United States Books

I recently took a trip to NYC and I got this and a few other maps in advance to get to know the layout of the land. This is an excellent, detailed close-up map. It would be especially helpful for those who are moving to NYC or are there on a long trip.

If your new to visiting New York or you have been there before, this is great to have on you. I found a copy at my local library, wanted one for my trip, no one else had any in stock. Needed it in a week and Amazon delivered in two days. This is a great book, it has everything you need.

In this city, knowing EXACTLY where you're going is valuable because we are on foot most of the time: it's important to be able to plan what subway and/or bus combination it will take to get to a destination without extra walking/trudging about the city aimlessly.

Having every single major building number marked on this street atlas is also helpful as I am not the type that does the "formulas" found in the tourists' books to determine cross streets based on building numbers.

I have lived in NYC over 5 years and am astounded by the value this little book has. Buy it so you know where you're going in NYC!

I purchased this earlier this year, just prior to my trip to New York City.
It was really handy, especially considering it's size.
It's really easy to read, and it makes using the subway simple.

The street numbering is also very handy.

I bought this weeks before my vacation in NYC and it helped in my planning - AND it was invaluable during my stay. The bus maps were highly useful (tourists: take the buses, it's a great way to get from point a to point b) and having the building called out is great. The varying levels of detail are also great. I can't say enough good things about this book. Also, everyone I have shown this book to (both tourists and native New Yorkers) loves it.

This is such a great book! It's well written and witty - and completely hilarious! I actually enjoyed this book and found myself laughing out loud a lot more than I did when I read the new David Sedaris (which I also loved and don't tell him I'm saying this). Totally recommended. Go read this book immediately.

This book was great. It is nice to know that there is someone out there as crazy as me and enjoys every minute of it! I'm going out to start a finger puppet collection today!

one of the funniest books i've ever read. very witty. laugh out loud funny.

Wow. What a total and utter surprise.

After reading the rave reviews on Amazon I figured I would get the book and it would be a letdown. Good, but not 5-star good. Well, I was wrong -- and the reviews were right. Do yourself a favor and get this book.

You probably won't learn any life lessons that you can teach your children, but you'll close the book with an understanding of life in another person's shoes. There were lots of things I was shocked about (people live like that?!) and just as many things I identified with (oh my gosh, me too!!). As soon as I finished this book I forced my roomate to read it -- every 5 minutes there was a roar of laughter from the next room for the next few nights.

Its honest. Its funny. You'll want to read it all, and you'll be sad when it is over. I recommend it.

I do not read much non-fiction. I live real life. I read to escape it. But the bright neon yellow cover of this book was eye-catching. So, against my will, my feet walked up to it, my hand picked it up, and my eyes began reading. Before I knew it, hours had gone by and I had read the whole thing.

In this book, Wendy "Wendaay" Spero tells readers true stories about her life in a way that only she can do. From her childhood, to her awkward years, and on up to the present day. Being raised by a mother like Wendy's makes for some interesting memories. (I will think of Wendy and her mother every time I go to a fair from now on.)

***** Engrossing, packed with humor, and just all around fun, this is one book you will never forget. Very highly recommended! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

but encountering this book again after 35 years brings tears to my eyes.

(A note on the description: If you will examine the font in the text, it's "Tang-jar", not "Jang-jar." Tang is the orange flavored powder concentrate that the early astronauts drank in space. At least that's what the commercials said. Untold thousands of ordinary Americans drank it too.)

Excellent, quick read...wide range of quotes both poetry and proes...pics are breathtaking...these two young men have infected me with their philosophy of life.

What a treasure to find that On The Loose is still around. This book is full of wonder and joy on every page. On The Loose found me in 1967 when I was an undergraduate student. It is still with me. I was wandering and On The Loose spoke to me of the wilderness as something full of awe. This is truly a beautiful book. It continues to remind me over and over that, as I can see I will keep looking and as long as I can walk, I will keep moving. I am so happy that with the reprinting of On The Loose it will now find its way into my grown children's hands as they continue to make their way and look beyond the light and dark.

There are so many wonderful and amazing photographs and quotes in this book. This book is truly an invitation towards insights gained by looking outward and beyond. Let yourself go beyond where you can barely see. Buy this book. Always ride for the high points! This is the book to take with you.

D. Budd
Edmonton, AB Canada

If I had to choose 10 books that I would bring with me to a desert island, this would be one of them.

This is an enjoyable little book full of photos taken by two brothers in the 1960s. The photos are all from the brothers' road trips across the U.S., but the stories of these trips aren't really here. Instead, the brothers pair each photos with a quote, in the classic Sierra Club style. Many of the quotes are from famous works, many are from the brothers themselves. Some don't make sense at all, such as a quote from a deer that's somehow multiple millennia old. Hmmm.
The book does have a GREAT photo of a girl looking sadly at a rising Lake Powell/flooding Glen Canyon, and a good section on Glen Canyon in general. However, I wish the book had more on the brothers' actual story, as the photos of them look intriguing, and the book's afterward mentions that one of the brothers died shortly before the book's initial publication.
I recommend this for Glen Canyon scholars, those interested in the Sierra Club and this century's environmenal movement and grainy sixties imagery, but I don't see how it's the life changing book that some people say it is. It didn't strike me that way.

My 8 year old thought it was old and boring but he did seem interested in a few parts of the story. Probably a little outdated for kids these days but I loved it. It was the kind of story I would read when I was little, but I am going on 50.

This has to be one of my favorites and no child should be without it. The text is lively and easy to read and reads like people really talk, which gives the story a lot of warmth. The illustrations are beautifully drawn with lots of detail and humor and also look true to life, from the pained expression on the dad's face as he's rowing the boat, to sister Jane peeking from the top of the stairs or chasing the cat under the bench in Mr. Condon's store. Jane is depicted just as most children her age really are - a real livewire who is both curious and active, climbing and getting into things - she reminds me of my 16 month old daughter! And Sal is accurately portrayed as a typical preschooler - asking detailed questions about everything and talking up a storm.

You won't be disappointed. This classic is a must for any preschooler.

This book is a beautiful picture book, and I still enjoy looking at it. The pictures are gorgeous. And this isn't a cheesy book. It's a wonderful story for children, and I highly recommend it! Buy it. You won't be disappointed.

This is a very long, very wordy book. It's not suitable for last minute bedtimes, nor for toddlers.

It's very suitable for kids in the older end of the 4-8 range, or littler kids with a good attention span, though.

Not much happens in the story - girl loses a tooth, gets her wish of ice cream, has clam chowder for lunch - which is just the way real life works. It's so well-written that you don't even *notice* that the story moves slowly, you might as well be talking about your own life.

I really sound like I'm criticizing, but I'm not. All the points I'm mentioning actually make it a good book. Really :) Definitely don't pass this classic book by.

To a child, every morning is a new start with infinite possibilities; at least that's how it should be. In this classic 1953 book Robert McCloskey brings a child's simple world to life. McCloskey, better known for his Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal, gives us another look at little Sal. The story is timeless and his line drawings bring the children to life.

The simple coastal lifestyle of more than half a century ago may be hard to find today, in part because of the high local tax valuation of shore and island properties. Still, if you were to take a child to the rocky coast of Maine this summer, she could be little Sal in the clam flats. One Morning in Maine (Picture Puffin) is full of that magical atmosphere where the land and ocean meet. We all want that magic!

McCloskey's Caldecott-honored book tells a simple story. Young Sal wakes up on a sunny morning in Maine with an adventure in store. She and her little sister are going with their father in the boat to Buck's Harbor to dig clams. There are idyllic family scenes, lessons from their father about the world around them, ice cream cones at the store, and the disappointment of a loose tooth lost in the clam flats.

Simple stuff? It certainly is, and just the sort of simple stuff children thrive on. Sal's morning may be long ago and far away, but the curiosity and wonder of a child's new day will be with us forever.

Linda Bulger, 2008

This scholarly and highly readable book is of importance to art historians, historians, and anyone with a serious interest in orientalism as both an art movement and a western cultural phenomenom. The illustrations are superb,and the additional profile articles on key orientalists (such as Richard F. Burton) are an added bonus. This book is certainly worth more than its price and will be of lasting value to future readers.

Brilliant book completely covering the subject, solid research, perfect rare illustrations. Lots of forgotten and difficult to find names. Very useful and highly recommended - worth every penny!

"coffee table" art books are usually just vehicles to display reproductions of the paintings. Not here - Davie's writing would make compelling reading if it was published in regular book format. He mainly focuses on orientalist painting itself - and shatters the critics - but he also has a fascinating section on four famous 'orientalists' which include Richard Burton and Lady Digby.

The reproductions are are splendid very accurate ( i have the pleasure of having easy access to some of the original paintings) and capture the exquisite craft of "Orientalist" painters. often with close ups of parts of painting that allow the reader to see the elaborate detail.

Worth every penny. I find myself reading it again and again.

An outstanding volume providing high quality images and interesting commentary. Too many art books commit the sin of spreading large images over two pages so the picture gets lost in the spine - not this one. Orientalist paintings are crammed with detail to show the erudition of the artists and their patrons: for once you can see plenty, and you're not sold short by the layout or the print quality. Not a book if you're looking for lush pictures of harem lovelies, one of the aspects of orientalism not given such high prominence here. Over all impression? The many different effects created by light in Middle Eastern landscapes, and the skill of these artists in capturing it

Really I'd like to give this 5 stars but for the lack of women it's 4. I feel sort of silly doing so because the art is astonishing and the sheer beauty just magnifies how "art" has changed. I wonder if any artist alive today could come close to duplicating these masterpieces. I doubt it. And Mr Davies writing blends with the terrain and subject matter splendidly.

When I went to Yosemite in 2007 I saw this book at the visitor center and picked it up. But the trip was already planned so we didn't have much time to go through the book then. This year I went to eastern Sierras and chose to drive through the park (tioga pass road). So I went through specific sections of the book and could utilize my time very well, and came back with a bunch of shots (from nearby trails, lake view points, etc.) that I would have otherwise missed. For amateur or semi-pro photographers who don't have all the time in the world, but still want to come back with memorable pics from the Yosemite park, this is a very good guide. The book includes information on visiting in various seasons, where to go for the best pics, specific info on trails and sample pics from the end of such trails, etc... but also relevant info on when and how to expect moon rises and sunrises etc., dates of full and new moons, shooting rainbows in the various falls, etc. Overall, a very valuable book in a small package that I could pack in my photography backpack easily. I wish the author had books on Yosemite, Grand Canyon etc. but I guess for now I have to buy the guides by other photographer/writers.

Even though I did not really use this book for the photography information, it has great suggstions of places to visit and good directions on how to get there. I highly recommend a trip to Sentinel Dome, what an amazing view from the top.

Whether you're an amateur or a pro, this book has a lot to offer. It's loaded with information on how and when to take fabulous pictures while you're in Yosemite. It's well organized and it's easy to read. It's loaded with beautiful photographs that serve as good examples.

It's small and can be easily packed with your stuff as you venture into the valley.

A must-have for those who are visiting the park and want to take great pictures!

I took the trip of a lifetime earlier this month to Yosemite and San Francisco, and it was wonderful. Photography is a big hobby for me, and I spent every second looking for photo opportunities. I read that this was a great book to have and bought it before the trip. It is available at most of the gift shops in the park, but you'll love having ahead of time if you want to make some plans before you go. It's not much cheaper here than in the park, though- maybe $1. Anyway, this was an invaluable tool and I used it to plan most of my hiking and sightseeing while in Yosemite. I also had a PhotoSecrets book for San Francisco, but it wasn't nearly as helpful as this book. This is a great investment to make sure you get the pictures you want on your trip to Yosemite National Park.

There are many glowing reviews of this book and it does provide the goods on how and where to go to get good shots. The maps (5) and sections are also quite simple to read. In addition, the sequential numbering of the points of interest is a help.

I was disappointed to find so much coverage of photographic technique. While some technique discussions directly relate to the unique character of Yosemite (for example talking about color and the lack of it in granite) most of it feels more like filler, and indeed makes it harder to navigate to the sections of interest.

The book also lacks an index so the only useful navigation tool is the brief table of contents. Without that table of contents it would be hard to find any particular section and even with it, you're going to have to resort to man-made book marks to find what you want. For example if Pohono Bridge and Fern Spring caught your fancy but you didn't remember to book mark it or remember its number you'll have to resort to scanning all of the maps and/or all of the numbered interest points because despite the page of content, there is no entry for this viewpoint in the table of contents (and remember there is no index).

I would prefer the maps be all together at the front or back so that it would work better as a reference book. I would also have liked to see some more examples of "out of the way" hikes to desirable vistas.

Finally, I would like the author to have provided some sort of "effort vs eye-appeal" rating to help me focus on which sunrise locations are the "not to miss" areas and which are "ok". Perhaps the author can even suggest a few itineraries. These more useful things could replace the "choosing film" techniques section and others like it that are a bit basic and detract from the otherwise good "where and when" information.

I'm tempted to get Harold Davis's book "The Photographer's Guide to Yosemite & the High Sierra" just to make a comparison.

I was also shot down in Laos, very close to the spot the author had his experience. My back-seater and I (flying an Air Force F-4E, in 1970) were luckier and were rescued after just one night in the jungle. This book is an "easy read" and I personally related to much of what he experienced. This is one of the few books I've read that I had to keep reading till I was finished. I'd like to think that I could have survived for as long as he did, but honestly, I doubt I'd have done as well. The rescue forces were outstanding throughout the war. Knowing they would perform as those in this book did was a significant factor in keeping our spirits high in spite of the questionable political conduct of the war.

Wow! I feel like I have just escaped from the jungles and the enemy myself! This is a great book. It has the perfect blend of action, technical detail and personal information. The technical details on the aircraft, combat procedures (bombing runs, strafing, etc)and how a rescue mission is run are presented in a manner that is interesting to the reader; not boring. The descriptions of the on the ground action as the two pilots attempt to escape and evade are riveting. As I read, I could feel the heat of the jungle, my body was tense with apprehension when the enemy was near and I could feel my heart bursting with fear as the pilots burst through the jungle as the enemy chased and fired upon them! Outstanding book!

The true story of a US navy pilot forced down in Laos during the Viet Nam war. Surrounded by enemy troops, he was only feet away at times from being discovered. The suspense makes this a very difficult book to put down. The minute by minute account is heart pounding.

A well written first hand account of one of the most amazing rescues of a downed pilot in the Viet Nam war. The author puts you in the jungle with him and I found it difficult to put down even knowing that he would eventually be rescued. An excellent read.

This is a truly amazing story of determined, (real) heroism by both downed aviators and their airbourne rescuers. This very well written, technically detailed, story narrates some forty hours following a naval aviator's harrowing parachute descent into the midst of a large concentration of North Vietnamese army, complete with many light and heavy caliber AA artillery, in the Laotian jungle.
The evasion by Streetcar 304 and the truly dedicated and dogged attempts by airbourne rescuers, the Jollys and the Sandys, is almost beyond belief.
This saga will become a classic of the Vietnam Air War.

"A vivid account of how Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey shattered baseball's age old color line. A must read for baseball fans everywhere. A wonderful book so ably pulled together by noted baseball historian and journalist Harvey Frommer."

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"Just a terrific book. It fills in so many of the blanks about the story of Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey. It's like a history lesson. And the intro by Monte Irvin puts it over the top." - - -Billy Sample, MLB Radio
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The Story Of Rickey And Robinson
by Russ Cohen
BASEBALLOLOGY.COM

If you have never heard of Branch Rickey or Jackie Robinson, boy do I have a book for you, it's called Rickey and Robinson: The Men Who Broke Baseball's Color Barrier! Jackie Robinson was one of the greatest multi-sport athletes to ever walk the earth and Branch Rickey was the guy with the guts that gave Robinson his chance to shine, it's a truly amazing story.

Rickey was a lawyer with a rich history that will amaze you in this book. As always author Harvey Frommer goes into tremendous detail to shed even more light on a great story!

Robinson was a true American hero and this book talks to all the right people to give you a feel of how Jackie felt and was feeling during his playing career. The book also points out how he was a civil right's activist as well.

The book talks a lot about the Negro Leagues and mentions even more players that you may not have heard of that unfortunately never made it to the bigs. Anytime you can read about Josh Gibson, Roy Campanella and Satchel Paige you are in for a fun time.

Jackie died a young man at the age of fifty-three-years of age. This great man had to endure more stress, on and off the field, than most people could imagine. His funeral had 2,500 mourners and when you see the names you will see the type of respect that Robinson garnered.

The author does a great job of keeping the final chapter of Robinson's life as upbeat as possible. It was sad but there was so much good to reflect on and the book did that. The afterword was a nice little story and the boxscore of Robinson's first game along with Rickey's player and managerial record are priceless.

Buy this book now

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Professional athletes are probably no more ignorant of history than the rest of us, but there was something especially disturbing about the number of modern players who, in 1997, during the fiftieth anniversary of Jackie Robinson breaking the baseball color line, revealed that they didn't know who he was. Pollsters probably didn't ask, but it's likely even fewer would have known who Branch Rickey was. That black players in particular, whose careers follow the path that these men blazed, do not comprehend and honor the debt is most troubling of all. Anyone wishing to remedy their own lack of knowledge, and even those who think they already know the whole story, will find Harvey Frommer's Rickey and Robinson an invaluable resource and a truly moving read.

Mr. Frommer had the novel idea of structuring the book as parallel biographies of the two men, their stories overlapping and lives knitting together for that remarkable period of years when they, almost by themselves, integrated major league baseball. Jackie Robinson's is the better known tale, from UCLA to the Army to the Negro Leagues to the Dodgers' minor leagues and then to Brooklyn, with a significant career in business and politics afterwards. And most baseball fans will be familiar with Branch Rickey's reputation as an innovator, his most lasting contributions, besides integration, to the game including the batting helmet and the organized minor league farm system. Met fans too will recall Ralph Kiner's stories about how tight-fisted and patronizing (in both the positive and negative senses) Rickey was with his players. But Mr. Frommer gives us a full picture of the man, of his religious background (which seems to have played no small part in his willingness to be a racial pioneer), his keen mind for the game and for business, and his endless maneuvering to improve his teams. Each man led a life full enough to support a biography of his own. Here we get both and they're fascinating.

But the event that defined their lives was the meeting on August 28, 1945, at Brooklyn Dodgers headquarters, between Rickey and Robinson. It's astonishing to realize that this first time the men ever met, Branch Rickey asked Jackie Robinson to take on the daunting task of being the first black man to play organized white baseball (at least since the color bar had been erected decades earlier). But Rickey had made a true project of the whole idea, had scouted the Negro Leagues and the personal backgrounds of the prospective players thoroughly, and he knew Robinson was uniquely well-suited-- by his ability, his intelligence, his education, his relatively middle-class California upbringing, and his temperament, desire, and will--to bear the burdens. And so "The Meeting" was not just a get acquainted session, but an opportunity for Rickey to probe and to prepare Robinson, even to the point of demonstrating the kind of taunts he should expect to hear, before offering him the bittersweet role of, as he put it: "carrying the reputation of a race on your shoulders."

The whole book is enjoyable but it is this chapter that really sings. The Meeting has been the subject of books, film, stageplay, and more, but it's never been told better than here, with high drama and a sense of history, but also with an immediacy that makes the reader feel like he's a fly on the wall in Rickey's office those sixty years ago. No one can understand what happened in baseball and in American society over those sixty years without knowing the story of Rickey and Robinson and, Mr. Frommer having given us such a rewarding and readable book about the men and their noble achievement, there's no excuse for not knowing it.
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Pinstripe Press
Rickey and Robinson
The Men Who Broke Baseball's Color Barrier
Blending exclusive interviews with Rachel Robinson, Mack Robinson (Jackie's brother), Hall of Famers Monte Irvin, Duke Snider, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Ralph Kiner and others,
- The Pinstripe Press

Celebrated author Harvey Frommer evokes the lives of Brooklyn Dodgers General Manager Branch Rickey and heralded baseball player Jackie Robinson to describe how they worked together to shatter baseball's color line.
"This book clearly illustrates the elegance and class that BOTH men showed on the field and off. Frommer has provided a fresh perspective and a testament to overcoming adversity in the face of ignorance. Rickey and Robinson is a must read for hardcore baseball fans everywhere."

I would love to read this book, my great uncle died aboard the Leopoldville and though the family has been told stories from some of the survivors, it would be nice to have a researched account of it all. At $1,050 a copy, I fear it may take a while before that happens, but all the same, i'm glad someone took the time to find out the truth about this disaster. This month, my great uncle's 3 brothers are all being awarded medals for their service in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. These are the real heroes, these four brothers.

This true story of the souls lost and those who lived on from a World War II disaster is unequalled in military history. There is probably no other single incident in WW2 that compares to or involves so many lives in so many states, stories that continue on to this day. The stories Andrade provides, and his writing ability place you on the Leopoldville on Christams Eve, 1944, the day it was lost.

My father-in-law's brother perished in the sinking of the Leopoldville. I married into the family 20 years ago and never really knew what happened to Uncle Waldo. Now I am filled with a great sense of loss at never having known him--and that loss is compounded as I think of the nearly 800 families who lost sons, husbands, fathers, and uncles.

I am also filled with a great sense of appreciate and reverence for all those on board--for those who gave their lives and for those who survived the terror.

Allan Andrade did a great job of presenting the story and introducing those who involved. They are very real people to me now. I finished the book with tears streaming down my cheeks. This is a must read for anyone who had family involved in the sinking. It is an important piece of history for everyone. It reminds us of the price others paid for our freedom, but it also raises important questions about the mistakes or errors that contributed to the loss and the failure to acknowledge those problems.

Thank you, Mr. Andrade, for writing this important book.

I just put this book down and was astonished both by the tragedy of the disaster and by Andrade's insightful and meticulous reporting. I highly recommend it.

"`Hey, I'm alive!' Drew blacked out. When he came to, he found himself on a beach, naked protected only by a raincoat thrown over him. He heard a faint voice `Throw him in there too.' Drew, realizing that they thought he was dead, yelled." This is just one of many harrowing tales of a life and death struggle resulting from the sinking. "SS Leapoldville Disaster, December 24, 1944" is the story of this troopship loaded with American troops being rushed to the help in the Battle of the Bulge. It was sunk barely five miles from shore taking with it 763 American servicemen. The book consists of many short stories detailing individual accounts of the disaster. Even the Introduction has 38. These were compiled from hundreds of interviews and research. Andrade includes many actual copies of letters. Perhaps the most moving are letters from parents to their sons before they knew they were dead. One story in particular is very moving: "Lt. Gene Barwick died that night. They never recovered his body. Each Christmas Eve reminded Barwick's parents of his death. His young bride eventually remarried and had two children but 20 years after her first love's death, she took her own life on a Christmas Eve." Many who died were only 18 to 21 years old and came from 47 of the (then) 48 states. All are listed by state in the In Memoriam Section at the end of the book as are the survivors.

This disaster was kept secret for many years. It was understandable during the war but not so afterwards. Allan Andrade has done a service to the nation and to the families of those lost with his book. It is well done, and an easy read - well worth your time!...

This book continues, along with An Adopted Woman, Twice Born and other titles the ever-thrilling story of a birth mother's reunion with the child she was forced to give up as an infant because she was unmarried and underage, usually from the 1940s, 1950s,or 1960s. Looking back on this practice it seems so cruel to both the mother and the child. I was wondering what becomes of these young pregnant girls today, and it hit me: abortion. How very sad in a totally different way. Society has its ways, often brutal when looked at from a distance, even a very short distance. Both ways of dealing with unexpected/unwanted pregnancies are obviously devastating to the mother, but at least adoption affords an opportunity to become acquainted with the child who was given up. In this story, the author has a rocky few years as we all do in one way or another, but always has the love of her children, and always has the hope of finding her baby. When she finally does, it is very exciting to read of the thrill the mother feels and of the slow awareness of the found child, now a grown woman who had never had any plan to seek out her birth mother. While being excited for Susan, the mother, my heart went out to Joanne whose entire life was instantly changed by this meeting. She was a married woman with a job, friends, and a loving family. Now, she was justifiably afraid of this woman entering her life, claiming to be her birth mother, who was pitting her entire happiness on Joanne's returning her love. Susan never quite goes over the line relative to stalking or smothering or demanding love, but she gets close. In any case, it is a very satisfying book and it is nice to read about such nice people who can have such a happy conclusion to a heart-breaking (for the mother) beginning.

I just LOVED this book! I can't say enough about it. I am an adoptee and it was really great to hear a birthmother's perspective. She told an honest, heartwarming story that flowed well and was easy to read. I couldn't put this one down!!! Grab your box of tissue, warm blanket & enjoy!!! It was EXCELLENT!

I very much enjoyed reading this "fantastic" read! I have been in the adoption searching business for over 13 years now and this is one of THE best adoption search stories ever - not kidding. The way Susan expressed herself and that oof her family members shows such genuine love and affection, considering what she had to go through.

Jan Bowyer

I attended High School with Susan Mello Souza but we were never friends. I knew who she was, but always considered her to be one of the "popular" girls and she always seemed to just be bursting with confidence... little did I know. I reconnected with Susan just this past year as I was surfing the net doing genealogy ... our last names were the same and that is how it came to be that I found a former classmate. After I read about the loss of her daughter, Jackie online and the story of her being pregnant in High School and giving that daughter up I contacted her via e-mail. She was very gracious and we e-mailed back and forth several times and I ordered a copy of her book.
The story is very well written and for me personally it showed me the "other side" of the adoption story. You see, while Susan was struggling with giving a baby up I had my own personal struggle. My parents were getting a divorce and I decided to give up my Dad and allow a step-father to adopt me. Like Susan this decision would haunt me for many years.
I thank God that I too had the chutzpah to correct a decision that was in may ways made for me and I was reunited with my Dad.
After reading Susan's book I came to realize how much pain I had inflicted on my own Dad.
Susan lost not one but two daughters in her life and you feel her pain, but also know that hope is what carried her through the dark days. This book I believe will inspire not only those birth mothers still looking for their child, but also those who may have given up on people that loved them.

When reading Susans and Joannes book...It brought me to a place I once was. As I shared Susan's life, her love, loss, reunion. I felt as though I was there. Sharing, hurting, caring. It really IS a MUST read. Whether you are a part of the adoption community or not. If you are...it helps the healing process. If you are not..you will learn we are not horrible. Just loving mothers searching for our lost children.