faith. He was truly "an angry sinner in hands he thought were God's."

Nona Caspers "Heavier than Air" short stories take you into the lives of people that are growing up in rural Minnesota. Each story drew me in. I found myself feeling for the characters as they were going through whatever angst that was happening in their lives. Ms. Caspers writes in such a way, that if she describes a feeling, you feel it; or if she describes a setting, you see it. It takes true talent to be able to do this. Her characters are truly believable because she takes you right into their minds and hearts. Life is not easy for any of them. They are dealing with some very real issues such as first love, and death.
Another reason that I found her stories seeming so realistic is that she incorporates some very unusual ideas into her plots. It takes someone that either has a vivid imagination or had seen a lot in their lives to be able to do this. I really enjoyed the quirks that were in some of the characters. Ms. Caspers did such an awesome job of sucking me into her stories that I would forget that they were actually short stories. I found myself feeling bereft when some of them ended, because I was not done with the characters yet. Because they are fictional, they really only get brief moments of fame, and then they have to wait inside the book for someone else to read their stories so that they can come alive again.
If you are looking for a light read, this is not the book for you. However, if you are looking for a collection of stories with depth, this is the one. I highly recommend this novel and think that you will really appreciate the stories.

What a pleasure it is to read an artist's prose after all the politicos and journalists and scientists I have been reading lately. Not to denigrate them, but Nona Caspers is an artist with words, a person of exacting craft who composes bittersweet tales of life and love filled with yearnings and disappointments and triumphs and little parcels of hope. Caspers writes about the people of Wisconsin and Minnesota, farm people, people who milk cows and harvest alfalfa: country girls and mangy dogs. And she writes about people who have escaped from the farm. She writes about an unspeakable desire burning in the heart and an angst like something unclear, like something lost or not yet found, and love like joy and something exquisitely indefinable that stays and stays. And then is lost.

She writes of girls and vulnerable men, taciturn fathers or ineloquent husbands; deeply introspective and emotionally fragile girls and strong farm women with sturdy bones and a susceptibility to society's inexorable ways. She loves the girls, and the girls typically love other girls they cannot quite reach or keep. And they marry young and wonder if they did the right thing.

Her prose is infused with the lay of the land and the smell of the soil and the cows and the dogs and the trees and the breath of someone close, so close your heart bleeds. She manages a natural tension that moves the stories to a climax and leaves the reader with a lingering aftermath.

In the first story, "Country Girls," 14-year-old Nora "was so forwardly in love, so passionately in love, so unabashedly in love, so presumptuously in love, so selfishly in love, so innocently in love" with Cynthia that the very weight of her love offended the rural community and in consequence killed her love. In the second story, "Wide Like an Eagle's Wings," Manny is the secretary of the JFK campaign at Saint Theresa" Elementary School. It's 1960. She lives and breathes everything John F. Kennedy; and through him she finds oneness and a sense of social responsibility even though a child. And then comes a tragedy that we know will change her forever. In the title story, it is the devil who weights us down and makes us "heavier than air" so that we can't float up to heaven, or so one of her characters in part believes.

One of my favorites is "The EE Cry" formerly called "Fat" which I think is a better title. It is about a man whose wife Jan leaves him, not because he is fat (although he is) but because she has found that she is who she is, and that she has fallen in love with another person, and that person is a woman. She returns to get a rug she left. She tells him, "...I'm short on money. I thought it can't hurt to ask." "Does," he says. And then adds, "Does hurt, Jan. Hurts all the damn time." And with this simplicity of expression we can feel his pain.

The triumph of Caspers' art comes from her mastery of craft in which every word is carefully selected and everything extraneous to the desired effect deleted. She has the kind of narrative control that allows her to shift from the present to the past and back again with ease. She has such a keen sense of the reader's needs that the hard detail that leads to atmosphere and character development is never neglected, but never overdone, so that the reader is always informed and immersed. She has developed narrative devices that are invisible to the reader but startlingly beautiful to the writer. For example in "The Fifth Season" lesbian Lorrie is visiting gay Marc who is dying of complications from AIDS. His sister enters the room. They are on "death duty." Caspers describes the sister and then writes:

"'I wish he would just let go.' Lines delivered to me two weeks earlier--and only now do I forgive her.
"I pictured Marc on a rope in midair. He had swung on a gymnastic rope through the gymnasium in the middle of a school lecture. About a month before his father was indicted. Mr. Ricklick pulled him down, dragged him up the aisles by his hair.
"He's a twenty-nine-year-old man, I thought. Why should he let go?"

Notice how Caspers is able to shift between three different times, now, two weeks ago, the distant past, and now again, with consummate ease. This is not easily done. It looks easy, but it is not easy.

She writes in the first person or the third with such naturalness that one does not recall which person she used in any particular story. Perhaps her greatest strength though is in how immediate she makes the experiences of her characters. Everything is as close as the scent of the beloved's skin, as sharp as thistle pricks or the smell of fresh poop, as intense as first love--or first betrayal. Caspers writes from a crafty heart and a mind sharp with the need for something close to mathematically precision. What she achieves is a kind of non-linearity that is the mark of great poetry and great fiction.

Don't miss this collection, winner of the Grace Paley Prize in short fiction. I only wish I could write half as well.

Nona Caspers
University of Massachusetts Press Amberst, 2006
ISBN: 978-1-55849-644-6
Nora Caspers has a unique style of writing. In several of her stories, she takes the mundane and demonstrates the significance of the act. Such as the mere act of breathing; it does not seem so important until you are drowning.
The connecting thread in this anthology is rural life. Having grown up in a rural area during the 60's, it is easy to relate to many of the stories. Caspers has a talent for breathing life into her characters. Not every author is capable of connecting characters to readers. The descriptions of rural life made me feel almost like I was once again lying on my back watching the clouds form designs that only I could see, running barefoot through the tobacco patch, or pulling grass to feed my pet rabbit. Each story is slightly dark and has a bit of humor. The young adults are struggling to discover who they are and what their place is in the scheme of life. They desire to soar to higher heights. In reality, few of us attain the heights we seek.
Heavier Than Air will leave the reader pondering the story long after finishing it. If you are looking for happy-ever-after, this book is not for you. If you enjoy books written in an unassuming style that will stir your emotions and make you think, you will enjoy Heavier Than Air.

Reading Nona Caspers is more than simply exploring the world of one writer's view of the world from the vantage of raw countryside of Minnesota. Reading Nona Caspers is a discovery of a writer with particularly well-honed gifts of creating unforgettable characters who become etched on our minds in the same way the great American writers of the past (and present) have entered our perception of what this country is all about. Caspers writes with a fluid style that wastes no words but describes nature and those animals that fly, crawl and walk this strange territory of rural Minnesota - and the rest of this country - in both harmony and dissonance. She manages to enter realms of thought and situations other writers avoid, and from these peculiar places she creates characters both strange and sad, some who border on decisions edging on ostracism and some who have already entered a plane misunderstood by friends and family.

The lead story, 'Country Girls', is one of the more realistic examinations of a young girl's discovery of same sex love with all the peripheral highs and lows that confrontation presents. In 'Wide Like An Eagle's Wings' we meet a young girl obsessed with the JFK campaign for presidency while coping with the a deeply moving, succinct account of a personal tragedy of death. Characters such as the sad Mr. Hellerman who is hospitalized as one unable to cope with the dwindling losses of his family land inheritance and hopeless future of his farm mix with other children and stunted adults who face changes in their lives that seem to force them into precarious places.

Not a book of sad or dreary tales, this, but one that is unafraid to make us think about the weightier subjects of life while entertaining us with some equally finely tuned comedy. Nona Caspers is a brilliant writer who has found the fabric of American fiction that she drapes and sculpts and molds as well as any of her fine colleagues whose names are household words. Reading HEAVIER THAN AIR is a tasty prelude to what is most assuredly going to be a fine career for a gifted writer. Very Highly Recommended! Grady Harp, June 08

This book reminds me of Dorothy Parker. She wrote of New York. Caspers writes of the Midwest. This is real classic writing. As a lover of all things classic like Sinclare Lewis and F. Scott Fitzgerald and their stories of the part of the country they knew, Nona Caspers is a writer of the Midwest and its unique culture and people. They are real and funny and warm. Caspers goes deep and looks at things as they really are.

Put this wonderful book on your night stand. Read it and enjoy it. You'll treasure it.

Highly recommended.

-Susanna K. Hutcheson

Isn't it strange that having lived up with Hem's books and later with all the student's stuff on him - every book and most writers take you back to those early day's good feeling which you had after having read his shortstory stuff?? And having read almost everything which is written about Hem until today, this is still one of my absolute favourites. I like his style and I appreciate the accuracy and all the work that is behind every project he publish on Hem. I recommend this book.

Here's the thing with most biographies...they're biographies. I'm a lover of fiction, the crafted tale, the sculpted language. There is a certain freedom of the word that seems to only exist in the "made up" story. A freedom almost never captured in the strict confines of an accurate and truthful biography. Enter Michael Reynolds. He tells the tale of Hemingway's Paris years with so much fluidity and grace you'd swear he fabricated this Hemingway guy out of his own gorgeous imagination. This reads like a novel and a damn good one. It's peppered with minute historical facts ie: the value of the dollar, the franc, the German mark, the pound, at any given time. Political unrest, social change, fashion, food, and most importantly...the state of literature at that point in time. All of this swirls around the incredibly multi dimensional main character. You'll read it three times.

Ah, this is one of those books that a reader savors. This is one of the most enjoyable books for the student of Hemingway or for those writing prose fiction in general. Many, many of Hemingway's techniques are explained here. Also, for those of us who have been putting up a good fight--writing short stories and novels all these years--it helps seeing what a beating Hemingway took when he started. This is a fabulous book and the only thing that mitigated its conclusion was the knowledge that Michael Reynolds wrote another three more books in this series. They too are great but this is the best one.

This is an engrossing book that makes you feel like you are actually walking alongside Hemingway during his early years in Paris. I could feel the cold that he felt on his cheek, I could see the smile that Hadley gave him every time he walked into their dark little apartment after a hard day of writing in the cafes. This is due to Michael Reynolds superb, painstaking research, the photographs, and the copies of original manuscript that he included in this biography. I cannot stress enough how unlike an usual biography this is...Hemingway literally leaps out at you from the first sentence and pulls you into his world, lets you experience his poverty and first marriage in Paris, the birth of his son, the arrival of his first mistress, and the amazing literary scene in Paris that has now apparently died for good. Hemingway has amazing quotes on writing, life, living through your failures, and it was a pleasure to get to read the library list of every book he checked out during this time period. This is an amazing book, and the best biography I have EVER read in my life.

I've been trying to read two other books, on top of The Paris Years, but put them both down yesterday so that I could finish this one. The biggest thing that stands out about it is the excellence of Michael Reynolds' prose. He has the rare skills which enable readers to successfully jettison themselves back in time.

This is the perfect companion to A Moveable Feast and elucidates the historical nature of the characters present in The Sun Also Rises as well. Reynolds, although sometimes pretending to do otherwise, is a psychologizing narrator. The good news is that most of his observations have the ring of truth. The biographer seems to understand his subject which is of great benefit to the rest of us. Hemingway's first marriage is discussed extensively and the coming of Pauline Pfeiffer is also elucidated at the very end. Hemingway had Ford and Pound as his philandering role models, and, eventually, he proves to be a most capable student.

What I liked best about the book was the way in which Reynolds lets us know what Hemingway's writing process was; the daily habits he undertook which allowed him to excel at his craft. He struggled mightily to master the short story and, throughout this work, his emergence as a novelist is far from certain. The scenes in Pamplona are vivid as is the depiction of the cafe life in Paris. You may well want to go back and tour it as badly as I do by the time you're done. Ah, the past. Anyway, it is unfortunate that more on F. Scott Fitzgerald was not included, but you'll understand Ford Maddox Ford almost as well as Hemingway once the last page is turned. Overall, it was simply outstanding, I may well read the other editions of the biography now based on what I discovered here.

What better way to exprience a nationthan through the lives of it's people. This ultra-connected Canadian and incredibly entertaining writer tells stories that can't be forgotten. A must-read!

Peter Newman is probably Canada's best-known journalist, an editor of MacClean's Magazine and the Toronto Star, and the author of many books about the Canadian establishment. In this autobiography, he tells us how he came to Canada from Czechoslovakia in 1939 as an eleven-year old, and worked his way steadily upward. He has plenty of interesting stories to tell about prominent people in the Canadian establishment that he has personally known in his lifetime, people like Pierre Trudeau and Conrad Black. He is an excellent writer, and I found the book interesting to read.

Peter C. Newman is truly a very remarkable and great Canadian. He is by far the greatest non-fiction writer in Canadian history. Newman is a very remarkable and extraordinary person -- I admire the man !

'Here be Dragons' by Peter C. Newman is without a doubt a very very excellent book -- and that is why it is a Canadian best seller. Mr. Newman has led a very outstanding life and his memoirs speak volumes about the greatness of this man.

As a Canadian I am proud I got a copy of this great book by a great man for Christmas. Peter C. Newman's life life story is one to
admire and at the end of the day I recommend this book because
Mr. Newman is truly a great Canadian !

Peter C. Newman is truly a very remarkable and great Canadian. He is by far the greatest non-fiction writer in Canadian history. Newman is a very remarkable and extraordinary person -- I admire the man !

'Here be Dragons' by Peter C. Newman is without a doubt a very very excellent book -- and that is why it is a Canadian best seller. Mr. Newman has led a very outstanding life and his memoirs speak volumes about the greatness of this man.

As a Canadian I am proud I got a copy of this great book by a great man for Christmas. Peter C. Newman's life life story is one to
admire and at the end of the day I recommend this book because
Mr. Newman is truly a great Canadian !

Biographies are usually dull, because they implicitly brag about the achievements of the rich and powerful and famous and glamorous rather than dealing with a topic that's really important and interesting -- ME !

This book is an exception to the rule.

It's a fascinating story of a once super-privileged Jewish boy whose family escaped pre-war Czechoslovakia because a Roman Catholic priest gave them certificates to slip past the Holocaust. Being Catholics enabled his family to emigrate to Canada, where he became the leading political analyst in newspapers, magazines and books. Like many immigrants, he is more Canadian than most people born in the country; the result is a book written with humour, kindness and a sense of shattering disappointment and disillusion.

Political journalism is a slash-and-burn war in the US, anchored by the pure hatred of right-wing zealots such as Rush Limbaugh and his ilk; or the pompous twits who debate whether dissent to erudite liberal wisdom ranks above or below the grunts of orangutans. In Canada, journalism proves "the emperor has no clothes" by laughing at the foibles, faults, fears and follies of politicians. Newman is a 'Mack the Knife' artist, he doesn't use the blunt force trauma of a California Terminator. Newman wielded the best scalpel in Canadian journalism for decades, and he did so with such skill that his victims never felt obliged to drop him from their Christmas card list. In this book, he provides the delicious details of how it was done,.

But it's much more.

Think of Newman as an intelligent Garrison Keillor, who talks for 20-minutes every week about the inanities of ordinary folks in Lake Woebegone. Newman tells even better stories about the motivations of the rich and powerful leaders of America's largest trading partner (the single largest source of foreign oil, for example). Newman's harshest criticism is of his own shortcomings, not the faults of the unworthy villains writhing on the point of his pen. But he also portrays the absolute perfidy of some Canadian politicians, the devils who make any US president look saintly by comparison. It's the approach many wish they could have used against newman 40 years ago.

A few years ago, Newman visited the Theresienstadt concentration camp where most of his relatives died. He also saw10 names the same as his -- Peta Neumann -- ranging in age from 10 months to 10 years. This is what he escaped in a series of events that would put the film world to shame. But this is not another Holocaust book; it is a story of a life that soared to greatness when nourished by the freedom of Canada. Instead of the "scorched earth" journalism of the US which I favoured, he used humour to puncture the hubris of the high and haughty. In the US, humour is often acerbic. Newman embodies the definition by Stephen Leacock, "the essence of humour is human kindliness", but he accompanies it all with his penetrating analysis of Canadian politics.

To understand the soul of Canada today, this is the prime guidebook.

It's written by a man who knows how to love; a combination of pure exhilaration and crushing despair that creates true passion. Instead of the polls and poltroons of modern politics, Newman's focus is on the feelings and meanings of public service. I've known him since the 1970s, and we've been in the like sport for decades, though I've never worked with or for him (he does quote me briefly in the book). Based on my career, I can honestly say this is the book of a master craftsman gifted with a rare insight, sensitivity and acumen.

It's liable to infuriate many Canadians, who tend to be very sensitive about having their political idols described as emperors without clothes. For that reason, it's probably the best book about Canada written within the last 50 years. Newman reflects the finest principle of honest journalism, "Comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable".

I have to admit to feeling not a little ashamed of myself while reading these life-affirming vignettes. I have been taught not to judge my insides by someone else's outsides; people can "look" pretty damn good, but be all messed up inside. Well, the reverse is true in this gem quality book by poet Kenny Fries. Gay, Jewish and physically handicapped (but by no means disabled), the author simply looks upon himself as normal, no different from anyone else. He views his physical handicap as an obstacle to overcome, not unlike anti-Semitism and homophobia, and certainly not a limitation. he climbs mountains, rafts down the Colorado, publishes acclaimed poetry and travels the world on exotic nature expeditions. So, why am I ashamed? Because, I'm able bodied and "choose" to sit on my pity-pot and bellyache about all the things I don't have and can't do, while Kenny Fries is out there persuing life's grand adventure.

Mr. Fries is a Darwin scholar; the entire premise of this uniquely rendered work is that each of us as individuals are presented with challenges in life (not "just" physical), and that the key to our success or happiness lies within our willingness and ability to adapt. Thus even the theory of "survival of the fittest" must be adapted in its application to the human race, as it is our ability to reason that elevates us and not our brute strength or physical prowess; the obvious and fatal flaw in Hitler's final solution theory. Might never makes right, and our ability to wage war doesn't solve our problems of global warming, poverty and prejudice. We must adapt to our ever changing environment because the alternative is too grim to accept. Kenny Fries has personalized this theory to stunning affect; his resiliency and steadfast courage to face life as a challenge and an opportunity are an inspiration to us all.

It's hard to imagine how such a through examination of evolution and it's effects on culture, mingled with a series of small refelctions of a life with special shoes (many pairs of special shoes) can be compressed into 200 or so pages of crystal clear, smooth and easy prose. This is a beautiful and profound book.

The compelling images in Kenny Fries' History of My Shoes remained with me long after I closed its covers. This is the story of a five-foot-tall man born without fibulae in both legs who rafts through the Grand Canyon, visits Buddhist temples in Thailand, climbs Beehive Mountain in Maine, and uses his cane to flick off a cactus flower to feed a hungry iguana on the Galapagos Islands. As compelling as the story is, even more compelling are the questions Fries raises about difference, disability, adaptation, and community. Never preachy, consistently generous, written in prose that is both simple and poetic, History of My Shoes is an exercise in mind-expansion and an experience of beauty. I also enjoyed the ink drwaings at the head of each chapter, which gave the book the feel of a naturalists' record such as Darwin or Wallace might have sketched. Get this book and read it.

When I write that Kenny Fries' The History of My Shoes and the Evolution of Darwin's Theory is "moving," I do not mean to imply sentimentality. What I mean is that this is a book that is intrinsically linked to the idea of motion, in both its content and and structure. It is a book that propels the reader into new ways of reading, thinking, and seeing.

By juxtaposing the stories of Darwin and Wallace and their development of a theory of evolution with his own story and the history of his orthopedic shoes, Fries gives us two different narrative threads and makes us move back and forth between them. I have to admit that at first I found this technique a little bit awkward, but as I read, I realized that the tensions in this book are what fuel it, what give it its strength and magic. I felt my thought processes adapting as I gained a greater understaing about why these two stories are really the same story. And a month after first reading the book, I think that Fries' words are still moving around in my head, working on me slowly.

Not only does Kenny Fries manage to frame a crucial discussion in a new light, he accomplishes the most difficult and greatest thing a writer can do: he creates a structure that allows his reader to move from simply reading his words to actually experiencing what they mean. We find that Fries, in pushing us to find new ways of connecting and experiencing narrative, has begun to implant in us his own philosophy of connecting with and experiencing the world.

Kenny Fries' book is one of the best books I've read this year. It is fascinating, moving, funny. I immediately went back and re-read some chapters, which is something I never do. (I usually have such a large pile of books "to be read" that as soon as I finish one -- no matter how good -- I move on to the next one!) But Kenny Fries' book is hard to put down, hard to walk away from and impossible to forget. Highly recommended!

"...a high-quality, hard-cover, beautifully crafted book, which could be a gift, a prize possession of a golfing fan or player-or to anyone who enjoys a little humor."

"The Humorous Golf Poetry of Tom Edwards is quite a good read. I got a kick out of it and I'm a pretty tough critic."

"...a delightful new book...Although I'd rather be beaten with sticks as play golf, I thoroughly enjoyed reading his [Edwards'] witticisms. Edwards may not have mastered the game itself, but he is a gifted wordsmith when it comes to describing his sport in verse."

I got this book as a gift. Being an avid golfer I thought it was a hoot. I'm getting more for gifts. Great illustrations too.

Tom Edwards slim book is packed with whimsey and verse so charming that every golfer needs one in his bag. Clever drawings only amplify the twists of rhyme that lead one down the fairway between sand trap and trees. Fresh, quotable lines for venting the frustration only the game of golf can create. This book was more refreshing to read than eighteen holes on an empty green.

The best of the stories in here are brilliant. The dialogue is great, as well as the reflective passages. That a mediocre short story writer like Raymond Carver is lauded, while Schwartz is relatively obscure, shows that the cream does NOT rise to the top. I've read passages of these stories a number of times. I can't praise them highly enough.

Five of the stories here are flat-out masterpieces ("In Dreams;" "The World is a Wedding;" "New Year's Eve;" "The Commencement Address;" and "The Track Meet"), while the other 3 are extremely well done, if not as wholly satisfying. This collection should be required reading in every contemporary lit. class. It's got everything: all the themes of struggle, frustration and defeat, responsibility, ambition, all the thoughts that men have thought in every age, and captures its era so perfectly and completely I am in awe. Even though the stories are, in some ways similar (especially "In Dreams," "The Commencement Address," and "The Track Meet"), they are utterly original, beautiful, hallucinatory, profound, funny and heartbreaking. Schwartz -- that great voice speaking out against the crowd -- deserves to be heard at last.

This collection of stories is a minor masterpiece. As other Amazon reviewers have pointed out Schwartz is not much attended to these days, not much read. At one time he seemed to be the great promise of American writing. The sad tale of how he lost it and died young is now a part of his legend. In these stories he shows originality and invention. The unforgettable movie scene in ' In Dreams Begin Responsibilities' where the child watching the courtship of his parents, hearing his father propose yells out at the screen ' Don't do it. Don't do it' is funny and deeply sad at once. Schwarz's Brooklyn world was one in which family frustrations and tensions seem to put reality itself on edge. It is Schwartz after all who is really responsible for the famous ' Paranoids too have real enemies'. Whether the persecutor was himself or not , they got him young. Before this he wrote these wonderful stories which hopefully will have a larger place in the American canon in the years to come.

I've never had this experience before, or since. It is autumn of 1964. I am a college freshman, sitting on my bed reading the story "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities." My roommate and a few other dorm mates walk into the room and call my name, but I don't hear them, so lost am I in the story. Finally, someone nudges my arm. I look up--and the story, which had been unrolling before my eyes, is gone! I'm back in my college dorm room, no longer in the movie theater in the story. I had not even been aware that I was reading--I was IN the story, I was there, experiencing it, not just reading it--and for a few moments, I didn't know what had happened or where I was. Repeated readings never quite duplicated that first experience, but the story remains very powerful, very moving, very involving.

This collection of stories is graced by two introductions and lives up to every superlative. Irving Howe and biographer James Atlas note for the reader Delmore Schwartz's unfailing ear for the idiom of his parents' generation. Each of the stories is a masterpiece and competes, in terms of quality, with the Schwartz poetry. Having read James Atlas's biography of Delmore Schwartz this reader thinks of tragic waste and pain when thinking of Schwartz. And yet, and yet, when one considers the brilliance of these stories, the fact that his mere existence inspired the wonderful novel HUMBOLDT'S GIFT by Saul Bellow, and that he evoked intense loyality from his students the picture shifts to a life of immense achievement not disproportionate to his evident gift. This New Directions Paperback has a compelling photograph on the cover.

Appachana does an excellent job of bringing India to life in these stories. Her ear for dialouge is so acute that I could literally hear the characters talking, thinking, etc. If you like literary short stories, these are wonderful.

This book of short stories is absolutely excellent. The main theme is the compromises that we make to continue to live in within society's standards. They are everyday scenarios taking place in India or Canada. There is a strong feminist slant in this collection, which is definitely refreshing from the other more traditional stories that I've read. However, there is a price for being liberated, especially in India. The two Sharmaji stories are quite entertaining and the issue of expectations becoming inflating as a result of an unionized environment definitely isn't unique to India. I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Appachana's other book.

As I read Ms. Appachana's work, I was constantly reminded of how things were and still are back home. For me, there was no drowning myself in fiction - the characters were real enough to touch and smell (surely every Indian is aware of a Sharmaji!). There was no unnecessary drama - no unchartered territory to explore - no special messages to convey. Such genuine depiction of character and events, free of frivolous mentions, stands dignified in its own accord.

There are not enough words to express the excellence of this book. I have read many books by Indian authors, but not one of them has depicted life as vidvidly and honestly as this author. Her stories speak of the lives of the common person, the hypocracies, the trajedies, the compromises made just to continue living. She even gets the dialect right when portraying different characters and their form of speech. Anyone who is South Asian can relate to the experiences of her characters, and for everyone else, this is life in South Asia.

Appachana does a wonderful job of getting her points across without being preachy. The stories touch on many issues, mainly of gender inequality, but also of class, caste, and other social issues. She shows these issues through the eyes of her wonderfully portrayed charactors very effectively. Although her writing style is excellent, I found it a little flowery for my personal taste. Many of the stories were extremely moving, some even left me in tears. This book is definately worth reading, whether or not you know anything about India.