United States Books

What a lucky break to have stumbled across this book. I loved it. The brush with the gods of rock was interesting, but the real story was her grit and determination to make a remarkable and happy life for herself. I always thought that you can be anything you want to be and she proved that. Very inspiring!! Hope the future holds more books from Catherine, I for one can't wait....

The story of Catherine James' life reads like a dazzling, colorful, dizzying, sometimes unbelievable, cult screenplay that the most darling of independent film-makers could only wish to create. Ms. James unabashedly and honestly recounts her amazing journeys through the worlds of delapidated Hollywood, her dysfunctional family, and 60s rock n'roll in such a way as to make it difficult to put her book down for wanting to know what will happen next. Certainly, her relationships with some of the most notrious men of rock n' roll (Jimmy Page, Mick Jagger) is titillating; however, it is her gentle voice, and strong presence in these, and other, very personal accounts that makes the story most interesting. Ms. James' trials, tribulations, and, ultimately, triumphs are relatable to people of all ages - you will find yourself laughing on one page and crying on the next, just as in the book of life. This book is highly recommended, not only for its wonderful entertainment value but for its many resonant life lessons, especially that of forgiveness.

I first found Miss James' story in a chapter of a "kiss and tell all" book about rock and roll groupies. Having been around the music business over half my life and being exposed to all of it's excess's, I was taken and intrigued as her story was much different than others portrayed. I was eventually led to this wonderful and inspiring book that I am writing about here.

Hers is definitely a story about one who found the inner strengh to persevere. Yes, some of the people throughout her life can be dazzling to read about, Mr. Page, Jagger, Eric Clapton, etc. But it's a lot like the old nursery rhyme "oh who are the people in your neighborhood"? She just happens to tell us who they were. For some music and rock and roll is lived vicariously through records, signatures, brief encounters in the back of the bus or a lonely hotel room, other's stories, and for some it is a part of life like breathing. It just is. There is no explanation really. Why they are treated different and accepted into the fold will always be a mystery. I think all the orphans of the world who find each other in the lifestyle Miss James found a safe haven in must come from the land of miss-fit toys. No one truly wants a "charlie in the box" so we find each other and in doing so comes solace.

If your looking for "heady" tell all stories about rock stars move on. If you are interested in a book that is truly human in context and real look no further. This is a story of a woman who found a way to succeed at all odds as a single parent in a time when it wasn't very popular to do so. We should all do so well.

I have a feeling the story is not over.

Michael Holt.

I wanted to crawl into this book and give her a warm hug! Literally read in one night. So enjoyed being taken back to that amazing time in music history...it wasn't a "groupie" book, she didn't go out to meet musicians, she was forced out by the "witches". She is a compassionate survivor and didn't take the easy way out by self-medicating with drugs to numb her pain. Wished it was longer and look forward to her next writings. Buy this book and enjoy the trip!

This book is not *just* about Hollywood Royalty from the 30's and 40's , although her whole family hails from that golden era. It's not *just* about love affairs with Rock and Roll Legends, but you will find kisses from the likes of Denny Laine( Moody Blues & Wings) & father of her son), Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin), Mick Jagger (Rolling Stones),and Jackson Browne have graced her lips. She counts Roger Daltrey (The Who),Pamela DesBarres,Patti D'arbanville amoung her closest friends.

However..This is NOT a book of casual name dropping. This is a memoir of a turbulent childhood, a peek at the demons that she faced,and the many legions of angels who have come to her rescue.

Catherine James takes you on a journey that is simply amazing. For those who don't "like to read", this book is SUCH an easy read. It's like sitting down with her and listening to her chat with you.

Catherine comes full circle and I enjoyed every single minute of it.
I look forward to the sequel.. and Catherine? maybe Diane Keaton can play YOUR double in the film version? :)

Pattie xo

This book is the journal of Rosemary Langheldt who left her job and home in San Francisco to serve with the Red Cross in London and then Germany. The story is told through letters home and journal entries, and both are highly informative and well written missives. Mrs. Norwalk recreates what it was like to live in England during the last year of the war. She is an empathetic observer of the many tens of thousands of men (boys) who stop briefly at her Clubmobile for a donut and a cup of coffee after disembarking in England and re-embarking for the fight on the Continent. Once Rosemary is transferred to Germany, she sees firsthand the near destruction of many German cities. Her writings are true to the time: these people were our enemies a short time ago and they tried to kill the boys who I helped serve. It also offers an honest appraisal of the Occupation where the black market made many Americans rich. This book will be of interest to anyone who wants to know about life in England after the Allied landings in June 1944 and the early days of the occupation in Germany.

Rosemary Norwalk left ardent swains and professional position to become a "doughnut dolly" with the American Red Cross. This University of California graduate and San Francisco native brings a disciplined eye to the social climate and
the broad spectrum of Americans thrown together by World War II. Following training in Washington, D.C. where she had to be restrained from sitting in the back of the bus, to commentary on the bravery of the ordinary Londoner under the buzz bombs, to experiences managing the large operation at a major port, she is insightful and forthright. Her many letters home are tied together with good historical notes on military operations and progress of the war. Mistitled a love story, it is instead a story of women who dared to step up and take on great responsibility for providing troop support both departing and returning through Britain. An example: A new"girl" arrives and one of the current Red Cross "girls" rushes to Rosemary with misgivings over her attitude and different looks. " The new girl announces: I'm Lil...I'm a Jew and I'm from Brooklyn and I don't like to take orders.' It was a challenge, not a greeting. I took a deep breath in the silence, then stuck out my hand and smiled. I hoped cordially. 'Welcome, Lil. I'm a gentile, I'm from San Francisco, and,' I groped for the right words, 'I don't like to give orders, so we ought to get along fine.' "

This is a wonderful book that I enjoyed the entire time I was reading it. It is one of those treasures of American history that should be read by anyone interested in WWII history. It is valuable look at the war from the perspective of an American Red Cross volunteer stationed in England. Not a nurse, as the author points out as the usual assumption, but one of those moral boosting "doughnut dollies" that sometimes were the last friendly female face a soldier would see before embarking for the battlefields of Europe.
Mrs. Norwalk was a wonderfully skilled writer at the time she wrote the letters and journal entries that make up the book. And the book is equally well crafted and edited, giving a detailed look at the work of the Red Cross workers on the docks of Southampton, England, their everyday lives and yes romances as the subtitle implies. It also includes personal photographs taken at the time.
An interesting item on page 99 is a list that explains the code used by the Red Cross to communicate the number of ships arriving or leaving, their sailing dates, and the number of soldiers to expect so they would be prepared and have enough volunteers, coffee, and doughnuts for them.
My sincerest thanks to Mrs. Norwalk (now deceased)for sharing this personal history with us, it reminds me very much of the letters my father wrote my mother during WWII that I have published into a book entitled: All My Love, Forever: Letters Home From A WWII Citizen Soldier. - Dale Lane

I picked up "Dearest Ones" in a discount store and didn't expect much. There's a certain sameness to the World War II diaries of young women: young woman from small town bucks convention, kisses parents good-bye, and runs off to get liberated. She has some very mild adventures, makes a lot of friends, says "gee golly whiz" a lot, and swans on home at the end of the book. A postscript informs us that she settled down with a man named Bob or Hank or Earl, of whom we heard absolutely nothing in the course of the book except for a few mentions of "letters from So-and-So in the South Pacific," and is living somewhere in the midwest near her three grown children.

Boy, was I surprised, and pleasantly so. Perhaps it helps that Rosemary Langheldt was older, in her mid-twenties, and already a career woman when she applied to join the Red Cross overseas. It also helps that she seems to have been a very curious and thoughtful person. As other reviews have mentioned, she takes notice not only of the glitz and fun of work abroad, but of Britain's sometimes stifling class distinctions, American racial prejudice, and the difficult moral compromises involved in the occupation of Germany. There is also plenty of romance, fun, and gee-golly-whiz adventure, but one never gets the sense that Rosemary lost track of her primary reasons for being in the Red Cross or saw her job as a mere means of adventure. Rather, she was there to work and the adventure happened along the way.

She was keenly interested in other people, making this book a pleasure to read-- it can be incredibly frustrating to read a diary when the only "character" the diarist is able to make three-dimensional is the diarist herself. She had a skill for interacting with people (I get the sense that I would never in a million years have been able to handle her job) and trying to understand them, and that curiosity and interest in humanity permeates the whole book. (I also feel compelled to mention, as a reader, that I really appreciated the narrative cohesiveness of this book. If someone is introduced, then they will be around until a reason for their departure is given. A lot of diaries suffer from people and events appearing, disappearing, reappearing, necessitating either a lot of head-scratching or awkward footnotes. This book doesn't have that problem. Rosemary was a really excellent correspondent.) This is really a stellar example of the genre, probably one of the best I've read.

I came across this book at a local bookstore and thought it was a very touching and well-written account of love during wartime. As the author lived in my area, I was able to meet her and have her sign my copy. I'm so glad I did as she passed away August 22, 2002. What a great keepsake for her family and a wonderful book for the rest of us. So if you've been meaning to write your memoirs, don't put it off! It may not ever be listed on Amazon but it would probably mean a lot to your loved ones.

Two books are tops for those who love the game and choose to continue learning how to play it well: this one and Every Shot Must Have a Purpose: How GOLF54 Can Make You a Better Player The stories, experiences, tips, and memories are superbly inspiring. Worth re-reading every year!

I don't play golf but I LOVED Ms. Vold's book, read every word, hated to have it end! I would recommend this book to anyone whether they play golf or not.

This book has it all....contemporary history of women who love the game and made the LPGA what it is today, nostalgia, technique and lots of food for thought. Any woman who has a passion for golf must read this one. I seldom read a book more than once...I'm on my third time through in less than three months. Do yourself a favor by buying it and keeping it near your nightstand to refer to again and again.

"If a person has any greatness in them, it comes to light , not in one flamboyant hour, but in the ledger of their daily work." Beryl Markham "West with the Night"

The women Mona Vold writes about in her book, "Different Strokes", are national treasures worthy of any reader's time. And although the common thread of their journeys is the world of golf, the passion of their hearts, the clarity of their minds and the strength of their voices both dig deeply into and transcend that rich and humbling game.

Without reservation, I highly recommend this wise and thoughtful book.

Fun to hear what the other half has to say about the game. Great stories a good read for any golfer. Not to sure about the technical information. You might want to purchase GOLF IS A WOMAN'S GAME to set you straight on that. Both books really elevate women's golf.

I got the boxed set of four when I was around 8 or 9. At the time, my mom thought I thought I should read them when I'm a little older. So when i was 11 I read the first two. I liked them a lot. Well, my birthday was a few days ago. It's been awhile sinc ei've read the Elsie books cause I just lost intrest. For my birthday I recieved the Oringinal Elsie Book 1. I personally think I'll the oringinals a lot better, especially since now i'm a lot older. But if you're still a little young, but want to read the Elsie books, tehse one's are better for you. Their dialouge's a lot easier to understand, bigger print, bigger book, etc. But if you're older, read the oringinals.

This is one of the best books I have ever read. I was reading it to my girls and after I finished their chapter for the night I took it into my room and read the whole thing. I did not want to put it down. Of course I finished it for my girls and they just love it too. They always ask for me to read more! I highly recommend this book. I'm going to be purchasing the whole set as soon as I can! I want this book to be a part of our collection!

Elsie's Endless Wait is an inspiring book about an 8-year-old girl who has a stronger faith in God than most adults. She withstands harsh criticisms from her family. "What is the meaning of this, you little good-for-nothing?" She waits faithfully for her father, who has been away for years, to come home, never losing hope. "How I wish he would come home." Elsie's Endless Wait inspired me to be a stronger Christian, because of a little girl who has faith enough to move a mountain. I absolutely could not put this book down. I recommend it to every girl.

This book is about an eight year old girl named Elsie Dinsmore. Her mom passed away right after she was born. Her dad couldn't handle the pain so he moved away. Horace (Elsie's father) left Elsie to be taken care of at his parent's home. There Elsie is faced with many problems. Elsie turns her problems to God and he helps her through them. All Elsie wants is for her dad to come home. She wonders, will he come home, will he love her? I love how in this book Elsie looks to god amongst all her problems, and how He always helps her through. This is the best book that I have ever read. There is not one single thing in this book that I didn't like. This book is the first of eight books in the Elsie Dinsmore Series, A Life of Faith. I plan to read the next seven of these books. This book reminds me a lot of the Bible. It is all about God and it tells true things about what God does for you. This is a great book for girls thirteen and older. But I bet boys could enjoy this book as well. This is the best book that I have ever read and I hope you get a chance to read it.

This book is about a young girl named Elsie Dinsmore. If you like christian books, and books that go back in time; this book is for you. Elsie is a young girl, about 8 years old. She lives with her grandma, grandpa, aunts, and uncles. She lives with them because her mother dies when she was a little girl, and her father is away in Europe on business. Her grandparents think it was a mistake that she was even born, and neither of them trat her very well. Her aunts and uncles also arn't very nice to her. Read this book to find out how Elsie deal with all her troubles and how God has helped her through everything. This is the first book in the series. It was so good I can't wait to read the next.

What i liked about this book: I am really into all the christian books, and this one really shows you how God can help you through anything and everything. This is one of those books that you just don't want to put down. I also like how it goes back in time. It doesn't happen n present day.

There is nothing about this book that I didn't like. All round i though this was a really great book!

I purchased this book as a Christmas gift. Received the book on time. It has several pictures of the crew. Looking through the book, I started reading, read through the first chapter. It was very good. Had to make myself quit reading though because its kinda rude to read a book when its a gift for someone else. Will have to borrow the book back to continue reading or order myself a copy.

a story of courage and survival that proves that truth isstanger than fiction. these men were true patriots. the author was able to bring them and their plight alive and real for the reader.

This is not a book made great by the writing. Rather, this book is great because the author didn't get in the way of this epic story. No US submarine sunk more enemy tonnage than the Tang and whether any US sub sunk as many enemy ships is debatable. Dick O'Kane, the Tang's skipper, literally jumps out of the pages as America's foremost sub warrior. Anyone uncertain about what it means to be aggressive, go into harm's way and do all one can to serve one's country will find answers in this book.

This is a very good book that tells a great story. It is engrossing and draws the reader in from the beginning by painting a compelling portrait of the USS Tang in general and of the U.S. Submarine service specifically. They are portrayed as the miracle workers of their age.

Still the book comes up short in several areas. We don't learn as much about the Tang's patrols before the final patrol. If we learned more about the other patrol the book would have been much more compelling. We are also rushed through the crew's time in the POW camps in Japan. These do a disservice to what could be an amazing book. But rest assured, the book is very much worth the read!

As the son of a career sailor who served on submarines (USS Baya, SS-318, USS Menhaden, SS-377, and USS Segundo, SS-398) from the late 40's until his retirement in 1963, some of my earliest memories are of going to work with him and eating ice cream in the galley when the sub was in port. I also attended several dependents day cruises on the Menhaden and loved and respected the crew.

With that background when I saw Escape from the Deep by Alex Kershaw and realized what the book was about I had to read it. Life on a diesel electric boat was truly hardship duty. Though the crews ate well, they still managed to lose weight while on patrol, a fact that says it all about the stress under which they served.

The history of the USS Tang can't be matched by many other submarines in the PTO. Her skipper, Dick O'Kane was considered to be one of the best submarine skippers around, and his list of successes can't be matched by many of his contemporaries. It was on a war patrol that the Tang experienced one of submariner's greatest fears; a run-a-way torpedo that circled back and struck the submarine a death blow. Only nine of the crew managed to escape. They were picked up and finished the war as POW's of the Japanese.

Alex Kershaw's telling of the story of the USS Tang is an historical account of one of America's most successful submarines, with one of America's best trained crews, led by one of Americas best skippers. Having read the Bedford Boys I was already familiar with Kershaw's attention to detail in his storytelling and the quality of his research. However, he surpasses himself with Escape from the Deep.

Dramatic, suspenseful, and emotionally charged, Escape from the Deep is a must read for anyone interested in the war in the Pacific and with submarine warfare specifically.

American submariners suffered the highest casualty rate of any military specialty in WWII. Fully 25% of serving crews were lost while on patrol. Escape from the Deep is an excellent statement about the submariner's courage and sacrifice.

I highly recommend.

Peace always

Delightful book in which the game's greatest pitchers, and some who yearn to be great, tell in their own words their memories of the game, still America's pasttime.

The first person, unedited memories make this book especially readable.

Anyone who questions why baseball is the great American game need only read this book to understand.

"EVERY PITCHER TELL A STORY"

Seth Swirsky is a Beverly Hills sports memorabilia collector who has spent a lifetime writing to baseball players and keeping the many letters and notes sent to him in return. "Every Pitcher Tells A Story" (1999, Time Books) is a compilation of those letters. While many of the athletes are not pitchers, Seth has a special fondness for moundsmen.
"But the tales that pitchers tell stand out above those told by all other players," Swirsky writes. "A pitcher stands alone on the mound..." Swirsky has compiled letters by pitchers in the Hall of Fame, and by pitchers the average baseball fan never heard of. His letters go back as far as Walter Johnson, but also includes such modern non-luminaries as Turk Wendell.
Superstar Steve Carlton writes that he went silent because the press was "breaking the trust that came with their access to the players." Roger Clemens refers to himself as "ROCKET". Cy Young's almost-indiscernible handwritten letter states that baseball cannot be learned "overnight." Cy spent about 30 years in the big leagues, so he ought to know. Bill "Spaceman" Lee probably sprinkled too much marijuana on his pancakes the day he wrote his chicken-scratch letter to Swirsky. Other letters of note include one from Dick Nixon on the Vice President's stationary; a once-classified order from O.S.S. boss "Wild Bill" Donavan directing catcher-turned-spy Moe Berg to capture a Nazi rocket scientist (Berg was later confused by a movie producer with the "Three Stooges" Moe); and self-publicity from "Ball Four" pitcher/author Jim Bouton.
Perhaps the most interesting is the1923 typed correspondence on letterhead saying "BASEBALL," in which Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis crushes banned "Black Sox" star "Shoeless Joe" Jackson's desperate hope for re-instatement.

This book creates an air of baseball that few books allow. From star to skunk, it includes them all. But the stories from their own letters is all that surround baseball -- the aura itself. Great reading.

This book is great! It's a quick read but fascinating! The photographs are excellent and the handwritten replies give you a really cool perspective on the players. This book is one you will keep on the coffee table, so you can always pick it up and read a letter--especially the one regarding Shoeless Joe Jackson--it's touching.

I'm a huge baseball fan..I love anything and everything about it. I got this book for Christmas and I read it in less then a day. It was so addicting! I mean the stories in it are truely wonderful ( Turk Wendall...wild! lol ) I love to read stories of the greats and the players of today, the book has a great mixture of both! It's an awesome book and one you will cherish forever! I really recommend it ( A LOT! ) Baseball 4ever!

This book is great! I bought it for my husband is who VERY conservative as a gift. I was thrilled to see that Ramirez had published an entire book of his work. We have always gotten a big chuckle out of them before and now we can enjoy all of them! He is very talented and very insightful! This book is a must have!

This guy is great! Great draughtmanship, great humor, and always the right point of view (pun intended)! The One True Heir to the great late Jeff McNelly, and the best political cartoonist today!

It's refreshing to see some truly funny cartoons with a conservative slant. I'd seen his cartoons before, but didn't know who he was... now I'm a lifelong fan.

This is a terrific book of cartoons by the Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Ramirez. His cartoons certainly reflect the times in which we are living. Some of them make you laugh and some make you sad, but they all make you think.
Ramirez is the best cartoonist living today in my opinion and he should be in every paper in this country.

Wow! One of the funniest and most thought provoking books I've ever read. The images that Michael Ramirez can create with his pen and the powerful editorials that come with it are in a league of its own. The blatant, "in your face" honesty of his cartoons will make you think and laugh and the laughter is guaranteed to be heard by everyone around you!!!

I live in North Carolina and I have been able to identify all the snakes, lizards, turtles, and frogs that I have found using this book. Good descriptions and photos to help you tell the difference between different species.

This book features clear plates with apparently well painted views of probably all the species of amphibians and reptiles occuring in Canada and the USA east of the Rocky Mountains, apparently also including those of Puerto Rico and introduced ones. Unfortunately, the plates of the third edition from 1998 are printed badly, with the colour dots not completely blurring in front of the reader's eye, and the pictures are a little tiny anyway. On the page opposing the plates are the common and scientific names given, as well as some important details of their appearance. Many species are represented with several images (e.g. from the side, from below; adults, juveniles), but this would probably be warranted for even more species.
The species accounts are, however, usually much too short, giving almost no detail about biology and life history of the species. Among them are, however, some colour photographs, whose printing resolution is usually also somewhat too bad, though.
The range maps are in colour and show the different subspecies in different shades, yet they are also somewhat confusing, because water bodies like the sea or the great lakes are not shaded differently from the land, so that their borders look like the state borders, and because the range borders have also be drawn in black (maybe for copying?).
Laudable is the existence of a general section about amphibians and reptiles and their catching, handling and captive care. This section would be worth expanding, though.
The third printing (1998) is/was, as already stated, not very good because of its low colour resolution and its maybe somewhat too small size, and it is/was bind only as paperback with relatively thick pages throughout.

Thank you for your timely shipping of this brand new book. I ordered it for a friend who is looking forward to getting it soon.

The book is great. Wonderful range maps, nice pictures, generally good ID characters. Could use some more info on larval amphibian identification though.

I have had this book for several years and absolutly love it. Not only is it nicely informative, it holds up well in the feild. I can not begin to count the number of times I have slipped (I generally keep it tucked in my waist band) in creeks on outings. After years of abuse, my cover is a worn, spine wrinkled and paged stained, but it's still solidly bound.

My uncle was a Fireman in San Francisco for over 30 years and the realization of his job hit home to me as I read this book I have recommended it to everyone its an awesome story of Love Courage and family and Gods promise to see us through any trial even a fiery one .Lynnette Davis

I am the wife of a Fire Captain and I could relate to so much that Susan writes about. Thank you Susan for telling such a wonderful story! I read this book over a 24 hour period, no easy task with a 7 week old baby and a 3 year old, and with my husband at the fire station. I could not put the book down and didn't want it to end, I laughed and cried and totally enjoyed every page. This is a must read for any wife, or family, of a fireman.

Loved this book. It was past around for the wives of the fire academy to read. With my brother on for a few years, I thought I knew a lot about what this journey would entail. But this book was insight, funny, heart wrenching. It was a easy, quick read. I will know give this to all the new wives entering this department. It really opens you eyes on what to expect, from the shift to your husband's second family. Worth your time.

This is one of the best books that I have read! Susan really knows how to express what all fire wives feel. This book made me laugh, cry, and say "yep, I've seen (heard, felt, done) that!" so many times. I think anyone married to a fireman would love this book. I really appreciate the awareness it has given me. I only wish I read it sooner. As a 9-year fireman's wife myself, I highly recommend it!

This book was given to me by my firefighter fiancee soon after he proposed. What a Godsend! I consider this my "bible". Susan summed up the feelings we as wives have about our firemen husbands and does it in a funny, thoughtful and wonderful way. I recommend this be required literature for every fireman to hand out when they decide to propose!! LOL. Thanks Susan for sharing our side of the story!

Let's face it, we know the ending when we start. But, once into the book, you are drawn into the world at the NIC unit. You see what is happening as if you were there experiencing it. To see the raw emotion, experience the day to day happenings is to fall in love with the little life that is so fragile at this stage. Then on the other level you see how much love is shared, how everyone is drawn to this family. And yes, it is a family just like any other. I keep going back to the book and reread passages - when after a bath, little Jackson has a breathing problem, you read the "prayer" that BD Wong has going through his head. You get so imvolved that you actually feel emotionally exhausted after you put the book down. I so hope for more books by this particular author! Bravo! I am a Foo Follower for sure!

So, after finishing the wild ride/read on 3 different plane trips and stops at several coffee shops. I was crying, laughing, experiencing a roller coaster of emotions and everything else of this intense, personal family story. I kept having to stop to wipe away tears or suppress laughter in the very pulic spaces that I read the book. I guess B.D. can write as well as act. All of us can thank this family for sharing their experience...and making us all realize that alternative or traditional families are the same. A new Foo Follower.

This book is remarkable. I could, literally, not put it down and then was disappointed when I finished it. It is a real life, soul revealing, sad, funny, inspirational story. I feel that my life is richer for having read it. I am quite picky when it comes to how I spend my time, especially with regard to reading and I would read this again without hesitation.

I was recommended it because I just lost someone close to me through death and this book allowed me to grieve openly and fully for my loss and for all loss.

This book made me proud to be human. I await more from B.D. Wong.

a perspective, from a single woman, with no children-yet:
Believe it or not, this book is one of my birthday presents to myself, to help improve the quality of my life.

BD has helped me become a better woman. Hopefully, I will also become more responsible, as well. Hopefully, I will be better to cope with life's emotional issues, and handling them better.

That's what drew me to the book.

You see, while growing up, many, many people automatically assume that any given person should be able to handle anything thrown at them. You ask those around you for help, or you are impacted by something trumatic, and those around you automatically assume that you're tough enough to go through it, by yourself. Many a time, I would go through life, and not tell of my problems, because I felt that those around me would make the problem worse - or blame me for it.

Some of us have a harder time getting through things. To say "get over it", is a cruel thing to say. I feel that sometimes, those saying such a thing, are really digging deeper into the mess, and allow for things to continue to spiral downward.

I feel that this book allows people to communicate, in ways that go beyond the core scope of what the book was essentially written about.

I find it ironic that 2 men, sharing their account of parenting, pregnancy, and love with the world, including me, would have more of an impact on me, than that from any woman, since I have never received this type of insight from women.

I shouldn't have to get this type of insight about childrearing, etc., from men. However, I am indebted to BD and Richie, nonetheless.

You see, women have this thing out there, where they feel that they don't like sharing, esepcially when it comes to things like child-birth and pregnancy. It's like this secret, kept to hurt those women coming up in the world. Growing up, you ask your female relatives about such things, details inolved, and those female relatives keep quiet!

Women do not share everything, contrary to popular belief.

Needless to say, this is one of the first things that has impacted me, while reading the book.

The other is, of course the trauma, and roller coaster that BD talks about.

Some of the things mentioned, bring me back to the trials in my life.

I am thankful for the book, and the impact that the book has on my life.

When I saw this book, I just had to read it. Not because of who the author was or that he was gay, but because he LIVED what I was LIVING. Mr. Wong's book is the ONLY book about NICU babies that I would suggest as a MUST READ for critically premature parents! It doesn't help you understand the medical terms, it helps you understand YOU, as a parent of a tiny ray of life in a plastic box.
I lost a premature daughter (Mary) at 23 weeks, eleven months after that my second premature baby (Julia)was born at a whopping 28 weeks. I still was grieving Mary's death while trying to stay "upbeat" and "positive" about my Julia in the NICU. I joked, I laughed, but I hid A LOT of emotions. Everybody tells you how strong you are, what a brave person you are, while inside you are screaming "WHY MY CHILDREN!?!". You feel like you are the ONLY person in the world who feels that way.
Well, Mr. Wong's book is the ONLY book I have read that made me feel like I wasn't going crazy. He not only addressed the issues of being a parent of a NICU baby, but losing a child, and the realities of coping with that loss while being exatically happy your child has made a huge accomplishment (She either pooped, or ate half a teaspoon of breastmilk... major things in a NICU).
His humor at the most critical of times is very similar to how I dealt with things when the dr.s would say... "Well, Julia had a good day today, she only stopped breathing twice, and oh, by the way, her blood levels show she may need a transfustion, etc."
Life in the NICU is like constantly waiting for the shoe to drop! And when it does, it is usually a size 15 triple E!

I would love for Mr. Wong to do a follow up to his book, maybe "Following Foo, The Early Years". Julia is now 18 months old, and we are dealing with Early Intervention, Boston Children's Hospital, Weight issues, and Mom (or Dad) going nuts trying to keep it all in check. I would dearly love to hear some advice. Plus, I fell in love with his adorable son in this book and would love to know how he is doing!