Authors Books

This was a very good book. I loved picturing the scenery & the hometown feel this book imbibed. I liked the fact that it was so realistic & down-to-earth. It was dark in some points, but you could see how it turns out well in the end without too much stretching. Although I could see how things are going to end up way before the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the process of Harter taking me there. The only caveat that I would say is that I found the main character a littttttle bit too sure of herself, just a tad (and it was a little bit irritating at a couple of points - but that's probably just me). Overall, this was a GREAT book. You should definitely pick it up.

It's autumn in Ham Bone - a little town up in the mountains, and the chill of fall is in the air. Sidney Walker is having problems. Her quiet life living in a trailer on the edge of town is being turned topsy turvy. Her 15 year old son, Tyson, has disappeared into the woods - as he has occasionally done - but this time, the police are looking for him, and the cop in charge of the case is a no-nonsense, hard-nosed kind of person who is giving her a tough time because Tyson is a prime suspect in several robberies around town.

Sidney also appears to be one of those women who feel vulnerable because her family unit is not complete. She is divorced. There is no husband/father figure to help guide her teenage son or for her two younger daughters. Tyson's father is apparently a no-good deadbeat who managed to destroy her life earlier by getting her pregnant while she was in college and who walked out on her after the third kid arrived with no support payments or even many visits. A brief romance with a local guy who appeared to be very decent fizzled out because there were just no romantic feelings there at all.

Now, with her son in trouble, she believes that the answer to the problem is to chase after that guy again. She even finds a little prayer hall and prays to god for assistance, and, lo and behold, the old non-flame is still available and is willing to have another go at the attractive woman. In addition, the retired school teacher who lives across the street willingly steps forward to take over supervision of Tyson while Sidney is at work. So, maybe god's answer is coming?

Not so fast. There are additional complications and additional twists and turns in this story, but fear not! The ending is happy and predictable and several family issues are resolved for Sidney, her neighbor, and several other people as well.

The story is a quick read and is meant to be a "feel good, trust in god" story and it succeeds in that mission. It has many moments of light humor and tear jerkers as well. Some of the plot twists are transparent and can be seen coming from hundreds of pages away, and some will surprise you. It is a good, light, summer reading kind of book. So, enjoy!

Karen Harter mixes equal parts faith, family and forgiveness in her second novel involving a group of wayward small-towners who are thrown together under unfortunate circumstances. Each fighting to figure out what's best --- and sometimes rejecting what comes naturally --- these desperate seekers are what drive the narrative forward to its conclusion.

Sidney Walker and her three children live a somewhat sheltered existence in their beat-up mobile home, plopped on a miniscule plot of land in a "three-lane-bowling-alley-everything-shuts-down-around-dinner-time town." As Sidney puts it, "I don't find it boring, not for one minute. I like the fact that I can go out on my porch and breathe air that's been filtered by the thousands of Christmas trees on those hills. My children wander the woods instead of city sidewalks, and noisy, smoggy streets. I feel safe here."

Across the street, an older man named Millard lives alone following his wife's death, content to keep his daily routine of filling out crossword puzzles, doing yard work, and ignoring the incessant yammering of his daughter who loves to inform him that he's too old to do pretty much anything. Millard has fairly little contact with the Walkers, aside from the occasional hello when getting the mail. That is, until tragedy strikes.

When Sidney's 15-year-old son, Ty, is arrested on burglary charges for a crime he swears he didn't commit, Sidney is at her wits' end. The older he gets, the more Sidney feels out-of-touch with the sweet and innocent boy he used to be. If only she had a husband around to help her shoulder the weight of raising kids while also working full-time. So, when Ty is sentenced to do time in prison and says he'd rather die than be committed, Sidney must do everything she can think of to save her son.

Luckily, Millard steps in before Ty is carted off to jail and offers to watch him while he's under house arrest instead. This doesn't sit well with Ty, yet the two begrudgingly decide to learn how to make the situation work, despite their mutual unhappiness and distrust.

Meanwhile, Sidney grows increasingly preoccupied with snagging a man to "fill out" her family. Brawny and full of charm, Jack (a prior beau) seems the perfect candidate, yet there is something about Alex (ironically, the sheriff who arrested Ty and the man in charge of his rehabilitation) that makes her heart feel mysteriously a-flutter. In the beginning, she thought, "Alex Estrada had nothing to do with her goal; [that] he was merely a distraction, one that she would not allow. She knew that Jack was right for her and, more important, right for her children, and nothing else mattered...Jack was the dream. A happy, healthy family complete with a dad." But, as time passes and she still doesn't feel that special spark with Jack that she can't help but feel every time she's around Alex, Sidney realizes she has a decision to make --- one that will surely affect everyone...forever.

In the end, each of the tangled pieces of AUTUMN BLUE comes together in a neatly compiled package...almost too neatly. Nevertheless, fans of sinewy family dramas, juicy romance novels and faith-based stories (with frequent mentions of God) will latch on to Harter's sophomore effort.

--- Reviewed by Alexis Burling

I only write reviews if I really love a book, and this book is one of my favorites that I'm telling my friends about. As I was reading the book, I kept thinking about how gifted the author is.Thanks for the new pick for our book club.

Millard Bradbury is unimpressed by his new neighbours, a tired looking single mum with an unruly teenage son looking for trouble and two little girls who talk incessantly. An insatiable mole is ravaging his beautiful lawn and his daughter is angling to put him in a facility for old folk. Millard just wishes everyone would leave him in peace to complete his crosswords and vicariously win Wheel of Fortune each day.

Sidney Walker is at her wits end over her son Ty's disappearance and subsequent arrest by the hard-hearted Deputy Sheriff Estrada who seems to have a personal vendetta against Ty. Sidney berates herself for breaking up with Jack, a man Ty respected and wonders if he will take her back and provide the stability and role model Ty desperately needs.

Each of these people's lives will become entwined in ways unimaginable being transformed by the power of love and forgiveness and the pursuit of integrity and purpose.

Autumn Blue is a powerful read, holding me captive from the first page and moving me to tears on more than one occasion. Karen Harter has created genuine and fascinating characters shaped by the loves and losses of their past and present. Karen enlightens the reader to their individual stories with consummate timing. This book is a true love story, not only in the romantic sense which is exquisitely done, but also by illuminating the joy of family and the sacrificial love of friendship that is unexpected yet completely transforming. A beautiful tale that I will read again and again.

I have a friend that went through a lot of the pressures that Ferrell's main character, Anna, went through. She had controlling parents that dictated how she was to live her life. This caused her to rebell just like Anna. She did not have a forbidden love like the character but she married an abusive spouse like Chad. I watched her go through fear and depression but unlike Anna, she did not escape. The novel may have given her hope and the strength to get out of the situation. The book touched me on so many levels because it does indeed bring hope and an interal healing. I have shared the book with my husband and he also loved the work because he saw how it brings peace to those with scares. I do highly recommend this novel. Pen name, Ann Thompson

A powerful work that searches deep inside a broken woman. Anna is a character that teaches lessons in inner forgiveness and personal responsiblity. She learns the importance of healing. Her story reaches out not just to woman but to people. The novel is about facing conflict. Whether Anna deals with the heatache of her parents conditional love or the fear of losing her true love, she finds the inner strength and courage inside herself. As well, she overcomes an abusive marriage and finds the true meaning of friendships and acceptance of others regardless of race, religion or any other factor.

Told through the eyes of Anna, a thirty year old woman reflecting upon her life, Autumn Seclusion is a tale of coming to grips with one's hidden fears and blemishes. Anna's experience of rejection at home set her up for a succession of draining and abusive relationships. The one loving relationship she experienced was with a Native American from Upstate, New York; her family severed her ties at home, and she eventually left the United States entirely to reconstruct her life. A tale that encourages the reader to think long and hard about themselves and the ones they love, Autumn Seclusion is ultimately a tale of the meaning of forgiveness. Highly recommended.

A powerful book that can help women undergoing a crisis. Ferrell's writing is savory and deep. She paints a beautiful picture of the Carolina shores and Thailand. The work brings hope and healing to not just women but also men.

I read Ms. Ferrell's book, Autumn Seclusion, several months ago. The main character struggled with adolescence, failed romances and an abusive marraige. However, she found the strength to slow her life and really look at how she was living. Fortunately, she realized family's importance and her own self worth. She gave all of us hope that we too can overcome adversity.

I have not actually read the book yet, but I know as one of Mr. Hafker's students that this book must be good. Mr. Hafker's love for poetry is shown at its best in this book.

"Bare" by Eric Hafker fuses impeccable raw emotion with an indescribable sense of sensuality. The poems are extremely personal, and incorporate a wonderful attitude with a tinge of humor. It is most definitely worth buying! Good Work Mr. Hafker!

I found the poetry by Eric hafker passionate and gracious. He extends his optimisim and passion to us through poetry. I thought that his words not only speak to the human race, but most importantly it speaks to the soul. I wish to read more from him in the near furture. We are blessed to have him in the world of poetry.

Poems that make you think about life. Excellently written, this group of poems is a great discussion piece. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking at the meaning of life and all of its experiences.

Eric Hafker's poems are profound, personal, and accessible, all in one shot. This collection is the mark of someone with a lot to say, yet the wisdom and courage to let the reader use his imagination as well.

This was a fun read from her again (RV There Yet? Was great also), loved the coffee loving spirit of the main character hehe, and the setting of the book was fun too. Relaxing read all the way I thought it was cute :)

Middle-aged sisters Charlene and Janni look at life similarly--they each believe the other sister has it sweeter. They love each other with a passion, but life's taken them down very different roads. When Janni asks Char to return home to help tap the sugar maples on their farm, Char agrees to temporarily leave her high-powered career and commitment-averse boyfriend--if only to keep Cheap Janni from throwing a chintzy 50th anniversary party for their kooky parents.

When the sweeter sister Janni turns moody and unpredictable, Char worries--almost as much as she does when their elderly mother believes their retired-minister dad is trying to murder her. Hilarity ensues, as it always does in a Diann Hunt novel, but not without touching moments in which lifelong secrets are revealed, fears soothed, and wrongs forgiven.

This entertaining story has the perfect amount of sweetness without being sappy. Except for the maple trees, that is! Make a batch of blueberry pancakes and enjoy!

Enriching reading for the baby boomer woman. Diann makes her readers understand that this aging process we go through, the family ordeals we deal with, the health issues we face, and the importance of family and friends is universal - something all women share. We do not stand alone because we have sisters of faith.

Diann Hunt proves life begins at forty-five, and you don't begin to hit your stride till fifty. Her characters are zany, witty, eclectic, deep, gritty ... in other words: real, warts and all. But the book isn't a piece of fluff. There's a message of healing in its pages, a throwing off of old baggage, and trust. All wrapped up in one delicious, hilarious read.

Heavily character driven, the story unfolds at an unhurried pace, allowing the reader to get inside Charlene's head and know her. By the time you've finished half a chocolate chip cookie and a cup of coffee, you're sitting beside Char at the kitchen table, walking with her through the maples, tapping trees and getting sticky hands.

What I found so interesting is how Hunt wrote Be Sweet in first person from Charlene's point of view, yet you know each character intimately. Though each is seen from Char's perspective, each is fully developed and has their own unique voice.

The antics will keep you chuckling all the way through, from Viney's paranoia to Janni's strange behavior. Toss in a Harley, that hunky dentist, a couple of hormonal college kids, and you've got one of the best reads of the year. Grab something maple, preferably covered in chocolate, and enjoy. This reviewer gives Be Sweet her highest recommendation. It's a 5 star book.

Reviewed by Ane Mulligan
www.anemulligan.com

Diann Hunt proves life begins at forty-five, and you don't begin to hit your stride till fifty. Her characters are zany, witty, eclectic, deep, gritty ... in other words: real, warts and all. But the book isn't a piece of fluff. There's a message of healing in its pages, a throwing off of old baggage, and trust. All wrapped up in one delicious, hilarious read.

Heavily character driven, the story unfolds at an unhurried pace, allowing the reader to get inside Charlene's head and know her. By the time you've finished half a chocolate chip cookie and a cup of coffee, you're sitting beside Char at the kitchen table, walking with her through the maples, tapping trees and getting sticky hands.

What I found so interesting is how Hunt wrote Be Sweet in first person from Charlene's point of view, yet you know each character intimately. Though each is seen from Char's perspective, each is fully developed and has their own unique voice.

The antics will keep you chuckling all the way through, from Viney's paranoia to Janni's strange behavior. Toss in a Harley, that hunky dentist, a couple of hormonal college kids, and you've got one of the best reads of the year. Grab something maple, preferably covered in chocolate, and enjoy. This reviewer gives Be Sweet her highest recommendation. It's a 5 star book.

This Dover edition - titled The Beast in the Jungle and Other Stories - provides three short stories that are among the finest of their genre, although defining the genre itself is not without difficulty. Only The Jolly Corner might be classed a ghost story. These superb studies of obsession might be best described as nuanced, subtle, and intellectually haunting, and are among the best short works of Henry James.

The Alter of the Dead (1895): George Stransom "had perhaps not more losses than most men, but he counted his losses more: he hadn't seen death more closely, but had in a manner felt it more deeply."

The Beast in the Jungle (1903): John Marcher had from his earliest time, deep within him, "the sense of being kept for something rare and strange, possibly prodigious and terrible, that was sooner or later to happen" and he had in his bones the foreboding and conviction that it might overwhelm him. Despite its suspense and deep sense of despair, this classic tale has been described as sluggish and overly ornate. Be that as it may, this foreboding tale is memorable.

The Jolly Corner (1908): Returning after decades in Europe to his vacant, empty home in New York, Spencer Brydon would in the gathering dusk "wander and wait, linger and listen, feel his fine attention, never in his life so fine, on the pulse of the great vague place: he preferred the lampless hour and only wished he might have prolonged each day the deep crepuscular spell."

I have read this collection on three, perhaps four occasions. The works of Henry James, like that of William Faulkner, continue to improve with subsequent readings, undoubtedly the mark of great literature. For the reader unfamiliar with the writings of Henry James, this little collection would be an excellent introduction to his challenging prose. I highly recommend this Dover edition.

In this basically two person novella, John Marcher, believes that something, not necessarily wonderful, maybe even terrible-but something-would eventually spring on him unawares, like a beast in the jungle, and ultimately determine his fate. May Bartram, his friend throughout these many years, agrees to wait with Marcher to observe his destiny.

_The Beast in the Jungle_, in its quiet, psychologically incisive, and intimate way, is the tragedy of a man who is too passive, too timid, too self-absorbed and self-centered to attempt even in the slightest manner to take life in his own hands to shape his future. Marcher is certain that May Bartram can provide him with all the answers to the impending great event, but he only succeeds in slowly draining the life from her. May Bartram, patient and wise, is the true hero of the piece. It is only at the end that the truth is revealed to Marcher. The jungle finally becomes empty, and poor pitiful, ineffectual John Marcher never even witnessed it.

Henry James has always been one of my favorite writers even though many readers are put off by his very stylized writing. When I first read "The Beast in the Jungle", I must admit that I was completely blown away by its powerful message. This is a type of mystery that never loses its power although you already know the ending. There is no way to describe certain moments in the story that give us a glimpse into the very soul of these characters that manage to become real to us throughout this story. Marcher's incredible egotism blinds him from seeing the truth in his life and thereby destroying not only his own life, but also destroying the life of the woman who could have helped him learn how to live before it was too late. Henry James was a master writer and to quote the words of T.S. Eliot: "Henry James is a difficult writer for English readers because he is American, difficult for Americans because he is European, and I ignore if he is possible for other readers." Yes, Henry James can be a challenge for many readers, but the reward is all worth the effort.

I have never read Henry James before because I have always been told that he is not worth reading. My own teachers have told me that, but they obviously didn't read like I do because I found this story nothing but delightful. Henry James faintly resembles the writing of Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre. I see the resemblance in James' use of detail, not only in physical descriptions but also in the portrayals of capturing what is happening in the minds of his characters. This can be tedious if a reader is looking for plot, but my own conviction is that good fiction is driven by character, and anything that happens within a plot happens consequently to how characters act and/or think. "The Beast in the Jungle" revolves around only two characters and how their relationship and convictions affect each other's lives. The beauty in this story is the reality within it-a realization of time and how and what it should be spent on. James focuses on human relationships and shows the flaws that can occur within those relationships. John Marcher's selfishness, for instance, keeps him at a distance from May Bartram and her love for him: "Marcher had been visited by one of his occasional warnings against egotism. He had kept up, he felt . . . his consciousness of the importance of not being selfish". This selfishness, which Marcher believes he suppresses fairly well, is what turns out to be part of the Beast he is seeking; the selfishness is what keeps him from loving Mary Bartram simply because he wants her only for what she can do for him: ". . . he had never felt before, the growth of a dread of losing her by some catastrophe . . . that yet wouldn't at all be the catastrophe: partly because she had almost of a sudden begun to strike him as more useful to him than ever yet". I enjoyed "The Beast in the Jungle" so much because it took me into the mind of a person who grows throughout the story and learns something that perhaps every human being needs to learn throughout the course of his/her life. I don't find Henry James tiresome or dull at all; in fact, to myself of course, his writing is quite the contrary. I look forward to reading more of him.

Henry James' Beast in the Jungle is surely not for everyone, there is little action in the novella (I suppose that is the point actually) and the title could give readers the wrong idea. John Marcher, the protagonist, is re-aquainted with May Bartram, a woman he knew ten years earlier, who remembers his odd secret- Marcher is seized with the belief that his life is to be defined by some catastrophic or spectacular event, lying in wait for him like a "beast in the jungle."

May decides to take a flat nearby in London, and to spend her days with Marcher curiously awaiting what fate has in stall for John. Of course Marcher is a self-centered egoist, believing that he is precluded from marrying so that he does not subject his wife to his "spectacular fate". So he takes May to the theatre and invites her to an occasional dinner, while not allowing her to really get close to him for her own sake. As he sits idly by and allows the best years of his life to pass, he takes May down as well, until the denouement wherein he learns that the great misfortune of his life was to throw it away, and to ignore the love of a good woman, based upon his preposterous sense of foreboding.

James' language can be a bit stilted at times, and some of the dialogue may strike modern readers as out-dated. However James was a master of the novella format, and with The Beast in the Jungle he has written an engrossing psychological drama, which left me speechless at the very end. Pick up a collection that also includes The Turn of the Screw and Daisy Miller if you haven't already read them, they are accessible (more so than some of James' full length novels) and great examples of the format's potential.

My first book by this author and I've already gone back for more. I loved this story.

I knew nothing of this author before getting this book as a book club choice. I was completely taken in by every aspect of the book. A great read, a perfect choice for a book club or individual reading. She uses wording that paints wonderful pictures in the mind...yet leaves just enough for you to finish the picutre yourself.
I really loved it because it did show how children carry things that happen to them or involving them into adulthood. And how things could have been different had adults realized these things and dealt with them at the time. Yes, things are hard for children to understand, but that is where parents and adults really need to take the time to see things through the childs eyes.

A wonderful book.. I highly encourage you to read it.

This was a wonderful book. Patti Callahan Henry writes beautifully. Kept me spellbound...as have all her books.
Mary Pichette

This was the first of Henry's novels that I've picked up, but now I can't wait to try her others!

I loved every aspect of this book- from the well-developed characters, to the vivid descriptions of the inner turmoil in dealing with the past and present. Spectacular imagery really made it easy for me to feel that I was right there watching the whole thing.

*slight spoiler below*

Although I did see the "secret" coming for quite awhile, and I thought the explanation for the revelation (eye color, blood type) was a little fantastical, I still very much enjoyed this novel.

It is perhaps the quickest read of this year. I read this in two and half hours. I've read her other books and this one is not as good as her others, but it still provides a delightful read. This book will definitely appeal to the booklover in you, filled with lots of quotes and titles of books that the main character's dad had talked about. It is just perfect to kick off summer vacation with!

This book focuses on Catherine "Cappy" Leary, whose life changed drastically in her twelfth summer in a tragic accident. After the accident, her family uprooted and moved back to her parents' hometown within a very short period of time. Catherine grieved all those years blaming herself for the family move as well as for the tragic accident. She had given up her "second mother," a warm and vibrant woman named Ellie, who was married and had two boys, Boyd and Sam. Catherine had a loving relationship with her father and a distant one with her mother. She had a best friend named Piper and life was just bursting at the seams. Then tragedy hit and it hit hard.

Now that Catherine is thirty years old and an orphan as her father had died nine months previously. In his will, he stated he wanted his ashes scattered over the river in that little South Carolina town that she had grown up in. Returning to the town that she has never forgotten, Catherine meets her past and learned the dark secrets that were her dad's and others'. Even at the age of thirty, it is never too late to grow up. In the process, she realizes the truth about herself and the truth about her father's protege, Forrest, whom she used to date years before she started dating the college basketball recruiter.

The story is choppy in places and the ending is too rushed, but other than that, it provided a wonderful story for a stormy night. It is definitely a quick read and a delightful one.

6/3/08

Library Journal Review of Black Lightning by Kitty Chen Dean of Nassau College:

Here 14 Asian American poets display the process of their poems and discuss their sources of inspiration,which include paintings, readings, personal encounters, countries of origin, and the sight of "dog piss." Tabios (poet and editor of The Asian Pacific American Journal) then presents drafts of poems from early stages through numerous alterations, deletions (sometimes entire pages), and additions, all with explanations. This makes for slow reading but engrossing revelations and ultimately rewarding insights into the birth of a poem. Tabios' skillful interviews help the poets reveal their modus operandi. That the writers are Asian American hardly matters; this is a valuable source for poets, aspiring poets and poetry lovers.

Black Lightning is the most important book on Asian American poetry to have been published within the last 10 years. If anyone off the street would want to know who Kimiko Hahn or Jessica Hagedorn was, they would do well in looking at Eileen Tabios' magnificently written essays/interviews in Black Lightning. A best buy book!

From A Review of Black Lightning by Douglas Spangle:

It should surprise nobody that literary criticism has been in terrible shape of late. New ideas come from unexpected places. Eileen Tabios began a series of interviews with Asian American poets which grew into this book. Tabios' method is to study the growth of individual poems from their earliest drafts through to completion, incorporating extensive interviews with the poets to detail, revision by revision, the genesis of each piece. It is an approach I only recall seeing once, in Alberta Turner's 50 Contemporary Poets: the Creative Process, which was nowhere near as extensive, intensive or various as Black Lightning. Tabios makes no attempt to prescribe or categorize, but meets all these poets on their own ground; although her tracing of process is meticulous and often requires a slow bell on reading speed, she avoids theoretical jargon and is accessible to any intelligent reader, no matter how "advanced" the poetry may be. I can now say that I have some understanding of (Mei-mei) Berssenbrugge, for instance, after reading this study -- something I despaired of ever doing. The question I've been begging all along in this review is why it took a novice to take this new approach, as much sense as it makes, to the study of poetry. Maybe it's just that the forest is so full of trees. Tabios writes that her ignorance and lack of intellectual baggage were probably a great benefit; the poets were more willing to be open and forthcoming with her because they sensed no hidden agendas, no axes to grind: "I think that towards poetry (or all Arts) one mostly needs to bring an open mind and an open heart." Black Lightning is the best possible recommendation for an open mind and an open heart. It is a magnificent specimen, an open book.

Solitude may fuel imagination, and what happens behind closed doors is often kept in secrecy by poets and writers. Black Lightning opens that door for us and lets us in to have a look at some poets' processes, almost like being allowed to sit there in their private spaces. Although we have different ways of approaching poetry and the life around it, it is still very fascinating to see the revelations of these very visible Asian American poets. It's a gem of a collection. Did I mention the very beautiful cover? Give it space on your shelf.

If there is one word that can describe Black Lightning, then perhaps the word boundless might come to mind, but even then that won't quite suffice. As author Eileen Tabios writes, "Black Lightning is many things: a miracle, an exercise in trust, a conversation, an experiment, a matter of idealism, and ultimately, a love affair." Everything from the different forms, styles, inspirations, images, and issues that worked to create the poetry filling these pages is capable of speaking to readers of all different personalities and backgrounds, "elicit[ing] different responses" at different times. But really, what makes it boundless is not just what exists on the pages we read but what exists in the spaces in between. Black Lightning is a quest for all involved to engage in this project of mapping out the human experience, mapping not only that which we can articulate in words but also that which articulates in a fashion that captures and eludes our imagination. Black Lightning is a book of the poetry-in-progress by 14 Asian American writers. Each article is rich with interviews, essays, excerpts of inspiration writings, and the reworkings of drafts of poetry towards their accomplished ends. Each is dedicated to the unique and powerful experiences and processes each writer goes through to create their masterpieces. Black Lightning belongs to a very important juncture in Asian American writing, capturing the widening scope in which Asian American writers are writing. Our concerns have expanded beyond race and ethnicity; they have even expanded beyond social and political issues although these will remain an integral part of Asian American literature. In Black Lightning, we are articulating matters such as memory, history, time, space, femininity, masculinity, sexuality, desire, spirituality, the psyche, imagination, all as integral to the Asian American experience as race is. Furthermore, in its discussion of the very act of writing a poem, Black Lightning is as Arthur Sze writes in the introduction, "just beginning to address theory and practice and the polysemous nature of the work." In this rare opportunity, we are able to share intimate moments with a fellow poetry lover as she engages in great conversation with the masters of this craft. From the very first pages, we see Tabios embark on her personal journey with insightful questions and reactions as she encounters each writer and each poem. As all poetry has its own rhythm, we hear such rhythms resonate as thoughts flow spontaneously between Tabios and these 14 poets. Tabios' interactions with the poems and their authors are intense, generating a profound understanding and appreciation for the desires, motivations, and issues that underlie the creative processes of these authors. Reading Black Lightning is like reading a personal journal - and we are privileged to be able to do so. While Black Lightning is a book that speaks of process in many ways - the process of becoming a creative writer, of becoming a careful reader, of becoming a human being - it is also a book that speaks of revelation. Tabios has created a wonderful site where experiences and intentions are unclothed and left up to the reader's interpretation in a way much different from what we are used to. Black Lightning reveals to us how ultimately the greatest lesson we need to learn is the most obvious - that poetry can be accessible to all of us. For all beginner poets, Black Lightning can be your Bible.

If you read one collection of short stories this year, it should be The Boat by Nam Le. With spare, clean prose, Le has written a set of truly lovely stories. From an estranged son meeting with his Vietnamese father in Iowa to a young man's coming of age in Australia, this collection is widely traveled, yet all centered in the frustrations and contradictions of the family circle. An amazing debut, Nam Le is an author to watch.

Steve Koss wrote an insightful review here earlier suggesting a connection between this collection of seven short-stories and ethnic literature. Nam Le is Vietnamese, but only the first and last story are directly about the Vietnamese experience, the rest are a seemingly random mix of people and events from all over the world. Nam Le tells us he "could totally exploit the Vietnamese thing. But instead, [he] choose to write about lesbian vampires and Colombian assassins, and Hiroshima orphans - and New York painters with hemorrhoids." What do Colombian assassins, Hiroshima orphans and hemorrhoid infected New Yorkers have to do with the Vietnamese experience?

Everything. The problem is, as Le says, ethnic literature is "a license to bore. The characters are always flat, generic." Readers are either numb to it because of stereotypes or mental blockage, or have no frame of reference. And as Le's first story shows, the writer can't help but be exploitative in the process. However it is still possible to convey the feelings of the experience through a proxy, and so all of these stories immerse the reader with emotions in preparation for the last story about Vietnamese boat people.

It's been said there is no loneliness more acute than that experienced around other people, in particular family. The New York artist who waits alone in the restaurant for the daughter who never comes; the high school football star who fights his personal battles, but even with his father taking the punches, still faces it alone; the Colombian assassin who faces his destiny without his friends help; in each of the stories the main character is isolated and alienated and faces a great trauma. The experience of reading this book reminded me of when I was child, lost in the crowd, my parents seemingly gone forever and the world a difficult and cold place.

By the last story, "The Boat", the readers sensibilities have been so finely shaped to this sense of alienation, fear and dread that Nam Le is able to convey the Vietnamese boat people "ethnic experience" in a fresh and immediate way. The details and facts are conveyed through the words on the page, but the feeling and sense of experience comes from within. Using this as an interpretive framework, it no longer seems like a collection of short stories but a work greater than its elements, a masterful use of the short story format to touch on universal human experience.

I would not say that it's great, but that it's not horrible which makes it good. In terms of other short stories that I've read, MOST of these stories are better than average. The others, I would like to say that the author is trying to test his skill and see if he can accurately depict a situation that is out of his (life) experience. 5/5 overall for the range of stories, characters, and for a book that I did not regret reading.

It's a challenge to come up with something that feels wholly original as a fiction writer. Mr. Le definitely makes strides toward this in THE BOAT. 100% recommended.

THE BOAT is an engaging and free-wheeling collection of seven short stories by first-timer Nam Le, organized in a cleverly self-referential package. In the pivotal first story, "Love and Honor and Pity and Pride and Compassion and Sacrifice" (a title drawn from William Faulkner's Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1950), a young Vietnamese American lawyer-turned-aspiring author named Nam is visited by his father, just arrived from Australia. Nam has settled in Iowa to attend the renowned Iowa Writer's Workshop.

As he struggles to meet its creative demands and beat his own writer's block, a friend encourages Nam simply to write about Vietnam, since "ethnic literature's hot." Another friend differs: "It's a license to bore. The characters are always flat, generic." It's that last friend who tosses out as an aside, "You could totally exploit the Vietnamese thing. But instead, you choose to write about lesbian vampires and Colombian assassins, and Hiroshima orphans - and New York painters with hemorrhoids." And thus is THE BOAT.

The second story follows the perilous life of Juan Pablo Merendez, an adolescent assassin in Medillin, Colombia as he is called to task by his boss for failing to carry out an execution. Next comes "Meeting Elise," the story of an aging, hemorrhoid-afflicted painter seeking desperately to make amends with his estranged (and engaged) daughter as she makes her Carnegie Hall debut as a concert cellist. Another story, titled simpy "Hiroshima," traces the life of a young Japanese girl moved to the safety of the nearby countryside in the days immediately preceding the dropping of the atomic bomb. "Hiroshima" is sandwiched between two other stories, one a "coming of age" story in a coastal Australian town, the other a "coming to life's purpose" story in Tehran, Iran. After this whirlwind tour, Nam Le returns for the finale to Vietnam for his title story, "The Boat." Not surprisingly, this one is a flight and survival story, focusing on Mai, a young girl cast adrift for days in the Pacific with two hundred other refugees on a smugglers' trawler that has lost its engines.

So what to make of the metastructure? In Nam Le's opening story, the writer Nam succumbs to the pressure of his writing assignment and opts to "exploit the Vietnamese thing." He interviews his father, a survivor of the My Lai massacre, and converts this horrific story relatively quickly and easily into typewritten copy. He awakens the next morning to discover that his father has read and then destroyed the one and only copy. Has Nam Le the author discarded ethnic literature of his own (the figurative tearing up of the My Lai story by his fictional father in the first story) for that of Colombians, Japanese, Iranians, and Australians? And has he, upon attempting to step outside his own ethnicity and into the skins of others, returned unsatisfied to his own Vietnamese experience for his closing story? Is the reader intended to compare the relative merits of Nam's own ethnic (Vietnam-based) stories with those drawn from the world at large? Or are we to see the opening and closing stories as literary "brackets" of the immigrant/ethnic literature genre, one a tale of departure or escape, the other of adaptation and assimilation?

There seems little doubt that the opening and closing stories are Nam Le's most affecting. The opener is touching in its treatment of intergenerational relationships and differences in perception, while the closer is a harrowing tale of sun, salt, thirst, and death for the sake of freedom. In between, the other stories show notable flashes of literary command, but only the "Cartegena" story in Colombia engages the reader with anything approaching the story-telling power of the opening and closing Vietnamese stories.

Perhaps Nam's fictional friend in his opening story is correct, that one writes best about what one knows best, that it really is best to "totally exploit" ethnic literature. In Nam Le's case, THE BOAT shows an emerging authorial talent that promises the possibility of compelling ethnic literature as well as a future range well beyond "the Vietnamese thing." It is quite easy to recommend this book on its merits and also advise readers to keep a watchful eye out for Nam Le's next effort.

I had the pleasure of taking classes from Dr. Seamon and I have to say, I learned more about creative writing from her than I ever imagined I would. I thought I could write; I was wrong. I had the concepts but she really inspired me to dig deeper. In reading much of her works in progress, I was so excited to pick up a copy of Body Work, a fantastic read for women and men alike. I recommend this collection not only for pleasure reading, but also for those who teach short story writing courses. Enjoy the readings!

Body Work is an amazing compilation of a strong woman's short stories. It should be every woman's responsibility to pick up a copy of this book. Hollis really conveys the unsung strength of women everywhere. I have taken a course with Hollis, and she is a true woman, just as those she conveys in her work.

This collection of stories is nothing short of amazing. Seamon has a wonderful voice...feminine and powerful. In eloquent strokes she paints beautiful views into everyday lives. The women, born to these pages, are real and flawed...perfect because of their imperfections. We see the best and worst of ourselves reflected back as, however brief the encounter, we bond with the characters. The stories could not be more different from one another, thus offering a wonderful variety. However, there is a common thread which binds the book together nicely. We witness defining moments, large and small, in the lives of these various women. We see how day to day life presents us with a multitude of choices and we are privledged to see where simple decisions lead these characters. I thoroughly recommend buying this book.

This book is about being real and most importantly being honest with your self. These stories aren't riddled in self scrutiny or sugar coated with happy endings. I feel like I just took a wonderful tour of many women who are trying to reconcile themselves and carve their own paths through life. The one continuous theme is that they are not willing to let themselves down, despite a wide range of consequences.

My only criticism is the nipple on the cover. I've been walking around covering it up. It makes the impression that it is a book of erotica.

Body Work by Hollis Seamon is wonderful. My favorite is "Body Snatchers: the travel game." I loved the fact that Heather didn't know who Jimmy Hoffa was and Cree did. Cree is a great character with her black fingernails, black outfit and one steel box for a suitcase. I loved the image of her black fingernails draped over the seat. At first I didn't like prim and proper Heather but then I had sympathy for her because of losing her twin sister. I had the same feeling for the professor, but I liked her in the end. She was hurting also. I liked the ending when Cree and Heather encouraged Hope to meet her lost love. GREAT BOOK!

Adrian Louis' "Bone and Juice" is a wonderful book of poems with a strong and unique voice. Louis' blunt eloquence is refreshing. The main reason why this book is unique to me is how Louis uses his Native American heritage and its effect on his life to produce a body of poems that the reader can feel is the honest truth. He allows the reader to relate to him. Louis' poems are not like the poems you read that are mere quirky observations of what is going on around you. His poems are about living, changing, and coping. They are formed from sincere reflections and lucid thoughts true to the moment of conception. What is even greater about Louis is that he can comfortably and skillfully add humor and sarcasm to serious issues. And therefore the reader can not only be inspired by the poems themselves but also by the hope and perseverance of his writing style.
Poems such as "Juice" and "The Promise" are great examples of Louis' strength as a poet and as a person. I think that these are the types of poems that can cut to a person's heart making the reader exclaim "wow" in amazement at witnessing Louis' understanding of himself. Although many people cannot even begin to empathize with what it means to be part of the minority in America, let alone being part of a culture that has been nearly exterminated by colonization throughout the centuries, Love can be generally understood by most people. And the depth and loyalty that Louis shows in his Colleen poems is quite admirable and powerful.
Louis, while being skilled enough to let the reader understand him, also brings us to a world that is most likely unknown to some people particularly readers of poetry.

For those people interested in great poetry, Adrian Louis's, "Bone and Juice" will satiate the biggest poetry fanatic. In this collection of works, Louis fuses his rhythm and bluntness with a unique humor to express the loss of spirituality in the Native American community. More than his words, his boldness in portraying the sadness that he feels at his world will have readers mesmerized.

I enjoyed Bones & Juice because Mr. Louis gives some insight to life of the Native American. His insight is a refreshing example of a person who has mastered his craft with care,and the tenacity of a true Warrior. A good read that will touch your soul.

Poetry lovers need this book by Adrian C. Louis. It's thoughtful, at times funny, and brilliantly constructed. Louis is a master of image and isn't afraid to tackle a variety of issues from age, to insanity, to culture, to God. He juxtaposes the historical tragedy of the Native American with personal tragedy, particularly his relationship with Colleen. I read this book in an hour and was upset to find that I didn't have more to read. All in all, a wonderful book.

Without a doubt, Adrian C. Louis is one of the best modern poets alive. His poems draw upon a vast range of inspirations, including his heritage and various experiences with the opposite sex. Additionally, his imagery and phrasing don't try to show things in a fluffy fantasy world. Everything he writes is straight forward and never leaves you trying to guess at a hidden meaning. Fans of poetry should not be without this book, even if the word Cowturdville worries you.