F Books

Is nothing more compelling than the JSA?? I mean come on! This book is so sweet, I got diabetes from reading it!

I got to say I'm absoluetly loving Goyer on JSA. He really gets you to like the characters and he has seemed to master what is so great about the JSA they aren't about conflict like the JLA but, they are a family. And with that being said Goyer has managed to balance all the characters on the team and make you want to know more about each one. I reccomand this to anyone but, do yourself a favor and pick up the first two trades first.

A little unexpected, but he wasn't going to stay gone forever. It was handled quite well, and made Hawkman a more interesting character, who I started following. Thus, it certainly did what it set out to do, in that it made me want to read Hawkman again afer such a long time.

DC went crazy in the 1990s. Thinking that all their characters have become too archaic for the cutting-edged tastes of today's readers, they systematically set out to eliminate all their "old" characters and replace them with "new" characters. Thus we have all the big "events" of the 1990s - the "death" of Superman (to be replaced by FOUR Supermen - and finally the original returned with long hair), the "maiming" of Batman (to be replaced by a psychotic, badly-drawn Jean Paul Valley), the "defeat" of Wonder Woman and the "amputation" of Aquaman.

And there were the "events". Underworld Unleashed. Zero Hour. Final Night. Day of Judgment. Our Worlds At War. Joker's Last Laugh. etc. etc. Mega-crossovers that involve a million titles.

Here in this book, we have DC doing what DC should have been doing. Silver-Age storytelling with a modern sense of the epic. Goyer and Johns here stick to the "comic-characters-as-absurd-heroic-visions" view of past-writers like John Broome and Gardner Fox. There are no attempts here to force the characters to become unneccessarily "adult" ala' the pretentious Vertigo attempts. The characters here dress and talk like comic characters. And that's what they should always have been. And finally, no crossovers. The whole saga happened within ONE title - JSA.

Of course, as the title implies, Hawkman returns. And what an awe-inspiring scene that was. I still get that familiar tingle down my spine looking at that full-page blast of Carter Hall resurrected and proclaiming, "Arise, my once and future love!" And his return was just in time too. As the JSA then rush off to face Onimarr Synn.

Finally, there is that JSA meeting at the end of the story. Hawkman is back. And they do a little re-examination of what the JSA stands for - "Young Justice and the Titans, they look up to the Justice League. But the Justice League... they look up to US!" That's what the JSA is all about - LEGACY, what with being the original super-team in human history.

GET THIS BOOK! THEN GET THE HAWKMAN : ENDLESS FLIGHT TPB ALSO!

I have never been much of a JSA fan, or of any of the older character's like Alan Scott (formely known as Green Lantern, now known as Sentinel), Jay Garrick (the first Flash), or Sandy Hawkins (originally Sandy the Golden Boy, now Sand). Then I picked up this book just cause it had been written by David Goyer (who wrote the three "Blade" movies) and my whole perspective of the JSA changed forever. The story was excellent, the character's are incredible (especially the reformed Black Adam), and the artwork is amazing. This has to be one of my top 10 favorite comic stories (Marvel and DC put together) of all time, and I highly recommend this book to any comic lover.

I really liked this book of the way it is written for easy understanding and examples. Also the author is very helpful in adding more insights into the various topics and even to the extent of communicating with one on one. I really recommend this book to any programmer.

Excellent book - does not waste words and full of useful code examples.

I found the book a must have when you begin with CVI. It should be on your shelf right above your PC while you are on your 5th can of coke digging in code at 3 am. I was very pleased that the author responded back to my tech e_mail. He is a class guy. Thank you, Mr. Khalid

This is a really good book for someone who is starting out using Labwindows CVI. I had a little knowledge of C but the book really did a good job of filling in the blanks and refreshing my memory. After only reading the first few chapters I was programing great user interfaces over the GPIB. I have already recommended this book to a number of fellow students.

This is truly an excellent book; a real must for any LabWindows/CVI beginner.

Each section uses well thought out examples to demonstrate the features and libraries available to the programmer. The topic areas covered in this book ensure that the user can quickly generate code that will produce professional looking solutions for any application. The GPIB and RS232 tutorials are superb, providing essential background information in both these crucial areas.

A real must for any CVI developer!

For many Christians, recitation of the Apostles' Creed is a rote part of Sunday morning's liturgy. And most worshipers more than likely routinely repeat phrases they've repeated Sunday after Sunday without giving much or any thought to what they're saying. "Resurrection of the dead" I suspect is one of those affirmations that roll politely off the tongue while conveniently by-passing the gray matter. My hunch is that people assume they're making a belief statement about the resurrection of Jesus not their own physical, corporeal resurrection.

Segal's book picks up where Oscar Cullman left off and goes into exhaustive and fascinating detail as to how the idea of an afterlife came to be in the Western world. Cullman's little book (Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead) is must reading. In less than a hundred pages, Cullman details the differences between the pagan notion of an immortal soul and the Jewish/Christian belief in the resurrection of the dead--real bodies being raised in the last days. Life After Death begins with those same pagans and then offers an extremely well-documented history of various religion's views of the afterlife. This is not an afternoon read.

What I found most fascinating about Segal's book was the way he demonstrated the connection between the different philosophical ideas and the religious belief system(s) that inherited or appropriated its predecessor. One must make a leap of faith at times with his connections (no proof can be made that an early Christian said, "Plato's Phaedra makes sense to me!"), but the bridges he makes are convincing and cited with care. Gnosticism is but one compelling example of such a connection.

Apart from the historical aspect, one may ask, "So what? What difference does it make?" American Christians' bias against Muslims viz. martyrdom is one case in point. It is assumed (by our prejudice) that martyrs do what they do to inherit afterlife in Paradise. And that very well may be the case, and Segal does a fine job of looking at the nuances of Islamic interpretation of holy text. But recall Marx blasted Christianity as the opiate of the masses and Woody Guthrie criticized Christians for desiring the "pie in the sky by and by" because these beliefs can lead to self-righteousness, ignoring of social issues, and the Christian version of holy war (Crusades, Manifest destiny, Iraq).

Expect to be enlightened and amazed with this book. I cannot recommend it strongly enough for any thoughtful Christian, one who adheres to the dictum that spiritual growth is "faith seeking understanding."

Alan F. Segal's book "Life After Death" is my first read of his work, and certainly the most massive book I have read in some time. Considering the sheer scope of the topic Segal has attempted to cover, the size of the book should come as no surprise. However, the physical weight is where the "weightiness" ends.

Now, before you freak out about over 700 pages of text on life after death, it should be emphasised that Segal writes in a very accessible and easy going manner. A few of the words he uses require a dictionary, (at least, I needed one), but the incidence of this was not a burden. Segal keeps you moving and presents a great level of quotation from ancient sources to highlight his points. His manner and style of presentation and discussion are absolutely fantastic.

Segal presents the beliefs of different cultures from a more social viewpoint than anything, and deals with how these beliefs can illustrate what the people thought of about themselves and the world about them. What you end up with is a very interesting discussion not just on life after death, but also some of the political, cultural and social concerns that went into them. This makes for a very well-rounded discussion.

Segal takes you through various cultures and civilisations, and throughout he inter-connects various ideas between them to show how they illustrate each other by contrast or simularity. These cultures include chapters on Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Canaan, Israelite, (broken into various chapters), and much more, including detailed chapters on Christian views and their development through the centuries.

This book is really a great overview of the topic, and it is relatively easy to find from Segal's referencing further material for more specific reading. Segal has done exceptionally well to squeeze such a vast topic into about 750 well-written and dynamic pages.

This book gets a big "thumbs-up" from me. I will certainly be reading more of Segal's work in the future.

First, I must admit that I'm not totally impartial due to the fact that I have come to consider Dr. Segal a great mentor. Nevertheless, it can be said with absolute certainty that his treatment of the subject is very full-bodied and complete.

Moreover, you should not be intimidated by the book's length. For by connecting the subject to his personal life and contemporary issues, he keeps you interested throughout the long and fascinating journey.

If you're like me, you'll be both moved and amazed by what you've learned.

Professor Segal's book is a must read for anyone interested in tracing the development of thinking concerning post-mortem existence. Segal's approach is well-researched, and he makes conections across the centuries and cultures that might otherwise go unnoticed. His grasp of the bredth of the material concerning western society's beliefs of life after death is breathtaking.

The author attempts to explain an oxymoron - Life After Death. He does so elegantly, enlightening and entertaining along the way. It may shock those who think we've always held the beliefs we now hold and that these beliefs arrived fully developed without undergoing all the development associated with such ideas. The author is authoritative and sympathetic as we wind through the ages, civilization upon end, rewriting not only the rules but also the game.

Starting with the unchanging Egyptians one discovers that they indeed changed their beliefs about life after death, not once but several times. Then the citizens of Ur take center stage. On and on we move, ancient Persia, Greece and finally the dawn of our modern Western ideas, Israel. It is difficult to call one view more "sophisticated" than another due to the transmission and borrowing of ideas between cultures. Each new encounter led to another modification.

The primary question had to be decided..."Is there life after death?" Most cultures concluded that "something" existed beyond death. (Oddly, the Old Testament is silent on the subject.) They were unsure where it was or what occurred. Religious leaders and rulers were included (of course) then a new idea of titantic import emerged, one that affects us to this day: All who lead "good lives" (honored rulers and gods, obeyed social rules) are eligible for eternal bliss. Its corollarly - bad people get punished - was a natural development.

Our ideas of an afterlife had evolved from a dark existence to a an opulent physical place to a democratic mystical union with Christ in "heaven". The idea of resurrection muddied the waters but stopped debate on the subject. Christianity substituted "being in Christ" for a physical place while Islam's version promises sensuousness and pleasure for ever. A well-researched and well-written book - get it today.

Captures the heart and soul of these guys and the political crap they endure with their administration weasels...Bob :)

I have read a lot of military books that cover infantry and Spec-Ops but I have found few that deal with the in and outs of a city level police SWAT team. I found the book to be exciting to read and interesting to see the inner workings of a SWAT team. I liked the team spirit portrayed as well as the day to day politics of every day police work. In this day and age risk of street level terrorism, has thrown the local police SWAT team from a necessary evil that police administrators hate to have, to a front line defense that is truly needed and wanted by every citizen and every level of law enforcement. I am hoping that Jon Skaehill is going to pleasure us with another book soon! A MUST READ.

The author uses his real world experience as a SWAT Operator and Patrol Supervisor to accurately depict the life of a SWAT team in a mid-size city police department. This book is packed with action and drama. It shows the good and bad of departmental politics and delves into the dangerous world of tactical operations.

I LOVED IT!

The Lion's Den is a well written book that steadily improves in its readability throughout the story. Mr. Skaehill's knowledge of police department politics, the criminal element of our society, and modern SWAT team operations is both apparent and interesting. The book provides, not only a solid story line with good characters that are interesting and believable, but also a unique look into the professional hazards faced by police officers in a midsize to large sized police department.

Hopefully, Mr. Skaehill will continue to develop these characters and provide more insight into police/SWAT operations with future books. It would also be interesting to hear from this author in stories written from the prospective of a Patrol Sgt., a Detective, or even an Internal Affairs Investigator.

A Cop

Sgt. Skaehill proves that he knows his business. The "Lion" roams about, seeking whom he may devour....Jon Skaehill has assaulted the lion's lair, and continues to do so to this day. I believe it was George Orwell who said "People can sleep soundly in their beds at night only because of rough men who are willing to do violence on their part." Jon Skaehill is one of these men to whom we owe our peace and tranquility. He takes you into the lion's den as only one can when he's actually tasked to do it himself. Skaehill takes you to a place that few ever see. May I quote again? Blaise Pascal said, "Law...without force...is impotent."
The characters are well developed, and one can't help but "get to know them", as the book progresses. Not only does Skaehill score center-mass hits in his depiction of SWAT training and operations. He also realistically nails the petty internal politics of a Police Department's few "rear eschelon bean counters". The book's accounts of SWAT raids are indeed riveting--most especially the last third of the book. I look forward to his next work.
Sgt. Skaehill has "BTDT", and it shows....

Almost cinematic in design and construction, truly, "The Magic of M.C. Escher" is a breakthrough book on the works of this artist. Every page is filled with inspiration and surprise. Designed by a gifted art director named Erik The' and produced by Andreas Landshoff, this book flows together to form a loving catalogue of Mr. Escher's visions. It is unlike other books based on Escher which tend to be either tutorial or biographical in nature. Whereas these past books, more or less, deconstruct and analyze his works mainly through words, "The Magic of M.C. Escher" successfully accomplishes this through the images themselves, revelling in their sheer beauty, from his preliminary studies all the way to the finished prints. There are many double foldout pages to better impact Escher's mastery of his craft. Some of the pages are filled, corner to corner, with extremely detailed, magnified sections of specific works that allow the reader to closely experience what it's like to be "nose to nose" with the actual prints.

This book catapults the reader into Escher's world immediately. Before you even open the title page, you discover that the inside of the dust cover reproduces, in full color, of course, "Metamorphosis III" in three horizontal panels each measuring an astounding 39" across. This book brings us along on a visual journey ajoined by Escher's own words, as if he is personally giving us insights on a guided tour of his works. It thoughtfully limits itself to short excerpts from Escher's lectures and letters whose sole purpose is to compliment glorious, detailed photographs of original work. It's filled with Escher's never-before published pencil studies and sketches, extreme closeups of his prints, and detailed photographs of his original carved wood blocks. The pencil studies from his notebooks allow us to follow his thought processes and fully appreciate the endless hours he joyfully and dutifully spent on formulating the precise combination of graphic elements to arrive at his finished images.

The book makes side-by-side visual comparisons of earlier works that inspired Escher to create more self-satisfying images that better convey his "relative division of the plane" and other spacial concepts. Most of its visual content were supplied by two sources: The M.C.Escher Foundation and Michael Sachs, a private collector and print dealer from Connecticut.

Overall, this is book is a stunning, loving homage to this master of printmaking and genius to the graphic arts. Nothing is spared in this book's construction and design. If the adage is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, "The Magic of M.C.Escher" could fill a library.

Wonderful coffee-table book of Escher's best drawing illusions. Even the jackets is two-sided and imaginatively done with style.

High-quality reproductions of the amazing artworks. Minimalistic style of comments and excerpts from artist's letters gives you a focus on subtle details and motives, and lets images tell you the rest.

Given as a gift by a special friend of mine, the book has always adorned the coffee table in the living room as a centerpiece that never fails to attract the attention of both art lovers and art dabblers alike. Perhaps it could be said that my interest in the two seemingly disparate field of mathematics and art motivated that friend of mine to purchase the book, as Escher himself apparently believed and proved that those two seemingly unrelated fields could be beautifully synthesized in a brilliant fusion of creativity. The result is more than convincing.

Escher was a Dutch wanna-be mathematician, who expressed himself through incredibly intricate, creative works of art. This book contains hundreds of his drawing as well as his notebook sketches, which is interesting to look at because you get to see how he developed his drawings. Accompanying most of the pictures in this book are excerpts of letters that he wrote to various people. If you want a book on Escher's work, then this is the one to buy! Fantastic.

A very thoroughly written book. I found some information on all-flying tails that I haven't found any where else. However, Dr. Phillips uses nomenclature that are not what I call traditional nomenclature. Not really a big problem, just different from what I'm use to.

"Mechanics of Flight" will become a classic in the aerodynamicist's library alongside Abbott and Von Doenhoff's "Theory of Wing Sections". Here's why:

* Coverage of topics in aircraft design is exhaustive. From balancing lift and weight for steady flight, on through off axis forces and moments from running propellers, to 6-dof formulas for aircraft dynamic modes, to how propeller location affects aircraft stability, and on and on. Great for both the beginner and the authority in aircraft.

* Often a completely thorough analysis including the minutest effects is presented along with a linearized or simplified method. The simplified analysis is so useful for rapid conceptual design and study of fundamentals, while the detailed analysis gives a complete grasp of the physics and phenomena involved. Plus, in simplifying a complex derivation, the reader is shown which parameters may be safely neglected and which require careful scrutiny, and what is engineering if not intelligently ignoring smaller effects to come up with a reasonable solution to a problem?

* The figures! Well thought out and consistent, the figures clearly illustrate the material.

* Actual aircraft data is used in the example and homework problems. I have a feel for the performance of several classes of aircraft simply from using this book.

* Phillips derives everything, and I mean everything using the fundamental laws of physics as the starting point. A student would be very well served to go through these derivations themselves. Phillips basically shows the student how to learn and how to think mathematically. No shortcuts here. I wish I had learned these things very early on in my own schooling.

* Phillips has included experimental data along with rigorous analytical derivation and computer numerical analysis. I believe that all three are necessary for a true understanding of fluid dynamics.

The bottom line: Buy and use this book! While it is true that the material is focused on subsonic flight, I work for a large airframer of supersonic aircraft and I find the principles and fundamentals to be extremely useful in my work. Whether you are a student or a professional, if you have an interest in aerodynamics this is THE book to use.

This book lays out the concepts of aircraft performance and simulation in an exceptionally clear and easy to follow format. There is no wondering how the concepts in each chapter fit together and how they apply to aircraft design or analysis.

The formulations for aircraft performance are very robust and provide the reader/student with the formulation of each equation from basic priciples in an easy to understand style.

A highlight of the book are the chapters on flight simulation and dynamic stability. The methods presented for 6-dof dynamic stability and quaternion based flight simulation are clearly explained and the examples provided walk the reader through the process of implementing them. These methods are also faster and more accurate than similar methods I have seen used here at NAVAIR, and implement them every time I can into older codes.

This book covers every aspect of flight mechanics that the beginning and intermediate student needs to know and does not confuse the reader!!

This text provides unparalled detail in it's discussion of flight mechanics. It contains clear and concise derivations of underlying equations and has well planned figures and example problems. Subject matter includes static and dynamic stability, propulsion, lifting line theory, 6-dof flight simulation with quaternions, along with many other essential topics. I particularly appreciated the straightforward way in which Phillips applies numerical methods to solving many of the problems. The equations required are located in such a manner as to make it easy to find what you need. Though mainly geared toward subsonic flight, I have found the understanding gained through this book invaluable in the design of supersonic vehicles. This is a great book for students learning the subject for the first time and a must have for engineering professionals and aircraft enthusiasts.

I am an Aerospace engineer working for the Air Force. While attending the annual AIAA aerospace convention in Reno Nevada, I met a professor from Denmark who raved about the work and research of a professor local to the west, Phillips. This seasoned scholar from Denmark wouldn't miss a session if he found Phillips' name appearing in it. I picked up the "Mechanics of Flight" which was on display for the first time at that conference. Due to the mountain of topics covered (900+ pages) I can't say that I have read every line of that book but the material I studied was impressive. I've never seen such complete derivations right from F=MA. The explanations are meticulous and thorough. I coded a real-time 6-DOF flight simulator for a midsized RCAV using this book as the main reference. I've never seen such a straightforward explanation of Quaternion algebra. If there were a "bible" of flight mechanics and dynamics, I would certainly give this my vote over any other in its class.

What a great story that took me back to growing up...well written...great details that make the story all the more real and enjoyable! Hope there is another book following.....

Having come from a single parent family, I could really identify with the feelings Jackie was having. I think this is a must read for kids who struggle with being present and honest with themselves. I was awestruck with her courage to deal on life's terms. I'll be passing this book on to the many kids in my extended family.

Pat Schmatz has written a poignant and entertaining story of growing up and adjusting to difficult changes. Strong characterization and skillful plotting makes this book about an ordinary girl facing extraordinary circumstances a wonderful read. And you'll love Mrs. Estronsky!

Mrs. E is a deceptively simple and thoroughly engaging book. It is a well-written, interesting story that balances lighthearted and funny moments with meaningful family themes about single parenting, sibling relationships, the impact of divorce on adolescents and teens, and the life-changing potential of the teacher-student relationship. An inspiring, hopeful must-read for adolescent girls.

This book touched me. As an adult whose parents divorced when I was about the same age as Jackie, it took me back and allowed me to feel along with Jackie what I couldn't then. This is a must read for girls stuggling in adolesence and for women who have been there. It is exceptionally well written, easy to read and enjoyable. I highly recommend it to read and pass along.

I remember when I bought this book back in 1990. I still use it and keep it on my shelf as a book that will not go out of use. Every recipe you ever needed is here including those made with your cornstarch and baking soda. I like the book because it does not tell the child what to make; it simply offers the recipes and lets kids make what they want. Some of the illustrations give good ideas for what is possible to make, but it is low key and kids are encouraged to be creative in their own way. This book has the best playdough I've ever made -- an entire chapter of different playdoughs, but my favorite is on page 29. All you need is flour, salt, and water. My copy says this book received a "Best of the Best" rating from the American Library Association.

This book has clays and doughs made from every imaginable ingredient (dryer lint!!). It is not only thorough but the directions are clear and easy to follow. The book is arranged in a way that makes it easy to find the perfect recipe to meet your needs; cooked vs. non-cooked for example. I use it often for my preschool classroom.

"Preschoolers, art teachers, adventurous parents, and most anyone who likes to play in mud, peanut butter, playdough, papier-mache, and similar mediums will be ecstatic over Kohl's book. There are more than 100 recipes for dough, plaster, clay and other modeling mixtures that can be used for just plain fun or serious art."--ALA Booklist. Recipient of the 1990 Benjamin Franklin Award and the ALA Booklist Starred Review.

I guess this book has been around since the late 80's, but it's new to me! My kids and I are on #12 of the 30 playdough possibilities. Cinnamon Dough has been my daughter's favorite, while Shampoo Dough is my son's. I like plain old salt/flour playdough with color added. This book has all the recipies you will ever need for doughs, and other squishy modeling compounds. We haven't tried any plaster of Paris projects yet, but we will! I think we will try the one that you do at the beach -- making some kind of sand casting.

I have loved this book for a long time - TONS of great activities and kids really love getting squishy. The Peanut Butter Playdough recipe is worth it alone! Now I heard that Bright Ring Publishing is putting this book out in a Bilingual Spanish Edition! I can't wait to use it in the classroom! What a wonderful resource and bold move! Bravo! And thank you from all of my Spanish-speaking students! They will love to see projects in their own language!

These are really nice quality cards. My daughter loves it when I get them out and it's nice for me too because on the back of each card is written some questions/interactional phrases to use when presenting the card. It comes in handy when I'm really tired and can't think of another thing to say about a particular animal. After a few times, she can pick out different animals from a selection of a few when prompted. Nice & fun language development tool.

It's silly that these cards are labeled for ages 4-8. My son has loved them since receiving them for his first birthday. He loves to shuffle through the cards, pointing and demanding to know what the animals are called and attempting to imitate their noises. The best thing about them is the card format - a novelty compared to all of his books. I will definitely purchase other sets.

I have found these cards to be the best and sturdiest for the price. The Baby Einstein ones were a disappointment in comparison. These had 16, Baby E had only 10. The box (which my daughter loves) is sturdy cardboard and has a velcro closure, as opposed to a flimsy box she squashed in 2 seconds. And the cards are the biggest difference -- very sturdy and professional looking! If you're looking for great cards, this brand is the best.

My 14-month-old enjoys handling the cards and never seems to tire of pulling them out and putting them back in the case. She likes the textures on the cards, and we have fun making the sounds of the animals pictured. As she gets older I think she'll get more out of the content of the cards, making this purchase an investment that will be useful for a few years.

My son has learning delays and loves the "Animals" collection. He has started to learn his animals and loves to feel parts of the animals on the cards. "First Words" is just as amazing. "Things that Go" is not as tactile. We have them all and find them to be the best card collection out there.

Started reading this on the book counter at the local B&N and couldn't put it down. Fascinating premise and wonderfully vivid excursion into turn-of-the century New York. Stylish, well-researched and entertaining.

Boorstin has a unique voice and take on the period and an interesting speculation on what I understand to be a missing period in the life of William James. This book gives a vivid and entertaining picture of life in New York a hundred years ago. Recommend.

"Newsboys'" boasts a page-turning plot as well as the wonderful ability to make you think about important life questions. I read the entire novel during one ten-hour stretch of business travel ... and it made what could have been a grueling day of planes and airports a day of pure joy. The plot kept me entertained, but the philosophical elements kept me both hooked on the book and repeatedly pondering my own life and choices. "Newsboys'" may not be in the same literary league as E.L. Doctorow's "Ragtime," but it's much better than the current crop of historical novels typified by "Carter Beats the Devil" -- a lot of research in search of a purpose. I finished the book feeling enriched, invigorated and determined to do better at all things. Any work of art that leaves you feeling like that is a great and rare gift.

The gifted philosopher and psychologist William James suffered a mental collapse at age thirty. This fact is well known by anyone familiar with James' works, but what remains unclear is what happened during his convalescence. "Twenty-one pages (as much as forty-two pages of writing)" were cut from James' diary that surely held some answers about his dark hour. Thankfully we have Jon Boorstin who writes so well from James' point of view that we need to be reminded these writings are actually not James' confessions but historical fiction. "The Newsboys' Lodging House" brilliantly extrapolates upon the missing pages to form a cohesive and believable account of what led James to become the renowned modern thinker and progenitor of Pragmatism and the Will to Believe.

The novel jumpstarts in 1908 Cambridge with a stranger imploring an attention-grabbing question, "Is you my father?" That teaser grabs the reader's unequivocal attention as James elegantly recalls how one chance encounter at McLean Asylum in 1872 with Horatio Alger, a writer of boys' stories, inspires him to leave the asylum and research "the question of evil" among the poor newsboys of New York City.

Boorstin has magically crept into James' psyche and delights us page after page despite many somber expositions that detail James' anguish over evil's place in the world. Reading in fact becomes compulsory as we eagerly await an answer to the stranger's aforementioned question. In the meantime, Boorstin expresses James' ideations in an entertaining manner and more succinctly than several philosophical tomes.

Bohdan Kot

As a lover and student of philosophy, I have a prediliction toward pragmatism. And as I have a prediliction toward pragmatism, I have a fondness for James. And as I have a fondness for James, I found this fictionalized account of a 'missing period' of James's life interesting (if not a bit strange and obviously fabricated).

In this novel, John Boorstin is envisioning James in his thirtieth year. This is when he experienced his mental breakdown leaving him an inch from suicide and in complete emotional paralysis. He had spent quite a few months, we know, in a mental institution, but here, the diary stops - the pages referring to this few-month period have been cut out of his diary, leaving the period a complete mystery.

Boorstin imagines a scenario that as far-fetched as it is (and the author acknowledges that) is interesting and at very least entertaining. James goes to New York with little money where, in fascination with Horatio Alger, volunteers to instruct children at a Lodging House for orphaned kids. It is there he meets a 9-year-old boy called Jemmie and becomes determined to save this child (who James is convinced is good at heart, but slipping into street-life) from the cold and hard world of the streets. Therein, James finds himself ensnared in quite a few 'plots' that gradually help him become his own person (as we know that when the 'missing period' was over, James was remarkably more directed and focused).

As I do not know how many people reading this will be as familiar with William James as us philosopher types, there is one part of the novel I think that may get lost on those not as familiar with James. Though one need not at all be a philosopher to like this novel, the story very much ties into the meaning of James' philosophy of pragmatism wherein 'truth' is said to be dictated sometimes by the 'facts' and sometimes by 'what we personally need to believe'. So as not to get too philosophical here, I will copy one paragraph from the novel that beautifully explains:

"Until this moment, I had thought true belief to be absolute and beyond one's control, the inevitable expression of one's fundamental knowledge of the workings of the world. Now I saw that we created our beliefs even as we cherished their eternal permanence. All of us are bound up in beliefs which express not only our deepest truths but our deepest needs."

This is very much a part of James (both as a psychologist and a philosopher, James being equally adept at both). Boorstin's goal, in this fantastic but quite engrossing tale, is in part to give us a 'real live shot' of what James' pragmatism looks like in practice through James' very own eyes. The result is a very good novel that will at once entrhall you and capture your philosophic imagination.