Literature Books

This book features some excellent beat writers and includes informative blurbs on their history and style. Each artist has a little chunk of their writing for you to sample, and the material is everything from stories to letters to classically bad prose.

What impressed me were the essays by each other, on the actual generation hype.

"Young people seemed more intense, clutching, and I couldn't help feeling they took themselves too seriously... 'good, clean fun' appeared to be a thing of the past. Or perhaps the aura of suspicion and defensiveness was merely a reflection of my own fears..." --Carylon Cassady

It's a great book for deciding which authors you want to read more of.

This reader is a good overall introduction to beat literature. While I could have done with a few more examples of writing from the women in the movement, that probably would not have kept the book as "portable" as its title promises.

An absolute wonder, a perfect selection of Beat writings: Poems, fragments of novels, essays, history, mythology, philosophy... The Portable Beat Reader is one of the most essential books in my collection and rarely leaves my side. And it is, thankfully, portable, and much easier than bringing everything with you all the time. Aquire it, open it, and just start reading.

Simply put, this is what I turn to when I need inspiration for reading, for creating, for anything. It combines wonderful bios of everyone from Kerouac to Bob Dylan, and their poems, book excerpts, and lyrics galore. Absolutely enjoyable, absolutely essential. Thank god for Ann Charters.

After riding the whirlwind of On The Road and Howl, many readers will acquire an appetite for Beat literature that will lead them to this book. Ann Charters serves up some of the best pieces of Beat Literature in this anthology. However, some inclusions, such as excerpts from On The Road, could be considered sacrilege, as the texts were never meant to be cut up, and suffer as a result. The Bob Dylan lyrics included by Charters indicate that she was no Dylan scholar, as other tracks would have been more suitable. However, with inclusions such as Neal Cassady's letters, William S. Burroughs adventure narratives, and the lesser known Beat poetry, this anthology is indispensable.

The Rag Coat


The Rag Coat is a story about a young girl with hope who has always helped others and needs the favor returned. This story will have you counting your blessings. And the young girl is full of hope, and when you are done reading you will be too.

Detailed and colorful pictures are on every page you turn. For example, the cover with the coat shows how much details are in each fragment. This is a great story to read a loud in groups or just at home on the couch. It's especially on a cold winter night! The story makes you feel like someone is actually telling you. This book proves how hard times can bring people and families together. All of the quilting moms take time to help after the death of a loved person.
The Rag Coat is a great story to read aloud; as you flip through the pages, you see detailed and colorful pictures. This book proves how hard times bring people together. The main character Minna really brings the story to life!

I bought copies of this book for my two granddaughters and one for me too. That way we can read together over the phone. This story is so very special, well written with beautiful pictures. Both girls, ages 11 and 7 loved it, and so did grandma. This one is a keeper for sure!

I bought this book for my 6 year old son. We absolutely love this book. It is such a sweet story. It teaches an important lesson as well. If you want to teach your child to be compassionate towards others, then this story is a great way to begin.

Like some other reviewers, I cried as I read this book to my children. It is a touching tale of an 8 year old girl Minna who is coping with her father's death, trying to help her mom to overcome their poverty and dealing with humiliation of poverty. My daughter (8) said it is sad story with a happy ending - and it is true. The simple message "people only need people" stays in every heart long after you have finished reading the book.

The Rag Coat is a book that young readers and their families will adore. It is also a book that teaches, beautifully, the value of family, friends and the loving support that we can give each other in times of need.

As precious as the story are the magnificent illustrations, so soft and lovely that they make you feel as though you are holding an antique in your hands. Every page of this book is an inspiration, and only the most hard-hearted oould come away without a renewal of spirit.

I heartily recommend this book, and hope that it finds a home in schools and libraries.

This book is absolutely ridiculous. Instead of truly investigating this subject, this guy merely states his own personal prejudice. Don't waste your time with this book.

This book is an eye opener. There will be a before and after in my life regarding having read this book. I was just not aware of the peril that Islam represents to our Christian-Western civilization. The author does a great job explaining why Islam is not a peaceful religion, in fact, Islam is as much a political system as it is a religion. Politically, Islam is bent on world domination as much as Fascism and Communism once did. If you are not already planning to become a Muslim, ignore this book at your own risk.

Gregory Davis has written a book that will hopefully dispel the most common misperception of Islam as a religion of peace. In no way does Davis proclaim all Muslims are violent or fundamental but he does detail the struggle between one set of values and another and how Islam is believed by Muslims to be the only acceptable religion. The reader will learn that there is no freedom of religion in Islam and how Muslims have a duty to Allah to replace all other religions with Islam through whatever means necessary.

While some of the more moderate Muslims will sit back and condemn us infidels for being "intolerant" to their beliefs (just read some of these book reviews!)they are also looking the other way at violence committed in the name of Allah. Muslims that believe fundamentally actively seek the subjugation or destruction of all other religions. It is something that the Western World must come to grips with to combat it.

This is an excellent book for anyone just starting to question what they've been told to believe about Islam and just how much it contradicts with what they see. The book is a fast read and will hopefully leave the reader wanting more information.

It is anathema in America to vocally criticize another's religion. But the critique of Islam is not restricted to merely religious doctrine.

It would be a joy to see an Islamic scholar attempt to debunk even one of Dr. Davis's numerous cogent arguments and conclusions. It simply isn't happening nor will it. Note one reviewer of ROP (a Muslim) attempts to invoke the "no compulsion in religion" Sura; conveniently excluding any mention that this Sura has long been abrogated by Islamic jurisprudence and Qur'anic expositors. Dr. Davis (a Stanford PhD) has, as have a number of contemporary scholars, exposed completely the fallacy of Muslim contentions that there is no "religious compulsion" in Islam. The distinctly Islamic ideological concepts of "abrogation" and "takiyya" will startle the reader who is making an intellectually rigorous and honest attempt to learn about the dysfunctional aspects of the Qur'an and Haddith. Why does Islamic law (sharia) punish with death a Muslim who sees the light and discards his/her Islamic faith?

130 pages of scholarly rigor will compel those in free societies to be further educated about a clear and present danger. This is patently not hyperbole.

Muslims can no longer be permitted to hide behind the veil of their religion; it is not merely a religion but a primitive totalitarian ideology. Therefore, the Qur'an and Muhammad (sunna/Haddith) are absolutely fair game and subject to critical examination and scrutiny requiring more substantive responses from Muslims than the typical proclamations of "anti-Muslim propaganda," and "religious prejudice."

Anyone who understands the value of classical liberal thinking MUST, at some point, address the inherent problems of Islamic ideology. Dr. Davis will have the most skeptical reader motivated to learn more.

It is astounding that we permit public education in America to teach Islam is a religion of peace. A Muslim may be peaceful but stop the intellectually fallacious notion the Islam is a religion of peace.

The evidence demands a verdict, and Dr. Davis has delivered. An astoundingly timely read. High School and college students can begin an intellectually honest and academically rigorous study of Islamic ideology with this book. I submit that for legions of readers, Dr. Davis will ignite an epiphany.

A true eye-opener. Many people are aware that, for Islam, the only acceptable form of government is a theocracy. That is, one in which religion dictates the laws. What few people realize, is that Islam has not abandoned its expansionist philosophy of the seventh century. It has simply lacked the means to further that expansion, until recently.

Yes, one can find verses in the Our'an which speak of peace with the other "peoples of the book", that to say, Jews and Christians. However, these verses date from the beginning of Islam, when it was struggling to
exist. Once Islam became well established in Arabia, the verses of the Qur'an instruct Muslims to make war on the unbelievers, and to spread the religion by force.

As the Qur'an is the word of God, it can never be changed. However, verses can be abrogated (made void), by later verses, although all of the
verses, both void and current, remain in the text of the Qur'an. Today's Islamist terrorists are but practicing the mandates of the seventh century
Islam, in accordanc with the dictates of the Qur'an. Their goal is to conquer the entire planet for Islam. The extablishment of an Islamic hegemony.

I went to a Sarah Vowell talk. She talked about American History. She had a fascination with Puritans. She disparaged "Sinners in the hand of an Angry God" and Edwards. I wanted to ask her if she will read any other book by Edwards. If so, she would realise that his portrait of the beauty of God and of Holiness is far more powerful than his view of Hell. He is one of the greatest thinkers that the North American continent has ever produced and Vowell was judging him on one short sermon.

Don't get me wrong. This book is dry in spots. The language is a little convoluted. He is so systematic and precise, I wanted to skip ahead, but that would have been a mistake. It took me forever to get through it. I read it because Piper recommended it, but I stuck with it because my soul was being fed. Even in the first few chapters where he is setting up his argument, he throws out sentences about how we should enjoy God, how we should not judged others, and how we can better live the Christ life. He taught me how I should enjoy God and how I should more accurately view salvation. Every body should read this book and read it slowly. The prose lulled me to sleep and then he gave me another insight into the Christian life I never thought about before.

I like Piper, but this book is far better than anything Piper has written. This is one of the main sources where Piper derives his "Christian Hedonism." People criticise Piper because they think he is flippant. They think Christian Hedonism doesn't address suffering and other aspects of the Christian life. They should read this book. Our enjoyment of God and our desire for God is what sustains us in our suffering. It is a thirst we will never fully quenched. It is a well in which we will never reach bottom. Piper's theology is not new and it is not shallow. He draws his theology from the deepest and most thoughtful writers of Christian history. "Religious Affections" will deepen your walk with God.

The Religious Affections is probably the most profound analysis of spiritual experience ever written - and by the most brilliant philosopher/theologian to ever come from North America (and possibly the English language).

Jonathan Edwards wrote this book after the Great Awakening with which he was closely involved. He wrote as both a friend, defending the authenticity of revivals - and also as a critique, warning against putting trust in things which were not certain signs of genuine Spirit-wrought affections.

His treatise takes three parts. In part one he defines his terms and gives twelve reasons why genuine religion (i.e. Christian spirituality - "religion," in Edwards day, did not have the negative connotations that it carries today) consists much in the affections. The affections, for Edwards, are more than mere emotions - they are the strong and lively inclinations of the will, seated in the human heart.

Part two discusses twelve things which are not certain signs of true religious affections. These are things which Edwards warned should not be trusted as evidences of grace OR discarded as evidences that the Holy Spirit has NOT worked in a saving way. They are not indicators one way or the other.

Part three is the most lenghty and examines twelve things which are signs of a true work of the grace, wrought by God's holy Spirit in the heart. This is where Edwards is at his best - carefully, logically, biblically, and passionately describing the true evidences of regeneration. His analysis is keen, his thoughts clear, his argument orderly, his scholarship extensive, his knowledge of Scripture profuse, and his understanding of the human heart profound.

This particular edition - produced by Yale and edited by John Smith - is the best critical edition in print. The introduction and notes on the text are very helpful, as Smith summarizes Edwards' arguments and backgrounds the Puritan writers and their books which Edwards quotes in Religious Affections. This volume also includes Edwards' related correspondence with Thomas Gillespie from Scotland - this being the first time the complete correspondence has been printed in the same volume with the Affections.

This is not an easy book to read. Edwards takes getting used to. But it is very worthwhile. I'm currently reading it for the third time and I continue to find it useful. I highly recommend it for pastors and preachers and all Christians who yearn for a personal and corporate work of the Spirit in revival and spiritual awakening.

This is one of the three Edwards works every Christian should read, along with Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and The Prevailing Notion of the Freedom of the Will... (the original title was a mile long!). Sinners is the shortest read, then this, then Freedom. This will help you understand the Great Awakening from Edwards perspective, while kindling in you a passion to know God more intimately.

This is one of the great devotional Christian classics of the 18th century, but it still packs a mighty punch today. It began its life as a series of sermons preached by Edwards to his Northampton congregation in 1742 and 1743, and was first published in 1746. Edwards discusses the place of religious fervor and feelings in the Christian life. For those who prefer a more staid and serene Christian existence, Edwards discusses the prevalence of such scripturally based affections as love, joy, desire, compassion, and zeal. He concludes this opening section by asking how can people sit and hear about "the unparalleled love of the innocent, and holy, and tender Lamb of God, manifested in His dying agonies, His bloody sweat, His loud and bitter cries, and bleeding heart, and all this for enemies, to redeem them from deserved eternal burnings, and to bring to unspeakable and everlasting joy and glory, - and yet be cold and heavy, insensible and regardless! Where are the excesses of our affections proper, if not here?"

After this stirring salvo, Edwards then addresses those who have gone overboard in emphasizing emotional experiences by giving 12 false signs which are thought by many to be indicative of someone who is experiencing true religious affections from God. Many people trust in the depthness of their emotions, the zeal for doing churchwork, the experiences they have had when a scripture verse came to mind, the appearance of love in a person's life, etc, but these things in and of themselves are not conclusive proof of God's divine grace.

Then in the body of the book, Edwards discusses 12 clear signs that God is at work in the life, and the chief sign is that there is a greater appreciation and love for God for who He is and not primarily for what you can get from Him.

Another sign that you are expression truly divine religious affections is that you continue to live for Christ every day. If you have one or two days in church where you feel genuinely inspired and then go back to living a life of sin, then you have not experienced a genuine awakening from God, because when God awakens you, you will be changed forever. Everything you do in life will be motivated by a selfless love for God and for His divine qualities and a selfless love for others.

This book was a shattering read for me because I have often looked upon the religious experiences in my life as proof that I was 'in the Lord,' or proof that I was walking with the Lord, when in actuality, a changed life is the proof.

I should also say that the book is a bit wordy. Many sentences are almost a whole paragraph long. You really have to concentrate to get the main idea in certain portions of the book. The reader not used to 18th century writing might have to adjust to these long and sometimes meandering sections.

But you will be greatly rewarded if you give this book the time and study that it deserves.

An essential work on Christian faith and its natural manifestation in human emotion. Written by arguably the greatest Calvinist preacher to ever live.

Este libro es la tercera parte de la trilogia que se forma con "La hija de la fortuna" y "La casa de los espiritus".
Con el estilo maravilloso de la narracion de Isabel Allende, es una mezcla perfecta entre fantasia y realidad que atrapa al lector hasta el final.
Excellente libro para recomendar!

este libro lo recomiendo 100% me encanto ,y puedo decir que es uno de sus mejores trabajos.

Es un libro muy entretenido que dificilmente lo quieres dejar de leer. La gracia que tiene Isabel Allende al describir a los personajes hace que te adentres en ellos.

MCAC

Esta es la primera novela que leo
de la escritora Isabel Allende, me
parecio una obra genial, la manera
y el estilo de Allende son tan originales
que me dejan sin aliento y sin nada
mas que agregar,lo unico que se puede
decir es que la lean.

Excellent Novel, should be read as a supplement after reading "La Hija de la Fortuna" from the same author.

For a book that eventually got made into a Steve McQueen movie I was very surprised by the depth of this book.

McKenna does an excellent job of portraying China in transition, told from the points of view of the sailors on the USS San Pablo and from the missionaries at China Light, people whose world is literally shattered. The first part of the book focuses on the protagonist, Jake Holman, as he learns to adjust to life onboard the tiny San Pablo after having transferred from the Pacific Fleet. Everything is going to be perfect, he is going to have his own engine, his own engine room and be able to run it the way he wants to. Except that's not how it is on the San Pablo - most of the engineering work is done by coolies, cheap contract laborers who make their living by skimming off the ship's supplies. Coolies cook, clean, iron uniforms, swab the decks, maintain the engine and do all of the menial work leaving the crew to drill, and drill and drill and drill. The paper tiger of the San Pablo's small crew and it's three pound cannon is the only force guarding American interests - missionaries, factories, mines and more, this far up the Yangtze and appearances have to be maintained no matter how ultimately ineffective the reality may be.

By the second part of the book the Chinese have seen through it. The armies of Chiang Kai-Shek marching under the "gearwheel" flag of the Kuomintang are marching north towards the Yangtze while Bolshevist forces are working and agitating along the northern banks of the river. At first the coolies start skimming more and more off the top, and then they abandon the ship, running overboard and swimming towards a blockade of sampans that have started to surround and harass the ship every day. China is awakening to a sense of self-identity that had been suppressed for a very long time and the men of the San Pablo are despised relics of the old China, an abused and tortured China with no sense of pride or self-worth.

Perhaps one of the most difficult things for the crew to deal with is the fact that the people they are supposed to be protecting, largely missionaries, are full supporters of the Kuomintang. When the San Pablo is told to stand back and only defend American lives, not American property, it is because of the missionaries who have gone home and lobbied for American non-involvement in China. The reader feels the frustration, anger and demoralization of the crew as they are curtailed repeatedly from executing what is supposed to be their primary purpose - protection of American interests. The Chinese have also learned how to make paper tigers of their own from their Russian advisors and waste no time in churning out propaganda and sometimes outright lies about the San Pablo and their men. There is no place for the men of the San Pablo towards the end of the book - their country has for all intents and purposes abandoned them and there is no place in this new, alien China they find themselves in.


One last thing I will mention is that that most readers will be sent running for a dictionary of mechanical engineering by about fifteen pages in. I learned more about steam and marine engines reading this book than I ever expected to.

The Sand Pebbles is a wonderful, edgy, sweeping, panoramic novel, to be sure, and I highly recommend it for all those reasons. But one aspect of it makes it an unexpectedly valuable historical statement. It concerns the sailors of a US Navy vessel patrolling the upper reaches of China's Yangtze River in 1925 and....

Excuse me? Hello? There were US Navy vessels a thousand miles inside China? In 1925? In the heyday of "isolationism?" During the supposedly minimalist administration of "Silent Cal" Coolidge? Can you imagine the equivalent, were the tables turned: that some foreign power might assert its "right" to protect its expatriate nationals by permanently stationing gunboats on the Ohio between Cincinnati and Pittsburgh? The arrogance of it (and its undoubted cost to the US taxpayer) is staggering.

If highlighting this absurdity was any part of author McKenna's immediate intention, it's not apparent. He was too great an artist to flog any political point-of-vew. But his realism requires him to portray the ambivalence of the sailors on the front line of this policy, the rigidly-repressed doubts of the captain, the hostility of some of the putative beneficiaries, the cheerful advantage taken of it by a few, and the stubborn resistance to alternatives or change everywhere.

"The Sand Pebbles" is an interesting and entertaining novel set in China circa 1925. China is governed by feuding warlords, and its foreign trade is dominated by foreign "treaty powers" including the USA, Japan, and the leading European nations, all of which maintain strong naval and marine forces in China to maintain their positions and protect foreign persons and property.

The novel takes place on an obsolete, barely functioning American river gunboat, the "San Pablo," known to her crew as the "Sand Pebble." The protagonist, Jake Holman, is an engineer-crewman aboard the Sand Pebble. Jake has a passion for mastering the ship's engines, but initially is frustrated by the fact that aboard the Sand Pebble each American sailor has a Chinese coolie understudy who in fact does almost all of the work aboard ship. The Sand Pebble crewmen have delegated almost all of the ship's routine to a shadow crew of Chinese coolies, and do very little actual work. Jake's frustration with the coolie-understudy system and his attempt to fit in with the Sand Pebble crew are part of the main theme of the novel.

The real story of "The Sand Pebbles" is, however, the emergence of China as a modern nation. The Kuomantang Chinese Nationalist movement is becoming ascendant in China as the novel unfolds, and it seeks to sweep away foreign influence, and the warlord system that has kept China weak and divided. The officers and crew of the "Sand Pebble," in common with the other foreign military forces, must deal with this new movement, which seeks to change Old China, which had seemed eternally unchangeable. The slow understanding by the foreigners, including the Sand Pebble, that this change is real and something that must be dealt with, is the real story in the novel.

Author McKenna does a masterful job of presenting China as it was in the 1920s, together with life in the American gunboat navy of those times. This is a novel rich with detail and atmosphere. Both the American and Chinese protagonists are presented with dignity and insight, making this a very interesting read. While the storyline of crewman Holman is interesting enough, this is only an excuse to tell the real story--the transformation of China.

This novel will reward the patient reader. I personally found it engrossing and entertaining. Recommended.

Some weeks ago, I was playing channel flip on the telly, and came across an old movie on a cable station. Happily, I caught it at just the begining, and settled in to watch this tale of American Navy men aboard a rickety gunboat in China. In fact, I was interested enough to find a copy of the book that the film was based on and happily settled in to read.

The Sand Pebbles tells the story of the San Pablo, a creaky, none too sturdy gunboat from the Spanish-American war cruising the rivers and lakes in Hunan Province in China. Much like the boat, the crew isn't much too look at either; under the command of Lt. Collins, they're a rough lot, at the very bottom of the barrel. Into this world comes Jake Holman, another American seaman, who has come to the San Pablo to find a place where he can fit in, without the annoyance of the petty demands that the Navy sets on their crewmen.

As Holman finds out very quickly, he doesn't fit in very well at first. For one thing, there's the system of letting the local chinese coolies do all of the work, while the crew merely sits back and, well there's a lot of topside drills. Holman hates it, being one of those sorts who would rather be with his beloved engines than around other people. It's a trait that instantly sets him apart from everyone else in the crew. They don't care what's going on, just so long as they don't have to do much, have good chow and clean quarters, with on board coolies to do the laundry and give daily shaves, and liberty now and then. They grumble a bit, but it's friendly jibbing -- they know they have it good here, with a fine soft perch, and are collectively known as the Sand Pebbles.

But Holman -- it's not so good. He almost immediately gets into a fight with the coolie who is running the black gang in the engine room, with consequences that will have much more serious repercussions later. He takes another coolie, Po-Han, who has promise, trying to teach him the inner workings of the ship's engines, but a lack of communication skills make it nearly impossible. Holman struggles to fit in, but it not easy.

We also get to met other crewmen, from Frenchy Burgoyne who is smitten by a delicate Chinese girl that he could never marry; Red Dog Shanahan, perpetual troublemaker and wise-mouth; Lynch, one of the petty officers with a Russian woman tucked away in Hankow. Finally there are the missionaries at China White, a nearby religious outpost. Holman is attracted to Miss Eckart, a young woman that he is drawn to despite the deep wide of culture and morality that separates them. For a while, everything seems to be settling in place, but all too soon, revolution is growing and soon the San Pablo will be right in the middle of it all.

I have to say, I was really impressed with the book. Author Richard McKenna takes the time to create a world that is very alien to most of his readers, and his own knowledge from serving with the US Navy gives the details of living on board a gunboat an authentic flavour. While many readers will be offended by the slang and abuse that is very misogynist and racist, it also brings forward a past that most of us never knew. McKenna is simply writing about the world as it was at the time -- where other nations and races were viewed with outright suspicision and no one worried much if such terms as 'slant eye,' 'Slopehead' or 'chink' was hurled about. But McKenna is also careful in how he does it as well -- the reader will find themselves being rather unsettled as they read, and left to decide for themselves if times have really changed much in the last forty years since this novel was published. In any case, it is certainly a very good read, with plenty of introspection, action, and the day to day lives of men who are being forced into a untenable situation and one that may have no survivors.

I recommend this one for any one interested in military history, China in the 1920's, or just want a good story about bravery and heroism in a desperate time.

In this new edition, Robert Shenk provides an introduction that talks about Richard McKenna's own adventures serving in China with the US Navy, his attempts to write after leaving military service (he wrote science fiction at first), and then the experiences that brought around writing The Sand Pebbles. The book is now published by the Naval Institute Press as a Bluejacket Edition, a collection of books that focus on naval and military subjects.

It really doesn't matter about your attitudes about war with this one; instead it focuses on the people who work hard and serve, sometimes in awful places and situations and explore their lives and thoughts, and how they survive. It's just about a five star read, and I was left with quite a few questions and thoughts myself once I had finished it. It's a very different sort of novel than what is being published today, without the hyperaggressive macho of most military thrillers today, and one that feels and sounds realistic.

Five stars. Highly recommended.

Old China Hand had a meaning during the early 20th Century. Jake Holman, primary American character of this book is an old China hand. He's a sailor on an American gunboat, a part of the multi-national forces cruising the interior waters of a China in the throes of unrest, warlordism, rebellion, turbulence and chaos created by the downfall of the Manchu Dynasty and the Boxer Rebellion.

Jake's navy is one that resembles the post-WWII US Army in most of Asia prior to Vietnam in some ways. Asians do the unpleasant and difficult chores as houseboys and other types of assistants, to the point of imposing a dependence on them and degradation of competence of the Americans. Those who love Chinese history, those who love historical fiction, those who served in the Far East and remember, almost anyone can appreciate this classic work of (greater than) historical fiction.

This book is one you'll read more than once, probably see the movie and love it, and read the book again without feeling the least letdown. It's a gripping tale of an almost forgotten time in history. I recommend it thoroughly, whatever your reason for reading it.

This is a profoundly moving book by a Palestinian woman about the plight of her people. A work of fiction, it breathes life into the Palestinian experience of the past sixty years in a way that dry works of history cannot. It describes the frustration and misery of a people who have been denied their land, human rights, and even an accurate understanding of the injustices they have endured. Susan Abulhawa has a very descriptive vocabulary that evokes the richness of the Arabic language itself. Anyone seeking to know why the woefully intractable Arab-Israeli conflict continues to endure will learn much from this book. It is an outstanding read by a gifted, impassioned author.

I'm the daughter of Palestinian-American immigrants who came here with a hope for the future. They still tried to tell us about what they left behind, and what we're fighting for. I thought I knew pretty well what I was advocating all this time, until I bought a copy of this book. I couldn't put it down, and I've reread it 3 more times since. I truly felt that I knew what it meant to be Palestinian, and felt that I truly could understand my parents and my family for the first time. I've recommended this book to all my friends who are still confused about my mission, my culture, and my pride. Anyone who needs a real point of view of an oppressed people needs to read this book. You won't regret it.

This book is dangerously anti-Semitic and denies history. Even "Publisher's Weekly" (see above), usually very supportive, dislikes the outrageous misrepresentations of the book. I regret that more people have not pointed out the blatant prejudice and falsehood of the text in their reviews.

Susan Abulhawa's first novel created pangs in my stomach as I read her historical fiction. The Scar of David will leave a scar in the heart of anyone who reads it - as the pain and disbelief of the author's detailed account of a Palestinian family, raped by Israeli aggression and imperialism will surely mark a permanent memory to anyone who abhors injustice. Susan's characters are alive in their misery but persistent in their hope for justice while yearning for the right of return to their homeland. She is to be commended for her expert use of language and metaphor to help unravel the knots of discord that still exist in her homeland today. Dr. Pamela Allegretto-Diiulio

At no time in my life has a book had such a firm grip on my heart and soul. The most intriguing aspect of Susan Abulhawa's writing style is her innate ability to make you feel you are in every scene as a witness, resulting in a vast range of emotions including love, joy, sadness, horror, anger, forgiveness, wonderment, but never indifference. Though fictional, the characters soon become real, as if you've known, spoken, and walked with each of them. Susan Abulhawa has an exceptional talent and has given the world a beautiful gift, The Scar of David.

If you loved The Far Pavilions, you will love Shadow of the Moon as well. This beautifully written book withstands the test of time. I was able to get the original version from my library as opposed to the abridged version which evidently came out some years later.
M.M. Kaye writes of a time in India surrounding 1857 and places you there with exquisite descriptions of the land, its people and that time of unrest. My favorite aspect of her writing is her female heroines; they live up to that role and are not reduced to inane conduct for the story's sake. She writes about them in a consistent and believable way. The secondary characters fill out the depth of the tale for a complete array of personalities. She does not hold back conveying the idiotic manner some Brits behaved during this event, adding the perfect touch of realism to this story. Very highly recommended.

M. M. Kaye's extraordinary novel "Shadow of the Moon" combines historical fact with a wonderful love story set against the beauty and complexity of India during the British Raj. One of Ms. Kaye's gifts as a writer is her ability to create three-dimensional characters and plausibly insert them into historic events. Here she intertwines her cast of characters with history and through the microcosm of their lives we view the dramatic events of the past.

The action in M. M. Kaye's novel pivots around the Mutiny of 1857," also called the "Sepoy Rebellion." Indian soldiers in the Bengal army of the British East India Company rose against their British rulers in May 1857 and the violent uprising quickly spread throughout British ruled India. "Shadow of the Moon" is the love story of an Anglo-Spanish heiress with vast land holdings in India and a political officer of the East India Company. The author intertwines the lives of these two central characters, and a large supporting cast, with historical events to create a wonderful epic novel.

Ms. Kaye has written more than a historical novel here, although the book is full of romance, intrigue and the extraordinary colors of India. The author is the daughter of Anglo-Indians and writes with an obvious love of the country and all its varied cultures. She portrays many of the colonialist characters with the arrogant and superior attitudes so prevalent at the time and juxtaposes them and their narrowly focused lives against the realities of the world which surrounds them. These Victorian colonial attitudes, beliefs and zeal to spread their culture and religion appear to have made the uprising an inevitability.

I couldn't put this novel down and can't recommend it highly enough!
Jana

This is a superlative work of beautifully written, well-researched historical fiction by the author of the best selling, sweeping epic, "The Far Pavilions". The author was born in India, where she lived most of her life. Her love of that country is evident in her loving, descriptive passages of the land of her birth. Her assessment of Anglo-Indian relations during the time of the British Raj is infused in the characters of her spellbinding novel. With exotic, mid-eighteenth century India as a backdrop for most of this engrossing story, the reader is swept away by its beautifully descriptive narrative. It is in India that the fate of a beautiful, young, Anglo-Spaniard heiress with the improbable name of Winter Ballasteros and that of Captain Alex Randall, a commissioned officer with the East India Company, are irrevocably intertwined.

Born in India and orphaned at an early age, Winter is brought up in England but is always longing for the land of her birth. The opportunity to return home to India presents itself when she is betrothed at a tender age to the debauched Conway Barton, the grasping Commissioner of Lunjore, who is many years her senior. Captain Randall, who is sent by the Commissioner to escort his betrothed to India, is loathe to do so, knowing the Commissioner to be no fit husband for a seventeen year old girl, Moreover, Captain Randall is keenly sensitive to the potentially dangerous feelings of unrest that seem to be sweeping India, as its native population begins to chafe under the insensitive rule of its colonial masters.

Once in India and against a backdrop of native unrest, Winter and Captain Randall slowly begin to develop a relationship. When the Sepoy Rebellion of 1957 occurs, Winter and Captain Randall are thrown together. They discover that they must struggle to survive the madness and bloodlust that is all around them, as they witness atrocities beyond comprehension. The author gives a vivid re-creation of the Siege of Delhi, as well as a plaintive telling of the massacre of women and children at Cawnpore, a horrific bloodbath from which even the natives themselves shrank. It is against this tumultuous, historical backdrop that the personal drama of Winter and Captain Randall is juxtaposed.

With a wonderful cast of Indian and Anglo characters, the author gives the reader a sense of the vastness of India with its many different religions and castes. She successfully depicts the colonialist attitudes that would serve to unite Indians whose paths might not ordinarily cross and galvanize them to take violent action in an attempt to break the oppressive, colonial yoke. The Sepoy Rebellion of 1857 would be a lesson that England would long remember.

This is a riveting novel that those who love well-written historical fiction will enjoy, as will those who simply love a well told tale. Bravo!

This was just an amazing book. Once the author set up her characters and story line things just cooked along -- be prepared for the last 200 pages, because you will not surface for air until it's done! We have Winter, a wealthy heiress born and orphaned in India and sent to England to be raised by mostly uncaring relatives(except for the great-grandfather). When her great-grandfather dies, she is sent at the age of 17 to join her fiancee under the care of Alex Randall, who unbeknownst to her is now a debauched, obese drunk. Alex does try to tell her, but she maintains her childhood image of her "hero" and will not listen, to her great regret.

Lots of trials and tribulations as our hero and heroine travel back to India, the meeting and marriage to Conway and the Sepoy rebellion, and vividly portrayed by an author who has a great knowledge and love of the country and it's history. This is not only a story of two lovers, but one of stubborn, bigoted officials hiding their heads in the sand, treachery, intrigue and the brutal way in which the rebellion played out against the British, even shocking some of their own people. As with The Far Pavilions, it is shocking to see after 150 years not much of life and politics has changed in the Middle East, nor should the Europeans (or Americans now for that matter) be interfering in their life, culture and religion.

Highly recommended for any lover of historical fiction, India, or just a darn good book. This would make an awesome mini series, the sequences from the attack on the British and Alex and Winter's escape are just breathtaking. As a side note for those loooking for well written books for younger readers, this should be a good choice. Originally written in the 50's, the love scenes are quite chaste. Just be prepared for some gory, though accurate, portrayal of the violence aginst the British (including women and children) during the rebellion.

If you enjoy this book, I would also recommend Zemindar. The same topic, the Sepoy rebellion, and beautifully written. The author's prose was gorgeous, very reminiscent of Charlotte Bronte.

"Shadow of the Moon" is the story of the time before and after the Sephoy rebellion. It is the story of two people who are passionate about India, Winter and Alex. As an officer in the Indian army, Alex is asked to escort seventeen year old English/Spanish/Indian heiress Winter back to the land of her birth, to the man she has been engaged too since age eleven. Alex expects an older woman-a spinster with no other option than to marry his corpulent, drug and alcohol addled chief. But Winter's true age, and her childish attachment to the handsome man she was affianced too brings out a resented sense of responsibility in Alex and he continues to watch over her in India.

I read in the back of my copy of "Shadow of the Moon" that the original version, published in the 1950's, contained less than half of the original manuscript, which was re-printed in its entirety in the 80's. It's easy when reading this book to see what would have been cut out-M.M. Kaye is great at describing social interactions, clothing and landscapes but she isn't so good when describing the politics that went on before the Sephoy rebellion. So the original book would have been (I imagine) a romance with very little insight to the political ramifications of the British occupation of India. It's a pity that the real manuscript took too long to come out because while it has its slow parts it is a very complete picture of two very different societies occupying the same space and expecting to co-exist.

Winter and Alex, our main characters, represent two very different aspects of India. Though both were born and to some extent, raised there, neither is actually of the land (though they both posses physical traits which allow them to fake it.) Winter, because of her sex and marriage is incorporated in British India, and Alex, even though he works for the British army, has an understanding of the Indian feelings toward the British that most people can hardly grasp. So he spends the majority of the novel sneaking around, finding information about the rebellion he believes will happen soon. Naturally, no one believes him because with the conceit of the conquerors, the British believe they are enhancing and improving Indian society and culture.

Naturally our hero and heroine develop feelings for each other-which come to a head at the worst possible moment when they are hiding from Indians who are outraged enough to commit atrocities beyond belief.

Like The Far Pavilions this an amazing novel full of romance, vivid descriptions of culture, places, clothing and attitudes of the time. While not quite as engaging as "Pavilions" (mostly because of the political discussions, which Kaye never really manages to make all that interesting though they should be fascinating) it is head and tails above Trade Wind.(Though of course everything Kaye writes is wonderful, it only varies by slight degrees.)

Five stars. But make sure you get the complete version!

This is a good story. The guidelines recommend it for 9-12 years old and I feel that the subject matter and length of the story make it more appropriate for the typical Junior High schooler/young High Schooler looking for a meaningful and at times, humorous story during the Christmas season.

The *storyline* of The Shopping Cart Man is wonderful! I just finished it, and am happy to say that I feel a warm glow. As I began reading the book, I expected a moral parable...which it is. But in addition, this is *also* a mystery novel--and I adore mystery novels. The mystery aspect really picks up in the second half (as does the entire story), when the details of Sam's (the Shopping Cart Man's) past begin to emerge. As I neared the end, I both wanted to read faster to find out what happened, and slow down because I wanted to extend the pleasure of spending time with these characters.

I do hope that this book is picked up by a commercial publishing house, because the attentions of a good editor could transform it from good to excellent. That's why I gave it 4 rather than 5 stars; with some polishing, this could be a 5 star novel. There are some places where the story lags and there is overly much detail, and others where I wish the story had been fleshed out somewhat more. But I know that almost all novels require some editing. Certainly this book is of a quality to warrant being picked up by a commercial publisher.

I also agree with other reviewers that this story would make a good Hallmark Channel movie, or something similar. The characters are well-developed (Luke is an especially funny kid!), and there is an ongoing conflict and flashbacks within Sam that would translate well to the screen.

This book might well appeal to a variety of audiences. It's ideal for young people aged 10-15 to read alone. But it would also be a really good book for parents and children, or teachers/students, to read out loud together, as it would likely trigger a lot of good discussion. On the other hand, I'm a 44 year old woman, and I enjoyed it too! So, yes, I'd say it could have broad appeal. I'm donating a second copy to my local Chicago library branch. In these times, I think we can all use all the "warm glows" we can get! :-) I hope to see more books by Mr. Nufer in the future.

The book was wonderfully written! I was engrossed until the very end. I enjoyed trying to figure out what was going to happen next. It also gave me a reminder of what's important in our lives and how we should try to make a difference to someone less fortunate than ourselves. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes to read about good people doing good things.

This book caught my attention at the very beginning and held it all the way to the end. I especially enjoyed the unpredictable finish. Its a story that makes one think about how we could make a difference in someone's life? I'm with many others who think it would make a great TV movie!

This book was wonderful! What a great reminder for all of us focus more on others!! Perfect for the holidays!!

We have a few pop-up type books and a lot of them just have something stand up, or have pieces that are too delicate for younger toddlers. Although this one is also easy to rip, there aren't tiny pieces so it takes a little more tug than some others. But the pop-ups are bright, not too busy, and really engage my toddler. Heads bobble, arms wave. We'll definitely keep an eye out for others in this series. On sale, only, of course, since the lifespan of this will surely be limited as much as my daughter loves it and will eventually manage to rip the pop-ups!

The book Snappy Little Colors is great because not only is it a book to teach kids about colors, it's a pop up too. They kids can have fun learning their colors as well as learning to read better. You get to see different animals with different colors on them. I would say this book would be good for kids the ages of 1 and up.

My son is 18 months old and he loves this book-- especially the shark and the bear! I am buying 2 Snappy books for a friend's 2-year-old's birthday. Excellent!

My daughter (26 months) LOVES this book! I read it to her often but she really spends lots of time looking at it on her own, too. She will flip through it saying each animal's name, then again making the sound of each animal, then one more time stating the main color on each page. Great big pop-ups really catch her attention. This book is especially helpful for learning colors or animal names. She loves it so much I have ordered her a couple of other Snappy Books for Christmas. Enjoy!

A friend gave this to me as a baby shower gift and I started reading it to my son at about 4 months.

At first it was the only book (out of many) to hold his attention all the way through. It still holds his attention now at 9 months no matter what he's doing when I open it.

The print and mechanical quality are first rate. The text is very well written and if I quote phrases from the book (at non-reading times) my son will recognize them and start giggling. The illustrations are quite clever and make learning entertaining.

If you buy no other children's book, buy this one! I plan to give it as a shower gift to all new moms from now on.