New York Books

I have read articles by Fran Capo in the past and liked them so when I saw her name on this book I decided to give it a shot, even though I am not a history buff. I thought it was fantastic. Most books about history don't hold my interest. This book was easy to read, light, diverse and sprinkled with humor. It also shed light on many events that I thought I knew what happened. One of my favorite stories was about Captain Kidd. This story revealed many things about the old pirate that I would have never guessed. I read some of the stories to my daughter as well and they kept her interest and taught her history at the same time. The back of the book has a truck load of facts that could win some points in a good trivia game. The book was a fast read, entertaining and I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to know more about New York, or just wants to be amused by some pretty wild stories. Great!

This book is a wonderful excursion into the sometimes wacky history of New York City! I lived here all my life and their were many things I did not know about which I learned while reading this fantastic book. It's a roller coaster ride of the most unususl, yet true stories that must be told! It.s a great book for anyone, but if you live in NY, You NEED this book...

I've been reading Frank Borzellieri's work for several years and his writing is outstanding. His other book "The Unspoken Truth" was a political treatise. I'm so happy he wrote a quasi-history book like this. The stories in "It Happened in New York" are fascinating. The Blackout of 1977 was chilling and frightening. The Cardiff Giant Hoax was humorous. Willie Sutton robbing a bank; Niagara Falls drying up. Fantastic! Plus, I never knew that there were witch trials in New York. I thought they were all in Salem, MA. This book is terrificly entertaining and at the same time informative. These events are treasures, as is this book. Great job again, Frank!

Fran Capo's book told me things I had learned about in school, told them much better. Her work beats all the textbooks. She should write more books like this one.

For those of you looking for a good story, you won't find it here. You will find MANY stories. All of them very good. For lovers of history this is a must book. It is very factual and unlike most factual books, it is enjoyable reading also. Ms. Capo has a way of telling history and making it fun. And it told me many things that happened in history that I didn't know about. Where can you go wrong? This is a keeper book for anyone who enjoys reading. And for anyone who enjoys history. This is not a book you will want to trade in at a used book store. This is one you will want to keep on your bookshelf forever. Do yourself a favor and go out and buy it today. I did.

Jessi is accepted to Dance New York for a three week time span. She feels sad about leaving her friends but when she gets there she feels she's in another world. After three weeks is up of dancing at the acadamy she given a chance to dance there permanently now she has two choices stay with her friends or follow her dream.

Jessi is going to New York. There she will dance in ballet. But does this mean it's the end of the BSC.

This is the first book about Jessi since book #103 Happy Holidays, Jessi. It was really good though. Jessi gets accepted into Dance New York, a excellant ballet school. She gets to work with one of her heroes, is reunited with Quint, and makes great new friends! Jessi love living in the city and has a hard time coming back. Meanwhile at home Mallory misses Jessi like crazy! Becca is furious at Jessi for leaving her. This book really tells you that home is where the heart is. I loved this book and I hope you do to! :)

In here, Jessi Ramsey, an eleven year old fantastic ballerina, is offered the chance for a two-week class in New York--a dancing class! Go Jessi! And it's away from school! So Jessi is psyched and all her friends in the Babysitters' Club will miss her but they are excited for her as well. When she gets to the city, she is reunited with an old friend and makes new ones, plus she's staying with her cousin and his wife. They're very nice to her. She also likes it that they're artists and her cousin's wife plays the piano! New York City is very exciting but everyone's waiting for Jessi at home--right? Plus Jessi wants to go back--right?

Wrong. Jessi is accepted to be in the full-time program for the experts and has a very tough choice to make: her #1 goal or her friends and family back in Stoneybrook, Connecticut? What will she decide to do?

Jessi is going to New York to do ballet. In the book, Jessi meets Quint and likes him. Unfortunately, Quint has a crush on Jessi and she has to go home.

The story reads well for any student needing to understand the trials and tribulations of people immigrating to the U.S.Important character traits are developed and their importance in reaching a goal are emphasized. The artwork makes a dramatic statement to anyone who opens the book. Elementary students should be attracted by this outstanding feature. As a school director and recently retired teacher, I purchased a copy for each of our elementary libraries because of the qualiy of this book.

This true story written from the perspective of an 11-year-old immigrant, truly sums up the immigrant perspective. My 4th grade students, journaled each day as if he or she were the central character, and begged for each of the five chapters. This book alone, replaced a 4-week unit that I had used previously to emphasize the impact of immigration on our state. Written by the author's daughter, with photos showing then and now, it is wonderful. FYI: We used, as the final journal entry, an account written by Yehuda when he finds his journal 70 years later and recounts the years since arriving in America.

A wonderful story with fabulous illustrations. A must read for all ages

Well i actually got this book for reaserch for a projet and i think it helped me a lot because it told me that familys strugle to enter america.I would reccommend this book to anyone doing an interview with an immagrant i know it helped me a lot.

This review is from Debbie,Paul,Ryan and Melissa. We all modelled for the illustrator,Laurie McGaw, of this book. It was a wonderful experience since some of our grandparents left Russia and Poland because of the war and we felt we could relate to the people in the book.The book has been presented to the our childrens' school in conjunction with the Holocaust unit. Teachers and kids alike found the book to be very interesting and beautifully illustrated. We recommend it to all nationalities and ages.It is not only a book about Jewish people, but also a book about what any immigrants coming to North America might have experienced.

My son is incarcerated and I sent this book to his cell mate who is an aspiring artist. He loved it. He has talent and someday, maybe, we will all be buying JP Kennedy's!
Thank for sharing the story-you never know who'll you will be inspiring to stay straight and focused.

JUBILEE CITY is one of the most moving and unusual memoirs I've ever read. It's snapshots from an artist's life that are often funny and heartbreaking all at once. They are always moving, and often universal experiences. Andoe has a fresh and unique way of expressing himself. I loved this book and found myself reading stories from it over and over again.

Joe Andoe must be fifteen years younger than the artists and poets I'm most familiar with who hailed from Tulsa--the WHITE DOVE REVIEW crew of Joe Brainard, Dick Gallup, Ron Padgett. His book JUBILEE CITY rivals the memoirs of Brainard (I REMEMBER) and Padgett (OKLAHOMA TOUGH, MY FATHER KING OF THE TULSA BOOTLEGGERS) as far as getting the lowdown on one of America's most exciting, durable, and dreamlike city-states. When I picked up this book, out of curiosity towards all things Tulsa, I had never heard of the painter Joe Andoe, and now that I've read it I realize he's one of the most famous artists of the world and he's shown all over the known universe. Somehow he flew under my radar but perhaps I have my head in the clouds or buried in the sand like a West Coast ostrich, what do I know? In any case Joe's childhood was like a real-life version of JT Leroy books, except for one stabliizing factor, his father was a real man's man who didn't say very much but Joe always knew that, no matter how many juvenile shenanigans young Joe got his sorry butt into, there was always going to be one man who had his back, his dad.

The saddest part of the book was when Andoe Sr., a relatively young man, had a heart attack and Joe had to bundle him into the car and drive him to the hospital, simultaneously talking him alive, keeping him going. But I think Mr. Andoe didn't want to stay alive not smoking, having to watch his diet, living as "half a man," and so, it wasn't long before they were carrying him back to his Maker.

Joe's interest in art went into high gear when he found out that his chichi society drawing teacher could sell a drawing or a watercolor for 900 dollars--900, as much as the car Joe was driving cost. "He looked like veal to me, all soft and white." And Joe was skeptical of the teacher's talents, thinking to himself, if his s**t flies, then mine will too. At college he learned about men like Robert Smithson, Dennis Oppenheim, other hipsters like himself, but as he says, it wasn't until he saw one of Warhol's pink Marilyns that art got its hook into him once and for all. The teacher told him he should have more humility but Joe just looks at him sideways and says, "I don't know what that word means--is it like humid?"

He had to deal with rapacious and uncaring dealers who tried dicking him every which way from Sunday, and he wound up with a Smith College alumna girlfriend in NYC who, addicted to heroin, had him breaking into his own kids' piggy banks for nickels and dimes. His brushes with the law were frequent and outrageous, and if you read THE BASKETBALL DIARIES or seen the movie with Leo Di Caprio you will agree with me by admitting that Joe Andoe was the baddest boy in many moon,s but he never lost his soul and he never lost heart. His story further proves the continuing vitality of Tulsa and Tulsans, who include also Garth Brooks, Leon Russell, Gene Autry, and David BREAD Gates in music and, in other fields, Jennifer Jones, John Hope Franklin, Sammy Sosa, Larry Clark, Alfre Woodard, S. E. Hinton who wrote THE OUTSIDERS, and Wes Studi. What do these folks all have in common? They're tough and they're cool, ubercool.

Reading Joe Andoe's memoir is like walking through a collection of his paintings. Sublime, sensual and haunting. His words reach right into your soul as do his paintings.Unlocking ghosts of distant memories.For anyone who has lived outside the box ,or for that matter looked inside and not quite know how to fit in there is comfort in knowing you are not alone. Loved it.

So, world-renowned (and successful--which isn't so easy to pull off) artist Joe Andoe has written his memoir. Why do you care? Because Joe grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma - an unlikely breeding ground for an artist. Because Joe grew up misbehaving in all sorts of ways, had more close calls with the law and death than he can count, until he finally moved to New York City to make his name and to find his fame. Joe's voice, as a writer, is like an undertow -- before you know it, you're miles off shore, completely sucked into his world of all-encompassing love (for his children, his painting) and lust (for women, alcohol), as he paints and parents his way to recovery and redemption. The life presented here is one lived on Joe's terms, with sparkling moments of bigheartedness, crazy humor, and poignant regret. I was entranced by his bad boy youth in Oklahoma, full of muscle cars and dewy teenage girls, the insider details of the world of art galleries and agents, and most of all by how he sorted out all his inner demons and rebuilt connections with his family, friends, children.

In Keeping Score, Linda Sue Park again gives us an opportunity to really feel what it was like to be a particular kid in a particular place and time quite different from our own. In Maggie-O's mid-twentieth century New York, the technology was different, but the kids still had problems that today's kids can relate to. Baseball without TV or the Internet -- just imagine! Maggie tunes in to the game by listening to radios through open windows while walking through the neighborhood. She shares the ups and downs of her favorite team with the whole community. Her baseball experience includes no visuals at all except the black-and-white photos in the morning paper. When Maggie-O first lays eyes on that field we are right there with her, seeing what she sees (GREEN!) and feeling what she feels. Her obsession with score keeping, her magical thinking and superstitions are quirky but quite age appropriate, and her growth through disillusionment seems quite genuine. Maggie's experience of the effect of the Korean War on her friend Jim will give today's kids a peak at some of the difficulties facing our own soldiers today. Here's a book that is serious and intelligent, but tremendously engaging. It's a great choice for preteens who like to see how the world looks through someone else's eyes, even if they couldn't care less about baseball. I think this wonderful story also has cross-generational appeal--giving parents a glimpse into the universal experience of tweener angst and giving sixty-somethings a chance to rekindle memories from their younger days. Another home run for Ms. Park!
Janet Gingold
author of Danger, Long Division

Here is a baseball book that appeals to both boys and girls and to kids who may not know a walk from a balk or what team Willie Mays played on.

Willie Mays plays a central role in this novel set in Brooklyn in the early 1950s. He was a New York Giant then and, amazingly, the favorite player of young Maggie Fortini.

Amazing, because Maggie lives, breathes and suffers with her hometown Dodgers, and the Giants are their archrivals (still are, in fact). Maggie's brother Joey-Mick tells her she has to have a Dodger as her favorite. "Besides, it's double-stupid to pick a player from your worst-enemy team."

But her buddy at the firehouse, Jim, is a Giants fan. Jim teaches Maggie to keep score while listening to Giants games during Willie Mays' breakout rookie season. Keeping score makes Maggie feel as if she has some control over the progress and outcome of a baseball game.

She also uses that skill to "keep score" of the Korean war after Jim is drafted and then stops sending letters home to Maggie.

Linda Sue Park does an excellent job implying that Jim is suffering from PTSD, a disorder not recognized in the '50s but familiar to kids who know about veterans from our current wars.

Resourceful as ever, Maggie cooks up a scheme and saves all her money to pull Jim out of his funk and get her family and friends to a Dodgers-Giants game. She isn't entirely successful, but she doesn't strike out either.

Maggie-O is a believable, eminently likable character with a good heart and who knows her game.

[Review originally appeared in the Palo Alto Weekly, 7/9/08]

Of me and my sis -- growing up in the Bronx in the 1950's. I was personality-wise, something like Maggie (but I could not work a scorecard) and Sis was a little like Joey-Mick

Sis was a Brooklyn Dodger Fan-atic. Like Maggie, Sis kept METICULOUS score sheets of their games. For the life of me, I (a YANKEE FAN) tried but could not master that system of keeping score -- but then again I was having WAAAY more fun, going outside and playing baseball like a maniac (I am a GOIL) -- AND one of the big guys who lived across my stoop usta be a New York Yankees Pitcher!!! What a wonderful life for a skinny little kid (me) growing up in the Bronx!!

Sis threw a fit, just like Joey-Mick-- when I named my tiny little kitten (whom I'd gently carry thru the apartment in the palm of my hand) "Pee Wee" -- ("I KNOW You named her after Pee Wee Reese!!!" screamed Sis, indignantly. Well, no I didn't)

Anyway -- these personal memories kept cropping up as I read through Linda Sue Park's excellent book -- And, when I read of Maggie's scrupulous conscience (LOL!)) oh how that reminded me of myself, as I was "fine-tuning" my way thru the world, as a child becoming a teen-ager.

Seems like Maggie was a very thoughtful introspective and tough little kid -- but hey Maggie if you had just picked up a bat and hit a few fungoes to the outfield- I think you woulda gotten hooked.

Linda Sue Parks takes the stuff legends are made of and weaves them into the life of a little girl, Maggie (named after Joe Dimaggio by her dad), an ardent Brookly nDodgers fan.

Women's baseball teams of the 1940's, The Brooklyn Dodger ("Da Bums" as they wuz affectionaly called), the Yankees, the great neighborhoods of Brooklyn (each one a world unto itself) and their equally memorable denizens come to life through Maggie's eyes and experiences.

Sal Maglie, Duke Snider, Raplph Branca, Jackie Robinson -- Say Hey Wille Mays -- those legendary players come back to life in this book, and once again thrill us with their love of the game, and I saw them thru the eyes of a 13 yr old -- me -- in the same way as Maggie would view their heroic exploits.

Linda Sue Parks enthralls the reader with the true stories of the agony and ecstasy of those magic years of the early to mid 50's when the Brooklyn Dodgers came so close to grabbing that GOlden Fleece (winning the World Series), and how this impacted Maggie and her friends at the firehouse who listen spellbound to each Dodger game on the radio (and Mel Barber's mellifluous voice -- how can I ever forget that voice?!!).

The part about the radios tuned into the game thoughout the neighborhood, so Maggie could hear the games, even though she was running errands for her mom and Dad -- is So very true!!! Yes that DID happen -- the play by play from those radios (being played in every mom and pop store) and those cheers echoing down the street was the next best thing to Actually Being There!!! And I (sadly!!!) remember walking past my Bronx neighborhood candy store when Mazeroski hit that home run in 1960.......

Maggie has some tough decisions to make -- she grows up a little more each day as she tries to reach out to a friend who has vanished, even though he is still there in the flesh.

Treecie, her best friend, is a good foil for Maggie - a little more practical and a good stabilizer for Maggie's emotions, I think. The guys at the firehouse are good friends of the family-- her Dad, a former firefighter is Maggie's rock. Maggies Mom has a few surprises up her sleeve, and Maggie's faith in her friend Jim's ability to heal, and her Childlike Novena is very touching.

And the games play on, and the Dodgers win em and lose em. But they don't win the ones they should.....and all of Brooklyn was still waiting.....

The Korean War (which is what we called it back then -- I remember Mom saying in 1953 -- "It's finally over!!!") is brought to life in the Maggie's thoughful tracings of those maps over the years, sobering images of what was, then.

And the finale of this great book is heartwarming -- a one-two punch -- Giants and Dodgers -- and I can still hear those Cheers from those stadiums, and from those little radios in every Mom and Pop shop, from more than 50 years ago.

And BTW - if MAggie had only grabbed one of her brother's bats and hit a few fungoes into the outfield, she WOULD have been hooked on playing baseball-- even my very own Score-card keeping Sister played a few games with me!!

This heartfelt, endearing, nostalgic and educational tale is set in Brooklyn, New York in July 1951. The main character is Maggie Fortini who is nine going on ten years-old. She is known to everyone as Maggie-o and her older brother is known as Joey-Mick, both being named after their Father's favorite New York Yankee Joe DiMaggio. But here's the "rub": Maggie-o, Joey-Mick, and their Mom, absolutely love and "live-and die" with the Brooklyn Dodgers! "DEM BUMS" as all Brooklyn fans affectionately called their beloved Dodgers, were the center of their lives. Their entire neighborhood regardless of race, creed, color, or sex, shared their mutual love of the Dodgers in the same manner as "O-positive" blood was a universal donor in an emergency room. Whenever there was a Dodger game being played, the radio in Maggie-o's house was always turned on with Red Barber (and later on Vince Scully) providing the play by play with such favorite phrases as: "a can of corn" for an easy pop fly, and "sitting in the catbird's seat" when "DEM BUMS" had a good lead. It was an unspoken rule in the house that if Mr. Fortini wanted to listen to a big Yankee game he had to go somewhere else. If Maggie-o had to leave the house to go to school, or go to the store, or go to the firehouse, while a game was on, she never missed a pitch as long as she was in the neighborhood. Every house and every store she passed had the Dodger game on and it was like stereo coming from all the windows.

Maggie-o's Father had been a fireman until he suffered a bad leg injury fighting a fire. Now he worked in an administrative position at another location. His old firehouse was just down the block and Maggie-o spent countless hours there with the firemen and their dog Chalky. During baseball season the men would sit outside and listen to the Dodger games and Maggie-o would always join them when she wasn't in school. There was nothing but Dodger fans at the firehouse until one day there was a new recruit named Jim Maine who was a Giant fan. The other firemen wouldn't let Jim listen to the Giant games loud, so at times he would lay on the floor next to his radio. Maggie-o befriended Jim or it could just have easily been the other way around, and before you knew it, Jim was teaching Maggie-o the official way to keep play-by-play score of a baseball game. Maggie-o started keeping "official" scorecards of every inning of every game when she wasn't in school. Jim even taught her how to keep track of every ball and every strike, even differentiating between called strikes and swinging strikes.

This was the point in time of the Korean War/Conflict, and bad news hit the firehouse when Jim received his draft notice and had to report for active duty. Maggie-o immediately started writing letters, even before his ship crossed the ocean to Korea. Jim started writing back for awhile, and then all of a sudden he stopped. Maggie-o was distraught and couldn't find out why Jim had stopped writing. She then put as much effort into learning everything about the Korean Conflict (It hadn't been officially classified as a war yet) as she did into learning how to keep official score. I must admit I learned things about the Korean War that I didn't know based on Maggie-o's maps and footnotes. During this gloomy time in Maggie-o's life, she became extra diligent in her scorekeeping in honor of Jim. She even prayed harder, and without giving away a major part of the story, I'll suffice to say that she even convinced herself to commit the biggest sin in Brooklyn, by secretly rooting one year for the HATED Giants to win, because she hoped and prayed that would help Jim.

According to the promotional information regarding the release of this book, it is supposedly geared for children aged 9-12 years old. I am a Grandfather, who is originally from Brooklyn, and my entire family was born with the Dodger's as the very blood that pumped through our veins, and this story is so realistic in every way. The pedestal that Jackie Robinson, Duke Snider, Gil Hodges, Pee Wee Reese, Roy Campanella, Carl Furillo and Maggie-o's Mother's favorite pitcher that "fine young Mr. Labine", and the other bums were put on, was portrayed as true as life! I actually had tears come down my face a number of times. Some of the tears were because I got to go back and relive some of my fondest childhood memories by living through Maggie-o's beautiful Brooklyn Dodger loving eyes. My parents are long gone, but this story brought my families most cherished times to life again in my heart because of this author's beautiful (And for my family accurate) story telling. Other tears were because of the many sorrow's that are an awful by product of war. This is a wonderful, wonderful, book that would make a great "Hallmark Hall Of Fame" type movie that would be enjoyed by entire generations of a family.

As far as my tears; Maggie-o said it best on page 179: "MAGGIE BLINKED SEVERAL TIMES, HARD. THERE WASN'T ANY WAY TO STOP TEARS FROM FILLING YOUR EYES ONCE THEY HAD DECIDED TO DO IT. YOU COULD BLINK THEM AWAY, BUT ONLY AFTER THEY WERE ALREADY THERE."

For the first half of this book, I thought the title referred specifically to the protagonist, Maggie, learning how to score a baseball game. It's 1951, Maggie is a huge Brooklyn Dodgers fan, and baseball is central to her life. She learns how to score a game when her dad's firehouse colleague teaches her.

I admit I find it frustrating that Maggie has no real desire to learn to play baseball herself. There is a brief mention of the strides that women had made with the game, including the women's league that existed during World War II, but Maggie is content to be a fan. Not that there is anything wrong with fandom, but it is energy that seems misplaced in a story about a spunky, outgoing, full-of-life girl with baseball on the brain.

The conflict finally arises when Jim, the fireman who took Maggie under his wing and taught her how to score, is drafted to Korea. At first, Maggie and Jim write letters back and forth. Then Jim's letters stop coming. Maggie is hurt and confused that her friend no longer seems to appreciate her letters.

When Maggie's father finally breaks the news that the reason Jim hasn't written is because he is at home in a catatonic state after witnessing something very bad in Korea, Maggie begins brainstorming ways that she can help make Jim "better."

First, she keeps score of his team, the New York Giants, who are rivals of her beloved Brooklyn. Then she tries prayer, also to no avail. Then she comes up with an idea that is so precious and selfless that I won't spoil it by recounting it here. But I will say that the idea is the heart of the book, and it's a shame that it took half of the story to get there.

KEEPING SCORE starts out as a story about a girl learning to score a baseball game. By the time it ends, Maggie finds herself keeping score of her own efforts to help her friend. While the adults around her realize that there is nothing she can do to help Jim, and that his illness isn't her fault, this lesson never really hits home for Maggie. She continues to accept responsibility for Jim's struggle. However, though misguided as Maggie may be at times, she is also selfless, kind, and caring. She is a dutiful daughter who not only respects her parents, but has a real affection for them. She certainly has at her core the idea that it is better to help others than to help yourself.

The story weaves in some interesting facts and information about the Korean War that will help kids better understand a time in our history. It definitely will lead readers to contract baseball fever. And, it ends with some helpful websites that readers can visit to learn to score baseball games on their own.

Reviewed by: Marie Robinson

These Knopf Guides are fantastic. They are beautiful little books, they are not quick guides, they are conscious and indepth. The images are well presented and the text highly informative. This book on New York is especially good, New York is unique and lends itself well to a guide of this kind. Highly recommended.

It's the most handy guidebook I ever used. It tells you all the attractions in Manhattan and it doesn't flood you wth words. It organized into sections, so you don't have to fold the map over and over to find where you want to go. If you love to travel by yourself and you don't want to carry a big book around and look like a tourist, you should get this book.

It's only good for Manhattan though.

If you are traveling to NYC, and spending your time in Manhattan, this is the only map book you will need. It's compact, and will fit in your pocket, and is easy to use and to read.

It starts with a map of Manhattan, which is divided into several sections. Each section has a corresponding map. When you open the book to a section, you will see some text and small pictures showing some of the highlights that you may want to see in the area. Then, the page folds out to a detailed map that is large enough to read easily, even while your walking, but still quite compact. The paper is very heavy, and after ten days of extensive use, my book has no torn maps, or even battered edges.

The back of the book has both bus and subway maps, and although they are pretty small, you can still use them to get around on public transportation. The only thing I used to supplement this book was a compass, which helped when we emerged from a subway tunnel, and needed a quick direction.

The cost of this book is only slightly more than a traditional map and is, in my opinion, an incredible value for the money. As a first-time visitor to NYC using this book, I was amazed that I never got lost; not even once!

We used this book on our first visit to Manhatten and found the book to be very helpful. After preparing for our visit with this book, I felt comfortable and a familiarity with the city.

folks, this is the best idea for a tourbook/map that i have stumbled across yet. i'm not prone to raving, but this will garner praise from me until the cows come home (bearing foot & mouth) no doubt.

so, why is this so great? first of all, it's simple and well designed. the city is broken down into sections. you turn to those pages and there is a brief description of places to eat, shop, etc. the pages then open up into a map of the section with a description of major sites in the area.

brilliant! no fumbling around a big map trying to find your street. no squinting to figure out where you are. it's easy to find landmarks, metro stops, etc.

the card stock is nice and heavy and has lasted well even in my back pocket. the descriptions have been helpful without being too lengthy. and at this price, it's quite competitive with other maps while providing much more.

Best travel guide bar none. Fits your pocket or small purse.. Visually great looking. There are actual pictures .... All high recommended hotels different prices..Great maps.. hard to get lost . Great recommends for food I am a shopper.. Absolutely great & unusual shops ..None of the bad tourist gear only the styling gear.. .I am familiar w/ New York but I still use this guide. This is the one I get around with...I do not go anywhere without this guide if there is one available for the destination Im will be traveling to....

This is the most ergonomically designed useful city guide I've seen.
100 percent portable, no batteries, internet connection and user friendly.

I have bought several editions of this handy little guide over the years and am now giving one to all the guests at my daughter's New York wedding. It is very easy to use and has great suggestions for dining, sight-seeing etc. with very simple sections for each area of the city. I call it my New York bible.

I went to New York for the first time for two weeks. This map is great. It's small, easy to carry, and easy to read. You won't feel so obvious if you have to pull it out on the street corner or on the subway. It was so much better than the full size map that I got from the hotel. Beware, it only covers Manhattan. So if you have to travel to the outer boroughs (Brooklyn, Bronx, Staten Island, Queens) you'll need a different map. However, since all the siteseeing, shopping, and eating I wanted to do was located in Manhattan, it was the only map I needed.

The first time I went to New York, my mom bought this for our trip. It's been a life saver since. The maps are very detailed but small enough to carry with you without looking obnoxious. The subway map is detailed as well and when you use them with your sectioned maps, it completes the whole picture. This is a must have especially for first time visitors as the maps are very easy to read. I'm going on my third trip in two months and had to pick up another copy of this, as I can't seem to find my older one. I couldn't imagine a trip to NYC without it!

It took me awhile to get into this book but it was worth it in the end. Serious book about a very serious issue. Good read and a very deep story.

Stunning. Poetic. Mr. Bernard did not merely "scratch the surface" but more like savagely clawed the surface (smile).

This book exposes or has the reader examine the whys and whats of what we, as humans, do, in all aspects concerning the way we live our lives.

There were times when it got to be to much as I was like "I'm going to read something else as this is too deep even for me," but by saying that it made me want to read more as I became addicted to this book. This book similar and different than when I read "The Darkest Child" was intoxicating.

This book, the characters, all became real and I recognized that this was fiction, but Mr. Bernard wrote this in such a fashion that made it real.

If you want a book that is and will take you on a trip that delves into the human psyche then I stronly recommend "The Last Dream Before Dawn" as it will truly rock YOUR world and have you examine yourself and others more closely.

D.V. Bernard presents a fresh viewpoint of the rising violence and scandal in America in his debut novel, THE LAST DREAM BEFORE DAWN. Twenty years ago, Roland Micheaux's innocence was shattered when his father was executed for heinous crimes. Now, as a successful New York attorney, Roland finds himself face to face with the very thing that he has tried to put behind him. One night in a parking garage his father's persona comes to haunt him as Roland makes a calamitous move that will send his life into a tailspin and cause him to question reality. Roland then meets Jasper Kain, a seer of sorts, who tries to convince him that the world is coming to an end and that madness will take its reign on the city. Kain's prophecies defy rationale, but Roland soon sees that these ideas should not be so easily dismissed.

THE LAST DREAM BEFORE DAWN is a flurry of characters, scenes, and plots, but somehow, Bernard coheres it all together into cerebral fiction that challenges reality and sanity. A distinguished entrance into the literary arena, this novel is splendidly written and brilliantly executed.

Reviewed by CandaceK
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This book was a great departure, from what I normally read, which is black fiction, based around romantic relationships. These books are more commonly known as "sistagurl" books. This book was written intelligently, and dealt with issues that we can all relate to in society. This book was a page turner, filled with mayhem, suspense, love, hate, violence, peace, and introspection. This novel makes the reader feel as though they are a part of the story, and I hope it will go on to be a best seller.

Roland Micheaux is no stranger to violence and holds a secret that he hopes will never be discovered. He is sitting on top of the world working as a successful attorney with a top law firm in New York City. Then one day he commits an unspeakable act and his world is turned upside down; and he is left pondering the question of who and what he has become. Leading him down this path of self-discovery is the unusual and elusive Jasper Kain.

Jasper Kain is a mysterious man who seems to just appear out of no where and feeds on evil and chaos. He is one of the most important characters in this book because he seems to hold some influence over all of the major characters.

Alexander Randolph is a Black Republican and Mayor of New York City. In his mind, he is one of the most important men in the world. Even though he has all of these things going for him, Mayor Randolph is not immune to madness.

The paths of these three men cross continuously throughout the book as each of them is touched by the madness and evil of the world. In reading this book, just when you think things can't get any worse they do. THE LAST DREAM BEFORE DAWN is an unusual book.

Reviewed by Simone A. Hawks
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

I'm looking forward to hearing this guy read. I'm curious if his speaking voice is as fluid with both English and Spanish as his marvelous prose. No compromises here, language is like a third character nuanced with the cultural beauty of the Southwest. My favorite piece is definitely the story A Rock Trying to be A Stone. The images are disturbing, the messages are as dangerous yet mesmerizing as a body going up in flames. (I hope I didn't give too much away here.) He must write a novel next. He owes it to us after a taste of his shorter works.

I had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Troncoso read one of his stories in person. It was a pleasure. I could close my eyes and picture the places around town. The stories are vivid and deeply appealing. They touch a chord with many of us who grew up in the El Paso area. I can't wait to read the novel he is working on.

These stories, man, I can't forget them. About time somebody was writing about poor mexicanos in a way that doesn't put us down. Everybody should read this book. Even if you aren't chicano. It gets to some very basic truths about people and survival and amor.

These stories haunt me for days on end. I find myself unable to let go of the ideas and imagery that they present. Very seldom do you see a modern writer who is so accessable, yet also makes you think.

"The Last Tortilla and Other Stories" is a rich, poignant, truthful look at life of the poverty of Mexican/American culture along the Texas/Mexican borders. Extremely honest, the stories come to life in a splendid array of experiences melded together by various inhabitants. The tales are sometimes humorous, often brutal, always stark and honest, direct from the soul of this grand writer. Troncoso bares all with eloquence and dignity and the stories compell the reader to their pages. My only regret is I am not more prolific in Spanish, but it did not deter my fervor for these mini-masterpieces. My personal favorite was "The Albuelita," but all held my interest and my heart.

Muy bien!! Mas, por favor, Mr. Troncoso. Pardon my Spanish, but your destined career is just starting!!

I love this book...I currently have about 4 chemistry review books, including an older edition of this book from my brother. The SAT II Books (like Princeton Review and Barrons) are good, but this book is very clear. There are a few trick questions, but mostly it is about the concepts. Very helpful with all the extra questions at the end of the chapter. Absolutely great! Thanks

This book has helped me so much with honors high school chemistry and explains everything so clearly and the convenience of having 40 practice questions per chapter really helps me truly understand the concepts of each chapter. I recommend this book to anyone taking chemistry!!

It may be a little too detailed for the regents student. Since the regents is getting dumbed down, I reccomend getting an older copy of the book (before 2001)-- It has more details and helpful hints in it

This is about the best book on high school level chemistry I have come across. Albert Tarendash explains each concept with care and very helpful example problems are worked out. I would recommend this book to anyone who is taking an introductory chemistry course.

This book has helped me so much with honors high school chemistry and explains everything so clearly and the convenience of having 40 practice questions per chapter really helps me truly understand the concepts of each chapter. I recommend this book to anyone taking chemistry!!