New York Books

This well - witten well researched book tells the story of a psychopathic priest who was a pedophile, forger, thief and murderer. Although he tried to hide behind an insanity defense at trial, he was a textbook anti-social personality. The perversion of the murder of his girlfriend, with fetishistic and necrophilic elements, reminds one of Ted Bundy or Jeffery Dahmer.
Readers will find very familiar the story of how the church ordained him when they knew he was disturbed, passed him from one parish to another instead of defrocking him.
This book deserves a paperback edition to reach a wider audience. It's very good. I hope the author writes more books.

I just finished reading this book and still can't believe that a catholic priest did these terrible things and then was executed in the electric chair. I truly enjoyed the way the author wrote the story. Not only did he write about Father Schmidt and his crimes, but he also wrote vivid descriptions of New York City in the early 1900's. I hope Mark Gado's name becomes synonymous with James Patterson and keeps on writing. I can see Ed Norton or Johnny Depp playing Father Schmidt. A potentially chilling movie!

I was very interested in reading this book when I heard of it. I was born and raised a Catholic and enjoy reading books of all topics about my faith and I especially love true crimes.....my husband is a police officer! So when I saw both areas of interest twisted together in one book I was fascinated!! I really enjoyed this book and this authors writing style! He masterfully captured this priest and his crimes with such imagery.....as I read the book I could envison what was taking place and I kept thinking this book would make a great movie!
I hope to see more books by this author!

Killer Priest by Mark Gado is an electrifying story expertly told. Hans Schmidt, the only priest ever to be executed for murder in the U.S., had character flaws that surfaced during his childhood in Germany. He had no use for his brothers or friends, but became transfixed with religion and killing. When adolescent sexual fantasies become intertwined with images of death and slaughter, problems are almost certain to arise. As an introverted teenager, the intelligent and scholarly Schmidt drifted into ecclesiastical studies. However, the character flaws and sexual conflict deepened and he ran afoul of the law. He became a thief and a forger who was ostracized by the clerics that knew him.

Gado's meticulous research traces Father Schmidt's twisted childhood in Germany, through his years at the seminary in Mainz, his flight from Europe and eventually his first clergy assignment in Louisville, Kentucky. A missing nine-year-old girl case raised questions at his parish and Father Schmidt suddenly leaves Louisville and heads for New York City. There, he secretly married a beautiful young woman in a ceremony he performed himself. When her dismembered body parts turned up in the Hudson River, a city became mesmerized by the spectacle of a Catholic priest arrested for a murder...and the possibility he was a serial killer!

As a seasoned detective, Gado carefully lays out the investigation and the manner in which the detectives built the case against Schmidt. Once it got to court, Schmidt, ever the manipulator, attempted to hide behind the insanity defense - creating the disturbing risk that the killer could have been turned over to the custody of the Catholic Church.

Gado's experiences in homicide and death investigation, his first-hand understanding of the criminal mind and his ability to dramatize a story so effectively combine to make Killer Priest an excellent read.

Gorgeous portraits - full of emotion and complexity. I originally bought this book because I was interested in the fashion celebs - Todd Oldham, As Four, Simon Doonan, John Bartlett, etc, but all the other celebrities in the book - John Waters, Edward Albee, Michael Cunninham - certainly don't hurt, either.

A compelling, gorgeous book - totally unique. Gay and straight readers alike will be captivated by the interior images so beautifully displayed in this newly published addition to the photography genre. While by no means a book on interior design, the spaces depicted will be a source of fascination to readers who delight in viewing interesting homes. The human subjects, too, are intriguing. Alternately calm and kooky, they don't dominate the photographs, but are essential to the composition. A thrilling read. (Or, rather, experience.)

So refreshing to see a gay photography book that is thoughful, insightful, not obsessed with young bodies, and at the same time absolutely gorgeous.

The photographer Tom Atwood writes in his "Artist's Statement" that he wanted to do a book of color photos of clothed gay men in New York who live in apartments. The photographs should balance both the portrait of the individual with his environment. He describes this book as a "miscellaneous catalogue of personalities and living spaces." The models come from a variety of professions: writers, artists, composers, designers, interior decorators, attorneys-- John Waters, Edmund White, Ned Rorem, John Ashbery, Edward Albee et al. Most of them are collectors of practically any and everything: books, crosses, musical instruments, paintings, photographs, porcelain poodles, wigs, etc. Some of the subjects arrange their "stuff" well while others do not. I could not be in Joe Holtzman's kitchen (p. 42) for more than five minutes without jumping out the window. On the other hand, the apartment of Eric Bernhoft and Peter Mintun (p. 15) is most inviting.

The photographer in 70 frames or so manages not to repeat himself at all or even come anywhere close to repeating himself, no small feat. Some of my favorites are that of Billy Basinski (p. 64) where the model is seated on a sofa in front of floor-to-ceiling windows with beautiful light streaming in, Andrew Solomon (p. 61) in a beautiful but claustrophobic shot and Christophe Le Gorju (p. 39) where the model is standing to one side of a window which makes a beautiful Modrian-like grid. The most unusual living space has to be that of Tobi Wong (p. 31) which is described as being an eight by nine foot apartment.

A friend of mine used to say that regardless of how diverse the objects were, that you could hang anything together on a wall so long as you grouped them. This book of very fine photographs perfectly illustrates that theory.

I just thought I'd reprint an updating of my review of years ago, this time with my pen name spelled correctly. (I SWEAR I entered it correctly at the time! I even refer to the Kularnava Tantra in the review.)


As the popularity of hatha yoga increases by quantum leaps, (thanks to popularizers such as Madonna, of all people), interest in Tantra has kept pace. Unfortunately, faddishness can breed mediocrity, as evidenced by hatha yoga's demotion to mock-spiritual aerobics, Tantra's characterization as "the yoga of sex" and the ancient Tantric spiritual practice (NOT theory) of Kundalini equated to a self-induced acid trip. All three views are as accurate as a vote re-count in Florida.

Now, Professor Lillian Silburn brings an academic's / scientist's eye and a novelist's style to her investigation of Kundalini and the result is a masterpiece of clarity, concision and, simple, honest-to-God truth. Without a hint of nastiness, she quickly disposes of popular misconceptions and presents three of the most important views of Kundalini practice - those of the Trika and Krama traditions within Kashmir Shaivism and the Kaula tradition ("Kulamarga"), the most concise presentation of which can be found in the ancient KULARNAVATANTRA. Her achievment ranks alongside the pioneering work in Tantra of Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe), although Professor Silburn doesn't let any puritanical inclinations cause her to censor the source material as Avalon did.

Madame Silburn builds her presentation systematically. The book's first part includes a preliminary exposition of yoga anatomy and clearly defines and explains terms such as "chakra" (wheel), "nadi" (energy current), "trikona" (mystical triangle), along with crucial Tantric tools and concepts such as "mantra" and the importance of understanding the outward and inward expressions of vibration and the still centers between the two in which the true yogi resides. Armed with this, even the newcomer to Tantric yoga will be able to follow the mystical and metaphorical rise of the Kundalini serpent through "sushumna" (the subtle middle spiritual channel of the spine), and the means by which it sets the energy centers ("chakras") whirling and vibrating as the yogin journeys ever onwards to final release from the mundane bonds of human life.

The book's second part explains the absolute necessity of the transmission of Kundalini knowledge from Guru to Disciple. The yogin's very safety depends upon this sacred initiation. Then, the processes themselves are described in detail, although Silburn has stated honestly in the Foreward that "Nevertheless, I have left enough points unclarified so as not to incur the wrath of the ancient masters". She means it. And, to underline the point, Silburn allows great Tantric masters such as Somananda, Goraksha and the magnificent Abhinavagupta do most of the explaining in well-chosen and faithfully translated excerpts from their most important works. This enviable practice reaches its apex in the book's final chapter.

The book's third and final part is entitled "The Deeper Meaning of the Esoteric Practice". This sums up pretty well the section's contents. It must be pointed out, however, that even if what preceded this section had been worthless and unreadable (which it definitely isn't), Silburn, in her final chapter presents an English translation of a small, yet powerful section, of that most supremely wide-ranging of all Tantric texts, Abhinavagupta's TANTRALOKA ("Light of the Tantras"). This towering work of sheer philosophical-mystical genius has yet to be translated into English. Silburn humbly turns to this great master, in his greatest work, to give shape, substance and meaning to her own modern masterpiece. Neither the Seeker nor the merely interested could ask for more.

After reading "Kundalini - Energy of the Depths", pick up "Vac" by Andre Padoux. In reading these, you can be satisfied that you are getting the real goods. Leave the trendiness for followers of Shiva Rea and Seane Corn. Let the academics have the terminally-footnoted tediousness of D.G. White's "The Alchemical Body". Lilian Silburn will take you where you want to go.

Lilian Silburn, french author born at the beginning of the 20th century, was far in advance. I read about 200 books on Kundalini and the very best would be On a Farther Shore, Prayer of Oraison and Energy of the Depth. Of course Gopi Krishna goes first when you begin. He is a bridge. But when you are inside yourself, then Lilian SIlburn is great. She elaborates on little triffles that will become important when one understands them. She is a kind of interior architect, with a precise mind and astonishing knowledges.

The author has done a good job of researching and putting together what seems like an encyclopedia of Kundalini.

The books she has used for researching Kundalini are Eastern, so it may be hard for some of us Westerner's to follow. Then again, one has to remember that the Kundalini experince is different for everyone. Also it seems to be written by someone who has not experienced Kundalini awakening.

Overall a very interesting book on the subject of Kundalini that I would recommend to anyone who is interested in this subject.

As the popularity of hatha yoga increases by quantum leaps, (thanks to popularizers such as Madonna, of all people), interest in Tantra has kept pace. Unfortunately, faddishness can breed mediocrity, as evidenced by hatha yoga's demotion to mock-spiritual aerobics, Tantra's characterization as "the yoga of sex" and the ancient Tantric spiritual practice (NOT theory) of Kundalini equated to a self-induced acid trip. All three views are as accurate as a vote re-count in Florida.

Now, Professor Lillian Silburn brings an academic's / scientist's eye and a novelist's style to her investigation of Kundalini and the result is a masterpiece of clarity, concision and, simple, honest-to-God truth. Without a hint of nastiness, she quickly disposes of popular misconceptions and presents three of the most important views of Kundalini practice - those of the Trika and Krama traditions within Kashmir Shaivism and the Kaula tradition ("Kulamarga"), the most concise presentation of which can be found in the ancient KULARNAVATANTRA. Her achievment ranks alongside the pioneering work in Tantra of Arthur Avalon (Sir John Woodroffe).

Madame Silburn builds her presentation systematically. The book's first part includes a preliminary exposition of yoga anatomy and clearly defines and explains terms such as "chakra" (wheel), "nadi" (energy current), "trikona" (mystical triangle), along with crucial Tantric tools and concepts such as "mantra" and the importance of understanding the outward and inward expressions of vibration and the still centers between the two in which the true yogi resides. Armed with this, even the newcomer to Tantric yoga will be able to follow the mystical and metaphorical rise of the Kundalini serpent through "sushumna" (the subtle middle spiritual channel of the spine), and the means by which it sets the energy centers ("chakras") whirling and vibrating as the yogin journeys ever onwards to final release from the mundane bonds of human life.

The book's second part explains the absolute necessity of the transmission of Kundalini knowledge from Guru to Disciple. The yogin's very safety depends upon this sacred initiation. Then, the processes themselves are described in detail, although Silburn has stated honestly in the Foreward that "Nevertheless, I have left enough points unclarified so as not to incur the wrath of the ancient masters". She means it. And, to underline the point, Silburn allows great Tantric masters such as Somananda and Goraksha to do most of the explaining in well-chosen and faithfully translated excerpts from their most important works. This enviable practice reaches its apex in the book's final chapter.

The book's third and final part is entitled "The Deeper Meaning of the Esoteric Practice". This sums up pretty well the section's contents. It must be pointed out, however, that even if what preceded this section had been worthless and unreadable (which it definitely isn't), Silburn, in her final chapter presents an English translation of a small, yet powerful section, of that most supremely wide-ranging of all Tantric texts, Abhinavagupta's TANTRALOKA ("Light of the Tantras"). This towering work of sheer philosophical-mystical genius has yet to be translated into English. Silburn humbly turns to this great master, in his greatest work, to give shape, substance and meaning to her own modern masterpiece. Neither the Seeker nor the merely interested could ask for more.

For anyone wanting to avoid the blatherings that so many modern writers ignorantly attach to this most beautiful and powerful ancient concept of Kundalini, he or she need look no further than Lilian Silburn's KUNDALINI, THE ENERGY OF THE DEPTHS.

Having visited Lake George many times this book transports me to the turn of the century. It continues to amaze me how similar the east shore is and how different the West shore has become. The east shore remains as it always has been and this is unique in America. I recommend this for anyone interested in the Adirondacks, their history and the history of the rich and famous who had vacation homes here.

A "must read" from a very unique perspective for Adirondack history buffs. Observe Lake George from postcards as it appeared at the beginning of the 20th century with insightful comments written by long-passed visitors to one America's unsurpassed lakes. Truly a book for those who wish to gain an essence of life and vacationing the way it was a century ago

As I visually strolled through this time piece, I could not help thinking that I had been to many of the places pictured. I invisioned myself in the attire of the day sitting with friends and enjoying all that lake george has to offer, and realized that I need to go and live that out in the present. Can't wait :)

When I finished reading this delightful postcard book about Lake George, I was instantly thinking of a reason to travel to upstate New York. The postcards in the book inspire calming daydreams of years before my time that seem more relaxing and a bit less stressful. For whatever reason that you may want... this book is the perfect way to take a piece of lake George with you.

Pleasure to meet Christina and Irene at the book signing in NYC the other day. I felt I was in each story by the paintings put together with the words. Beautifully written and wonderful artwork! Thank you for spreading the beauty of God in so many simple treasures!

~Peace
~Sheryl

When I picked up Land & Sea for the first time, I was impressed by the beautiful artwork, the luscious poetry and the sound of the paper as I slowly flipped through the pages. But what I didn't expect was the wonderful feeling of relaxation as I savored each poem and painting. What a wonderful gift to myself. And I'm expecting Land & Sea to be a wonderful gifts for my family and friends to grace their coffee tables and bookshelves. Thank you Cristina and Irene for this precious book.

This a beautiful book and a perfect gift for all ages!
It is a collaboration of poet and artist which takes the reader on a page by page journey....land and sea...
The care that went into its production is evident by its quality.
BUY IT! You will treasure this book ....or a loved one will remember you for presenting them with a truly unique and thoughtful gift. I love the ocean and I love this book. (Especially the Gatsby poem and painting as I am a big Fitzgerald fan)...every poem and picture evokes memories in us all...A joy!

This book is a must for anyone who appreciates the beauty of New England. Not only is the artwork lovely, Ms. Norcross transports the reader right into the painting, making it a real world through her eyes. She brings the art to life!

I really liked this, but Mr. McDonald has written half a book! In the last 25 pages of a 275-page book, he rushes to tell us how he quit Elaine's, has his book published, gets deeply into drugs and alcohol, goes broke, spends years of his life on a prolonged relapse, then gets clean and sober again. Hello!?!? I wish there had been more editing early on, so we could have had less about standing behind the bar and more about the struggle to get his life back. Maybe that's being saved for the next book? If so -- not fair. Nonetheless, Mr. McDdonald's a good writer and it was an enjoyable read.

Reading McDonald is akin to eating a piece of Junior's cheesecake or a hotdog at Yankee stadium; its pure New York that you end up carrying with you as an experience.

I am a big fan of My Father's Gun, and this book shows not only McDonald's writing strength, but how he has grown as a writer. Like Gun, you come away with a precious sense for how it is/was in New York as a true New Yorker. Simply priceless.

Mr. McDonald vividly describes the unique world of Elaine's, an iconic bar and restaurant in the Big Apple. But that's not all he describes in this hard to categorize Memoir. The book is a redemption story. And it's a celebration of a place that will probably never be equaled for its longevity and its sheer glamor. In addition, Mr. McDonald has written a most sensitive and compelling portrait of Elaine Kaufman. Ms Kaufman has always been enigmatic even to the people closest to her and the people that have previously written about her. McDonald enables us to see the strength, fragility and vulnerability of this complex and enormously successful "Queen of New York." She is just human after all. However, the most significant aspect of 'Last Call at Elaine's' is the author's portrayal of his own alcoholism and the concomitant and destructive denial that all alcoholics must have in abundance to keep doing what they do. There is nothing trite, maudlin or sensational about the way McDonald describes this insidious disease. I feel richly rewarded for the sleep I lost staying up to read this book. I am glad McDonald took Elaine's advice to 'Just tell the Story.'

A must read for any New Yorker - surely you know one, or have been one yourself.

The original version of this book, published in 1972 by Alfred A Knopf, reflects the thinking of historian Roy A Medvedev in the period of August 1962 to August 1968. The revised and expanded 1989 version must first be examined in light of the original.

The original was translated by Colleen Taylor and edited by David Joravsky of Northwestern University. Medvedev couldn't get published in the USSR, and this work thus first appeared in the West. It was written primarily during the transition from Khrushev's anti-Stalinist reforms to Brezhnev's immanent social-imperialism.

August 1968 is also the month of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslavakia and the defeat of Dubcek's "socialism with a human face." This is also the period of Mao's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.

Stalin was as evil as Hitler, yet he rose to power in the first Socialist state. The Second World War played itself out as one totalitarian dictatorship in a death struggle with another, yet Stalin ended up through the course of events as an ally of the democratic and capitalist Anglo-American West in its life-or-death struggle against fascism.

Totalitarianism turns out to have been the big infatuation of the twentieth century intelligentsia. Medvedev represents Russia's awakening from this plague. He is wrong about so much, yet for his age he was so far ahead of his times.

This book is a classic, and I believe the original should be the preferred version. Stalin's terror is nearly beyond belief. It is tragic in a different way than Nazism; perhaps with consequences more evil.

If Leninism ever revives, this will be a classic, just as it is now in the wake of the Cold War defeat of Communism.

This book is a very thorough and well-written biography of Josef Stalin. It was one of the few books I read in college that I didn't mind reading. The information on Stalin's political and personal life gives the reader an opportunity to make informed judgements about Stalin's actions.

This book was the first in the Soviet Union to treat Stalin in an objective way. Prior to its release Stalin had been the great hero of the patriotic war the father of the country and so forth. Whilst the secret speech by Krushev had distanced the country from his system scholarship had not taken the step of subjecting his rule to objective analysis.

The author was a person who was an opponent of Stalin and prior to the fall of the regime was active in its criticism. The book goes through the issues associated with Stalin such as the decision to collectivize agriculture, the forced industrialization, the terror and the handling of the war. The author forms the view that Stalin was an unmitigated disaster. That is the country would have progressed economically better without him, and his handling of the war was catastrophic.

It is a good book to read with other western accounts such as Bullocks.

The late 1990's saw the publication of numerous scatterbrained, and ill-intentioned, attempts to descredit Vladimir Lenin, Nikolai Bukharin, Leon Trotsky, and Karl Marx, by associating their actions, and ideas, with those of Joseph Stalin. One must ask, "were these attempts in any way successful?" Luckily, the answer is an emphatic, no. The individuals who bought into the "Marx and Lenin created Stalinism" theory, alluded to in works such as 'The Black Book of Communism', by Mister Courtois (or Miss), 'The Passing of an Illusion', by Mister Furet, and 'The Soviet Tragedy', by Mister Malia, already harbored such fantastic illusions. Most of the population has no interest in Sovietology, so attempts at descrediting Lenin, Marx, Bukharin, and Trotsky, were, and are, virtually fruitless (I took a Public Speaking course at a local community college, and most of the students hadn't even heard of Lenin, Marx, or Trotsky!.)

To find true objectivity, on the subject of Sovietology, one must reach back into the distant past, and read Roy Medvedev's incredible, 'Let History Judge'. One could refer to Medvedev's writings, as "Solzhenitsyn, without the racism and bitterness"(a spew of biographies show that Solzhenitsyn is without question anti-semitic; however, this fact doesn't mean he's no longer one of the elite writers of the twentieth century). 'Let History Judge', is not so much a history of Stalin, but a history of Russia from 1917-1953. Described, with minute detail, is Lenin's seizure of power, Lenin's benevolent feelings toward Stalin (which ended effectively after the Eleventh All-Congress of the Bolsheviks), Trotsky's role as leader of the Red Army, Trotsky's complete ineptness in regard to the left-opposition, and Stalin's remarkable, almost super-human, political abilites. In addition, one will never discover a finer description of collectivization anywhere (although I must admit Conquest's 'Harvest of Sorrow', is pretty excellent). Russia's grain production in 1930-1933, were almost certainly below pre-WWI levels, apparently, but Stalin wanted Russia to appear forceful, so he sold grain internationally, as if it were "business as usual", which resulted in the death of millions of non-guilty peasants (however, one can not deny George Carlin's classic quote, "there are no innocent people, once you're born, you're guilty as charged").The description of the horrible Gulag system is not quite as great as Solzhenitsyn's, but it's pretty darn close. Unlike Solzhenitsyn, Medvedev doesn't slander the dead, or embark on anti-semitic diatribes (thankfully, for the population at large, Medvedev critiques much of what Solzhenitsyn wrote in the 'Gulag Archipelago' with absolute clarity).

The price is pretty high, but at 800+ pages, the person isn't really buying just one book, they are buying a multitude of books, which cover a variety of subjects. In addition to, 'Let History Judge', I would also strongly recommend you read Edvard Radzinsky's 'Stalin', Volkogonov's 'Autopsy of an Empire' (being a Yeltsin staffer, Volkogonov is biased, but there is some interesting anecdotes!), and Robert Tucker's magnificent two-volume biograpy of Stalin. Unlike other works on the subject of the Russian Revolution, these works actually take a "scholarly" approach!

Helene Hanff takes every day slices of life in New York City and shows us the people behind the skyscrapers. I highly recommend reading this book along with "Apple of My Eye", her book about New York City sites and history. Having had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Hanff in 1990, i can tell you she wrote as she talked, so when you read her words, it is actually HER voice speaking to you with no pretense. This lady called them as she saw them! I have read and re-read her books many hundreds of times and hope others will continue to discover them!

I could never understand people who read the same book several times until I began to read Helene Hanff.I find myself trying to work out just how big,or small is her apartment?I was so pleased to find the book about Q. It aswered such a lot of questions.I'm a real cult follower of her work.

Halfway through the very first dispatch, I began reading this book aloud. Since the essays are transcripts from her BBC Woman's Hour Broadcasts, it seemed more appropriate.

Helene's voice is clear and crisp, much like the autumn-in-NY days she once loved. Fans of "84 Charing Cross Road" who found themselves yearning for more should take the time to hunt down a used copy of this text. It's definitely worth it.

When writting about New York City, many authors try to be as chic and cosmopolitan as New York is perceived to be. But Helene Hanff's writing is interesting, witty and fun and there is not a bit of pretentiousness in it. This is a great collection of "talks" which describe the real New York.

"Letters of Transit" is a collection of five essays originally presented, in somewhat different form, as lectures sponsored by the New York Public Library from November, 1997, through February, 1998. Andre Aciman, the editor and author of both the Foreward ("Permanent Transients") and the first of the essays ("Shadow City"), focuses on the theme of being an "exile" (as opposed to being an "expatriate" or a "refugee" or an "emigre"). Aciman suggests, in his Foreward, that "[w]hat makes exile the pernicious thing it is is not really the state of being away, as much as the impossibility of ever not being away." He goes on to elaborate, in his ensuing essay, that the exile is not just someone "who has lost his home; it is someone who can't find another, who can't think of another." Aciman, impressionistically explores the way in which living in a new city (New York) can vividly reincarnate the memories of cities in which the exile has lived previously (the "shadow cities" of his title). Aciman's essay is fascinating, perceptive and insightful; it is a wonderful short piece which illustrates why his much-praised memoir, "Out of Egypt", has become a minor classic of the genre.

Similarly, Bharati Mukherjee's essay, "Imagining Homelands", provides thoughtful elaborations on the nuances and connotations of the words "expatriate", "exile" and "immigrant"; she draws fine and interesting distinctions among these words and carefully entwines these distinctions with an elaboration of her own life experiences.

The strongest essays in this collection, however, are those of Eva Hoffman, Edward Said and Charles Simic. All three of these writers provide classic insights into the experience of "exile, identity, language, and loss" which are worth careful thought and consideration. All three suggest (as does Mukherjee when she describes herself as an "integrationist" and a "mongrelizer") that the exile can only ultimately be redeemed by rejecting irrational devotion to the narrow and myopic tribalism of nation, ethnicity, religion, and ideology which so often encumbers the exile community; that redemption comes only through freedom, reason and syncretism. Thus, Simic writes, in concluding his essay, "Refugees", that the poet "is a member of that minority that refuses to be part of any official minority, because a poet knows what it is to belong among those walking in broad daylight, as well as among those hiding behind closed doors."

Hoffman's essay, "The New Nomads", is clearly the best of this collection. She carefully delineates the universality of the exilic experience, an experience which can be found in the Ur-text of Adam and Eve's exile from the Garden of Eden. She then discusses the way in which exile can magnify the impulse to "memorialize" the past. The result, she suggests, is that exile distorts the vision of the past, tending to make it an idealized "mythic, static realm" which forever impedes the ability to deal with the present (what Hoffman perceptively characterizes as the "rigidity of the exilic posture"). She then provides an interesting discussion of A.B. Yehoshua's provocative essay, "Exile as Neurotic Solution", wherein he postulated that there were many opportunities for the Jews (prior to the creation of the modern State of Israel) to settle in Palestine more easily than in countries where they had chosen to live, but it was the one location they avoided. In Hoffman's words, "[i]t was as if they were afraid precisely of reaching their promised land and the responsibilities and conflicts involved in turning the mythical Israel into an actual, ordinary home." The ultimate result of the "memorialization" of the past and the "rigidity of the exilic posture" is that exile communities often cannot function in the locus of the larger society; rather, they conceive of themselves as perpetually "Other".

Edward Said's essay, "No Reconciliation Allowed", describes the dislocation of the exile in vivid terms: "a Palestinian going to school in Egypt, with an English first name, an American passport, and no certain identity at all." Thus, he finds himself in a secondary school where only English is permitted to be spoken, even though none of the students is a native speaker of English. While his entire educational experience is Anglocentric in the extreme, he is also trained to understand he is a "Non-European Other", someone who can never aspire to being British in any true sense of the word. While Said has been criticized recently for allegedly misrepresenting his past, he is quite forthcoming in this essay in acknowledging his admiration for "self-invention". In some sense, Said's essay and the narrative of his life reflects his theory, specifically the notion that we can (and do) use language instrumentally to construct social realities (in this case the reality of his life).

While somewhat uneven, as all collections are, "Letters of Transit" ultimately provides a rich, varied and deeply insightful range of readings on what it means to be an exile.

This is a very important book from 5 writers who have suffered the unease that comes from being "neither fish nor fowl", something I've always felt as a Jew, but never related to other immigrants, expatriates, or those in exile. This book also draws in writers and their craft, the work that comes out of "homesickness", the instinct to "memorialize in prose". I read this book in a light trance, feeling if but for a moment as if I lived somewhere. Anyone looking for where they come from or even where they got to should read this book.

This is a great book for those who want to be able to place Exile, Identity, Language and Loss in some kind of coherent context. It allows the reader to be able to understand his/her own behavior and the behaviors of those around them. It can also be applied to novels written in the various genres that deal with immigration and exile--to understand the motivation of the authors regarding plot and character development.

There is not, however, based on just one perspective. We read five different authors' point of view and their personal experiences, which allows for a range of inquiries.

I highly recommend this book.

I loved the book becuase the authors have written very honestly about their feelings and about being different in a society. As a emigrant who has lived in the United State for the past 20 years, the book hits home for me. And I will read it again and again.

This book is wonderful. The pictures bring back a time in our country's history that was hopeful and expansive - a nice antidote to today's closed attitudes. Anyone with an interest in American history and the story of one our momumental achievements should have this book. P.S. Children love this book too -- my two sons take it off the shelf almost every night!

I like architecture. I like buildings. And I adore The Empire State building in New York City. (as if I need to mention location) This is an informative book by Mr. Doherty and others giving us a detailed view into dreams coming to life of the then tallest building in the world. How it was built, human drama behind the scenes, how fast it went up---4 stories a week, the limestone that was only brought in from Indiana, and other fascinating information.

With a glossary, index, photo's of helmeted men in 1930---daringly straddling beams above a floor of cement doom, one can relive visiting this icon or enjoy true anticipation of using one of its 73 elevators to reach for the heavens on an open aired viewing floor where everything from weddings to arm wrestling competitions take place.

Did you know they began using outdoor lights due to an aircraft bomber, lost in the fog and crashing into her 79th floor back in the 40's? And now, one can see it adorned with special lit colors--Blue was done as a tribute to Frank Sinatra, Blue & White for Churchill, and Gold for the Pope.

Yes, the building that may now not be the tallest, will forever hold a special place in our hearts. As seen in many movies, from King Kong to Sleepless In Seattle, we can step back and wonder who is behind those 6,000 windows ( you might spot Donald Trump, he owns part of her now ) and wistfully sigh at the romance of it all.

other reading suggestions: "The Majesty of the French Quarter" by Kerri McCaffety

--CDS--

The sixty-five photographs in this book are probably the best of the thousand Lewis Hine took during the construction of the Empire State Building. Several are now the standard image used to depict industrial output during the Depression and rightly so. Hine concentrates on the workers rather than the actual building and you can see just how precarious some of their activity is. Years before hardhats and workman's comp hundreds of seasoned craftsmen managed to erect a building nearly a quarter of a mile high in 410 days and weighing 365,000 tons.

Author Freddy Langer writes an interesting short essay about Lewis Hine explaining how he became interested in using photography to expose the exploitation of child labor during the early years of the last century. These photos were used in his book 'Kids at Work' (ISBN 0395797268). His interest in photographing the workplace got him the commission to record the building of the Empire State and some of these images also appeared in his 1932 book 'Men at Work' (ISBN 0486234754).

It is a shame that the book does not give more explanation to what the craftsmen are doing in the photos. A book that does have photos (though not by Hine) and detailed captions is 'Building the Empire State' (ISBN 0393730301) edited by Carol White, it reproduces seventy-seven pages of typewritten description, some of it quite technical, that someone at Starrett Brothers, the builders, produced as a record of the construction.

The Empire State was in competition with the Chrysler Building and a book by David Stravitz, 'The Chrysler Building' (ISBN 1568983549) is a week-by-week photographic construction record of Van Allen's Art Deco masterpiece with detailed captions to the pictures. Strangely many of Hine's photos clearly show the Chrysler Building in the background.

All three books celebrate the building of two stunning New York skyscrapers.

Pictures that are not well known, but warm the heart